Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Michelle Johnson
Spring 2009
Office #615, 120 Boylston St.
JR 408
617‐824‐8964
4 Credits
Michelle_Johnson@emerson.edu
Friday, Noon‐3:45 p.m., Room W638
Office Hours:
Monday, Wednesday 4‐6, Thursday 2‐4, or by appointment
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to issues related to reporting, writing and
producing news for online. Students will explore how online stories differ from stories
produced for other mediums and how online newsrooms use current technologies to
engage in digital storytelling and delivery of breaking news.
Through in‐class and online discussions the class will evaluate the effectiveness of
current technologies used to produce online news. In addition, students will gain
experience writing and producing stories on deadline for fast‐paced online publication.
Each student will be required to configure and maintain a blog to be used for posting
analysis and links to examples of best and worst practices in the industry. Students will
critique news sites and packages and track an assigned news site throughout the
semester.
Guest speakers who currently work on the front lines of online journalism will provide
valuable insight and context.
Course Objectives
Students will study key industry trends, technologies and multimedia reporting
techniques in order to gain an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the
Web as a journalistic medium. With this knowledge as a foundation, students will learn
to produce content tailored for online.
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Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course students will:
• Be able to produce basic multimedia stories, incorporating elements such as
slideshows, audio, maps and video.
• Quickly turn around news stories for online.
• Be prepared to work solo or in a team environment to produce stories and
packages for the web.
Textbooks
The bulk of the reading for this
course will be available online. Links
to reading and examples for
discussion will be posted to the
class blog:
blog.emerson.edu/InteractiveNews.
Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive, by Mark
Briggs. It’s available as a FREE download at:
www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_20_copies
(Note: If you would prefer a hard copy, you’ll find a
link to purchase it at the link above.)
Please note that in order to keep things timely, the instructor will occasionally assign
reading and assignments (via the blog) that is not listed on this syllabus.
Course Requirements
1. Assignments
You will complete four assignments worth 20 percent of your grade. These will
require you to demonstrate key concepts learned in class. Example: Produce a
video package and upload to YouTube. Additional details about these
assignments will be distributed later in the semester.
2. Homework
You will occasionally be required to participate in online discussions on the class
web site (blog.emerson.edu/sprg09jr408), posting responses to questions posted
by the instructor.
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3. Blogging Project: NewsTrack
In addition to blogging in response to questions posed by the instructor,
students will be required to blog a minimum of once a week about an online
news site that you will track throughout the semester.
This “NewsTrack” project will be assigned by a drawing held on the first day of
class.
Students will be assigned to a news web site that they will monitor throughout
the semester, posting analysis and commentary about work that appears on the
site.
Examples of questions to explore in your analysis:
• What is this site doing right, or wrong?
• How often do they launch new features?
• How well do they integrate multimedia and other features designed to
attract and engage their audience?
The audience for your NewsTrack blog is your fellow journalism students, so
point them to the most interesting, controversial, engaging content on your
assigned site. NOTE: Blog posts are due by 6 p.m. on the Thursday before class.
4. Final Project
You will conceptualize and map out a multi‐layered Web project and build one
piece of it. This will be a semester‐long assignment, with key pieces due
throughout the semester.
Grading
There is no midterm or final in this class. Grading will be broken down as follows:
Newstrack Blog Project – 20% (weekly posts)
Homework – 20%
Assignments – 20% (There are four, due throughout the semester)
Class participation, attendance – 10%
Final Project – 30%
Grading Policy
A (90‐100) – Excellent work that met or exceeded the requirements of the assignment.
Reflects solid research, news judgment, accuracy, attribution, critical thinking.
Assignment could be published with minor editing.
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B (80‐85) – Good work with one or two minor grammatical or style errors. Well‐
documented but may contain problem with news judgment, attribution, balance or
organization. Assignment could be published with editing.
C (65‐70) – Average work. Failed to meet most of the requirements of the assignment.
Shows lack of news judgment, accuracy, balance, etc. Assignment not good enough to
be published.
D (55‐60), F (0‐55) – Below average work that shows little or no understanding of the
requirements of the assignment, numerous grammatical, style errors, major factual
errors.
Course Policies
• This is a long class. We will take a coffee/bathroom/email break each week.
Please restrict unrelated internet browsing, e‐mailing, instant messaging or other
unassigned online activity to the break.
• Please turn off all mobile devices (cell phones, iPods and other MP3 players, etc.)
before class.
• Spelling, style and grammar count! When you submit a written assignment
points will be deducted for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Professionalism: You will be called on to critique the work of your classmates
and debate issues. There may be times when you disagree with another
student’s comments. You will be expected to deal honestly, but professionally,
with your classmates and the instructor of this course.
• In addition to the assigned online reading, you should read and watch
“traditional” news in order to be able to discuss and analyze differences
between the mediums.
Attendance
You are expected to be in class each week, on time. Roll will be taken. If you are ill or
must miss a class for another reason please alert me as soon as possible via email or a
phone call.
You will be responsible for completing work assigned during your excused absence.
Multiple unexcused absences will affect your final grade. If you miss more than three
classes you will not receive credit for this course.
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Course Schedule: Check the course web site for updates, links!
Topic Assignments/Reading
Jan. 23 Course Introduction In‐class: Review syllabus, course requirements,
assignments. Set up blogs. Select NewsTrack
sites.
