Online Journalism

  

Dr. Anthony Curtis   –    JRN-410-01 Syllabus   –    Fall 2005

  

Syllabus

  

TR 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Old Main 238

Department of Mass Communications

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

  

Convergence is the intersection of old-style print and broadcast media standards and practices with new information delivery technologies and media business models. When two or more media formats come together, they form a new common ground between them. The aggregation is a new medium.

  

It's happening all around us right now. The signs are everywhere. And that means the standards have changed on what it takes to be a journalist in the 21st century. Today, a newspaper or magazine cannot be available only on newsstands and in mailboxes. A broadcaster cannot be just a radio station or a television channel. Mass media today have to be available when and where their readers and audiences want them. Each needs a presence on the World Wide Web so consumers can find them even on wireless laptops, PDAs and cellphones   at the most remote locations.

  

The Internet is awe-inspiring. It has humongous capacity and the Web, alone among news media, is interactive in real-time.

  

Convergence:

  

This powerful new force is sweeping through the print and broadcast media professions. A dynamic state-of-the-art concept bringing fundamental changes to the industry, convergence refers to the coming together of formerly distinct mass media activities to create a popular new medium. It blends content from a variety of old media – print, broadcast, photographic, electronic – into a new media stream of information and entertainment on the Internet.

  

For a very long time, we humans have depended on something we now call "the news" as our primary source of information about the world we live in. In recent decades, most people have obtained their news from television newscasts produced by local stations, national broadcast networks and cable news networks. They also have relied heavily on obtaining news from local newspapers, radio stations, and news magazines.

  

Today, our interests are changing. When major news breaks, most people now turn quickly to a news website to learn more. Graphic footage and accounts of the latest happenings are delivered to them wherever they are 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Who is producing the news published on those websites? The answer is local television stations, local and national newspapers; national broadcast and cable news networks, local radio stations, and magazines.

  

What does this mean to you?

  

Because the trend is pointing toward viewing and reading habits that will make secondary the news programs broadcast over the air and via cable channels, and printed in newspapers and magazines, it will be of great importance to your future career for you to start now in preparing to work in a converged environment.

  

Online:

  

Online is a term that has come to mean connected to the Internet. When you are connected to the Internet, you are online. Many users of the word online mean something even more precise – they are connected to the World Wide Web via the Internet. On the other hand, sometimes people say they are online when they mean they have access to the Internet and have an e-mail address, but are not necessarily connected to the Internet at that moment.

  

Journalism:

  

Journalism has been the work of gathering, writing, illustrating, editing and disseminating news information through mass media, such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television. Today's journalist is someone who does that work for those traditional mass media, but also now for the World Wide Web.

  

Names, titles, labels and nicknames for practicing journalists include anchor, announcer, broadcaster, columnist, commentator, contributor, correspondent, cub, editor, hack, ink slinger, leg man, news director, news hen, news hound, newsman, newspaperman, pen pusher, pencil pusher, photographer, photojournalist, pressman, producer, publicist, reporter, scratcher, scribe, scrivener, stringer, videographer, and writer.

  

Online journalism:

  

Online journalism is the work of gathering, writing, illustrating, editing and disseminating news via the World Wide Web. The products of online journalism are Web pages that mix news text, audio, video, still photos and graphics.

  

In addition to online journalism, how else might we refer to this new, converged professional journalism – digital journalism, digital news, multimedia journalism, computer-assisted reporting, today's journalism, modern journalism, post-modern journalism, new media, interactive media, digital media, open media?

  

Whatever we call it, one thing is certain. Professionals in converged newsrooms need to have digital savvy, technical skills and broad knowledge. Today's journalists must be able to integrate the variety of traditional newsgathering and packaging skills used in traditional newspapers, magazines, and broadcast stations, combining them into presentations of news online.

  

For instance, newspaper reporters need to learn how to shoot video. Broadcast reporters need to learn how to write in the inverted pyramid style of story organization associated with newspapers.

