Digital
Journalism Syllabus
Copyright
© 1998 Elizabeth Osder
Specialized Reporting: Digital
Journalism
G54.1182
Section 2
4 Points
Semester
(January 20 - April 28)
Tuesday 6-10 PM
Professor:
Elizabeth Osder
Home:
627-1978
Office: 597-8049
E-mail: osder@nytimes.com
(Please place the words “NYU Journalism”
in the subject header)
Office
Hours:
By
appointment
Course
goals
Our goal will be to explore the culture
of digital journalism and to identify key issues facing an evolving
industry. We will try to keep our focus
on the juncture between “new media” and the practice of journalism. There is much to grasp both technically and
conceptually and we’ll do our best to learn together over the coming weeks. It is my hope that the topics, readings, speakers and information that I’ve
chosen will be a departure point for
each of your own understanding of “new media journalism” and how it will relate
to your professional and academic goals.
Required
Texts:
John Pavlik. The New Media
technology: Cultural and Commercial
Perspectives, Needham Heights, Mass.:
Allyn & Bacon, 1996
Recommended
Texts:
Randy Reddick and Elliott King. The
On-line Journalist, New York: Harcourt Brace, 1996.
David Siegal. The Secrets of Successful
Web Sites, New York: Hayden Books,
1997.
David Siegel. Creating Killer Web Sites
: The Art of Third-Generation Site Design,
New York: Hayden Books, 1996.
(Not Ordered)
Bud Smith. Creating Web Pages for
Dummies., New York: IDG, 1997.
Other
Readings:
An assortment of relevant readings will
be passed out in class and offered as URL’s on the Web.
An excellent New Media Bibliography can
also be found on the Poynter Institute Web Site at: http://www.poynter.org/biblio/bib_nm.htm
Other Excellent Sources Include:
•
The Poynter Institute Web Site:
http://www.poynter.org
•
News Research Sites: http://www.poynter.org/je/je_jsites2.htm
•
Steve Outings “Stop the Presses Column:
http://www.mediainfo.com/ephome/news/newshtm/stop/stop.htm
•
Editor and Publisher On-line: http://www.mediainfo.com/
•
The Newspaper Association of America:
http://www.naa.org
•
Cowles Media Central:
http://www.mediacentral.com
(media daily)
Attendance
This is a graduate seminar where most
of your grade will be based on class participation. Therefore attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences will not be
tolerated and students will be responsible for making up all class lectures and
discussions missed.
Your
responsibilities
Come to class on time and prepared to
discuss the issues. If you are doing a
presentation please bring in copies of materials for your class mates.
Meet deadlines: This is journalism.
Academic
morality
Honesty is important for journalists if
we are to have credibility with
our readers. Plagiarism and dishonesty
are forbidden, as are forms of
academic misconduct such as
unauthorized collaboration or interfering
with the work of others. Anyone caught
cheating in any way in this class
will receive an F in the course.
Grading
Your final grade will be determined as
follows:
Final Project/Paper 30
Percent
Weekly Exercises 20
percent
Class Participation 30
percent (includes expert day)
Personal Web Site 10
percent
Book Report 10 percent
Grading Scale:
A: 93 and above
A-: 90-92
B+: 87-89
B: 83-86
B-: 80-82
C+: 77-79
C: 73-76
C-: 70-72
D+: 67-69
D: 63-66
D-: 60-62
F: 59 and below
Schedule
The class schedule is subject to change
depending on the needs of the
class. Readings will be assigned as the class proceeds, and
many of the readings will be on the web.
January
20, 1997: COURSE INTRODUCTION
Lecture: Discuss
our goals, course requirements, and assignments. Email Server space, etc.
What do we want to get out of the course? What are everyone’s interests?
Assignment: Critical Thinking -- Web site Evaluations
Read: “Do Journalism Ethics and Values Apply to
New Media” Fred Mann, General Manager, Philadelphia On-line (Inquirer and Daily
News)
“The
Digital Bubble,” Kurt Anderson, The New Yorker, January 15, 1998, p.30
Review:
HTML Primer: Learn the basics of writing HTML
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html
Setting up an NYU Homepage:
http://www.nyu.edu/webguide
Search:
Do you know your way around
the Internet? Chris Harper’s Computer Assisted Reporting Syllabus:
http://pages.nyu.edu/~harperc/comchap.html
January
27, 1997: ISSUES AND BASIC WEB SKILLS
Class
Leader:
Lecture:
•
Introduction to Digital Journalism -- What’s happening in publishing and journalism?
•
Introduction to the Internet, the Web, Hypertext, etc.
• The editor as researcher: How to find it fast
and the basics of writing HTML (view source and creating hypterlinks).
Discussion of linking styles and
issues -- Getting started with assignment #2.
Discussion:
•
What are the issues facing journalists on-line? Discussion of “Do Journalism
Ethics and Values Apply to New Media”
Fred Mann, General Manager,
Philadelphia On-line (Inquirer and Daily News)
•
Presentations of Web Site Evaluations
Due:
Website evaluation write ups (presentations will take place over the next few weeks)
Assignment #2: Editing for
On-line -- Annotation and basic HTML.
Read:
Journalism Values and Ethics in New Media from the Poynter Institute
and ASNE.
Review:
Reading list and select a book or be prepared to suggest one.
February 3, 1997: ONLINE
EDITING AND PRODUCING WEB SITES
Class Leader:
Discussion: Discuss Assignment #2 on linking and linking protocol
• Continue
site evaluation presentations
Lecture: Producing Web Sites:
Overview of the web site development process
from concept creation to design and implementation.