Jan. 30 A history, survey of the In‐class: Discuss blog posts, state of online news.
current landscape in online
journalism. Reading:
1. American Journalism Review, essay by
Barb Palser
http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=2688
2. Journalism 2.0, Chapter 2
3. State of the News Media Report,
http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/2
008/, Read the complete “Online”
section.
Homework: According to the State of the Media
report, young Americans, 18‐29 are least likely
to watch online news video. Propose some
ways to attract this audience and post your
assessment on the class web site. Link to
good/bad examples. Due by 6 p.m., THURSDAY.
NewsTrack: Update your blog with your initial
observations about the news site that you’re
tracking. Due by 6 p.m., THURSDAY.
Feb. 6 Writing for Online, Modes In‐class: Writing discussion; Mapping workshop.
of Digital Storytelling,
Mapping Assignment 1 – Google map package.
Reading:
1. Journalism 2.0: Chapters 5, 6
2. Multimedia Storytelling: See class web
site for link.
Newstrack: Blog post due. Due by 6 p.m.,
THURSDAY.
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Feb. 13 Tech Tour In‐class: Tech discussion; Multimedia “on the
A look at the tools and cheap” Workshop; overview of free online
technologies used to services for sharing video, photos.
produce online news today.
Reading:
1. Easy publishing tools for online
journalists
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/tools/
2. Journalism 2.0: Chapters 1, 3
Assignment 2: “YouTube” Package: Produce a
short multimedia feature about a Boston
neighborhood that would be suitable for use as
a sidebar or featured centerpiece online. Due.
Feb. 20
Assignment 1 due.
Newstrack: Blog post due.
Feb. 20 Blogs – A Overview In‐class: Blog discussion; prep for live blogging.
Reading:
1. Journalism 2.0, Chapter 5
2. Blogging breaking news (see course site
for links)
Homework: Take a tour of political blogs and
post a critique on the class web site. Note
particularly good or bad examples.
YouTube Package due.
Newstrack: Blog post due.
Feb. 27 Social Networking In‐Class: Assignment 3 ‐ Live Blogging: You will
Twitter, Facebook, SEO be assigned to cover a breaking event from the
field, blogging live to the course web site and
promote coverage using social networking tools.
Reading: See links on course web site.
Newstrack: Blog post due.
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Mar. 6 Citizen Journalism In‐class: Soundslides, Web production
workshop, prep for Neighborhood project.
Reading: See links on course web site.
Newstrack: Blog post due.
Mar. 13 Spring Break No Class
Mar. 20 Legal Issues In‐class: Work on neighborhood project.
Homework: Log on to newsu.org and complete
the course: Online Media Law. Send a course
report to get credit for completing the course.
Newstrack: Blog post due.
Mar. 27 Usability, RSS, Mobile Tech In‐class: RSS, mobile tech exercises
Reading:
1. Usability 101, by Jakob Nielsen
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html
2. Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html
Homework: Critique mobile news web sites and
post analysis to your blog. Details to come. Due
April 3.
Neighborhood project due.
Newstrack: Blog post due.
Apr. 3 Flash In‐class Exercise: Tweaking Flash Templates
Newstrack: Blog post due.
Apr. 10 Podcasting Reading:
1. Journalism 2.0, Chapter 7
2. Podcasting Legal Guide (See course web
site for link)
Assignment 4 – Record, edit and upload your
podcast. Due April 17.
Newstrack: Blog post due.
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Week 13 Work on Project Newstrack: Blog post due.
Apr. 17
Apr. 24 Work on Project
May 6 Scheduled final exam time Final project presentations
(Wed)
Speakers
Note: We will have a number of speakers who work in online media visiting us
throughout the semester. Because they are busy professionals whose schedules change
constantly, I have not listed specific dates for their appearances.
Plagiarism and Fabrication
(Excerpted from the Academic Policy Committee and approved by the Faculty Assembly
May, 1983, and updated and approved by Faculty Assembly, October 2005.)
“Plagiarism is the use of the words and ideas of another as if they were one's own and
without acknowledgment of their source. Plagiarism is stealing, and constitutes a
serious offense against any ethical code, be it scholastic, artistic, or
professional. Plagiarism can be committed intentionally, or it can happen inadvertently,
due to careless note‐taking, or to a lack of knowledge of the conventions by which
sources are credited, or even because of a misunderstanding on what constitutes
original thinking. Plagiarism is unethical in any context.”
(Excerpted from the Department of Journalism’s statement.)
There is nothing more central to the credibility of journalism and to the trust of readers,
listeners and viewers than the implicit promise that every journalist makes to the public
that the information provided is accurate, original and truthful. Journalists who
fabricate stories or portions of them, or who steal the work of others and pass it off as
their own, undermine not only their careers, but the careers of other journalists, the
public’s trust in the Fourth Estate and the credibility of the entire profession. This
department will not tolerate plagiarism or fabrication — any student caught doing
either will automatically fail and will face possible suspension from the college.
Ignorance is not a defense when it comes to plagiarism, fabrication and/or cheating. If
you have a question about attribution, ask.
Disability Statement
If you have a disability that may impact your performance in this class, please register
with the Disability Services Coordinator so that you can work together to develop
methods of addressing needed accommodations.