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The Web provides journalists with a whole new forum for their
stories — new media.
Instead of a printed page, there's a computer screen that
presents words and images. This new medium is not limited to
what newspapers and magazines can do. An online publication has
the option of adding sound and moving pictures, giving the audience
the best of all media. |
Copyright
of Canada's SchoolNet |
But journalists must present their stories differently to
catch and hold the attention of online readers. That involves
creating links, layering information, writing in different formats,
and incorporating audio and video.
There are some excellent resources on the Web that explain
the ways online media differs from other forms and teach journalists
how to use this exciting new media.
Here are some of best we've found:
- NEW! Two
veteran reporters have launched what they're calling "Canada's
first hyperjournalism site', an investigative reporting project
developed specifically for the Web. Paul Benedetti and Wayne
MacPhail both worked as writers, reporters and editors in print
media before they got involved in new media projects. Their latest
collaboration is called "Spin
Doctors: Deaths, Deceptions and Dubious Claims Haunt Chiropractors'
Bid for Academic Acceptance." The site features 36 hyperlinked
stories and includes sound clips and original documents.
- The students at University of King's
College School of Journalism in Halifax, Nova Scotia publish
an online magazine called Nova
News Net. Their instructors have developed a series of workshops
that teach journalists how to do things differently to reach
an online audience. Of course, the Online
Workshop Student Manual course is available online.
- The Newswriting
for the Web site, produced by journalism professor, Carol
Rich, offers a great overview of the online reporting and publishing
world. Rich developed this site as part of a major study she
did on online media for the Poynter
Institute for Media Studies. She has written several textbooks
on reporting including Creating Online Media, a guide to research,
writing and design on the Internet (New York: McGraw-Hill 1998).
Her site has great information for journalists who want to learn
more about writing online.
- J.D. Lasica made
the move into the online world after a long career in the newspaper
business in the United States. He's currently the New Media columnist
for the American Journalism Review and he has also recently begun
a monthly column for the Industry Standard magazine. His site
features his columns on trends in online journalism and links
to relevant pages.
- The Online Journalism Review
tracks the trends and highlights what's happening in the world
of online journalism and new media. Regular columnists offer
insights on how to be a better writer and editor for the Web.
Here is a selection of articles and presentations that discuss
the challenges and opportunities that online media offers journalists:
- "Online
Journalism: What Works? What Doesn’t?" By Bruce
Garrison, University of Miami
- To <B>
Or Not To <B> How journalism schools address the challenge
of training online journalists By Eric K. Meyer
- Is
online journalism 'different'? A wide divergence of views
By Cheryl Arvidson
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