The Use of Social Networking Sites, Nancy Gordy

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, to name a few, have become a major part of journalism today. The ability to which one can use these sites for journalistic purposes is now extensive and sure to continue to grow. Many story ideas can blossom simply by scanning tweets sent out by those you choose to follow on twitter, or a journalist could instantly be notified by an event taking place that they wouldn't have found out about until much later if it weren't for Twitter. Facebook and MySpace could provide a journalist with the ability to seek out information that otherwise would not be known about someone of interest.

The ability to have such instant access to an array of information that is being shared by bloggers, citizen journalists, and your everyday person via social networking sites has begun to provide a whole new meaning and way of being a journalist. To be a successful journalist in the present and future, one must take advantage of these social networking sites and fully engage in them in order to understand the benefits they provide.

An article posted by Trish Grier on the Poynter Online website displays great statistics on the interaction between journalists and social media websites.

Trevor's blog post, "Competition is at an all time high," also expresses the need to embrace the many advances in journalism via social networking sites, etc.

Note: Image from Nancy Jenkins Team on flickr.

Competition is at an all time high- Trevor Robb

With the way journalism has evolved, specifically with the large amount of citizen journalists and bloggers surfacing, getting your voice heard by both employers and the public has become extremely difficult. With technology comes opprutunity and ordinary citizens now have the extraordinary opportunity to share and post breaking news as if they were payed journalists. Which they are not. This doesn't mean they're useless. Bloggers pay a big role in assisting journalists find "contacts". Not the lenses, but buisness contacts. See it's a blog, I can use humor and opinion. Doesn't make me very credible does it!


What are the differences between citizen journalists and payed journalists? Some would argue education. Journalists attend University, most of which spend time frivolously drinking themselves to the point of temporary dementia or spending it in front of their laptops cramming for tests they aren't prepared for during what is usaully far past what any parent would deem to be "bedtime", in order to hone their craft. Bloggers sit at home and rant and rave about this and that with unlimitless access to vast amounts of hot pockets. Either way education is a key factor. Journalists have been trained to take in information at a higher level than regualr citizens. It's what they're good at. Good ones anyways. But still, bloggers remain and will continue to do so. The competition to get the story out first just went up dramatically.

Technology has a big role to play here. According to blogherald.com there are over 180 million blogs circulating on the interenet right now.(http://www.blogherald.com/2008/02/11/how-many-blogs-are-there-is-someone-still-counting/). That's impressive to say the least. Still, Journalists can cling to the hopes that self- respectful citizens rely on getting their news from respectful sources. That aren't FOX News. People within the news buisness, the TV news buisness that is, are killing it for us up-and-comers. We arrive on scene in a time where the media, in some countries, are described and talked about in the same context as prostitutes. The media are not well respected by the public right now, that has given bloggers the power and the attention they have received lately. It's a form of public backlash. People want what's real. News has turned fake. More clowns on the news than in the circus.

As Journalists we should embrace the new technology that has been given to us. Make it our own. Make news more credible by using live video and audio podcasts and with up-to-the moment Twitter updates. Draw opinions and commens from all over the world, from various "real" people or "sources." Make it real again. In a sense. Twitter updates still sound ridiculous to me and that's probably not going to change. But the media landscape is. So in order to keep up, so must I. Nancy's blog , "the use of Social Networking sites", says it well. http://prow135.blogspot.com/2010/01/use-of-social-networking-sites-nancy.html

Citizen Journalism and the Future of Journalism by Dale Boyd

Due to the new wave of news digitization in the past 5-10 years the journalism world has been forced to become an ever-adapting entity. With advancements in the portability of both access to the internet, and to cameras and video recording at any moment with our phones, anybody can unknowingly become citizen journalist at a moments notice. While technological advancements help capture events as they unfold, citizen journalism also has its bad side. With blogs, twitter, facebook, and a myriad of other social networking sites, people are able to get their opinions out there easily and as often as they want; which is not necessarily a good thing. David Simon, former writer for the Baltimore Sun, spoke in front of the United States Senate at a hearing on the future of journalism saying "You do not – in my city -- run into bloggers or so-called citizen journalists at City Hall, or in the courthouse hallways or at the bars and union halls where police officers gather." Simon goes on to describe the downfall of print journalism and the future of news and the shift online, Simon's full speech can be found here.

