GRAPHICS & PRESENTATION

Transcription

1 GRAPHICS & PRESENTATION Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation

2 33 The Picture of Good Government How do you visually tell the story of open governent or its nemesis, secrecy? The visual elements used during Sunshine Week included padlocks, file cabinets, tape, flags and, of course, the sun. Artists worked with straight illustrations, photo collages and iconography. They created charts and illustrated informational graphics, and they found innovative ways to present them. In addition, Sunshine Week 2005 was enhanced by two partners The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Florida s Advertising Department who created separate public service print ads made available to all participants through the Sunshine Week Toolkit. Some newspapers used the ads during Sunshine Week, while others incorporated them into pre-sunshine Week in-house promotions. These ads remain available online in the Sunshine Week Toolkit ( toolkits). Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation

3 34 This illustration originally appeared on The Buffalo News Viewpoints Sunday opinion section. The imagery was so powerful that the paper made it into a poster for the American Society of Newspaper Editors. An electronic version is available for download from the Sunshine Week Toolkit ( org/sunshineweek/toolkits). The Deseret Morning News instantly invoked the frustration and seeming impenetrability of information locked away from the public at a cost in this photo illustration that ran with an editorial. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Illustration

4 35 A graphic representation of a heavily redacted document by The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H., showed readers what it looks like when the government edits information. On closer inspection, the unredacted text gets the point across succinctly and clearly. The Detroit Free Press ran this provocative graphic in place of a regular section front. Elements of the graphics were used throughout the week to tie coverage together. This photobox collage by The Des Moines Register contains many items representing the accessing of government information, such as a magnifying glass, a lock, a rubber stamp, and a snail s shell. The sun image was isolated and used to tag the paper s open government stories and editorials during Sunshine Week. (above) Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Illustration

5 36 Alongside profiles of local Freedom of Information heroes, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran two comprehensive timelines that followed the history of open government nationally and in the state of Georgia. Both can be found in their entirety on the AJC s Sunshine Sunday/Open Records Web page, Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Charts & Information Graphics

6 37 Bold and colorful graphics highlighted the strong editorial content in The Journal News of White Plains all through Sunshine Week. This full-page guide to getting government records in New York state came alive with illustrations that helped the reader navigate the steps to requesting information and appealing a rejection. Sidebars gave quick answers to FAQs as well as suggestions for common roadblocks. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Charts & Information Graphics

7 38 A spadea explaining the fundamentals of New York s Freedom of Information Law wrapped the front section of The Times Union in Albany. This creative technique drew what many consider the ultimate praise from readers: They reportedly posted it on their refrigerators with magnets. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Creative Formats

8 39 The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City used the Sunshine Week symbol at the start of every story from page one to death notices that was made possible by open government laws. And it explained to readers each day what the icon meant. By the end of Sunshine Week, some 141 stories had carried the logo. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Use of Sunshine Week Logo

9 40 The News Graphic in Cedarburg, Wis., proved that you don t have to be a big paper to produce creative and interesting Sunshine Week coverage. The 8,000-circulation, twiceweekly newspaper produced this package that featured original art and reporting on how open records laws were used to break important stories. It also explained Sunshine Week, state and federal laws; and utilized info graphics from the Sunshine Week toolkit and that s just on page one. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Creative Page Layouts

10 41 The banner headline alone Prying open the public s files certainly commanded attention to the Commentary front of The Oregonian in Portland, but the package was made even more compelling by a strong illustration by Steve Cowden and info graphics that accompanied the overview of a statewide Freedom of Information audit. Tying in with the audit report were commentary on open records laws in Oregon and a look at what high school students think about the roles of the press and government. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Creative Page Layouts

11 42 A number of newspapers tagged Sunshine Week stories with their own icons, in many cases excerpted from larger graphics. For example, The Journal News, based in White Plains, N.Y., used its highly stylized, bold and colorful imagery in illustrations, graphics and in icons next to open government stories all week. The Des Moines Register utilized an artistic sun that was originally part of a larger photo collage illustration. And The Deseret News of Salt Lake City incorporated newspaper imagery with the American flag. The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City was one of several newspapers that advanced its Sunshine Week print and online coverage with house ads and teasers in the days leading up to March 13. In addition to print ads, the paper promoted coming Sunshine Week coverage in its electronic news alerts. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Promotion

12 43 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution created a series of three house ads focused on open government issues and offered the ads to all Sunshine Week participants, who could change the copy for their communities. The Richmond (Va.) Times- Dispatch, for example, used them to promote coverage in advance of Sunshine Week. The ads, in color and black-and-white, remain available online in the Sunshine Week Toolkit, Faculty members in the University of Florida s Advertising Department in Gainesville created four ads for Sunshine Week that were based on news stories developed using government records. Topics included public health, safety, senior citizens and the environment. The ads are available for download in black-and-white, one-color tint and full color via the Sunshine Week Toolkit, org/sunshineweek/moreads. Sunshine Week BRIGHT IDEAS > Graphics & Presentation > Advertising