Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Clyde H. Bentley, [email protected]
OnlineCitizen Journalism
A “new” old-fashioned teaching opportunity
July 13, 2007
• The Cyberbrains are Missouri School of Journalism researchers with a special interest in citizen journalism and related media issues. They are the core managers for the MyMissourian project.
• As a group, they have authored a book chapter, two conference papers and several presentations.
• The team authors a thrice-weekly blog at http://thecyberbrains.com and publishes research reports at http://citizenjournalism.missouri.edu.
Journalists, researchers, dreamers
July 13, 2007
The Cyberbrains teamhttp://thecyberbrains.com
Clyde Bentley, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorMissouri School of JournalismFormer newspaper general manager, managing editor and ad manager.
Jeremy Littau, M.A.Doctoral student
Missouri School of JournalismFormer newspaper copy editor, sports
editor and sports writer
Hans Meyer, M.A.Doctoral studentMissouri School of JournalismFormer newspaper general manager and managing editor
Hans Ibold, M.A.Doctoral student
Missouri School of JournalismFormer Web editor, technology reporter,
arts editor and Peace Corps teacher
For information, e-mail [email protected]
Debra Mason, Ph.DProfessor Missouri School of JournalismDirector of Center for Religion, Professions and Public. Former religion writer and editor.
July 13, 2007
Newspapers, change and prematurepredictions
Electrical Experimenter, June, 1920, pages 147, 207-208:http://earlyradiohistory.us/1920news.htm
"Newsophone" to Supplant Newspapers Latest Electrical Invention to Provide "News" via Telephone at Low Cost
INSTEAD of chasing out "Bill" the office boy for a copy of the latest "Ux-tre-ee-e" detailing with horrible fidelity, the latest murder, scandal and I. W. W. outrage, you will in the near future, with the "Newsophone," the latest scientific distributing idea created by Mr. Lewis Yeager of Spokane, Washington, simply call up on your regular telephone and ask for the specific news wire you are interested in. The present plans call for a comparatively simple arrangement of the news wires which may be centralized at either the newspaper headquarters, or at the offices of some large news distributing syndicate such as the Associated Press offices in the larger cities. The telephone subscriber who wishes the latest Social, Sport or others news will simply call "Central" and ask for the news wire. In a moment, the operator at the news headquarters will ask which news the subscriber desires, and having ascertained this, will immediately connect his line with the proper Newsophone instrument, and the newsophone is nothing more or less than our old friend the phonograph brought forth with a new dress,--in other words the news that you now read is recorded vocally on a wax record so that when you want to hear all about the latest suicide, divorce scandal, or what is happening to little Mary Pickford and "Doug" Fairbanks, or how many points B. & O. stock dropt today, it will be spoken to you, in a pleasant voice.
July 13, 2007
Citizen Journalism at Mizzou
• MyMissourian launched in 2004 to test the use of non-professional writers and photographers in a traditional journalism organization.
• The assignment was to establish an online site that would attract writers whose contributions could be published in the home-delivered free Total Market Coverage edition of the print Columbia Missourian.
• In October 2005 MyMissourian began providing content for the 28,000-circulation Saturday Weekly edition of the Columbia Missourian. In 2007, the Saturday Weekly became a full newspaper.
July 13, 2007
Web site produces content
• Relaxed rules of content
• Minimal editing by professionals
• Subjects ranged from religion to recipes to opinion.
MyMissourian.com was launched Oct. 1, 2004 for the express purpose of attracting writers rather than readers.
July 13, 2007
Citizen Journalism: old as man
It is unlikely that cave painters were paid. They documented their lives because they wanted to write, not because it was their job.
July 13, 2007
Revolutionary Citizen Journalism
The Founding Fathers were not journalists. They took their essays to printers like Ben Franklin, who distributed them to the public.
July 13, 2007
Before there was J-school, there was CJ
“These small items (called “personals” by some editors) often seem trivial to the editor but they attract and hold the country subscriber without whom the newspaper would not exist.” Walter Williams, 1900
(Also noted that these “reporters: often worked for stamps, stationary and recognition among their neighbors.)