While blogging and social networking are great for posting one's opinion, the format is struggling to work as a news medium. First hand accounts of live events sound good in theory, but the filtering and fact checking you get from a newsroom seemed to be lost in the shuffle. This is not to say there is no good blogging or citizen journalism going on, it definitely has its place; however, if it causes more harm than good in certain situations the validity of this format has to be questioned. A recent example is the Fort Hood shooting that took place on an American military base. Major Nidal Malak Hasaan opened fire and killed 13 innocent people in the Fort Hood army base; during the tragedy soldier Tearah Moore was using twitter from inside the base. A first hand account in a situation like this may prove helpful, but in reality Ms. Moore began spreading misinformation. Moore was tweeting things such as "Maj Malik A Hassan. He shouldn’t have died. He should be in the worst suffering of his life. It’s too fair for him to just die. Bastard!" when Maj. Hassan was actually captured alive. This is the type of misinformation not only detracts from the reporting of facts but also has the potential to put people in danger in serious situations like shootings.

Situations like Fort Hood show the pitfalls of citizen journalism; however, it isn't without its place. Citizen journalism answered the call via twitter during the protests after the election in Iran. Twitter was a forum for Iranian protesters feeling oppression from their government to tell the world their story. Even though efforts to help oppressed Iranians may have gained momentum because of the citizen journalism taking place, it didn't change the amount of rumors and misinformation being spread as well. In the article "Iran Protests: Twitter the Medium of the Movement," author Lev Grossman states "The vast body of information about current events in Iran that circulates on Twitter is chaotic, subjective and totally unverifiable. It's impossible to authenticate sources. It's also not clear who exactly is using Twitter within Iran." Grossman discusses the use of mediums like twitter in his article here.

The positives of citizen journalism always seem to get overshadowed by the negatives. With credibility being a major concern, the citizen journalist has little more than cell phone pictures to prove their validity. Capturing the news first hand isn't the only way for citizens to be involved in the news according to Arianna Huffington, in the article "Best of Twitter: FTC Workshop Discusses the Future of Journalism," she argues that consumers are no longer just fed the news but can become involved and interact with the news. Countering those in the media opposed to citizen journalism Huffington said "The contributions of citizen journalists, bloggers, and others who aren't paid to cover the news are constantly mocked and derided by the critics of new media who clearly don't understand that technology has enabled millions of consumers to shift their focus from passive observation to active participation -- from couch potato to self-expression." Whether that active participation is fact-checked or not, citizen journalism is a useful embrace of technology to spread news faster than ever before. The article with Arianna Huffington and Rupert Murdoch discussing the future of journalism can be found here.

Good or bad citizen journalism, with the increased prevalence of social media in society, has a major impact on the news, but should it? With rumours and misinformation rampant among twitter feeds and internet here-say, the only valuable citizen journalism seems to be found among photos and videos as they are concrete and factual. Objectivity isn't necessarily a precaution taken among many citizen journalists, and since journalism should be presented as objective fact it is hard to hold these reports in high regard. Professional journalists are professionals for a reason, they have experience or training in the field. Citizen journalists have there place, it just isn't with professionals, and their opinions should be treated as such.

Mark-up Symbols, Susan Eder

Mark-up symbols should be the same from textbook to textbook; however, different textbooks use different marks-up symbols. This doesn’t mean that one is right and the other is wrong and this doesn’t mean that you cannot use the version that you learned. The important thing to do is to be consistent in the mark-up symbols you do use. When working as a copy-editor one should always use the style choice of the company one works for and not the personal choice of the editor.

