Integrated Journalism Workshop (21328)

Degree/study: bachelor's degree in Journalism
Year: third
Term: first, second and third
Number of ECTS credits: 24
Hours of studi dedication: 600
Teaching language or languages: Catalan and Spanish
Teaching Staff:

Lecturers:

Coordination: Salvador Alsius
Press: Anna Nogué, David Caminada, Teresa Domingo, Carlos Pérez de Rozas, Olga Lamas
Television: Roger Cassany, Antoni Esteve, Vicenç Sanclemente
Radio: Josep M. Palau, Joan Catà, Manuel Borrell, Juanjo Ramos Monter
Internet: Sílvia Llombart, Eva Domínguez, Cristina Ribas
Teaching assistants: Fabiola Alcalá, Irene da Rocha, Ariadna Fernández

1. Presentation of the subject

This subject is a cornerstone of the syllabus for the bachelor's degree programme in Journalism. In brief, it involves ongoing work in the editorial office of a news service that channels its output through the press, radio, television and internet.

The work in question will primarily take place in the Integrated Editing Suite, a simulation of a media group's newsroom on UPF's Communication Campus. Equipped to allow 80 editors (i.e. as many as there will be students taking the subject) to work at the same time, the suite boasts a room for press production, two radio studios and a television studio.

During the course, students will learn about models corresponding to daily newspapers and magazines, radio and television news programmes and the digital press, as well as working on ongoing journalism projects.

The subject's simulation-based approach will provide students with experience of production and editing work for all kinds of genres of journalism and the various distribution channels.

Mainly characterized by its entirely practical nature and the teamwork it involves, among other aspects, the subject will teach students how the media prioritize, catalogue, edit and present information, and offer them an insight into editorial office organization.

The subject in the context of the syllabus for the bachelor's degree programme in Journalism

The subject has been designed to be studied over all three terms of the programme's third year. Students who complete it successfully will obtain a total of 24 credits.

In the programme's first two years, students receive foundation training in one of four areas (Law, Economics, Humanities or Politics) and take a number of subjects specific to the Journalism degree programme. The subjects in question serve various purposes, including ensuring students' proficiency in written expression in the different genres of journalism, providing them with fundamental knowledge on communication theories and the social structure of communication, and teaching them basic techniques corresponding to the different media (press, internet and audiovisual media).

All the above prepares them to work, albeit at beginner level, in an editorial office at the start of the programme's third year.

The subject in a professional context

Until now, the main elements of the syllabus for UPF's Journalism degree programme (the old third and fourth-year degree) were practical workshops offering training in tasks specific to the different media (Press Workshop, Radio Workshop, Television Workshop and Internet Workshop). The aim of creating and implementing a subject called "Integrated Journalism Workshop" is to bring the programme more into line with new practices in professional journalism.

Most companies that produce news content are currently involved in a process usually referred to as "newsroom convergence", i.e. placing teams of journalists (editors, writers, reporters, etc.) who work for different distribution platforms together in a single newsroom to create synergies and optimize the generation of different information products. Such integration processes were first introduced when certain media groups were looking to establish digital versions of their daily newspapers on the internet. Initially, they ran separate editorial offices for their paper and electronic publications. However, primarily with a view to reducing costs, they soon began trials to see if the same journalists could work for both platforms at once. Most convergence projects to date have thus been geared to integrating newspapers' printed and digital output. However, companies whose main focus is audiovisual broadcasting (involving radio stations and/or television channels) and which also have internet portals have undertaken similar initiatives. It goes without saying that the growing number of groups that own and manage various media services have been eager to follow suit.

Many references to newsroom convergence can be found on http://infotendencias.com, the website of an R&D project run by research teams from various Spanish universities.

The convergence process (which the BBC, for example, began back in the 1990s) has experienced many ups and downs in recent years, and has never been short of critics. The main argument that tends to be used against it is that it is detrimental to the quality of the information that reaches end users (i.e. customers or the public). Given the pressure and short deadlines characteristic of work in editorial offices, it is certainly hard to imagine that a single journalist could produce various pieces of high quality (in terms of both content and style) for services as different as, for instance, a daily newspaper, the digital version of the same publication and a television news programme. The difficulty involved in coordinating teams that are required to cover highly diverse subject matter and which have a wide range of working hours and different production rates is an equally significant drawback. Those problems are compounded by the proverbial resistance to change present in all professional sectors, a rule to which journalists are by no means an exception. Some companies have embarked on convergence projects only to have to call them to a halt, in some cases to start afresh and in others to redefine the path to follow.

Nonetheless, news companies and journalists are convinced that convergence is here to stay, regardless of the extent of the difficulties the process entails. There has been widespread speculation on what the future holds for the media. It has been suggested that printed newspapers will soon vanish ("soon" meaning within 20 years, according to some). Doubts have been expressed as to whether the actual profession of journalist can survive in its current form, given that it is becoming easier and easier for any member of the public to act as a source of information. Some say that the generation dubbed "digital natives" will have no interest in television, which has been the foremost mass medium for four or five decades. Until such time as those changes occur, however, it seems clear that there is little sense in a company sending three or four different teams of journalists to cover a press conference, or in each of those journalists subsequently editing their report in separate newsrooms in different parts of the same building.

