JOURN 110: ONLINE JOURNALISM
Fridays 10:00-1:00 CL2
Mr. Manuel L. Quezon III
OUR OBJECTIVES:
You’ve learned the basics of journalism, but what you’ve learned has been journalism of the traditional kind. But journalism and journalists are changing rapidly, not only due to new technologies, but also due to new ways of approaching the news and presenting it to a an audience that’s rapidly changing, too.
The purpose of this course is to enable you to take what you’ve learned and link it to trends and even debates going on in journalism, today, as far as online best practices and trends are concerned. Ideally, by the end of this course, you’ll have a grasp of:
• Online Research
• Online Collaboration
• Reportage
• Opinion
• Tools and Methods
OUR COURSE
In the first part, ONLINE RESEARCH, you’ll familiarize yourself with, and learn to use, the following tools:
• Wikis
• Google Scholar
• Google Blogsearch
• Encyclopedia Britannica Blog
• Global Voices
• Pew Research Center
• CMFR
You will then learn how to engage in ONLINE COLLABORATION by means of:
• Class Blog (Word Press)
• Group Interview
• Group Report(s)
• Simulated Newsroom
• Class Wiki
You’ll also delve into REPORTAGE as its done online, and the issues that accompany online methods of doing reportage:
• “Report on the Reporting”
• Roundups of Issues
• PCIJ
• MindaNews
• GMANews.tv
• Inquirer.net
• ABS-CBNNews.com
And OPINION online also has trends and issues you should be familiar with. In particular, for this course focus:
• Not the creation of opinion, but familiarity with the difference between the production and presentation of the best opinion online (by this I mean blogs). In particular, compare and contrast the following:
Newsstand by John Nery and FilipinoVoices.org
Ricky Carandang Reporting and Ellen Tordesillas and Howie Severino’s Sidetrip
Khanterbury Tales and Freedom Watch
By Jove!, RGCruz.com and ralphguzman.org and Bryanton Post.
• Issues on ethics, practices and the future of media online
You will also look at various TOOLS AND METHODS that can help you and your colleagues in your online work:
• Skype
• Twitter
• SMS
• IM (YM, etc)
• Flickr
• Issues (Advantages / Disadvantages): see ICT for Democracy
• Tags/tagging
You will also undertake certain ASSIGNMENTS throughout this course:
First, you will tackle EMBARGO ISSUES raised by the kidnapping of Ces Drilon, with a focus on gathering information online:
• Rody Alampay: Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
• Editorial positions of major media outfits
• Official response
• Public response
• Surveying kidnap stories
You will also tackle the issue of DECRIMINALIZING LIBEL, again from an online perspective, using, as much as possible, online methods and tools to put together and publish a report, containing:
• Side of Nine Cacho-Olivares
• Side of “The Firm”
• Media Consensus
• Practice Abroad: Southeast Asia, the West
For your FINAL PROJECT you will undertake:
• The Letran Media Wiki
- essential links / references
- home-grown data
- guides for finding things out
- editorial flowcharts
- production tips
• Or any BREAKING NEWS