Mark-up symbols make copyediting easier to read by the person who has to make the corrections. This is because the marks take up the less space possible. This does not mark up the page with long explanations of corrections that should take place. The copy looks professional when the copyeditor uses mark-up symbols.

Matt White also has a blog about copyediting symbols.

*Note: image from wjcblog.

Traditional Copy Editing Symbols

As discussed towards the end of Chapter 2 in Creative Editing for Canadian Journalists, traditional copying editing symbols are shorthand symbols used to edit pieces of writing. The use of arrows, wiggly lines, circles, dashes, etc. are supposed to make the editing process easier and more efficient. Oh, how the times have changed.

With the many advances in technology, these symbols have little to no relevance in the world of journalism today. Unless you prefer the sound of an old typewriter, or the intimacy of a pen and paper, you're most likely doing your writing on a computer with the use of a program such as Word. Depending on what version or edition you're using, much of the editing is done with little to no effort of the writer. Many spelling and grammar mistakes are corrected instantaneously, and many of those that are not, are caught when reviewing the piece before printing takes place. Although it would seem traditional copy editing symbols do not have a place in this new world of journalism, they do still serve a purpose, as minor as it may be.

Image by Unhindered By Talent on flickr.

Traditional copy editing symbols can still be used when doing a final scan over a printed piece of work. Many writers often find mistakes when examining their work on paper that went unnoticed while typing it out. This is really the only time when these symbols come in handy. However, the fact that these symbols are "shorthand" is irrelevant. For the most part, any editing that remains can most likely be put right on the piece without worrying too much about taking up time or space.

To conclude, the 10 easy steps for editing can serve a small purpose. However, if your work requires so much editing that there is an actual need for these shorthand symbols, than perhaps you should start being a little more cautious when editing your work. Lastly, as all journalism should be balanced, here are Susan's Eder's views on the subject.

Mahalo

Future Journalism, Erik Nelson

Journalism has been rapidly changing over the years, and for good cause. The days of waking up in the morning and walking to a newspaper box to purchase a paper are long gone. With a connection to the internet, anyone is able to load up their brower and go to their favorite news source to find out the most recent stories.
Journalism 2.0 is the title of a book written by Mark Briggs that outlines how journalists can update their craft for the new age of internet and social media. In Journalism 2.0, Briggs talks about blogging, Web 2.0, digital photography, video, and other things that help to enhance news articles. Part of Journalism 2.0 is its online aspect, and as Matt White wrote in a blog post in which he evaluated the Edmonton Journal online website, linking to other sites is very important so that readers can expand their views, but not all external links are refutable and users should be critical of the websites they view through links in a story.
While the internet grows and becomes a more integrated part of society, the effects that Journalism 2.0 will have on the world will grow exponentially by providing better news stories and allowing readers to interact with the stories they read.

Image from Knight Citizen News Network

Journalism 'Next'

Image from www.thompsonfoundation.org

Since the inception of the world wide web in 1991, its popularity has grown immensely over the years, and has exploded in the last ten. It has changed the way people receive and send information, shop, research, network and much more;moreover, it has changed the face of journalism, allowing professionals and amateurs alike to post their content almost immediately to the world wide web, which also allows for instant access to a large reader audience.



In regards to journalism, it has also changed the way current and future journalists do their job. Breaking news can now be posted within minutes of the occurence, and can be linked to many networking sites in which the vast public can have access to. Applications such as Google Reader and Twitter are part of the immense Mark Briggs coined 'Journalism 2.0' movement. These sites allow people to subscribe to their favorite news sites (via RSS delivered feeds in Google Reader) or subscribe, or 'follow' various entities (whether they be singular celebreties, politicians, or news organizations such as The L.A Times, N.Y Times, Edmontion Journal, etc;) via Twitter and receive instanteous updates from whomever they are 'following' on Twitter. Journalists can also keep readers informed by having their own blogs, as well as maintaing a strong web prescense so that they can develop a sort of 'brand'. This helps to build a solid credibility online, directing more reader's eyeballs towards their own content as opposed to other 'fluff' on the internet.

