Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

Short Courses of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

Knight Center Offers Online Course in Digital Journalism Knight Center Offers Online Course in Digital Journalism

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas will offer its new digital journalism course in English to reporters from Latin America and the Caribbean, from Nov. 17 to Dec. 21, 2008.

The course, Journalism 2.0, was developed by U.S. journalist Mark Briggs, author of the book Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive, a digital literacy guide for the information age.

Course Topics

The course for Latin American and Caribbean journalists is free of charge and will be offered totally on line. It will cover five main areas:

*Introduction to Journalism 2.0. Understand the opportunities and challenges of practicing journalism in the digital age.

*Web 2.0 and the Future. Learn how Web 2.0 sites expand the realm and responsibilities of today’s journalists.

*Blogs, Breaking News, and Headlines (Writing for the Web). Explore and critique the world of blogs, and learn to write strong web headlines.

*Multimedia Basics. Explore basic practices in photography and video production, and experiment with the technology.

*Multimedia Planning. Learn what makes a good multimedia story and how to get these pieces produced.

Course Specifics

Students will have several weekly assignments, all of which will be performed on line. They include viewing video lectures and PowerPoint presentations, reading lecture materials, and participating in discussion forums with the instructor and classmates. Students will also submit an exam online for comment and grading by the instructor.

Many of the readings will come from Briggs' book Journalism 2.0. The English, Spanish, and Portuguese editions can be downloaded for free from the Knight Center 's website.

Students will be expected to meet weekly deadlines but can choose their own hours to access the course and can work at their own pace and schedule. All participants who complete the course will receive a certificate from the Knight Center.

Prerequisites and Application

Priority will be given to journalists with at least three years experience who work full time for print, electronic or online media; possess a basic command of computers and internet technology; have access to a digital camera that takes both still photos and video; and have limited opportunities to attend training courses.

The course is designed for reporters who have an excellent command of written and spoken English. Since this is an introductory course to digital technology, applicants should not have more than two years of experience working with blogs, using Web 2.0 tools such as Flickr, or working with multimedia resources, but they have a strong interest in doing so. The 250-300 word application essay is required and should be written in English.

Journalists who are selected to participate will be notified by email the week of Nov. 12.

About the Partners

Briggs is the Assistant Managing Editor for Interactive News at The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash. He has contributed to textbooks, seminars, and conferences on new media and journalism, and some of the projects he has led have won national and regional awards. He will be assisted in the course by Vanessa Higgins and Paul Alonso, staff members of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas.

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas was created by Professor Rosental Calmon Alves at the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism in August 2002 thanks to a generous donation from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

In 2007, the Knight Center received a new five-year grant from the Knight Foundation to refocus its work as a digital media training center for Latin American and Caribbean journalism, and to expand its efforts to serve as an incubator for new journalism organizations.

Added Apr 02, 17:33, 2009