  

In addition to the traditional names and nicknames for journalists, the people who package new information and repurpose existing news for the Web often have the title of cyberjournalist, web editor, or web producer.

  

Interactivity:

  

Interactivity is created when a medium is able to respond immediately to a consumer. For instance, links embedded in a news story to take the user to other stories, or an online news poll where a user can indicate preferences, or a chat room where a particular news story can be discussed.

  

Interactive elements may allow a user to gain additional information selectively, to contribute to the context of the story, or to comment on the construction of the information package. Such fast-feedback paths are not available to readers or viewers of traditional media. Online interactivity allows one user's experience to differ from another's through choices an individual may make.

  

  

Course Goals:

  

This course will guide you to new perspectives on what online journalism is, where it came from, and where it may be going. We will illuminate the important considerations of online journalism – its history, convergence, ethics, politics, digital information sources, and technological ways and means.

  

The course explores the opportunities and challenges that confront online journalists in the 21st century as the Internet is taking journalism in new directions.

  

The course highlights the difference between traditional forms of print and broadcast journalism and online publishing, including the capabilities and advantages of journalism on the Web. It describes the most relevant skills and practical applications used in the field. The course includes an emphasis on packaging new information content as well as covering the re-purposing of existing news for the Web.

  

Course Objectives:

  

Through this upper-division course you will see how journalism is changing with the rise of the Internet, in particular its World Wide Web element. You will find that news immediacy is increasing, and that state-of-the-art technology is always an integral part of the newsgathering operation. However, you will discover that fundamental journalistic principles, skills and ethics remain at the core of what journalists do.

  

You will learn the standards, practices and ethics of professional news production for the Web; receive an overview of the technical foundations of online journalism; learn how to report, write, and edit for online media; and discuss the various practices of online journalism, including writing and editing stories for publication online, designing and building Web pages, and using links in news stories.

  

The course discusses ethical and legal considerations including libel, obscenity and indecency, and copyright. It also depicts the role of online media in society and its economic aspects. It emphasizes the basic principles of all journalism – objectivity, fairness, and accuracy.

  

Texts:

  

Foust, James C. Principles and Practices of News for the Web. Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers, 2005. ISBN: 978-1-890871-56-7

  

Craig, Richard. Online Journalism: Reporting, Writing, and Editing for New Media with InfoTrac. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth-Thomson Learning, 2005. ISBN: 0534531466

  

You also will refer to the A.P. Stylebook.

  

Personal preparation for news writing:

  

Not only in this course, but also during the life of your academic degree program and in your professional career later, you should find it essential to stay up-to-date on current events, which change constantly. To remain up-to-date, you should read a major newspaper every day in addition to watching broadcast or cable news operations. For instance, you might choose to read the Charlotte Observer, Raleigh News & Observer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal or USA Today. You also should read a weekly newsmagazine such as Time or Newsweek.

  

As a media professional, how will you know and understand trends in newsgathering and dissemination? To stay on top of your field, you should read the relevant professional weekly business journals such as Editor & Publisher (newspapers), Folio (magazines), Broadcasting & Cable (radio and television), or Advertising Age (advertising). These publications are in the UNCP library and all have affiliated websites.

  

Professor's office hours for assistance with this course:

  

Monday and Wednesday: 10-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m.

In addition, Dr. Curtis frequently can be found in his office at other times during weekdays.

Office: 247 Old Main                                               phone: 521-6616                                         email: acurtis@uncp.edu

  

Course Guidelines

  

Attendance:

  

Attendance is very important. Classroom communication is a process of sharing. Your observations, insights and analyses are valuable to the whole class. Much of the work in this course is a team effort producing a Web magazine. You will be expected to keep up with the class and finish all assigned work on time with your teammates. Your participation will be reflected in a concrete way in your semester grade.

  

The Department of Mass Communications has a mandatory attendance policy. This course is an important element of your preparation for a career in professional journalism, where you will be expected to understand and meet deadlines.

