{"id":93453,"date":"2022-08-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=93453"},"modified":"2022-08-15T16:38:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T20:38:02","slug":"radios-visual-storyteller","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2022\/radios-visual-storyteller\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio\u2019s Visual Storyteller"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-primary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"800\" height=\"1066\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Keith Jenkins (&#039;82)\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-768x1023.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-620x826.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-512x682.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-774x1032.jpg 774w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-258x344.jpg 258w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-397x529.jpg 397w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-516x688.jpg 516w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-794x1058.jpg 794w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Keith-Jenkins-NPR-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Images courtesy of Keith Jenkins<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Alumni<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRadio\u2019s Visual Storyteller\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">As vice president of visual and music strategy, Keith Jenkins (\u201982) helps National Public Radio tell compelling stories online and on social media.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar js-block-editorial-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">August 9, 2022<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/corinne-steinbrenner\/\">Corinne Steinbrenner<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">National Public Radio (NPR) is much more than radio these days. In addition to recording audio programming, NPR also creates content for its website and for multiple Instagram accounts, TikTok accounts, and YouTube channels. These digital efforts draw substantial audiences: Visits to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/\">NPR.org<\/a> sometimes surpass NPR\u2019s broadcast listenership; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/npr\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NPR\u2019s main Instagram account<\/a> has 5.7 million followers; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC4eYXhJI4-7wSWc8UNRwD4A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the YouTube channel for NPR Music<\/a>\u2014home to the much-beloved Tiny Desk Concert series\u2014has 6.9 million subscribers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As NPR\u2019s vice president of visual and music strategy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/127410116\/keith-jenkins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Keith Jenkins<\/a> oversees much of this digital work. A former newspaper photographer, Jenkins (\u201982) says his role is the same as all journalists\u2019: to help people understand their world. And as audiences move to new media platforms, he wants to meet them there. Earlier this year, for example, NPR launched a TikTok account where it has been providing significant coverage of the war in Ukraine, offering TikTok users trustworthy news while introducing NPR to new and younger audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jenkins has spent much of his career pushing traditional news organizations to embrace new technologies\u2014helping the <em>Washington Post<\/em> integrate its print and digital newsrooms, hiring some of NPR\u2019s first photographers and videographers, shaping multimedia storytelling at <em>National Geographic. <\/em>Now he\u2019s back at NPR, delivering complex information via Instagram and TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think the emergence of technology at this point in time is really no different than when the printing press was invented, or even radio,\u201d Jenkins says. \u201cThe goal of journalism is always to get information to people as quickly and efficiently as possible. I\u2019ve personally always been comfortable with new tools and processes and have, as a result, often found myself living on the cutting edge within my organizations, which is not always a comfortable place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote record-block-bu-pullquote alignwide is-style-pop has-primary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">I used to frequently tell people that everybody should go through the first year of law school because it makes you a better thinker, and I wholeheartedly believe that. I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today had I not had the experience of law school.<\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Keith Jenkins (&#8217;82)<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Jenkins discovered his love for photojournalism while he was a law student. While he never ended up practicing law, he still values his legal education. His background helps him work smoothly with NPR\u2019s legal teams, discussing rights clearances and funding opportunities. Beyond that, Jenkins says his legal training has taught him to be a critical thinker, a valuable skill for a journalist and a manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI used to frequently tell people that everybody should go through the first year of law school because it makes you a better thinker, and I wholeheartedly believe that,\u201d he says. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am today had I not had the experience of law school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jenkins is especially glad he chose to attend law school in Boston, an education hub full of students and academics willing to experiment and embrace the idea that learning is a lifelong endeavor. Living in that environment, he says, helped him take the leap from law to journalism\u2014a move he\u2019s never regretted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the earliest pictures Jenkins has of himself show him with a camera in hand, \u201cbut I grew up not really thinking about being visual artist, being a photographer,\u201d he says. \u201cMy parents were pretty traditional. You had your options: you could be a doctor or a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While studying law at BU, Jenkins pursued photography on the side and made connections with Boston-area photographers, one of whom took him to Louisiana as an assistant on a shoot. The friend hoped the gig would illustrate the difficulties of photography and convince Jenkins to stick with law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut it had the opposite effect,\u201d he says. \u201cI enjoyed every minute of the trip and the work. It lit a bit of a fire under me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After graduating, Jenkins spent a year building a <a href=\"https:\/\/americanart.si.edu\/artist\/keith-w-jenkins-6125\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">photography portfolio<\/a> and then started landing freelance jobs for the <em>Boston Globe<\/em> and the now-defunct <em>Boston Phoenix<\/em>. He was soon working as a staff photographer for the <em>Globe<\/em> and then the <em>Washington Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1996, he became director of photography for <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonpost.