In his presentation at ISOJ, Nuno Vargas, University of Barcelona (Spain) talked about how news and information is graphically presented online. His paper (PDF) discusses whether the design of online newspapers shows they are embracing the web fully as a new medium or whether they are they anchored to the paper metaphor. He found that newspapers still approach the web from a paper-based concept, rather than as a dynamic medium.

One of the challenges facing journalism schools and small news organisations is the price of the multimedia software. Journalists now need a range of software tools to be able to work across text, images, audio and video. The costs can quickly mount up for just a few basic programs such as Photoshop, either CS or the more affordable Elements. If you are on a tight budget, there are freeware alternatives.