Online Journalism

1
Online Journalism

• Have You Got What It Takes?
• by
• Michael D. Dorsher, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Department of Communication
  and Journalism
• University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

2
Strengths of Online Journalism

• Interactivity
• Immediacy
• In-depth
• International

3
The Challenges of Interactivity

• You must be able to see all sides of a story.
• Tell nonfiction stories in a nonlinear fashion.
  Example
• Remain open to critiques from users and
  responsive to their needs/requests.
• Be able to "chat" live online, like a talk-show
  host.

4
The Challenges of Interactivity

• Carry along asynchronous discussions on issues
  you report on.
• Monitor Web sites and online discussions for tips
  on beats.
• Help plan, implement and work with generation
  after generation of
• Software
• Hardware
• Routines
• Bosses and co-workers
• Site designs Example

5
The Challenges of Immediacy

• You must do everything faster in online
  journalism.
• Continually work under tight deadline pressure.
• Solve problems of technology, time and distance.
• Have a strong ethical foundation
• Online Ethics, a Poynter Institute presentation
• http//poynteronline.org/subject.asp?id32

6
Challenges of Going In-depth

• Youll need greater expertise, tenacity and time.
  Example
• See all kinds of stories, not just those dictated
  by our current space-and-time driven "media
  logic." Example
• Develop stories from under-covered communities.
  Example
• Marry written words with still pictures, audio
  and video. Example

7
Meeting the Challenges of an International
Audience

• Employers will want you to be able to write and
  speak more than one language. Example
• Be able to think globally (and spur people to act
  locally, as civic journalism moves online).
  Example

8
Meeting the Challenges of an International
Audience

• You will need greater knowledge of geography,
  including knowing other nations' politics.
• Work around the clock.
• There's a "deadline every minute" online, and
  it's always "prime time" somewhere in the world.
  Example