Walter WilliamsFirst dean of the Missouri School
of Journalism
July 13, 2007
Covering vs.. Sharing: The Big Difference
Covering • Research background• Observe the scene• Interview participants• Consolidate
information• Report• Paradigm:
Detachment• Time spent: hours to
days
Sharing
• Create the background• Live in the scene• Participate• Remember the
information• Share a life• Paradigm:
Involvement• Time spent: A lifetime
July 13, 2007
Four flavors of citizen journalist
1. Owns a digital camera or a camera phone and sends shootings to a news organization during a major event … or a local car accident
2. Wants to cover the local or virtual community and produce targeted content
3. A militant and campaigns for political reasons.
4. Is eager to participate to a “conversation” with professional journalists and bloggers.
World Editor’s Forum
July 13, 2007
The keys to the new media world?
• Passion– Emotional involvement in communication. “Writing from the
heart.” “Living the story.”– Focus on the content rather than the structure.
• Sharing– The desire to learn through community– A concern for the needs of others– A willingness to “let go”
Those factors also are crucial to education
July 13, 2007
Citizen journalism in the classroom
• New technology allows instant “publishing”
• Peer editing, encouragement and attention can encourage effort
• The range of technology allows students to communicate in the medium that works best for them.
The work of students can easily be shared with parents and the community.
July 13, 2007
A CJ toolbox for teachers
• Blogging: An easy way to post text. Last post written is first read, so encourages frequent writing.
• Photo sharing: Photobucket, Flickr, Picassa. The descendant of the vacation slide show.
• Social Networking: MySpace, Facebook, etc. The big cocktail party in the sky.
• Virtual reality: Create an entire new world online. Second Life, Sony World.
• Open Source Journalism: Journalists mediate between the writer and the reader. “You write it, we print it” (after we’ve looked at it).
July 13, 2007
First, creating a blog
• Wordpress http://wordpress.org/ -- Your server or their server
• MoveableType http://www.movabletype.org/ -- Your server
• Live Journal http://www.livejournal.com/ -- Open source, your server
• Blogger http://www.blogger.com/ -- Their server, but can put on your server.
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
July 13, 2007
Now we have it, what do we put in a blog?
• Daily “report” from the classroom• A selection of (or all) stories written by students• Photos, artwork or hand-written stories (scanners
are cheap)• Poetry units• Math puzzles• Science projects• Research
Any assignment you would “send home” can be placed on a blog
Access to the blog can be restricted
July 13, 2007
Blogs: Keys to remember
• All content is in reverse order -- the most recent entry is on top.
• Older posts don’t go away, they are just lower on the page.
• Each entry in a blog has its own URL -- meaning that you can send a link to a single story to someone.
• Adding photos is very, very easy.• Handwritten material works quite well if scanned.• Blogs are especially good for team projects.
July 13, 2007
Photo sharing
Photo sharing programs• Flickr• Photobucket• Kodak
The Internet allows you to store photos that easily can be sorted, captioned and displayed to others.
July 13, 2007
Creative Commons: New Copyright
• Allows you to post material publicly that can be shared.
• All material remains your property.
• Also provides a way for you to find images and text that you can use freely in the classroom.
• “Share, reuse and remix -- legally”
http://creativecommons.org/
July 13, 2007
Video sharing
•You Tube•Magnify•Blogger
iMovie and similar programs make it easy for students to make videos. Most still cameras have a video option.
You can also store, title and share video productions on the Internet.
July 13, 2007
Social Networking
Social networking software matches registered users with users who say they have similar interests or backgrounds. It is “instant community.
Facebook and MySpace are well known, but now teachers can create their own networks via Ning.
July 13, 2007
Virtual Reality
• New free software allows people to create personae called “avatars” and live virtually in worlds they help create. Educators are just now exploring how to use them in a school environment.
July 13, 2007
Virtual school daze
July 13, 2007
Open Source Journalism
Traditional media are rediscovering the value of content submitted by readers and viewers.
• School news• Class photos• Essays
Working with a traditional media product not only offers learning opportunities, it gives the school a better connections to the community.
July 13, 2007
Let the students write
• In-class essays have great appeal
• CJ sites give papers a way to share your class.
July 13, 2007
A new audience for student work
• Schools can partner with papers to broaden the audience of student video
July 13, 2007
Bottom line: Return to the good old daysNewspapers once filled
their columns with contributions from their readers
• Local columns• Social news• School reports
Citizen journalism offers the
opportunity to renew that “old-
fashioned” tradition.