In other words -or, maybe more accurately, from another perspective-, there can be little doubt that journalists will become more and more multifunctional. They will not only have to become increasingly technologically adept, whether they like it or not, but will also be required to work effectively for media with highly diverse demands in terms of forms of expression.

2. Competences to be attained

General competences

Instrumental competences

- Understanding and interpreting written texts of an academic nature and level appropriately and logically.

- Being able to communicate correctly, orally and in writing, in either of Catalonia's two official languages (Catalan and Spanish), whether addressing a specialized or unspecialized audience.

- Mastering the IT tools and main functions thereof essential to routine academic activity.

Personal competences

- Being able to work as part of a team, actively participating in assigned tasks and negotiating consensuses in the event of differences of opinion.

- Developing the ability to think independently and critically about controversial topics or issues.

- Habitually applying self-discipline, high standards and rigour in academic work, approaching tasks in an organized manner and managing time appropriately.

Systemic competences

- Having developed the sense of curiosity and desire to learn essential to all educational processes and professional activities with scope for development.

- Being able to apply acquired knowledge flexibly and creatively, and to adapt it to new contexts and situations.

- Being able to make progress independently and continuously in training and learning processes.

Competences specific to the degree

- Being aware of information and communication processes, and the main theories that formalize and criticize them.

- Being familiar with and able to apply the technologies and systems used for processing, preparing and transmitting information.

- Being able to speak and write correctly in Catalan and/or Spanish.

- Being aware of the structure of the media and their main formats, as expressions of ways of life and forms of culture, in relation to social contexts and changes therein.

- Being aware of journalism's professional deontology and ethics, and the legal system applicable to information.

- Being aware of how communication companies are structured, operate and are managed.

- Being aware of the foremost media events and topics of discussion.

- Being able to express oneself fluently and effectively, orally and in writing, in Catalan and/or Spanish.

- Being able to read and analyze specialized texts and documents on any relevant topic.

- Being able to communicate in language appropriate to each medium.

- Being able to use technologies and techniques geared to information and communication.

- Being able to use IT systems and resources, and their interactive functions.

- Being able to carry out formal and aesthetic design work for written, graphic, audiovisual and digital media.

- Being able to carry out the main tasks involved in journalism in different fields.

- Being able to search for, select and prioritize any kind of source or document (written, audio, visual, etc.) that may be useful for preparing and processing information.

- Being able to retrieve, organize, analyze and process information and communications in order for them to be distributed, placed at the disposal of others and worked upon.

- Being able to identify and analyze information products in any genre, language or format, with a view to engaging in critical study.

- Being able to use data and statistics correctly and in such a way as to be comprehensible to the general public.

Competences specific to the subject

- Being able to carry out the main newsroom-based tasks involved in journalism.

- Being aware of the basic forms of incorporating news stories into all kinds of media.

- Being able to organize, prioritize and develop journalistic products for printed, audiovisual and/or digital media.

- Being able to design newspaper pages and edit them efficiently.

- Developing the basic skills necessary to produce and present news on the radio and television.

- Developing skills in the use and coordination of different online digital tools.

3. Contents

NB: unless otherwise stated, the activities described below will be duly adapted to each kind of news platform (press, radio, television and internet).

- Project conception.

o Appraisal of market opportunities (readers or potential audiences, targets, etc.).

o Brainstorming on project types and editorial project definition.

o Budget estimates.

- Formal project preparation.

o Model or format design.

o Adaptation of necessary software elements.

- Organization of production.

o List of editorial and writing tasks.

o Assignment of roles.

o Preparation of work schedule.

- Editorial Board.

o Brainstorming on subject matter.

o Selection of envisaged content.

o Distribution of coverage.

- On-site coverage.

o Identification of locations and sources.

o Documentation and prepared script.

o Performance of interviews.

- Project execution.

o Drafting of texts, headings, summaries, features, etc.

o Editing of graphics (if applicable).

o Page layout.

o Audiovisual programme production (if applicable).

4. Assessment

The subject's approach entails a number of particular difficulties where student assessment is concerned, due not only to the range of tasks involved and the fact that they are all encompassed in a single grade, but also to the fact that the editorial work carried out is virtually always a team effort, which sometimes makes it difficult for lecturers to identify individual contributions. Additionally, the criteria involved, such as the professional value of the results obtained and each student's effort and progress, may not always be homogeneous.

In accordance with the syllabus report, the subject's assessment will take the following into account:

- Participation in the envisaged activities.

- Individual work (individual contributions to the journalistic production arising from activities).

- Group work (including teamwork skills and collective contributions to the aforementioned journalistic production).

- "Presentations" or "demonstrations". In the case in hand, this refers to the demonstration of specific skills in the use of technologies and in terms of written and oral communication techniques.

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

The books listed here are mainly related to a particular aspect of the subject, namely the current nature of journalists' work in media editorial offices and the role of professionals in a multimedia context.

