Last updated Wednesday 27 May, 2009
This site will be regularly updated at http://www.latrobe.edu.au/journalism/twj2009/index.html
Please bookmark this URL for future reference.
Stop Press
This evening, we'll discuss your questions for your final profile interviews, and also examine exemplary journalism profiles, such as this one from the Columbia Journalism Review, and this profile of the new editor of The Monthly that was published in The Age today.
We'll also have a look at how some of your profiles are shaping up on Upstart.
I've also added a link the just-released PEW Centre report on The State of the News Media 2009, and a great British site designed by and for journalists.
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The Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma is holding a free screening of the documentary 'Breaking News, Breaking Down: The media in community disaster and recovery' from 6:15 this Friday at RMIT - full details here.
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Keen to find out more about how to build up your career in journalism? This Thursday the Walkley Foundation and the Media Alliance join forces to bring you the MediaPass Student Industry Day at Trades Hall in Melbourne. The event is free to all final-year media/journalism students. Full details here.
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance is offering free membership for final-year and one-year Masters students. Membership benefits include a membership card, member discounts for theatre and cinema, and six issues of the Walkley Magazine. For full details please call 1 300 65 65 13.
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Propsect 360 are running a seminar news media on 5 April. Both seminars are designed to offer aspiring journalists an insider's view of the industry.
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This is where news will be posted, including links to updates in the course outline. Those of you on Facebook may wish to consider signing on to the La Trobe University Journalism & Media Studies Students group.
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Subject Overview
In this unit we will provide a critical examination of the working life of journalists, with particular reference to the way that journalism is evoling as a profession during a period of rapid change in the media. There will be lectures from some of Australian's best known journalists and from foreign correspondents working here. Themes to be explored will include: what attracts people to journalism as a profession? What qualities make for a successful journalist? What qualifications or experiences are really crucial for making the grade? How do journalists see their own role as agents of change, or of fulfilling traditional values of the 'Fourth Estate' such as the public's right to know?. How does journalism practice vary in different parts of the world? And how significant are the apparent diversities developing in the media when it comes to being able to provide a broad range of viewpoints to audiences? Students will write profiles of journalists that will be designed for publication in an online publication that will be launched during the semester.
Objectives
Students will:
- Develop an understanding of a diverse range of journalism practices.
- Develop an appreciation of current developments in the journalism profession.
- Develop interviewing skills through assigments that require interaction with working journalists, both in and outside the classroom.
- Optimise opportunities for publication experience in a new web project that is being launched in conjunction with this subject that will profile the careers of journalists.
- Develop teamwork skills by working in a range of collaborative situations.
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Course requirements
One three-hour class on Wednesdays from 5 to 8pm.
All students must attend 80% of classes in order to be eligible to pass this subject. Hand assignments into the assignment slot at the Media Studies office. They must have the appropriate front sheet with the name of your lecturer on it.
Please purchase a copy of Margaret Simon's book The Content Makers (Penguin, Melbourne, 2007), and bookmark her blog, which can be found here.
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Course Outline
What follows is a week to week breakdown of the course. Some of the links lead to material that is available on electronic reserve: to access them, you will need to provide your student login details.
This outline will be regularly updated. Most weeks will include a dedicated class segment that will focus on the development of our 'Working Journalist' publication.
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Week One: 2–8 March
The Working Journalist - an endangered species?
What is a journalist? It might sound like a glib question, but in this era of social media, blogging, and convergence, the 'who is a journalist?' issue has acquired a particularly modern resonance. For many journalists, this is a time of crisis and job insecurity, especially in the newspaper sector, where declining advertising revenue is forcing a rethink of traditional business models. Others see what's happening as an opportunity.
In this introductory session, we'll discuss some of the key aims of this course, and examine some recent attempts to grapple with what's happening in the media industry. In recent month's there's been a veritable avalanche of opinion and commentary pieces about the apparent demise of newspapers, and the implications of changes in the media for journalism itself.
Sources
Sources referred to in week one include:
Kamiya, Gary. "The death of the news." Salon, 17 February 2009.
Isaacson, Walter. 'How to save your newspaper.' Time.com, 5 February 2009.
