Last week saw the start of this year’s online journalism module: second year students, some on a specialist journalism degree, others studying media or television (last year all but one were journalism specialists, which perhaps indicates how students are beginning to realise the importance of online).
I kicked off the session by asking them why they felt they needed to study online journalism. Encouragingly, their responses were well informed. Then I gave them just 20 mins (hence typos) to write an op-piece-style blog post on why people needed these skills.
As you’d expect, these ranged from the dry factual-based approach to a more wit-based posts (it could be said that the latter is more appropriate for blogs). I particularly liked:
“For those who have not experienced online journalism you have suffered long enough, the time has come to don your spectacles and embark upon a life of microwaveable meals in front of your computer screen.”
Or:
“Not only do readers have a heightened level and speed of news intake on the internet, they have the ability to interact with the news inself. Posting responses to breaking news bulletins, and being involved in news forums and developing further informed disscussions within an ‘online community'” (Link)
Or:
“this is pretty good right? You get the chance to have your say and some hillbilly from the other side of the world with a computer can hear your voice. Or are you guys taking our jobs away from us? With the accessibility of this new technology, opportunity in journalism has never been so broad, right now not only am I and the rest of us alcoholic hacks competing against each other we now have to compete against any old joe with something to say. But this is ok. You guys have just raised the bar, and a bit of healthy competition is always good chicken soup for the soul.”
Interestingly, the students seemed to equate “online journalism” with being taught to “write for the web”. That’s one lesson (one and a half if you include last week’s introduction to blogging). As for the other nine… well, more on those as the weeks go by.
Meanwhile, please click on the links below to go to those blog postings – please post a comment if you can so the students know they’re not typing in a vacuum:
Why online journalism skills are essential in the news industry
Rant #1: A student studying a ‘dino’-profession
Why are online journalism skills essential?
Why are Online Journalism skills essential?
Why Online journalism skills are essential in the news industry
Online Journalism Blog 
Pingback: Online journalism is more writing for the web « reportr.net
This is a great idea — and there’s some good stuff in the responses. But also a lot of strange stream of consciousness stuff.
I think you should encourage your students to realise that everything they post to a blog is published in a way that will be online for a long time, and that they need to get into the fame of mind that they should only post things online that they would be happy to see published under their byline for everyone (including future employers) to see.
Get them to put their real names on their blogs — it has an amazing way of concentrating the mind on quality.
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Thanks Martin – a very good point, although to be fair I did emphasise the importance of being entertaining in your blog posts. Perhaps I might hold back on that in future!
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Hey,
I love what you’e doing!
Don’t ever change and best of luck.
Raymon W.
Looks Like Dallas is in trouble!
Phoenix might end up blowing them all away.
PHX vs. Det. Hmmm..Could be interesting?
How green is the grass on the other side of the fence?
Not much. Don’t believe it I tell you.
Jerry
Hey,
Really nice site you got here.
I’ll come back more often and check it out.
Peace!
Interesting Post.
I’d never heard that before.
Barney
I’ve been pretty stressed lately. This site helps to ease the anxiety! 😉
Thanks a lot and take care of yourself.
Mrs. McNamara
I only skimmed this article (is it still fair to comment?) and couldn’t help wondering what a class on blogging might be like. I wonder how many of the rules I unwittingly break every time I write.
Another thought, unrelated: The reference to bloggers as “competition” by one journalism student startled me. Are blog writers doomed to infamy as witless hacks? Or is a writer a writer? We’ve all read some pretty ignorant material online, and I suppose you could make a case either way.
You’ll find out soon – I’m going to post all my lectures from this year at some point, as I look to rewrite them completely for a new intake come February. Preview: there are no rules, only tips.
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As a journalism student myself, I’m quickly learning the importance of online media. Writing for the web is proving to be kind of hard. I think it’s a hard adjustment for us to try to lose quality writing in exchange for convenience for our readers.
kicked off the session by asking them why they felt they needed to study online journalism. Encouragingly, their responses were well informed. Then I gave them just 20 mins (hence typos) to write an op-piece-style blog post on why people needed these skills.