Technoligical advances such as the iPhone, and other alike 'smart' phones are also a big addition to the working journalist's tool bag. Reporters caught unprepared in the middle of a breaking story can quickly use their iPhone, for example, to capture a news scene on video, edit it, post it to their respective news sites for people to read and view, all within minutes. Having tools like these can allow for immediate news consumption, making it truly as 'new' as possible, for it can be posted within mere minutes of something happening, increasing newsworthiness and relevance. People can also access applications on such phones anywhere, anytime, anyplace (service permitting) to gather news and other relevant information, making journalism as a whole a much more instantaneous process.

In a recent example, reporters and journalists are on scene at Port-au-Prince where mutliple, devestating earthquakes have occured, is documented by reporters using nothing but their iPhone, capturing as much news as possible, and posting it online within mere minuteres for people to view. Here's the link to the story: http://www.capmac.org/iphonesig/?p=3112

Video was also shot by the reporter, aiding in helping to tell a story, using visuals, which is another aspect of Journalism 2.0, along with anything else that helps tell a story, apart from the paper its written on or the blog its located in. It can be visuals ,audio, video, interactive flash sites, and much, much more. All of this is located on the Internet, and as technology progresses the access to the Internet is becoming much more widespread and accessible. With people being able to access the web just about anywhere, anytime from their mobile phones or computers, journalism is being taken to a new level as both reporter and reader can both upload and access information in a much more intuitive and dynamic interface. As the internet is made more and more accessible, and the devices that harness the power of the internet made more attainable, the face of journalism, news gathering and news consumption is changing as rapidly as the news that happens. The line between citizen journalist and career journalist continues to blur, but solid writing will still be the basis of all the writing that is out there, and will seperate the casual reporter from the serious career journalist.

Lecture 3: Grammar and Journalism 2.0

Outline:

Review Subject-Verb Agreement
Activity
Journalism 2.0
Add to E-Portfolio
Homework

Definition:

Subject–verb agreement is “the matching of the number and person of the subject to the form of the verb. When the subject is third-person singular and the verb is in the present tense, the verb takes the –s inflection, as in: The dog barks all night. He bothers the neighbours.
With other subjects and in other tenses, verbs (with the exception of be) do not change to match the number or person of the subject: I sleep, we sleep, he slept, they slept.”

Basic Idea:

Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.
My brother is a nutritionist.
My sisters are mathematicians.

Visit the Subject-Verb Agreement site: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm

After reviewing the information, try one of the quizzes at the bottom of the page. How did you do?

Activity:

1. Explore the Edmonton Journal site and read the headlines (http://www.edmontonjournal.com/)
2. Choose one or two headlines that interest you most and identify the subject and verb in each
3. Then scan the articles that accompany them, collect three or four sentences in which you also identify the subject and verb.
4. Post your two headlines with subject and verb identified as a comment to Lecture 3

Activity:

—Go to: http://jamestaylor.lyrics.info/rainydayman.html

—Read the lyrics

—

How does the song describe the Rainy Day Man? (answers on board) Is the agreement correct?

“The Reconstruction of American Journalism” (http://www.cjr.org/reconstruction/the_reconstruction_of_american.php)

"What is under threat is independent reporting that provides information, investigation, analysis, and community knowledge, particularly in the coverage of local affairs."

"Reporting is becoming more participatory and collaborative. The ranks of news gatherers now include not only newsroom staffers, but freelancers, university faculty members, students, and citizens."

"Universities, both public and private, should become ongoing sources of local, state, specialized subject, and accountability news reporting as part of their educational missions. They should operate their own news organizations, host platforms for other nonprofit news and investigative reporting organizations, provide faculty positions for active individual journalists, and be laboratories for digital innovation in the gathering and sharing of news and information."

Links mentioned in class:

http://www.edmontonsun.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/walter-cronkite/
http://darynkagan.com/index.html
http://news.google.com/
http://digg.com/
http://english.ohmynews.com/
http://www.flickr.com/
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Main_Page

Note: Image from wikinews.