'Battle plans for newspapers - room for debate blog.' The New York Times, 10 February 2009.
Mitchell, Bill. 'Growing woes increase coverage of journalism business models.' Poynter Online, 6 February 2009.
Other general sources that map the way that the broader trends of journalism include:
Press Council of Australia. 'State of the News Print Media in Australia Report 2008'.
Este, Jonathan & others. 'Life in the clickstream: the future of journalism.' published by the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, November 2008.
Pew Research Centre's Project for Excellence in Journalism. 'Numbers: our data library.' This link leads to some fascinating studies of journalism trends in the US. Please bookmark it as a key reference for this subject.
Pew Research Centre's Project for Excellence in Journalism. 'The Changing newsroom.' 21 July 2008. As well as this introductory article, please read the chapter that's also entitled 'The Changing Newsroom'.
Please purchase the Margaret Simons book, The Content Makers (Melbourne: Penguin, 2007). Additionally, these sites and, where possible, sign up for their mailing lists.
The Content Makers The blog that evolved out of the book by Margaret Simons.
Greenslade Blog From British commentator and former editor, Roy Greenslade.
Press Think (the blog of NYU's Jay Rosen)
The European Journalist Centre's Resources page.
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Week Two: 9–15 March
So what's really different now? The past and future of journalism considered.
Just how much has journalism changed over the last few decades? Is the profession still attracting the same kind of recruits? When it comes to the skills and aptitudes that journalism requires, has the story remained pretty much the same? Or have constant deadlines around a range of platforms turned journalism into "churnalism"?
Joining us this week to talk about her career as a journalist and journalism educator is Melbourne journalist, author and lecturer, Caron Dann. Caron has worked as a reporter, photographer and sub-editor in New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. Positions held include literary editor, arts editor, TV editor (Auckland Star), Melbourne editor (Woman's Day), assistant editor (TV Week) and acting travel editor (Sunday Herald Sun).
She currently freelances for the Sunday Herald Sun , Australian Literary Review and Good Reading, among others, and writes a regular column for Times Higher Education in the UK. She is the author of historical novel The Occidentals (Asia Books, 1999, as Caron Eastgate James) and of the scholarly book Imagining Siam: A Travellers' Literary Guide to Thailand (Monash Asia Institute, 2008). The Occidentals has been translated to German and published as Das Erbe Der Schwestern (Nymphenburger 2003, Knaur 2005, audio version 2007).
Caron holds a PhD in literary studies from Monash University. Dr Dann's next major work will be a collaborative non-fiction book about social networking and friendship, with NZ actor Yvette Parsons. Dr Dann is also researching Australian newsroom procedure, 1965-1995.
Sources
Five Caron Dann articles with notes from the author
1. Tony Wheeler and Bad Lands (feature, Sunday Herald Sun) http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21596722-5006016,00.html
That one is interesting because I got two stories for different publications from the same interview - always good value if you're freelancing. The other story was in Good Reading magazine in October 2007.
2. Here's an old one (when I was Caron James), from a TV Week that was very different in 1994 to what it is today. I'd say we did real stories in those days! Now it's just a fanzine. We could discuss some of the ways it has changed.
http://members.tripod.com/capitan/MinisterArt.html
3. Symantha Perkins & TV reality shows in the Sunday Herald Sun :
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20375999-953,00.html
4. Lisa McCune: While not in themselves particularly special or interesting stories, these are useful to illustrate the way media manufacture stars. I made a conscious decision to publicise Blue Heelers and to make Lisa McCune a "star". Similar things happened when Kylie Minogue was on Neighbours and, after her, Kimberley Davies. We had our "A" list celebs for covers (about six) and our "B" list (about 10). The lists are based on sales. http://www.lisamccune.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=219&Itemid=2
http://www.lisamccune.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=2
5. These days, celebrity is used to promote many different kinds of stories, including travel: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,22911619-11212,00.html
Essential sources
Vine, Josie. 'Does the lovable larrikin live? A comparative analysis of Australian journalism culture 1974 and 2003.' Australian Journalism Review, 2006, 28, 2, pp. 67-78.