Allan, Stuart; Thorsen, Einar (eds.). Citizen Journalism. Global Perspectives. New York: Peter Lang, 2009.

Fogel, Jean-François ; Patino, Bruno. Une presse sans Gutenberg. Paris: Editions Gasset & Frasquelle, 2005.

Killebrew, Keneth C. Managing news convergence. Pathways to Journalistic Cooperation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2005.

Kolodzy, Janet. Convergence Journalism. Writing and reporting across the news media. Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2006.

Lee-Wright, Peter; Phillips, Angela; Witschge, Tamara. Changing Journalism. London: Routledge, 2011.

Micó, Josep Lluís. Periodisme a la xarxa. Llenguatge nou d'un vell ofici. Vic: Eumo, 2006.

Parra Vallarce, David; Álvarez Marcos, José. Ciberperiodismo. Madrid: Síntesis, 2004.

Paulik, John V. Journalism and New Media. Nova York: Columbia University Press, 2001. Spanish edition: El periodismo y los nuevos medios de comunicación. Barcelona: Paidós Comunicación.

Randall, David. The Universal Journalist. New York: Pluto Press, 2007.

Salaverría, Ramón; Negredo, Samuel. Periodismo integrado: convergencia de medios y reorganización de redacciones. Barcelona: Sol90Media, 2008.

6. Metodology

The subject's teaching methodology is almost entirely based on simulating professional activity. This approach to competence acquisition has been thoroughly tried and tested in UPF's former Journalism degree programme, whose lecturers are highly familiar with it. The new degree aims to take full advantage of their know-how and make such simulation a routine practice.

The activities involved in the subject will mainly take place in the Integrated Editing Suite, a facility spanning 240 m² and comprising:

- A large newsroom with space for a total of 80 users, with their corresponding desks and computers. The newsroom can be divided into three sections by means of mobile partition walls, giving the option of each section being used specifically for press, radio or television editing.

- A television studio and production unit, adjacent to one end of the newsroom.

- Two radio studios, likewise connected to the corresponding section of the newsroom.

- A meeting room for approximately 15 to 20 people. It contains desks suitable for working with newspaper pages and a colour printer for printing out PDFs featuring page designs.

- A multipurpose room for production, meetings, etc. It is equipped with telephone lines and devices for playing and viewing documents in various formats.

The suite is designed to allow for flexible use and adaptation to such changes as the newsroom convergence process may bring about over the coming years. There is thus the option of it serving as three separate editorial offices for press, radio and television. The software necessary for edition work corresponding to each of the aforementioned distribution platforms is installed in the offices' 28 computers. However, the basic working hypothesis is that UPF's Integrated Editing Suite will mirror the newsroom convergence process, if it continues to strengthen its foothold in companies. The new syllabus has been conceived on the basis of the same notion.

The lecturers from UPF's former press, internet, radio and television workshops are set to become the section managers and editors-in-chief of the editorial office of a hypothetical media group with a wide variety of news distribution and production methods. When the course begins, students will be the group's writers and reporters, and will soon become its editors, coordinators, assignment desk editors, etc. Over 9 months, the 80 students in the third year of UPF's new bachelor's degree programme in Journalism will take turns at assuming the different roles and carrying out the different functions inherent to the editorial offices of daily newspapers, radio and television news services, digital information portals, etc.

The possibility of creating UPF's own medium, an internet portal encompassing the different forms of news distribution, is currently being explored. Should that prove technically and/or financially unfeasible, the Faculty of Communication will endeavour to establish agreements with existing media with a view to some of their products being edited in the Integrated Editing Suite.

7. Planning of activities

Sessions for all students will be held in the Integrated Editing Suite from 9.00 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

In general, the specialized lecturers involved in the different segments of the course will attend two of the three weekly sessions, usually those on Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving Friday mornings for students/editors to work on their projects as they see fit.

On the first day of the course, students will be divided into four groups (A, B, C and D). The course is split into four sections, each of which corresponds to a seven-week period and a medium:

I: from 22 September to 15 November.
II: from 17 November to 10 February.
III: from 14 February to 24 April.
IV: from 26 April to 19 June.

Students will have preferential access to the different platforms (press, radio, television and internet) in turns, as shown in the table below. The surnames of the specialized lecturers responsible for activities appear under the letters denoting the different groups.

	Group I	Group II	Group III	Group IV
PRESS	A	D	C	B
	P. Rozas / Nogué	P. Rozas / Caminada	O. Lamas / Domingo	O. Lamas / Domingo
RADIO	B	A	D	C
	Palau	Catà	Borrell	Ramos Monter
TELEVISION	C	B	A	D
	Cassany	Cassany	Esteve	Sanclemente
INTERNET	D	C	B	A
	Llombart	Llombart	Domínguez	Ribas

Salvador Alsius will be the lecturer in charge of the Integrated Editing Suite's general coordination. The teaching assistants Fabiola Alcalà, Irene da Rocha and Ariadna Fernández will supervise coordinated coverage between the different platforms.