Independent news is thriving, but mainstream news still dominates online:
CTV is the top choice for Canadians (41%)
CBC Television (38%)
CTV is especially popular in Atlantic Canada (61%) and Manitoba and Saskatchewan (60%)
Albertans are torn between Global and CTV for their top news source, with both stations selected by 42%

Stats from: http://www.angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/2007.06.06%20National%20Media%20Press%20Release.pdf

Homework:

Read “Crap Detection 101” by Howard Rheingold

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/rheingold/detail?entry_id=42805

Note: Grammar cartoon from grammar café and image of Howard Rheingold from SF Gate.

Chapter 1 Review and Interpretation: Matt White and Chelsey Smith

In “Creative Editing for Canadian Journalists” chapter one begins by exploring the advantages and disadvantages of convergence and conglomerates in today’s media. For instance, due to conglomerates and convergence a lack of voice in stories has been a factor. Big corporations mean less voice/reporters, thus resulting in much of the news sounding the same. Companies like CanWest Global Corp and Quebecor have fused print, broadcast and internet properties into communications megaliths.

Many newspapers have different editors for different beats (entertainment, business, et cetera). There are many characteristics that make a good copy editor such as post secondary education, knowledgeable in fiction and non-fiction, previous experience in both reporting and editing, good grammar skills, ability to be non-confrontational with writers, and to be knowledgeable in many local and worldly affairs. Some of the duties an editor is responsible for would be objectivity, checking for grammar and spelling errors, maintaining the publication's reputation, providing humour, and fact checking for accuracy. Some factors that make a news story worthy are timeliness, relevance, and prominence.

In order for news to be organized and presented properly, a hierarchy is in place in most news rooms to ensure each step is fully met. The typical chain descends from publisher to editor-in-chief to managing editors, assistant editors, copy editors, and finally reporters.

Two key terms found in this chapter are slot editor and rim editor. These terms refer to the old method of editing in which the slot editor sat in the middle of a semi-circle desk and the rim editors sat along the outside of the desk.

"The copy editor's work, day or night, is usually marked by roller-coaster fluctuations in activity."



Matt's thoughts on the chapter: I felt it was a good introduction to the course. It covered a lot of irrelevant information, but that's to be expected, especially in journalism. The thing that never ceases to amaze me is how poorly these textbooks are written. Meaning, they do not flow easily, nor do they capture and maintain the reader's attention. In a course that centers on writing, it's ironic how so many things we read are written in such a problematic way.

Chelsey found the first chapter to be elementary, yet informative. I agree with Matt in that the flow and overall format of the text is mundane and difficult to wade through, but yes; that is an expectation for one of my overpriced and underused school textbooks! I was most interested in the responsibilities and general aptitudes of an editor.
I often find editing, as a profession, to be more suited for me than journalism.
I am excited to move on to chapter two, and I hope to find more in depth, relevant, and exciting information.

Note: Image from Lloyd Davis

Chapter One Review and Interpretation by Tyler Grant and Trevor Robb

In 1982, the Kent Commission was set up to analyze the state of the media in Canada with regard to objectivity. The CRTC made recommendations based on this report stating media corporations were not allowed to own more than one radio or television station in a single market, and similar recommendations were made with regard to newspapers. The government overruled this and now we have examples like Canwest Media owning the two major newspapers in Vancouver (The Province and The Sun). Media is now so heavily consolidated that conglomerates control most of North Americas heavily circulating newspapers.

A good copy editor is hard to find. Must have a passion for language and interest in Journalistic principles: accuracy, fairness, ect. Most copy editors work in groups or news rooms. A good editor needs to be more objective than a reporter. He needs to be a better writer than a reporter. His grammar must be spot on. He needs to be well-travelled. He needs to be able to fix things without losing the original writer’s style. He needs to have experience as a writer and have experience in media first. Slot editors and rim editors have similar jobs, but the slot editor is running the show. With the emergence of online news sites along with the amount of people logging on to these sites copy editing has become a much larger job than before. In order to save on labor costs companies have merged a lot of the post editing process onto the laps of copy editors. But as the chapter states, “Good copy editors are a rare breed. Just ask any editor or publisher trying to hire one” (6).

