Journoz: Updates for Australian Journalists

Journalism sold short?

Professor John Henningham of JSchool (http://www.jschool.com.au/) had a think piece about journalism education in last week's Media section of The Australian (23 October 2003). The piece was adapted from an address Professor Henningham gave to PANPA (http://www.panpa.org.au/) in 2003. The article begins: "Journalism has been taught on and off at Australian and New Zealand universities for more than 80 years. One would think that by now they'd be getting it right, but I've concluded that they're getting it more wrong than right -- certainly in Australia." The full text is at http://www.jschool.com.au/media.php#journalismsoldshort.

Across the waters

The Journalism Education Association of New Zealand are looking for papers for its 2003 annual conference. The conference, to be held at Western Institute of Technology in New Plymouth on December 4-5, 2003, will be built around the following theme: The Odd Couple: Academic Degrees Versus Skills-Based Training. Papers on all journalism topics will be considered, but preference may be given to those that deal with the practical aspects of journalism education, or which offer an academic reflection on issues pertaining to journalism training. There is space for eight papers, with half-an-hour allotted to each. Abstracts are due with Ruth Thomas at AUT (ruth.thomas@aut.ac.nz) by Friday, October 3, with at least a well-advanced draft of the actual paper due with Ruth by Friday, November 14. To register for the conference please email Jim Tucker at j.tucker@witt.ac.nz

Time to get active

While the fact- and research-finding tools of the Net have been a godsend for many journalists, Online Journalism Review's Mark Glaser asks the question: "Are Online Search Tools Lulling Journalists Into Laziness?" If most of your research and interviews are done online, if your phone is gathering cobwebs and your shoes aren't wearing out, the answer is probably yes. Read the article - with tips - at http://www.ojr.org/ojr/glaser/1058908404.php. Time to hit the street.

African and Arab journalism

The World Association of Newspapers has launched two new Web sites, one providing information (in both French and English) for African Web journalists and publishers (http://www.wan-press.info/pages/rap21.html) and one (in Arabic) to assist Middle Eastern journalists with information and media management (http://www.wan-press.info/arabic/index.html). See the full announcement at http://www.wan-press.info/pages/article.php3?id_article=1233.

The future of journalism education?

Do journalists need to be professionals? Do they need to go to university to learn their craft? These are questions that have been re-examined in light of Columbia University's search for both a new dean of Journalism and a rethinking of the school's role. President Lee Bollinger of Columbia set up a Task Force to look at what role Columbia should play. His Statement on the Future of Journalism Education is at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/03/04/lcb_j_task_force.html. Not everyone agrees with him. The Washington Post politics columnist Robert J. Samuelson takes issue with Bollinger in his piece 'Snob journalism' takes hold at Columbia' at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18346-2003Apr22.html .

Online university for journalists from 2004

Online university for journalists from 2004
The Poynter Institute (http://www.poynter.org/), in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (http://www.knightfdn.org/), will launch NewsU (http://www.newsu.org/) in 2004, a Web-based journalism university providing reporting, editing and online journalism courses as well as handy links for journalists. More details can be found via Poynter at http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=28991&sid=41.

Survey of American journalists
The Knight Foundation also sponsored The American Journalist Today survey, carried out by researchers at the School of Journalism at Indiana University, which found that the Internet is now vital to journalists at work. Journalists are using the Net to talk to readers, download data, do background checks, get news releases and research story facts. Find the survey at http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/special_reports/americanjournalist/2003_04_10_aj.html. Poynter has information and links at http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=28844#series too.

Online university for journalists from 2004

Online university for journalists from 2004
The Poynter Institute (http://www.poynter.org/), in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (http://www.knightfdn.org/), will launch NewsU (http://www.newsu.org/) in 2004, a Web-based journalism university providing reporting, editing and online journalism courses as well as handy links for journalists. More details can be found via Poynter at http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=28991&sid=41.

Survey of American journalists
The Knight Foundation also sponsored The American Journalist Today survey, carried out by researchers at the School of Journalism at Indiana University, which found that the Internet is now vital to journalists at work. Journalists are using the Net to talk to readers, download data, do background checks, get news releases and research story facts. Find the survey at http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/special_reports/americanjournalist/2003_04_10_aj.html. Poynter has information and links at http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=28844#series too.

Breaking new ground in media training

For those interested in the converged newsroom, Ifra Newsplex's seminar program should make interesting reading. While US-based, and thus out of the reach of most, the program is a guide to where converged newsrooms are going and what the changed staff roles encompass. For example, Martha Stone, Director of Training, IFRA Newsplex has this to say: 'Among the new roles in this newsroom, we believe, is the News Resourcer, or the informatic journalist, who wields all of the tools on the information landscape by accessing information through databases, computer-assisted reporting, story contextualization and deep researching, and functions as the newsroom chief information officer." I couldn't agree more - newsrooms need such people. Details are at http://www.newsplex.org/program/training.shtml.

Localise the international

The American Press Institute has started a web log, Beyond the Battle, a month-long project designed to assist the media to prepare local communities for major international events that will affect them. It's all about making faraway stories relevant to daily life. Find it at http://americanpressinstitute.org/news.cfm?id=897.

Ask the right question

Stumped for interview questions? Use the list of tested questions at http://www.indiana.edu/~libpers/interview.html to get some new ones.

New Poynter report

The latest Poynter.org report has several interesting pieces for journalists - time management for writers, why photojournalism matters, a critique on the Wall Street Journal redesign, the art of interviewing, book reviews and more. Find it at http://www.poynter.org/centerpiece/images/PRFALL02.pdf.