Comments on: How important is it for new journalism graduates to have their own blog?

By: Alice

Alice — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:34:38 +0000

I think it’s a matter of people holding other’s feet to the fire.
I’ll admit, as an aspiring journalist, the thought of regularly keeping up with a blog never crossed my mind. Alas, I suppose it’s a good way to showcase your work.
As for why people may not keep up with their blogs, I think it’s a matter of the lack of someone holding their feet to the fire. There’s no longer that possibility that the professor is going to check in to see your progress and grade you. That feeling subconsicously motivates.

By: hainnaAccogma

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By: Read this if youy want to get a job | Journalism and Public Relations at the University of Sunderland

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:57:05 +0000

[...] about how important is was for a jobhunter to have adecent cuttings file I was reminded of this quote from Neil Macintosh, head of editorial development at guardian.co.uk: “I tell all the journalism students I meet [...]

By: Why (and how) blogging matters for journalism students « JournalismCity

Why (and how) blogging matters for journalism students « JournalismCity — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:21:20 +0000

[...] Stabe, new media editor at Press Gazette, in discussion (comment no 23) on a blog post entitled ‘How important is it for journalism graduates to have their own blog?: When done right (ie not a personal diary or kitten blog), a student journalist’s blog very [...]

By: Mary

Mary — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:21:59 +0000

Well, I'd like to say that your site is very interesting. Hi,My name is Mary Morgan,my blog is here

By: jhen

jhen — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:01:10 +0000

Journalism educators debate about what students need to know today. I have some ideas about that.

We insist, of course, on reporting fundamentals — news judgment, interviewing skills, fact checking, ethics, law. The need to master these remains strong.All students should have basic familiarity with (basic) XHTML and CSS. That’s about 10 tags in XHTML. For CSS, that’s fonts, color, and divs. They may not need this every day on the job, but these are the foundation bricks of everything they will ever do — because everything they will do is going to be online.

By: Why every journalism student should have a blog | stevemullis[dot]net

Why every journalism student should have a blog | stevemullis[dot]net — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:00:31 +0000

[...] student needs to know (now) What journalists can learn from bloggers A diploma and a blog How important is it for new journalism graduates to have their own blog? Should journalists have blogs? In Digital Age, Journalism Students Need Business, Entrepreneurial [...]

By: Rian Merrill

Rian Merrill — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:24:10 +0000

Thanks for opening this question up to a larger audience. As communications media change both conceptually and in practice, I think it’s important to explore every tool possible. I strongly believe, along with most in my industry (and most of your readers, apparently), that online mediums can no longer be ignored by professional journalists and should be taught as part of the new journalists curriculum.

Thanks, again! The responses are very interesting!

By: paulbradshaw

paulbradshaw — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:35:18 +0000

@Martin
1: Yes, I give students credit for their blogs
2: Yes, they expect credit for anything they do on the course!
3: They fit blogging in because we allow time for it. Students are expected to work for 120 hours for a 12-credit module. 30 hours are in class, leaving them 90 for working on assignments and directed study, which the blog is part of.
4&5: See http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/04/30/stop-asking-me-is-blogging-journalism/ – I’ve already answered it. Indeed, see my students’ blogs. Newsgathering is very much part of it.
6: I think it’s important that we experiment with blogs if we teach it, yes. That’s how this whole thing started – I refused to blog previously because I hate bandwagons!

By: Neil McIntosh

Neil McIntosh — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:03:56 +0000

Martin – course credit might help, but they should be clear that the credit a good blog creates among potential employers, as well as the experience of doing it, matters more when they’re looking to get a job.

On time: it’s rare anyone is so genuinely busy they can’t fit in time to do something they think matters. They simply have to understand it matters.

On points 4 & 5 – it’s simply bobbins to suggest blogging isn’t, or can’t be, journalism. Blogs are just a method of publishing (albeit one that has spawned the web’s first native form of journalism). What those blogs contain can be journalism, just as much as anything printed, broadcast, or placed on any other kind of web content management system. I’d taken this to be pretty much accepted wisdom these days… I’m concerned if it’s not.

I agree journalism students should get out and find stories. Blogs can be a repository for what they find. Anyone painting this as blogging vs journalism, or newsgathering vs blogging, is doing their students an enormous disservice.