Rodrigues, Usha Manchanda. 'Changing newsrooms: a survey of newsrooms in Victoria, Australia.' Australian Journalism Review, 2008, 30, 1, pp. 113-122.
Project for Excellence in Journalism. 'Journalist Survey'. Journalism.org- The State of the News Media 2008
Project for Excellence in Journalism. 'The Changing Newsroom', The Changing Newsroom, 21 July 2008.
Simons, Margaret. The Content Providers. (Melbourne: Penguin, 2007). Introduction, and chapters 1 & 2 (pp. 1-55)
Additional Sources
Morgan, Piers. 'Adventures of the comeback kid.' British Journalism Review, Volume 19, Number 4, 2008; pp. 17-29.
'Survival of media platforms for journalism.' The Media Report, ABC Radio, orignially broadcast on 8 May 2008.
Simon, David. 'Does the news matter to anyone anymore?' The Washington Post, 20 January 2008.
Buchanan, Rachel. 'Black and white and all over?' The Age, 25 August, 2007
Ioffe, Julia. 'On the trail and off their rockers.' The New Republic, 29 October, 2008.
Glaser, Mark. 'Traditional journalism job cuts countered by digital additions.' MediaShift, 23 August 2007.
Gant, Scott. We're all journalists now: the transformation of the press and reshaping of the law in the internet age. (New York: Free Press, 2008). Chapter Five, 'A world in which we're all journalists,' pp. 175-204.
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Week Three: 16–22 March
Cause for optimisation? Entrepreurial journalism, blogging and SEO
"Entrepreneurial journalism", search engine optimisation, and blogging have become all become part and parcel of the media landscape. And as techonology and audiences push journalism into new directions, some fascinating attempts to forge viable models for journalism have rapidly evolved. Yet while some are succeeding in certain respects, many journalists say they're feeling disorientated by the uncertainties that are sending more than shudders through the ranks of the profession. But should they? And by the way, is blogging journalism, and can you make any money out of it? Also, this week, Mike Dobbie will talk about the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance's Future of Journalism project and about the 12th Annual Freelancers convention which is being held in Melbourne on the 19th and 20th of March. Claire Delahunty is going to present her class paper in this session on Search Engine Optimisation.
Main Sources
Richmond, Shane. 'How SEO is changing journalism.' British Journalism Review, 2008; 19; 4, 51-55.
Potts, Mark. 'Advice to journalism students.' Recovering Journalist. 12 March, 2009.
Halavais, Alexander. Search Engine Society. (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2009) Chapter 2, 'Searching', pp. 32-55.
'Redefining the journalist as a news marketer.' The Media Report, ABC Radio, 27 March, 2008.
Glaser, Mark. '9 tips to improve search engine optimization (SEO).' MediaShift, 30 April 2008.
Cook, Trevor. 'The death of quality journalism.' The Epoch Times, 27 March 2008.
Glaser, Mark. 'In digital age, journalism needs business, entrepreneurial skills.' MediaShift, 30 January 2008.
Sullivan, Andrew. "Why I blog". The Atlantic, November 2008.
TypePad for journalists Why blog?
Lyons, Daniel. 'Time to hang up the pajamas.' Newsweek, 7 February 2009
Potts, Mark. 'Laid off? 10 tips for suddenly unemployed journalists.' Recovering Journalist, 9 March, 2009.
Additional Sources
Project for Excellence in Journalism. The State of the News Media 2009: An annual report on American Journalism (this is a very useful resource for this entire subject).
George, Tara. "With Few Job Prospects, Journalism Students Should Learn Web Skills." Poynter Online, 15 December 2008.
Tennis, Cary. 'Why teach journalism if newspapers are dying?' Salon, 17 March 2009.
Hansell, Saul. 'Entrepreneurial journalism in the Facebook age.' The New York Times 'Bits' blog, 6 December 2007.
Hermida, Alfred. 'The place of blogs in journalism education.' MediaShift, 22 December 2008.
Albolher, Marci. 'Journalistic entrepreneurs, a new model.' The New York Times 'Shifting Careers' blog. 11 August 2008. This article links to audio from a in a teleconference panel discussion about freelance journalism organized by the Society for American Business Editors and Writers .
