HAM420 Convergent Journalism

A general guide for word/time length
Video – no longer than 10 minutes
Audio – no longer than 10 minues
Text interviews – no longer than 2000 wordsBlogging and news

1. Interview a blogger from a mainstream news publication (audio or video)

2. Interview an academic about blogging and news media (audio or video)

3. Undertake a 3 minute vox pop about blogging (audio or video)

4. Write a 200 word introduction to blogging and news

5. Create a timeline of key moments in the history of blogging

6. Compile a list of important sites/articles about blogging and news (10 minimum)

Some starting points for research

Just what is a blog, anyway? By Michael Conniff
Defining this variable form is not easy in the highly opinionated blogosphere – nor is it simple in the increasing number of newsrooms that are in embracing blogging.
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050929/

Bruns, A., and Jacobs, J. (eds) Uses of Blogs (New York: Peter Lang, 2006)

Hands-On Guide to Video Blogging and Podcasting : Emerging Media Tools for Business Communication (see handout)

Citizen Journalism

1. Interview a journalist from a mainstream news publication about the rise of citizen journalism (audio or video)

2. Interview a key player in a citizen journalism project (audio or video or text)

3. Interview an academic about citizen journalism and news media (audio or video)

4. Undertake a 3 minute vox pop about citizen journalism (audio or video)

5. Write a 200 word introduction to citizen journalism and news

6. Create a timeline of key moments in the history of citizen journalism

7. Compile a list of important sites/articles about citizen journalism and news (10 minimum)

Some starting points for research

http://del.icio.us/tag/citizenjournalism

Bruns, A., Gatewatching: Collaborative Online news Production (New York: Peter Lang, 2005) and also his blog http://snurb.info/

Hyperlocal Journalism

1. Interview a journalist from a mainstream local news publication about hyperlocal journalism (audio or video)

2. Interview a key player in a hyperlocal journalism project (audio or video or text)

3. Interview an academic about hyperlocal journalism and news media (audio or video)

4. Undertake a 3 minute vox pop about hyperlocal journalism (audio or video)

5. Write a 200 word introduction to hyperlocal journalism

6. Create a timeline of key moments in the history of hyperlocal journalism

7. Compile a list of important sites/articles about hyperlocal journalism (10 minimum)

Some starting points for research

Margaret Simons is a former Age journalist and current research fellow at the Institute for Social Research at Swinburne. She is currently undertaking a project on focused around hyperlocal journalism.

http://del.icio.us/convergentjournalism/hyperlocal

Jay Rosen’s Press Think blog
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2006/08/08/pl_bass.html

New tools and new journalism

1. Interview a key thinker about the phenomenon of crowdsourcing (audio or video or text)

2. Write a 200 word introduction to crowdsourcing

3. Compile a list of important sites/articles about crowdsourcing

4. Interview a key thinker about the phenomenon of podcasting/videocasting and news (audio or video or text)

5. Write a 200 word introduction to podcasting/videocasting and news

6. Compile a list of important sites/articles about podcasting/videocasting and news

7. Create a timeline of key moments in the history of podcasting/videocasting and news

8. Interview a multimedia journalist from one of the mainstream media organisations (audio or video or text)

9. Interview a journalist about the changing nature of their work as a journalist (audio or video or text)

10. Interview a digital media producer about the possible uses of mapping technologies such as Google maps in news production (audio or video or text)

11. Compile a list of important sites about mapping technologies and news

Some starting points for research

Crowdsourcing
The Rise of Crowdsourcing
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds.html
Crowdsourcing: Consumers as Creators
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jul2006/id20060713_755844.htm

Videocasting/podcasting
Vodcast.tv directory
http://www.vodcasts.tv/category/18/News
BBC’s guide to vodcasting and podcasting
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/askbruce/articles/video/podcast_1.shtml

Multimedia Journalism
Interview with Tom Kennedy, managing editor for multimedia at Washingtonpost.
http://www.thepomoblog.com/papers/10Q6.htm
Interactive Narratives
http://www.interactivenarratives.org/
News University
http://www.newsu.org/courses/course_detail.aspx?id=ucknight_multimedia07

Mapping Technologies
Cool uses of Google Maps
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002626.php
Newsmap
http://marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/