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LA interactive technology editor off to trot the online globe

Posted: 28/11/08 By: Judith Townend

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After leaving his job as interactive technology editor at the Los Angeles Times, Eric Ulken is set to investigate online journalism by travelling around the globe for six months. Ulken will be posting itineraries and links to all his posts and multimedia content on his personal website, Ulken.com.
Journalism.co.uk asked him a bit more about the trip.

So, what's your background?
[Eric Ulken] I am maybe 70 per cent journalist and 30 per cent techie and the techie part of me is more enthusiastic amateur than seasoned pro. Despite this shortcoming, I was the editor for interactive technology at latimes.com, where I oversaw a number of database and visualization projects. Prior to that I was the site's managing editor for news. I've spent my whole career working on newspaper websites.

Why up sticks now?
I was getting a little restless and wanted to get out from behind my desk and spend some time travelling. It occurred to me that there would never be a good time to leave, so I decided to stick around at the Times until after the US elections and then move on.

Where do you think your trip will take you?
Europe, for starters - including a few weeks in the UK Japan, probably. South Africa, maybe. I would love to make it to mainland Asia and to Latin America, but that'll depend on how long the money lasts and what kind of audience this project finds.

Have you got any specific multimedia ideas for documenting the trip?
I'll be taking along a camcorder and I hope to post some video of interviews along the way.

Is there any commercial/sponsorship interest yet?
There are some possibilities, but nothing's set in stone yet.

Have you got a start or end date yet?
I will be visiting some folks in the US and doing occasional posts on my blog and elsewhere in the next couple of months, but the project will begin in earnest when I head to Europe in mid-January.

What do you hope you'll see change on the multimedia news landscape during the trip?
I hope we'll see some viable business models emerging because it's the change that is needed most urgently. And though media economics is neither an area of expertise nor the focus of my reporting, I'll be on the lookout for journalism projects that are being funded in innovative ways.

Is the plan to bring back ideas to the US?
Yes. I think there's a lot that American news organisations can learn from developments taking place abroad - not just in traditional media but in technology and communication in general.

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