Online Journalism Review links on entrepreurial journalism and "How to make money on your news content website" wiki.
Niles, Robert. "The ethical journalist's guide to selling ads on a website," (parts 1, 2 and 3). Online Journalism Review, 2009.
Glaser, Mark. 'BlogTalkRadio lets anyone (including the Pentagon) start talk shows.' MediaShift, 11 March 2009.
Precipice @ Icy Creek (Lawrie Zion's farm blog).
If you want to find more about how to optimise search rankings, this course at lynda.com is worth considering.
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Week Four: 23–29 March
Not-for-profit and public journalism
Journalism largely depends on the sustainablity of well-established business models, but if it can't survive on these terms, then what should be done? This week we look at the contemporary significance of public broadcasters such as the ABC and SBS, and the rise of a series of community and non-for-profit journalism initiatives that aim to provide new ways of funding journalism. Views differ when it comes to weighing up the advantages and drawbacks of recent innovations and experiements, and arguments about the extent to which governments should bankroll the media are hotting up. We'll also round of our discussion of SEO with a discussion about this piece from the Online Journalism Blog.
Our guest this week will be final year Law/Media student Erdem Koc, who will talk to us about SBS and its role as a multicultural broadcaster in Australia. Erdem has presented several Turkish and English-language programs on SBS, including the daily current affairs program World View. And Isabel will deliver this week's class paper.
Sources
Jackson, Sally. 'Experiment in community-funded professional journalism.' The Australian, 1 December, 2008. This article provides details of a new initiative being hatched at Swinburne called the Foundation for Public Interest Journalism.
'Pro Publica'. The Media Report, ABC Radio National, 10 July 2008.
The Project for Excellence in Journalism. 'New Ventures', The State of the News Media 2009 report.
Stoll, Michael. 'No Profit, No Problem'. Columbia Journalism Review, March/April, 2009.
Lawrie Zion's interview with Andrew Donohue, editor of voiceofsandiego.org, a web-only non-profit publication that aims to cover local issues in depth.
Cowan, Geoffrey, and Overholser, Geneva. "Free press, with profits." Los Angeles Times, 19 January 2009.
Westphal, David. 'Recession? Local news sites are hanging tough.' Online Journalism Review, 26 February 2009.
'Making good sense: Transformative processes in community journalism.' Journalism, 10, 2, 2009, pp. 155-170.
Dotinga, Randy. 'Nonprofit journalism on the rise.' The Christian Science Monitor, 12 February 2008.
Potts, Mark. "Not-for-profit: just say no." Recovering Journalist, 30 January 2009.
Gilmour, Dan. 'Endowing newspapers: what are we saving, anyway?' Centre for Citizen Media blog, 30 January 2009.
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Week Five: 30 March–5 April
Journalists in the spotlight
Journalists write the stories, but what are their own stories? To quote Margaret Simons: "Surveys of journalists conceal as well as reveal", so how can profiles of journalists bring to life what its really like to be part of this changing profession? What kind of people does it attract, and why? This week we look at some attempts to write about journalists, and focus on the parameters of our 'Working Journalist' project.
This week we look at some attempts to write about journalists, and focus on the parameters of our 'Working Journalist' project.
Please makes sure that you come to class this week prepared to brief the groups about which journalists you are interested in profiling for the project.
We will also design a letter to be sent to all prospective interviewees explaining the purpose of the project.
Those of you who have yet to nominate their topic or proposed class paper date, please email me with any suggesetions before class.
Sources
Simons, Margaret. The Content Makers. Chapter 12 - 'Five Content Makers', pp. 295-319.
Weaver, David H. 'Who are Journalists?' in de Burgh, Hugo (ed), Making Journalists. (Oxford: Routledge, 2005), pp. 44-57.
'Journalist Profiles'. The Age
'Roy Morgan Media Research, 1941-2008'. An excellent guide to what Australians think of the media. This is very useful resource for developing questionairres for journalists about how they see their role in the broader community. See especially 'Large Majority of Australians think the media is "often biased"'. 17 August, 2007.
Thompson, Jenna, and Wong, Wendy. 'Interview with Tim Palmer', Reportage, April 2006. This is one of several profiles of journalists featured on the site of the Magazine for the Centre of Indepedent Journalism at UTS in Sydney.
