Hofstra University, School of Communication

Spring 2010 Syllabus

JRNL 80
(Online Journalism)
Assistant Professor Mo Krochmal
Department of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations

Instructor Information

Mo Krochmal, Assistant Professor of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations

Hofstra University, School of Communication
Website: http://krochmal.posterous.com
Office Telephone: 516 463 4338
Hofstra E-mail: maurice.krochmal@hofstra.edu
Personal E-mail: mo.krochmal@gmail.com
Office: 147 Dempster Hall

Fall Semester Office Hours

Tuesday 3-4:30
 Thursday 3-4:30
And, by appointment.

I believe in being available to my students and my colleagues. I am often in my office or the NewsHub
beyond my posted office hours and you are welcome you to drop by for coaching about the course, or to
bring by your resume, or to just chat.

Additionally, I can be reached through GTalk, Facebook, IM, text message, Twitter and via my cell phone.
Please do tell me who you are when you text me. Text is better than voice mail. Do not expect an instant
reply and simple courtesy is expected.

Letter to Students
Dear Students,

Welcome to a world of constant, rapid change where the future is unclear, and your career opportunities might
well be defined by your courage, tenacity and imagination -- as well as your learning. Your grasp of the
fundamental skills and practices you are absorbing in Hofstra's accredited journalism curriculum, applied
intelligently with new technologies, will serve you well in this environment. Today, this class is called online
journalism, but it is journalism, at pace with the 21st Century.

This is an exciting and a challenging time for journalism as mainstream media contracts and wrestles with how to
use new digital tools and the capabilities of the Internet to fulfill a critical role in a democracy -- and remain a
viable business. I ask you: How many times can you get the chance to invent a new medium? That's the
opportunity here.

Journalism needs people who are undaunted by technology, but dedicated to the traditional core values and
ethics of the field. You aren’t guaranteed riches, or even job security, but you can make the world a better place
through your public service. And, it's a job that is never boring.
You stand on the shoulders of generations of Hofstra students that have come before you in the over 60 years
that this school has offered classes in journalism.

We have much to do in the next 15 weeks. I believe in active and project-based learning and in imparting the
skills of self-teaching, a life-long gift. I may be the teacher but learning is your responsibility and that is a skill that
will serve you well in the 21st Century.

We can not possibly cover every portion of this evolving medium in our short time together, but if you come
across something that we don’t cover, bring it up and we will discuss it and I will be glad to help you learn it and
share your learning with your classmates.

I am in my third year on the Hofstra University faculty and I have taught this course to 11 previous classes since
2006.

Be advised that this class requires: 1) a commitment of time and 2) requires you to go off campus to report your
articles. When you are done, you will have had the opportunity to develop cutting-edge skills, abilities and
practices and methods for staying current in a rapidly-changing field.

We will go through a great many applications from the Web 2.0 world. These are not fads, but are new tools that
are making an impact in journalism and in the working world almost as quickly as they emerge. These days,
companies are blogging, they are creating wikis, and they are on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Your
challenge will be to effectively apply these tools to improve your knowledge of the craft of journalism.

To be successful, come to class, participate, do the work, and hit your deadlines. You don’t have to be a
computer expert; you just have the patience to get past the technology so that you can actually get to the story,
the reporting, and, most importantly, the writing.

Welcome pioneers. Let’s learn and have fun doing it.

Sincerely,

Mo Krochmal
Purpose of the Course
This year, the journalism curriculum begins to reflect changes put into play over the last few years to align our
accredited curriculum with changes in the field. This course is an elective and soon will be a requirement.

JRNL 80 is joined by JRNL 10, Journalism Tools, on the new-media side of our accredited curriculum and a
future prerequisite joining the current prerequisite for this course, JRNL 11 JRNL 11 - News Writing and
Reporting.

In today’s curriculum, JRNL 80 is a structured-learning opportunity to prepare you for the future of journalism as
it unfolds rapidly. The tools you use here are applicable to other courses and to the working world.
Course Description
The Hofstra Bulletin describes this course as: A thorough introduction to the fastest growing element of
professional journalism -- online journalism. Students examine the theoretical, legal and ethical underpinnings of
this new form, while exploring the new form's connections with the print and broadcast media. Practical skills
include Web-based reporting, online news writing, and design and construction of Web sites.