This chapter focuses on the emerging importance of the copy editor in today’s digital world. With online news sites becoming increasingly popular and newsrooms looking to shave expenses the copy editor has become an integral piece of the puzzle. This has led copy editors to take on a larger workload while receiving little remuneration. It also details the difficulties in designing brochures. It briefly touches on the timetables most groups have to face in order to meet deadlines. It then goes to say that most of these timetables are actually compressed into smaller units making the need for those who can work under pressure a valuable asset.

Note: Image from CBC News.

Chapter One Review and Interpretation; Isaac & Kate.

Many of today’s conglomerate companies involved in news media take on vertical integration. This means that growing news media companies these days, such as Quebecor in Canada, own many different media outlets, ranging from print, television, radio and also

use online news pages. All of these different mediums can then cross over and share stories, making for a more unified ‘voice’. This saves the companies money since they can pay one writer to comprise a story on an issue which they then spread over their varying papers, television programs, or spill it out onto the internet for viewing. The largest problem with this system, is that this unified ‘voice’ means that there are fewer view points and less journalists.



In this day and age, where yesterday’s newest piece of technology is already replaced by today’s new development, (for example, the relatively new 3G technology already being bested by the new development of 4G technology) convergence of various media is an important concept. Print media was once the meat and potatoes of a journalist’s employment diet, and now with the emergence of the internet in the past ten years, along with the already present television and radio mediums, a journalist must be able to cross over from medium to medium, and back again to print, to be successful in today’s journalism field. Along with journalists needing to be tech-savvy and on the up and up with new technological advances, copy editors must also be privy to all these changing technologies. Editors need to be aware of their audience; changing technologies and they must also learn to utilize all the newly emerging technologies and techniques to stay on top of the media world. Creative Editing For Canadian Journalists states that “those who will thrive in the future will be those who can ‘cross over’ from print to television and back”, which is an important aspect of how both editors and journalists are directly involved with convergence.

People’s need for news and information, and the way they are sharing it evolves on a constant basis and those who produce news need to be up on the latest trends understanding the wants and needs of their audience leading to keeping their business afloat and the communities they serve in the know. Convergence and conglomeration creating media empires has been a growing trend in North America due to the need for efficiency and to find a cost effective way to keep up production. Feeding people pertinent, relevant, and impactful news still needs to be the main focus and concern of the news media, and critical thinking on the part of the audience must be something to which even more attention than ever must be paid in today’s major media world.

Chapter One Review and Interpretation, Nancy Gordy and Susan Eder

A copy editor's job includes but is not limited to: assisting in adding creativity to stories, correcting spelling and grammatical errors, editing and organizing photo's and articles as well as determining placement, writing headlines and cut lines, and assiting in the determination of what is newsworthy. To determine what is newsworthy one must consider certain aspects such as: timeliness, proximity, relevance, conflict, unusualness, and prominence. Characteristics of a good copy editor include: being very factual, being well travelled, being well read in both fiction and non-fiction, having a post-secondary education, having experience working for a newspaper, having a good understanding of what is newsworthy, beeing a good writer, as well as being a good journalist but with more focus on being a good writer.

There are many steps to getting an article distributed and a copy editor is involved in many of the steps throughout. A newspaper would produce evidently lower quality material without good copy editors. Mistakes lead to questioning of the facts presented. Copy editors play a large role in reducing the likeliness of this occuring. They help build a strong reputation.

"Brochures are based on a set of very distinct production considerations" (Bowles 13). Brochures can take up to 3-4 months to complete. A timeline should be followed in order to ensure the final product will be completed on time.

