2012-13 academic year

 Digital Journalism Analysis (22195)

Degree/study: Bachelor's Degree in Journalism
Year: Third & Fourth
Term: 2nd
Number of ECTS credits: 4 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 100 hours
Teaching language or languages: English
Teaching Staff: Núria Almirón

1. Presentation of the subject

Although the nature of technology and journalism is in permanent change, it is possible to identify a set of practices, principles and norms that can lead to the excellence in journalism. Digitalization has not change the core principles that underlie journalism, yet it has allowed a terrific shift in terms of habits, capacities and expectations of news production and news consumption-and of course of business models-. Social networks and mobile technology are the last emerging challenges to the nature of journalism and the quest for journalistic excellence. In this context, working on and checking the set of activities, principals, themes, norms, or routines that appear to aid journalists (or be missing) in their pursuit of digital excellence is a truly meaningful task for students of journalism.

This course is a practical workshop aimed at developing an objective ranking of the best news coverage produced by the leading digital media in Internet. Hence, students will look for the best practices in international news coverage online.

Firstly, students will work online and in group to produce an Analysis and Assessment Model, that is, a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria on best journalistic practices. To develop this model they will extensively use networking tools (mainly provided by the Moodle environment) and will review existing literature. Secondly, and on the basis of the foregoing, students will individually apply the selected criteria to specific online media coverage. Thus, they will be able to obtain an objective qualitative ranking of the different international media analyzed.


2. Competences to be attained

Multidisciplinary skills:

  • Critical appraisal and reflection skills
  • Working in teams online through the various digital tools available (collaboratively online working)
  • Being able to work and communicate in the English language

Specific skills:

  • Ability to assess the journalistic quality of online media outlets
  • Ability to define criteria for analyzing journalistic content and to critically apply these criteria to media coverage
  • Recognition of cultural diversity and international journalistic traditions

 


3. Contents

 

This course is organized as an online workshop and therefore there aren't classroom master classes. Work will be carried out online by students following the steps below:

 

Group Work

1. Theoretical framework

Reviewing existing literature

Task: to identify the most relevant reports on best practices in digital journalism.

2. Analysis and Assessment Model (AAM)

Building a list of best practices and devising mechanisms of assessment

Task a: to develop an initial categorised list of best practices in digital journalism after an examination of the existing reports and literature

Task b: to develop a system of evaluation of these practices on digital outlets

3. Media outlets

Choosing online news media

Task: to select the leading digital news producers that will be analyzed

4. Media contents

Choosing news contents

Task: to select the online media coverage that will be analyzed

Individual Work

5. Application of the AAM

Carrying out the analysis of media coverage

Task: to check whether our list of best practices is implemented in the chosen media outlets and contents

6. Conclusions

Writing a report

Task: to produce and individual essay assessing the quality of journalism of the examined online media according to our model of analysis and assessment

 

4. Assessment

 

  • Collaborative work (15%)
  • Weekly reports/exercises (15%).
  • Final individual report (70%)

A second-chance examination will take place within the time period specified by the Faculty of Communication. To qualify for a second chance assessment students must have uploaded the weekly reports and the final report within the allotted time. The second examination will consist in a resubmission of the final individual report.


5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Articles

·       Center for Social Media (2009): "Scan and Analysis of Best Practices in Digital Journalism Both Within and Outside U.S. Public Broadcasting". Washington DC: American University. [http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/sites/default/files/documents/cpb_memo_final2.pdf]

·       Gladney, George Albert; Shapiro, Ivor; Castaldo, Joseph (2007): "Online News People's Ratings of 38 Criteria of Quality of News Web Sites." Newspaper Research Journal 28/1, pp. 55-69. [http://www.journalismproject.ca/en/attachments/Online%20Editors%20Rate.pdf]

·       The Online Journalism Review (2007): "What are the ethics of online journalism?". [http://www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/ethics/]

 

5.2. Books

·       Adam, G. Stuart & Clark, Roy Peter (2006): Journalism. The democratic craft. New York: Oxford University Press.

·       Alsius, Salvador (ed.)(2010): The Ethical Values of Journalists. Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya.

·       Bollinger, Lee C. (2010): Uninhibited, Robust, and wide-open. A free press for a new century. New York: Oxford University Press.

·       Kovach, Bill & Rosenstiel, Tom (2001):The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and The Public Should Expect. New York: Random House.

·       Meyer, Philip (2004): The Vanishing Newspaper. Saving Journalism in the Information Age. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.

  

5.3. Other Resources

·       Center for Social Media: http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org

·       Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya: http://www.periodistes.org (Codi deontològic: [http://www.periodistes.org/documents_codi_deontologic]

·       Fundació Consell de la Informació de Catalunya: http://www.periodistes.org/fcic/home.php

·       International Center for Journalists: http://www.icfj.org

·       Ivor Shapiro: http://www.ryerson.ca/journalism/facultydirectory/chair/shapiro.html

·       Project for Excellence in Journalism: http://www.journalism.org/

·       The state of the news media: http://stateofthemedia.org/

·       US media ethics codes: http://www.journalism.org/resources/ethics_codes


 

6. Metodology

·      

·       Face-to-face & online individual tutoring sessions

·       Collaborative work in group

·       Personal enquiry, individual research and readings

·       Conceptual and applied work

There will be a face-to-face meeting the first week of the course in order to introduce each other and the subject.

 

7. Planning of activities

 

Week

Activity

Type

1

Face-to-face meeting & Introduction

Classroom

2

Students work in group (Steps 1 & 2)

Online

3

Students work in group (Steps 2 & 3)

Online

4

Students work in group (Steps 3 & 4)

Online

5

Students work individually (Step 5)

Online

6

Students work individually (Step 5)

Online

7

Students work individually  (Step 5)

Online

8

Students work individually  (Step 5)

Online

9

Producing the final report (Step 6)

Online

10

Producing the final report (Step 6)

Online