  

Class attendance will be checked in every class period and will be used in determining the course grade. Unexcused absences will affect your grade adversely. For instance, attendance records will be used to determine the grade of any student who is on the borderline between two grades. If such a student has 1 or no unexcused absences, he or she may be eligible receive the higher of the two grades, assuming all other circumstances are appropriate.

§             Students with 2-3 unexcused absences will be penalized one letter grade.

§             Students with 4-5 unexcused absences will be penalized two letter grades.

§             Students with 6 or more unexcused absences will receive the grade of F for the semester.

There will be no option of doing an extra assignment to reduce or remove a penalty.

  

Athletes must discuss their game schedule for the full season with the professor at the beginning of the semester. If they plan to miss class for a game, they must notify the professor again before each absence to receive an excused absence. Athletes will not be excused from a class that ends more than hour before the bus leaves.

  

Students who plan to miss class for such activities as work, job interviews, job fairs, weddings, vacations, completing work for other courses, etc., must use their unexcused-absence cuts for those purposes. If you have problems attending class, you are encouraged to change your arrangements elsewhere that will enable you to participate fully here.

  

The following are excusable absences:

§             Illness or serious injury, with a note from a doctor

§             death in the immediate family, with a newspaper obituary clipping

§             required appearance in a court of law, with a note from the clerk of courts

§             catastrophic emergency, with appropriate documentation or official police report

§             representing the college in an official extracurricular activity, with a note from the faculty or administrative adviser of the activity, or head coach, and the prior approval of the professor of this course because some extracurricular activities do not justify an excused absence.

  

Late arrival in class:

  

Students who arrive late for a class session should check with the professor at the end of that class to be certain that their attendance has been recorded. Students who arrive excessively late to a class period, or who leave class early, will receive either partial credit or no credit for their attendance that day. Students who are continually late to class, or make it a practice to leave early, will begin receiving no credit for their attendance on days they are late.

  

Course Assignments:

  

Assignments include in-depth discussions with your colleagues in the classroom, Web news writing and production in and out of class, and presentations to the class. There may be other types of assignments, if needed to meet course goals.

  

Your writings, presentations and participation in response to assignments will be judged subjectively by the professor on quality of content, value of submission, sophistication of contribution, professional workmanship, originality and uniqueness, craftsmanship, organization, creativity, communicative value, and technical aspects.

  

Late assignments:

  

Deadlines are extremely important in journalism. Please have your assignments completed at the beginning of class on the assigned day.

  

Much of the work in this course is a team effort producing a Web magazine. You will be expected to keep up with the class and finish all assigned work on time with your teammates.

  

Late individual assignments will be penalized. Late assignments or makeup work generally is not accepted unless there was a prior arrangement with your professor.   You may not be permitted to make up any missing individual, non-team work unless it is for an excused absence as listed above. The professor may refuse to revisit material a student missed due to an absence. No late work will be accepted without prior arrangements with your professor who retains the discretion of whether to accept any of such work.

  

Evaluation of Written Submissions:

  

Generally, there are no right or wrong responses to assignments. Rather, the professor measures all submissions on three concurrent spectra – content, organization and mechanics. These parallel tracks range from weak to strong.

  

Many assignments will be submitted as Web pages. Writing assignments that you submit as printouts must reach the assigned length and content. If printed, written matter must be typewritten on one side of sheets of paper with appropriate formatting. The appropriate AP style must be followed. Appropriate professional editing must be used. Be sure your name is on your work along with any page headers and footers as assigned by the professor.

  

Evaluation of both Web pages and written work will be based on appropriateness of content, clarity of purpose, clear and concise writing style, efficient use of words, grammar, spelling, mechanics, organization, preparation, proper use of appropriate journalistic style, and attention to deadline.

  

Evaluation of Class Presentations:

  

Presentations may focus on your ongoing class Web work or you may be assigned to present separate descriptions of relevant course content. In addition to projecting Web pages, you are encouraged to use a variety of audio-visual aids that may be appropriate to your presentations. Presentations must reach the assigned length of time. Evaluation of your presentation will be based on clarity of purpose, organization, preparation, clear delivery, grammar, efficient use of words and audio-visual aids.