Due: Assignment
#2 -- Editing for online
Assignment #3: Producing Web
Sites
Review: From the NAA Web Help Book:
• E. Osder,
“From Rock and Roll to Roaches.”
• D. Blankenhorn, “What is Interactivity?”
• H. Duderstadt, “ Dr. Design’s Overview of
Web Creation Tools.”
Read:
Reddick and King, Chapter 11:
“The New News Media.” (Copies will
be passed out)
•
Business Week May 6, 1997 “Internet Communities”
Review Community Sites:
•
New York Times Forums: www.nytimes.com/comment
•
Salon 1999.com
February 10, 1997:
INTERACTIVE APPLICATIONS AND COMMUNITY
Class Leader:
Discussion: Continue
site evaluation presentations.
• Discuss readings on Interactivity and web
creation tools. What are editorial
applications?
• Discuss assignment #3 - What were some of the
ideas? What questions, concerns came up
in creating a web site plan? Consider story organization, in and out of a
hypertext environment Present your website idea
Lecture: Presentation on
the New York Times on the Web and overview of
what publishers are doing on the Web and reading on “The New News Media.”
Guest:
NYT Forum Host
Due: Assignment
#3 -- Web site Plan
Assignment: Plan the New York Times visit (Dinner)
Read: Pavlik
Chapters 2-4: “Historical Perspectives:
Media at the Millennium” and “Concepts and Applications in Cyberspace.”
February 17, 1997:
REAL WORLD - THE NEW YORK TIMES
Class Leader:
Visit The
New York Times on the Web -- 1120 Avenue of the Americas (43rd and 6th) 6th
Floor. Meet in the reception area at
5:15.
Assignment #4: Adopting New
Technologies
Read: Fidler Chapter 1: “Principles of the Mediamorhosis.” (Hand Out)
February
24: Panel Discussion with Class
Following
6-8
PM Center for Communcations
“Convergence Panel”
NYU Stern Business School
Cantor Board Room
44 West 4th Street 11th Floor
(Wine and Cheese Reception at 5:30)
·
Mark Bernstein, VP CNN Interactive
·
M.J. Bear, Manager National Public
Radio Online
·
Andrew Shotlant, NBC Digital
Productions
·
Kathryn Creech, General Manaer Hearst
Home Arts Network
·
Elizabeth Osder, The New York Times
Electronic Media COmpany
HISTORY
AND TECHNOLOGY
Class
Leader:
Presentations: Literature of
Cyberspace
Discussion: Debrief NYT visit, Discuss Pavlik and Fidler
Readings on technologies and diffusions theory.
Lecture: Internet
Applications, Push, Pull, and future directions
Due: Assignment #4 Adopting New Technologies
Read: Case Studies in On-line Journalism:
Review the
following web sites
Murder
in Chicago: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/news/crime/crimtop.htm
CyberTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/1009aids.html
The
Dark Alliance: http://cgi.sjmercury.com/drugs/postscriptfeatures.htm
March 3, 1998: ONLINE JOURNALISM AND ADV. HTML
Class Leader:
Presentations: Literature of
Cyberspace
Discussion: Case Studies in
online journalism
Lecture: Community guest
lecture:
HTML
#2: Dealing with photos and graphics,
Working with sound and video; Browser considerations
Assignment: Proposal for final project. Please draft and discuss proposal for final
project to discuss in class (See hand out).
•
Begin working on your personal web site.
Read:
• Review NCSA HTML Guide: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimerAll.html
Note
the sections on inline images, sounds and tables.
Review:
Sites for next weeks guest lecture
March 10, 1998: ONLINE JOURNALISM - REPORTER, PRODUCER,
EDITOR
Class Leader:
Presentations: Literature of
Cyberspace
Discussion: Discuss
final project proposals
Jobs and
techniques in online journalism
Guest Lecture: proposed:
Lisa Napoli, CyberTimes and Matthew
Butcher MSNBC
Assignment: Work on Final
Projects
Due: Proposal for final project.
March
17, 1998 NO CLASS SPRING RECESS
March 24, 1998 THE BUSINESS: AUDIENCE AND ADVERTISING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Class Leader:
Presentations: Literature of
Cyberspace
Discussion: “Nothing is too
obvious!” The audience, customer service, user testing and focus groups
Assignment: Work on Final
Projects
Read: Legal
and Ethical issues
• Reddick
Chapter 10 -- Law, Ethics and the Internet pp. 202-219
•
Pavlik Chapter 11 pp. 220-302
•
Review CyberTimes Communications Indecency Act page: http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/cda-index.html
March
31, 1998: TBD -- Laboratory work on
final project and personal web sites.
Class
Leader:
(Class may have to be rescheduled Osder
may be out of town)
April
7, 1998: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Class
Leader:
Presentations: Literature of
Cyberspace
Discussion: Legal
and Ethical issues
Assignment:
Work on Final Projects
Read: Social
and Cultural issues: Pavlik Chapter: Chapter
9; pp. 303-363
April
14, 1998: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES
Class
Leader:
Presentations: Literature of
Cyberspace
Discussion: Social
and Cultural Issues
Assignment: Work on Final
Projects
April
21, 1998: WHAT’s NEXT, JOBS, ETC.
Class
Leader:
Presentations: Literature of
Cyberspace
Discussion: What’s next in
on-line journalism -- Your opportunities, challenges and impressions. Is this a
viable media? What will dominate the field?
Lecture: On-line Opportunities and Examples
Assignment: Work on Final
Projects
April
28, 1998 PRESENTATIONS AND WRAP UP
Class
Leader:
Final Projects Due:
A. Present Final Paper or Project with abstract
B. Submit URL for Assignment #5 Final Web
project