You should have an understanding of the skills you learned previously in JRNL 11. The Hofstra Bulletin
describes JRNL 11 as: Defining news and its importance in a democratic society; structure of news-gathering
process; the elements of news: introduction to basic news reporting and writing for print and broadcast; use of
the Internet as a reporting and research tool; accuracy and fairness as journalistic imperatives. Outside
community research and reporting time is required.

Meta skills – you will become conversational and have a critical perspective on the topics that are changing the
practice of journalism. You will develop methods and experience in dealing with new technology and using it
ethically and effectively in your storytelling. You will understand social media and have an idea of the
changes that will come in this field. You will have an idea of the marketplace and the economic factors that will
affect your ability to derive income from these skills.

Goals

Students will:
1. Examine the theoretical, legal and ethical underpinnings of this new but fast-growing
element of journalism.
2. Understand the connection among platforms in community journalism.
Objectives

Students will:

1. Develop and use the practical skills of Web-based reporting and writing.
2. Critically evaluate the functionality and application of Web 2.0 platforms in journalism.
3. Learn the practical skills of multi-media/cross-platform content creation, and publishing, as
well as new skills in interaction and community-building.
4. Examine connections between online journalism and traditional print and broadcast media.
 Class and Course Logistics

If you add up the time we spend together over the period of a semester, you will see that it hardly constitutes the
working hours of just one week in the life of a full-time journalist. The time we spend in class together is really
important and special. Let’s use it to the best possible advantage by convening on time, being prepared,
participating actively, thinking critically and working efficiently.

The goal of this course is to immerse in you an intellectual examination -- and the professional use -- of the tools
in our rapidly evolving field. You are entering a dynamic and relentless environment that builds on a foundation
of solid writing and ruthless editing, on having "a nose for news," being diligent in reporting, having a strong
ethical compass and having a willingness to try new technology to innovate and create. You must have a great
attitude about embracing change because it is constant.

The objective of the course is to exercise and develop your writing and reporting skills, to hone your
understanding of the principles and laws of freedom of speech and the press in this environment of change, and
to know how this medium is different. You will learn new skills by engaging technology in your practice of
journalism.

You will need to recognize that you are operating in a diverse multicultural and multilingual global environment.

Additionally, you will get practical experience in the ethical use and presentation of images and information and
be able to explain the ethical principles that guide the decisions you make. You must demonstrate the ability to
think critically, creatively and independently, and to work within a group and to interact with people outside the
classroom.

You will also be able to critically evaluate your work, and that of others. You must do the math, connect the dots,
and ask questions. You will be able to critically examine new technologies and apply them thoughtfully.

Some of your work will be widely available as a published piece of journalism.

We will work at an extremely high level, classes will be interactive, and we will be proceeding on various tracks
concurrently. You are expected to be well read in current events and news (know what is in the most-recent
update of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsday, at the minimum) and be prepared to
always ask questions and contribute to the discussion. You’ll have help in your development in these areas.

For every hour spent in class, expect to spend two hours outside. One of the most important skills you need in
life is the ability to manage your time and juggle many projects. The classroom is where we will tee up and then
examine the work that you must do outside of the time we are together.

I'll be here and I expect you to be here and on time, and to stay for the full class. Absences will have an affect on
your grade. Doctor’s appointments and internship/job interviews are not excused absences. You must document
an absence by the next class. E-mail me when you will not be in attendance.
Rules

Accuracy -- All articles are held to the highest standards for accuracy: Quotes must be exact, names must be
spelled correctly, and addresses should be accurate. Sources must be identified and fact-checkable by e-mail
and phone. Errors of this type in a piece will result in an F.

Integrity -- As journalists, we hold a trust in this society. We are looked upon to seek truth and serve as
watchdogs for the public. Let us work to uphold that trust. Credit all sources with hyperlinks and in-text citations.
If it is copyrighted material, either get permission to use it or use something else.