  

This is a 400-level upper-division course. Attention to deadlines is extremely important. You must deliver your presentation on the assigned date. Any presentation paperwork required for submission to the professor must be printed on one side of sheets of paper. Be sure to hand the presentation paperwork to the professor before delivering a presentation. Please make sure your name is on it.

  

Evaluation of Participation:

  

Attendance is very important. Classroom communication is a process of sharing. Your observations, insights and analyses are valuable to the whole class. Your participation in class and in teamwork projects will be reflected in a concrete way in your semester grade.

  

In-class discussions are vital to new learning this course. Your discussion contributions will be judged subjectively by the professor on quality of content, value of submission, sophistication of contribution, originality and uniqueness, and communicative value.

  

The success of the seminar discussion style of this course relies on your full participation. Just as you must submit assignments or make your presentation on an assigned day, it is equally important for you to view your classmates' work and presentations. Please respect your colleagues and attend all in-class viewings and presentations. Non-attendance for viewing the work or   presentations of others in the class will be penalized.

  

How to Succeed in this course:

  

§             A successful approach in this course is to be self-motivated, self-directed, and self-disciplined. Gather the needed technology skills and approach the course with a desire to learn. Manage your time well.

  

§             Contribute spontaneously and richly to course discussions and team activities. Listen to the comments of others and respond respectfully. Respect the ideas of others and their right to express them.

  

§             Assume a leadership role. Be a guide or coach for others in the class if and when such a contribution would be desirable. Voluntarily help other students, but remember that doing work for someone else to submit is inappropriate.

  

Grading Considerations:

  

Professional standard. Grades for each of your assignments will be based on a professional standard. Although you may be writing your Web news copy in this class, the professor will evaluate your work according to its suitability for publication on a news website whose standards correspond to the industry-wide norm.

  

Growth. At the outset, it is understood that your online journalism skills may be weak. The professor will take this into account and your semester grade will be based upon improvement, growth and consistent effort through the semester.

  

Evaluation Criteria for Letter Grades:

  

§             Excellent or A
Professional quality work on the assignment. An insightful, relevant, newsworthy subject. Story and presentation involves the listener/viewer in its drama, humor, ethos or pathos. Technique is flawless with perfect content, organization and mechanics. Information supporting the story or presentation is complete and accurate. Wording is precise. The writing and illustrations explore the story at different levels and does not simply make the same point from different perspectives. Distinguished work perfectly suitable for Web publication.

  

§             Good or B
Competent, functional storytelling and presentation for the assignment. Journeyman online journalism. Clear copy that makes a significant point efficiently in support of the story and presentation. Appropriate expression of active, believable, revealing description. Details are thorough and accurate. Writing, illustration and presentation mechanics and organizational techniques are of a high order. The story and presentation is balanced. Suitable for Web publication.

  

§             Acceptable or C
Average, run-of-the-mill storytelling and presentation for the assignment. Properly written, illustrated, produced and presented, but overall the content is merely average quality. Probably suitable for Web publication, but undistinguished. The story and presentation offers little insight into why the subject is newsworthy. Content is adequate to identify the subject, but poorly organized or illustrated. Mechanics are good, but minimally so. Minimally acceptable for Web publication.

  

§             Poor or D
Unacceptable work on the assignment. A combination of flaws in conceptualizing, researching, organizing, writing, illustrating and presenting render the work unsatisfactory. This is work, which with better planning and extra effort, might have been suitable for Web publication. Less than acceptable work; below average. Not suitable for Web publication.

  

§             Unacceptable or F
Completely unacceptable work on the assignment. Decidedly unprofessional. Weaknesses in journalistic thinking, writing technique, illustration and professionalism have resulted in a failure on this assignment. Inaccuracies and other content errors, poor mechanics, non-Web organization, and/or missed deadlines have reduced the assignment to failure. Not suitable for Web publication.