Solly, Ross, and others. Journalism: jobs that make the news. (Australia: Career FAQs, 2007) 'Footloose and fancy free', pp. 75-91.
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Week Six: 6–12 April
Mark Scott - Media and Cinema Studies annual lecture
This week we adjourn from Bundoora to the State Library theatrette in La Trobe Street to hear Mark Scott deliver a lecture about the changing journalism workplace.
Mark Scott has been the Managing Director of the ABC since July 2006. Prior to his appointment at the ABC, he spent almost twelve years in a variety of editorial and executive positions with John Fairfax Publications. From 2003 to 2005 he was Editor-in-Chief, Metropolitan newspapers, and during 2005 became Editor-in-Chief of Metropolitan, Regional and Community newspapers. From November 2005 he was Editorial Director, with responsibility for the management and editorial direction of the newspaper divisions and websites along with the editorial and commercial performance of the Fairfax newspaper magazine division.
Sources
Bodey, Michael. 'ABC boss behind Aunty's sparkle.' The Australian, 15 December 2008.
'Mark Scott - new on the job at the ABC.' Sunday Profile, ABC radio, 16 July 2006.
'National Press Club address by Mark Scott.' 10 September 2008.
'On the record' with Mark Scott.' The Media Report, ABC Radio National, 13 March 2008.
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Mid-Semester Break
Week Seven: 20–26 April
Studying and reporting on your subject
You've done the basic research on your interview subjects, and you've made all your intial contact. What are the rules of engagement from here on?
This week we look at the practical and philosophical challenges of interviewing and writing for this kind of project. What are the most interesting general questions to pose to journalists about their working lives? What are the sensitive issues that need to be treated cautiously? What kind of time do you need to spend with your subjects? Should a formal interview be part of the process? What formatting issues arise when organising the way the profile is presented? How involved should the subject be in collaborating with the finished product? Could everyone please write a draft list of questions for at least one of their subjects. Phil will present this week's class paper, and my colleague Chris Scanlon will unveil the mock-up of the program's new publishing site.
Sources
Adams, Sally, with Hicks, Wynford. Interviewing for Journalists, (London , Routledge, 2001), pp. 32-57 (The rest of the book is also highly recommended).
An excellent audio/print resource is The Art of the Interview episode of the ABC/Griffith university co-production Cultures of Journalism.
Barber, Lynn. 'The Art of the Interview', in Glover (ed), The Penguin Book Of Journalism, (London: Penguin, 1999,) pp. 196-205.
For best-of-breed example of sites about journalism, see http://www.journalism.co.uk/ and the European Journalism Centre , which has just posted a timely piece by Greg Simons entitled: The road to journalism: Why we choose to be jouranlists.
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Week Eight: 27 April–3 May
Early career journalists - James Dowling, Michael Lallo and Luke McKenna
What happens to graduates of journalism degree programs in such a volatile media envrionment? What better way to find out than by inviting three La Trobe Journalism graduates to come and speak to us.
Our guests will be James Dowling, who since graduating in 2006 has worked with Leader newspapers, and recently won a prestigious Quill award for the Best Suburban Report in Print; Michael Lallo, who completed a Grad Dip in 2005, and has been a journalist with The Age ever since; and 2007 graduate Luke McKenna, who as well as holding down a day job at Business Spectator co-edits the online magazine Laneway, which covers life at Melbourne's urban core.
How can their stories be seen as part of a bigger story about what's happening to the journalism profession?
One of the aims of this session is to firm up a generic set of questions that will be put to all subjects of the "working journalist" project.
Stephanie will present this week's class paper, examining the relationship between journalism and social media. We'll kick off with her paper at 5, and then adjourn to HU2 228 at 6. Other staff and students have been invited to the second part of the class, so we could have quite a turn out.
Sources
Dowling, James. 'A fare to remember', Progress Leader, 29 July, 2008, p. 1.
Dowling, James, 'Athletes under the gun', Progress Leader, 15 April, 2008, p. 1.
Dowling, James, and Duzelovski, Bianka.'Tram wham bam', Stonnington Leader, 25 November, 2008, p. 1.