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">washingtonpost.com<\/a>, the first of many jobs that required him to experiment with new digital technologies and forms of storytelling. After a stint at America Online and a return to the <em>Post<\/em>, he joined NPR in 2008, where he was tasked with building a visual presence for the radio network. He assembled a talented staff of audio-visual journalists who won a spate of awards, including NPR\u2019s first Emmy for an installment of its Project Song series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2013, <em>National Geographic<\/em> recruited Jenkins to help the company build a stronger digital presence. There, he led a complete overhaul of nationalgeographic.com and worked to cultivate a digital-friendly culture at a company that had focused on printed magazines for more than 100 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay record-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-square-s-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"469\" height=\"834\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram.png\" alt=\"An NPR instagram story depicting a reporter in Bucha, Ukraine, in April 2022\" class=\"wp-image-93460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram.png 469w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram-358x636.png 358w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram-465x826.png 465w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram-384x682.png 384w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram-193x344.png 193w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram-297x529.png 297w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram-387x688.png 387w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/@npr-instagram-360x640.png 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Eme Alfonso performs for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts\" class=\"wp-image-93457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-1000x563.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert-854x480.jpg 854w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/07\/Eme-Alfonso_TinyDeskConcert.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-caption\">As NPR\u2019s vice president of visual and music strategy, Keith Jenkins oversees a visuals team of about 30 photographers, photo editors, and videographers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following <em>National Geographic\u2019s<\/em> merger with 21st Century Fox, Jenkins returned to NPR as director of visual journalism in 2017. His responsibilities have gradually expanded, and today he oversees a visuals team of about 30 photographers, photo editors, and videographers who take and edit many of the photos that appear on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NPR.org<\/a> and also create photo essays and short-form documentaries for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NPR.org<\/a> and NPR\u2019s social media channels. He also oversees NPR Music, a team of journalists who write about music and create music-themed content such as the multimedia programs <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/allsongs\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>All Songs Considered<\/em><\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/538009815\/turning-the-tables\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Turning the Tables<\/em><\/a> and, of course, Tiny Desk Concerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jenkins\u2019 role involves securing grants and other funding, helping to launch pilots and special projects, reviewing and steering work in progress, and lots of time in meetings ensuring his teams are headed in the right direction and have the resources they need to create compelling content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cWhen you see amazing work published that you\u2019ve either had a hand in or enabled somebody else to create, that\u2019s the most rewarding thing\u2014especially today, with visuals being so dominant in communication,\u201d Jenkins says. \u201cYou have to provide the right visuals because they\u2019re critical for helping people navigate the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National Public Radio (NPR) is much more than radio these days. In addition to recording audio programming, NPR also creates content for its website and for multiple Instagram accounts, TikTok accounts, and YouTube channels. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":93967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":88443,\"hed\":\"Keeping the Cameras Rolling\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard record-block-editorial-billboard has-dark-overlay has-media\",\"backgroundId\":\"88446\",\"backgroundUrl\":\"\\\/law\\\/files\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/jurassic-color-clapboard-970x456.jpeg\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Alumni","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[2100],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3744,3774,4135,3786],"record-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/93453"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93453"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/93453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93723,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/93453\/revisions\/93723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93453"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=93453"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=93453"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=93453"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=93453"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=93453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}