April 23, 2009

We’ve reached the final week of the semester, so I’ll ask you to take a few moments to reflect on where we’ve been and where we are.
The headline above reflects what was typed at the bottom of each page of copy in the many, many decades preceding the digital age. “30″ marked the end of the story. “More” at the bottom of a page meant that more copy followed on other sheets of paper.
Many of you will soon be figuratively typing “30″ and bidding the journalism department good-bye. But for many, there is much “More” to come in the semesters ahead and I look forward to working with you again.
As you reflect on this semester, tell me how you think you’ve grown, whether you developed new skills, whether you learned something about journalism. What did you find the most valuable exercise this semester? What could we have done more of? Done better?
Thanks to all who posted comments this semester. In a large class that can be very impersonal, it was a way for you to learn some new things from each other, for me to get to know you better and to get us all thinking.
Good luck on finals and have a great and productive summer.
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Posted by gail59
April 17, 2009
That American journalism is currently in a state of flux is an understatement. Despite a lively discourse on the future of journalism, no one really knows where it will end up in five years.
Rapidly changing technology, the rise of social media and the role these play in the future of journalism will likely continue to be debated for the foreseeable future. Many news organizations are now using Twitter. But can journalism be practiced in 140 characters? Can we tell the whole story in this manner? Even part of the story?
Here is a column on a 
blog published by the venerable news organization Reuters. The writer is a proponent of Twitter’s use by journalists.
What role do you think such technology will play in journalism in the future?
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Posted by gail59
April 4, 2009
Technology is moving and changing at a faster pace than the law. In libel law, for example, some of the principles that apply to publication in print do not apply to the internet. This is one reason that webpage readers and bloggers can post some fairly wild criticisms without much legal recourse for those who may be injured by the comments.
Louisiana State University’s student newspaper, called The Reveille, recently won a libel suit taken against it by a student who contended reader’s comments aimed at him were libelous. Here is an account of the court decision from the Student Press Law Center
.
What do you think about the disparity of legal standards on the web vs. in print? Is it right that a comment that would be considered defamatory in your morning newspaper might not be considered defamatory on that paper’s web page?
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Posted by gail59
March 27, 2009

There are a number of elements that help bring coverage of natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods to life. Among these are details and the human toll wrought by these disasters. National Public Radio has been among the many news outlets covering the struggle against the Red River’s floodwaters by residents of North Dakota. This story focuses on the cameraderie this tragedy has spurred.
Hurricane Katrina produced a myriad of poignant stories. Here is a trailer for an award-winning documentary focusing on the pets Katrina left stranded and in danger.
Do you think telling the story of a natural disaster from a slightly different point of view such as these can be as powerful as a story heavy on death and property damage statistics? How so?
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Posted by gail59