Lallo, Michael. 'Sex, drugs, religion: it's all fodder', The Age, 20 March, 2009.
Lallo, Michael, 'Fat? Not me, I'm just big-boned: now pets are set for a diet pill', The Age, 14 January, 2007.
McKenna, Luke. 'RBA cuts basis points by 25 basis points to 3%', Business Spectator, 7 April, 2009.
McKenna, Luke. 'Pratt's lawyers accuse ACCC of misleading Visy boss over criminal proceedings', Business Spectator, 24 October, 2008.
McKenna, Luke, and Hunter, Thomas. 'The Government's bulging ad, sorry, information budget', Crikey, 25 September, 2007.
See also the site Laneway, which Luke co-founded and coedits with Chris Hawthorne.
Other reading
Oakham, Mandy. 'In our own image?: the socialisation of journalism's new recruits.' Australian Journalism Review, 28, 1, 2006, pp. 183-197.
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Week Nine: 4–10 May
Foreign Correspondents - journalism on its most glamorous or a dying breed?
With commercial pressures mounting on the journalism business model, the number of foreign correspondents is declining. What are the consequences of this for news, and, of course, a well-informed public? Was there ever a golden age for this kind of journalism? What kind of people become foreign correspondents and what do they actually do? And what kind of information do programs such as Foreign Correspondent and Dateline deliver?
Sources
Behr, Edward. 'Anyone here been raped and speaks English?' (USA: Viking Press, 1978), pp. 70-85.
McLeary, Paul. 'Some creative efforts to take back foreign news.' Columbia Journalism Review, 22 February, 2007.
'Mad crocs and Englishmen.' The Media Report, ABC Radio National (transcript only), 20 March 2008.
Constable, Pamela. 'Decline of the foreign correspondent.' The Washington Post, 18 February 2007.
'International news coverage in a new media world: The decline of the foreign correspondent.' George Washington University, recorded on 10 December, 2008.
'Death of the foreign correspondent: An exagerrated demise?' 2008 Shorenstein Journalism Award Panel Discussion, February 22, 2008.
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Week Ten: 11–17 May
Journalism Profiles Discussion
Your first journalism profiles have been submitted and marked. Now is the time to take stock of how these initial contributions are fulfilling the brief of the 'Working Journalist' project.
Chester will present this week's class paper, taking us through the process of setting up his own blog, and examining the question: when are blogs journalism?
Let's have a look at this too.
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Week Eleven: 18–24 May
Did they fail to do their job? Business journalists and the financial meltdown.
This week we explore the detabe about business journalism at a time of global economic chaos. What strategies have journalists used to report on the crisis? What constraints have there been on journalists reporting in this area? How do they work to both general and specialist audiences? And should business journalism should have played a more active role in anticipating the impending disaster and presenting more critical perspectives on the origins of the crisis?
Sources
Correy, Stan. 'The media in boom and doom.' Background Briefing, ABC Radio, 22 February 2009. This link references a number of other intriguing sources.
Hamilton, Martha H. 'What we learnt in the meltdown.' Columbia Journalism Review, January/February 2009.
Longibardi, Elinore. 'The business press and the cult of personality.' Columbia Journalism Review, 19 February 2009.
Chittum, Ryan. 'The Daily Show Eviscerates Santelli and CNBC.' Columbia Journalism Review, 5 March, 2009.
Barry, Paul. 'Mortgage Meltdown.' Four Corners, ABC - first aired on 17 September, 2007.
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Week Twelve: 25–31 May
Editorial Conference
The second batch of journalist profiles are in, so it's time to take stock, revise, discuss, edit, plan, check out our site, and - let's hope - celebrate.
Also, please read the following piece from the Columbia Journalism Review:
Peters, Justin. 'Life and death: Profiling Krishna Andavolu, managing editor of Obit.' Columbia Journalism Review, 21 May, 2009.
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Week Thirteen: 1–7 June
Course wrap
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Assessment and assignments
Assignment 1 - Due Date - Wednesday, April 8
Length: 2,000 words
This assignment is worth 25% of the subject's assesmment.
