Introduction & Objectives

Introduction

You already know about the seismic shifts shaking the foundations of journalism. The walls between print, TV, radio and online journalism have crumbled. Traditional media struggle to survive. We toss around terms like “crowdsourcing,” “platform agnostic” and “TwitPic” that didn’t exist a few years ago. This brave new world can be unnerving.

But there will always be a need and a demand for good journalism, practiced well and practiced ethically. Journalism may not look like what it used to but it will exist. One thing is for certain: The future of journalism is on the Web, not in ink on dead trees.
We’re on the cusp of a new age of journalism. What an extraordinary and exciting chance for journalists with the vision, passion and ethics to shape this new era.

Those journalists with writing, visual and technical skills will find that the Web opens infinite doors for finding and telling stories. Online multimedia provides us with the most powerful and influential tools to tell stories. Let’s go find them.

Course Objectives

Our three overarching goals this semester are:
1.    mastery of in-depth reporting and writing skills across different media platforms;
2.    proficiency in using visual and audio tools to enhance storytelling;
3.    collaborating efficiently and effectively on teams to produce professional-caliber content for the Web

The cornerstone of this course is writing and reporting, not software or technology. We will learn the tools so we can tell our stories in the most effective way. We will produce multimedia content that is anchored in thorough reporting and excellent writing.

More specifically, our course objectives are to:
•    Write and report stories across media platforms (text, audio, photography, videography)
•    Strengthen in-depth reporting skills, including using the Web to its fullest potential
•    Explore and experiment with long-form journalistic writing
•    Conceptualize, plan and produce a collaborative in-depth multimedia package