  

Final Grade:

  

You will be graded subjectively by the professor on Web newswriting, illustration and production; presentations to the class; in-depth discussions with your colleagues in the classroom; and other aspects of attendance and participation, and indication of your growth of understanding of the elements of online journalism.

  

Your final semester grade will be based on the professor's evaluation of all of the work you complete and submit during the course. Attendance and enthusiastic participation form a significant portion of the semester grade, as described above.

  

Very important considerations for success include:

  

§             perfection of written materials

§             success of presentations

§             punctuality on assignments

§             participation in class discussions

§             cooperation on class activities

§             attendance at class meetings

  

The grading scale used for this course is:

100-90%=A to A-; 89-80%=B+ to B-; 79-70%=C+ to C-; 69-60%=D+ to D-; 59% and below=F.

  

Student   Academic Honor Code:   You have the responsibility to know and observe the UNCP Academic Honor Code which forbids cheating, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, fabrication, falsification of information, and complicity in academic dishonesty.

  

Special Assistance: Please see the professor as soon as possible if you have questions or difficulty. Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the professor, as early in the semester as possible, preferably within the first week.   All discussions will remain confidential.   Please contact Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry Building,   521-6695.

  

Readings

  

Please read the Craig and Foust chapters straight through on your own schedule. Your professor reserves the right to proceed through the course materials at an appropriate pace, as needed, depending on work accomplished in class meetings and the needs of students enrolled in the course. As we proceed through the semester, the timing of activities may change as more or less time may be required to complete certain topics.

  

Textbook Chapters:
Craig:		Foust:
Why Is Online Journalism Different? Craig chapter 1		Introduction to Online Journalism, Foust chapter 1
The Job of the Online Journalist, Craig chapter 2		Tools and Terminology, Foust chapter 2
Generating and Focusing Story Ideas, Craig chapter 3		HTML and Authoring, Foust chapter 3
Web Resources and Databases, Craig chapter 4		Working in Online Journalism, Foust chapter 4
Sources and Interviewing, Craig chapter 5		Using Online Reporting Sources, Foust chapter 5
Online Writing Styles, Craig chapter 6		Web Page Design, Foust chapter 6
Hooking and Keeping Readers, Craig chapter 7		Writing and Editing Online, Foust chapter 7
Revving Up Your Writing, Craig chapter 8		Using Links in Online Stories, Foust chapter 8
The Last Minute(s) , Craig chapter 9		Multimedia and Interactivity, Foust chapter 9
An Uphill Battle: Online Copy Editing, Craig chapter 10		Legal and Ethical Issues, Foust chapter 10
The Online Editor/Utility Infielder, Craig chapter 11		Opportunities and Challenges, Foust chapter 11
Multimedia for News, Craig chapter 12
Basic Online Layout, Craig chapter 13
Online Standards vs. Journalistic Standards, Craig chapter 14
Legal Issues Online and Offline, Craig chapter 15		Optional, but useful:
Ethics in Cyber-Land, Craig chapter 16		WebMonkey HTML Cheatsheet
The 21st Century Journalist, Craig chapter 17		http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/reference/html_cheatsheet/index.html

  

Semester Calendar:

  

Week 1:                         8/18, 8/23

Week 2:                         8/25, 8/30

Week 3:                         9/1, 9/6                         Labor Day holiday is 9/5

Week 4:                         9/8, 9/13                                               Pembroke Day is 9/14

Week 5:                         9/15, 9/20

Week 6:                         9/22, 9/27

Week 7:                         9/29, 10/4

Week 8:                         10/6, 10/11

Week 9:                         10/13, 10/18             Fall Break is 10/13-14

Week 10:                     10/20, 10/25

Week 11:                     10/27, 11/1

Week 12:                     11/3, 11/8

Week 13:                     11/10, 11/15

Week 14:                     11/17, 11/22

Week 15:                     11/24, 11/29             Thanksgiving holiday is 11/24-25

Week 16:                     12/1                                   Last class is 12/1

Exam Week:             11/8                                   Final exam is Thursday, December 8 at 11:00 a.m. in 238 Old Main