Category Archives: training

Research notes: A completely arbitrary list of takeaways from two unconferences

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Matt Waite on the trouble with finding budding journalist-developers: "I think the problem with finding these students starts with reward structures. Students are told from even before they walk on campus that being a journalist means Being a Good Writer, Being a Good Editor, Being a Good Photographer. No one is telling them they could be an application developer, or a data journalist, or a media entrepreneur. Or if they have heard it, that voice is getting drowned out by traditionalists. A disturbing amount of time, the traditionalists drowning those students out are other students. Until we can attach a reward to this — until it cracks the consciousness of students that there are jobs in this path — I think we’ll continue to struggle."

Data Driven Journalism: The importance of numeracy for data journalists

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Nicolas Kayser-Bril: "We need to convince journalism schools to teach math in a purpose-oriented fashion. As Gigerenzer said in a 2010 conference, students are taught trigonometry but how to understand risks properly is overlooked. Decision-makers in J-schools and media companies need to realize that data in itself without better numeracy skills will not lead to better journalism. To tell true facts to their audience and to build trust, journalists need to gain the skills to understand and interpret data."

Journalism.co.uk: City University launches new interactive journalism MA

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"The course will feature core modules from the university's other journalism MA programmes, including online journalism, media law, journalism and society and journalism practice, alongside new teaching on data journalism, developing and managing online communities and understanding content management systems."

Journalism.co.uk: City University launches new interactive journalism MA

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"The course will feature core modules from the university's other journalism MA programmes, including online journalism, media law, journalism and society and journalism practice, alongside new teaching on data journalism, developing and managing online communities and understanding content management systems."

Press Gazette: Press and Journal editor slams journalism degree courses

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"Derek Tucker, the outgoing editor of Aberdeen’s Press and Journal ... said his paper had not 'sold its soul to make an all singing all dancing website' and instead adopted a strategy against the industry norm by imposing strict limits on the amount of content uploaded to its website. ... He said “remaining Jurassic” about the internet had served his paper well as it had managed to avoid the large drop in circulation being suffered elsewhere in the regional press."

Press Gazette: The Wire: Want to be a journalist? Be prepared to work in London for nothing

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Totally agree with my former editor Dom here: "Two-week work placements are a two-way street, with the trainees contributing their time and effort in exchange for a certain amount of mentoring and the chance to see their name in print (that’s the way it works at Press Gazette). But if they are good enough to warrant having around any longer than that – they should be paid. And all reputable news organisations should have guidelines in place to make sure this happens."

The Journalism School Columbia University: Guardian’s Emily Bell named Director of Tow Center for Digital Journalism

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"Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism today announces that Emily Bell, Director of Digital Content for Britain’s Guardian News and Media, has been named the Director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. She will assume the post in late July and will also join the full-time faculty."

Nieman Reports: What Changed Journalism—Forever—Were Engineers

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"Journalism schools could never have invented Google. Publishers and news executives could never have foreseen the power and spread of Google. Why? It’s because Google is the product of engineers. Brilliant engineers. ... Here at Newhouse we are hiring professors who understand the intricacies of algorithms, search patterns, social media, and new media business plans. These new faculty members are not only teaching our students, they are teaching the rest of the faculty."

On the fly: Islington Council tells councillors to follow its lead and ignore students

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It seems my local council has a lot to learn about the changing nature of local media, not to mention freedom of information: "Each year as part of the newspaper journalism MA at City University, students run two local news websites ... a senior press officer at [Islington Council], responded saying he would only answer questions if it had already been asked by other news outlets. Since then the council has decided not to respond to any requests by students, whether they have been answered before or not. Fellow students have also been told by councillors that they have been told not to work with any students."

Media Guardian: Doing it for themselves

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A really encouraging feature about UK journalism education... "The students are learning not just traditional local reporting but also useful digital skills: publishing using Wordpress, exploiting Twitter, reciprocal linking, how to search for local stories online through Google Reader and Yahoo Pipes (using metasearches to pick out relevant stories) and monitoring the (rising) traffic with Google Analytics."