Chapter 1 Interpretation:
This chapter outlined the many skills that a copy editor has in order to be successful as well as the importance of good copy editing skills. There are many characteristics that build a good copy editor. A modern newsroom was traditionally shaped as a horseshoe but is changing to adapt to online news. The editing process involves many steps in both a news story and a brochure where a copy editor plays a large role. In Chapter 1 we believe the difference between proofreading and copy editing should have been defined. In our opinion this would help give us a better understanding of what is to come throughout the course.

Note: Image from mattwright on flickr.

Chapter One Review and Interpretation by Dale and Erik

Image from Starpulse.com

"Copy editors, the often unsung heroes of the print world, are nonetheless at the vanguard of any successful publication." They work behind the scenes to make sure that what the reader sees is correct, concise and creative. The position of copy editor has changed along with the entire journalism industry with advancements in technology and information sharing. Editors must have to be able to correct grammatical errors, factual errors, clean up writing to make it concise and more entertaining.

Technological advancements have changed the industry, and therefore, the editor's role. Almost all news publications have a website in this day and age, and information is being shared faster than ever before. With news that is being updated by the minute, editors have to be faster and more efficient. Editors must be ready to get the news online almost as soon as it happens. The fast pace of the industry has stretched out journalists and editors, which can have an adverse effect on the publication of news and it's obligation to be the "public watchdog."Media convergence has become an issue in the news industry especially America. Multiple news outlets owned by a single conglomerate or owner has been said to question the objectivity of news. Due to this, editors and journalists must be ever-vigilant in this fast paced industry.

Our perception of the first chapter of "Creative Editing," was that it layed out a good overview of the role of an editor in the news industry. It seemed to spotlight the editor and glorify their role over other positions in the industry; however, this is to be expected from a book about editing. The chapter delved into the history of print media as well and displayed an interesting concern relating to convergence of news media. This made the chapter a good introduction to the subject by providing some background on the position as well as the entire industry.

Lecture 2:

Outline:

Review Chapter 1

Writing Activity

Mark-Up Symbols

Blog Report 1

Homework



Review Chapter 1:

Individually:

Re-read Chapter 1

Focus on any key terms

Try to remember any examples or facts


Do not take notes


10 minutes


Review Activity:


Combine your free writes into a single blog post

Title: Chapter One Review and Interpretation, Student Names

Label: Lecture 2, Copy Editing, Review (please capitalise & use commas)

Include as many relevant details as possible

Include one paragraph interpretation of the content of Chapter 1 (were there any significant details, anything new to you, something that caught your attention?)

Embed one image in your blog post

Include one quotation about copy editing from Chapter 1 (you may use your books here)

Add a comment to one other blog post

Blog Report #1

Due Feb. 22nd
Title: Citizen Journalism and the Future of Journalism, Name Surname
Label: Blog Report 1
Length: 5 paragraphs
Respond, using examples and in an academic tone:
"The contributions of citizen journalists, bloggers, and others who aren't paid to cover the news are constantly mocked and derided by the critics of new media who clearly don't understand that technology has enabled millions of consumers to shift their focus from passive observation to active participation -- from couch potato to self-expression” - Arianna Huffington
Refer to “Best of Twitter: FTC Workshop Discusses Future of Journalism” by Jessica Clark (http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/12/best-of-twitter-ftc-workshop-discusses-future-of-journalism-337.html)



Homework:


Define “journalism 2.0”

Read “The Reconstruction of American Journalism” (http://www.cjr.org/reconstruction/the_reconstruction_of_american.php)

Come to class ready with a topic for your first e-portfolio entry (copy editing, journalism 2.0, citizen journalism, mark-up symbols)



Note: image from Reportr.net.

Lecture 1: Introduction

Welcome to PROW 135 and to a new year!

Video Article

The advice for graduates was that they need journalism plus a new set of skills. The basics of journalism -- curiosity, passion, accuracy, serving the public interest -- were still important. But journalism students also need to learn about how the digital revolution has changed, and continues to change, the media.

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2008/09/journalism-grads-need-basic-skills-plus-openness-flexibility259.html