It is to be written in the form of a blog post with embedded links, and should take the form of a discussion of the 10 most important skills and attributes that 21st century journalists need to possess.
The piece should include an introductory section of between 200 and 400 words that set up the parameters of how you're going to tackle this brief. The body of the piece should encompass analysis of which of these skills and attribtes are inherently different from traditional conceptions of the professional skills and attributes of journalists.
This assignment aims to develop your skills in writing for an online publication, and your critical appreciation of the journalism profession in a way that will facilitate your ability to conduct interviews with journalists about their work.
Assignment 2 - Survey
Length: 2,000 words
This assignment is worth 25% of the subject's assesmment.
All students will need to present a survey to the class on topic related to the development of our collective project. Details will be discussed in week one.
Assignment 3 - Journalist profiles
Length: 3 x 1,200 words
This assignment is worth 50% of the subject's assessment.
All students will need to complete three 1,200 words profiles of journalists, all of which will be designed to be posted on the "Working Journalist" site. The precise specifications of each profile will be developed in class.
Each profile will constitute one-third of the total grade for this assigment. Full drafts of each profile must be handed in no later than one week before the due date. This requirement is designed to ensure that your work is of publishable standard when submitted.
The deadline of these three profiles are: 8 May; 22 May and 5 June.
| three 1,200-word profiles of journalists designed for web publication | 50 | |
| one 2,000-word essay | 25 | |
| one 2,000-word survey to be presented in class | 25 |
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Submission Deadlines and Requirements
- Deadlines
- Extensions
- Late Work
- Marking Procedures
- Marking Criteria
- Special Consideration
- If English Is Your Second Language
- If English Is Your First Language
Due dates for assignments are deadlines and deadlines are a non-negotiable fact of life for journalists. Get used to this idea and plan your work accordingly.
Aside from the in-class assessments, all assignments must be printed out and posted through the slot at the media studies office and accompanied by the appropriate cover sheet for your year-level. Please do not email me your assignments.
If you are struggling to make the deadline, please let me know well before your assignment is due. I am happy to grant extensions (of up to two weeks) for medical or other compelling reasons.
Extensions need to be granted on appropriate form (in pigeon-holes outside media/cinema office).
Faculty of Humanities and Social Science guidelines state that work handed in late, without an extension, will be penalised at the rate of 2 per cent per working day.
No written comments will be provided on work handed in late.
Work handed in more than 10 working days late will not be marked (e.g. it will get a zero). If you would like to get written comments on your final assignment, please submit it with
a stamped, addressed envelope.
Any assignments that get an A or a fail (e.g. below 50 per cent) are automatically double-marked (by another journalism lecturer) to check that the mark is appropriate.
Students have a right to appeal a mark for a bit of work worth more than 25 per cent. Appeals should be made, in writing, to the journalism program coordinator (Dr Lawrie Zion) setting out the reasons for the appeal. The coordinator will then decide whether the work should be marked again. A second marker will be appointed and the work will be marked “blind (e.g. the student is not identified).
Each assignment will have slightly different marking criteria. These will be clearly spelt out on the briefs. Check here for documents explaining how to reference works of journalism and how to quote work published in other media.
Students who experience difficulty with their studies due to illness or another valid cause are invited to apply for special consideration. The appropriate form is available from the Student Administration Centre or Faculty Offices. Applications relating to special consideration for performance during an academic period must be submitted before any examination, i.e. assessment, to which such application relates.
If English is your Second Language
If English is your second language, or you feel you could use some assistance with your study skills, speak with your tutor who can refer you to free on-campus assistance.
You can also contact staff in the Language and Academic Skills ESL Unit yourself. They are in Humanities 3, rooms 416-418, tel: 9479 2788. Website: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/lasu/esl.htm
If English is your First Language
You can get help from the Humanities Academic Skills Unit. Dr Kate Chanock is the full-time staff member there.
Demand can be heavy and you may need to wait for two weeks to see Kate. Her office is in Humanities 3, room 414. Tel 9479 2535 or email: c.chanock@latrobe.edu.au. You can find useful handouts about the skills unit at the website http://www.latrobe.edu.au/humanities/supportunits/hasu.html
Kate also runs free workshops on how to write better essays.
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