Writing and reporting -- This is the foundation of any type of journalistic endeavor. You must be able to come
up with story ideas. You then must do the reporting, the writing, the editing, the re-writing, and then, and only
then, the posting, or publishing.

You will learn how to write and report for text and video for online presentation and how to collect and produce
multimedia and critically evaluate it and then publish it online. You will also critique the writing and reporting of
your peers.

Teamwork -- No matter what the medium, today's professional journalism requires the ability to work well with
others – editors, artists, producers, photographers, videographers, audio engineers – and most importantly, with
readers, who are empowered with the ability to fact-check your work and to respond well beyond the letters-to-
the-editor page of the newspaper. Think social media.

Deadlines -- In the newsroom, if you don't make your deadline, you don't keep your job. It's just that simple. So,
know that deadlines count in this class too. Miss a deadline, score 0 points.

A skilled online journalist should: have innate multitasking ability, extreme attention to detail, fluent skills in
multimedia and personal communication, and comfort in working under the duress of extreme deadline pressure.
She should be fearless and eager to deploy new technology, able to work collaboratively in a fast-paced team
environment and successfully manage projects.

Additionally, an online journalist should understand the business/revenue issues of this medium and realize the
value of understanding and cultivating diverse communities and encouraging interactivity with the public.

You will get experience in all of this as well as in evaluating news and online presentation, generating news story
ideas, and, of course, in lots of writing and reporting. You will go off the campus for your reporting. You are
required to participate in news operations in the NewsHub as a part of this class. You will complete one
approved assignment a week for the NewsHub.

Course Progression
This is an assignment-centered course. Each week, you will have outside tasks to perform that build your tool kit
of skills and your portfolio of published work. You will have readings from the textbooks and the web. You will
conduct research, and engage in editing and writing. You will reflect, discuss and comment. You will report
largely off-campus and you will work in a newsroom.

The class meetings will include lectures, small groups, critiques, presentations and guests. You will do deadline
writing exercises, and online multimedia production. This is not a class about somebody at the front reading, and
you typing. I’m your guide, your facilitator, and your professor. You are responsible for your learning.

Assignments will be turned in electronically, via e-mail, and also printed out.

The class can and often will be streamed onto the Internet.

Required Texts:

-- Textbook: Advancing the Story: Broadcast Journalism in a Multimedia World. Wenger, Debora Halpern
and Potter, Deborah. Washington, DC. CQ Press. 2008.

The Associated Press Stylebook. Goldstein, Norm. New York, Associated Press. 2006.

-- Textbook: Journalism 2.0. How to Survive and Thrive. Briggs, Mark. Knight Citizen News Network.
http://www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_20/

Note: With the exception of the first class meeting, all assigned readings and writing must be completed prior to
each class meeting.

Evaluation and Grading Procedures

The overall course score will be assigned based on the following criteria:
Class participation and attendance -- 25 percent
Assignments, Learning Journal -- 20 percent
Midterm, Final Examination – 10 percent
NewsHub – 20 percent
Final Project -- 20 percent
Grammar/Style – 5 percent

Your work will be read but you will not receive letter grades on your reporting/writing assignments. Each
assignment will be judged on deadline, writing, grammar and quality of content. You will have a one-hour window
(10:00-11:00 p.m.) the night before class to earn a point for meeting deadline by electronically submitting the
assignment. Assignments then will be evaluated on a 4-point scale (0,1,2,3) for writing, quality of content, and
grammar/style. 0 = Fail, 1=Poor, 2=Average, 3=Superior.

This is a coaching, assignment-based approach that is designed to let you concentrate on your skills, not your
grades. You will write an entry a week in your online learner's journal, which is published for the class to view
and comment.

Grade criteria

A = Outstanding work with excellent content, ideas, writing, reporting and style. Shows leadership,
innovation, participation, support and enthusiasm.
B = Very good work. Minor changes required.
C = Average. Requires substantial changes such as additional reporting, major rewriting and correction
of numerous style errors
D = Poor. Fundamental problems in assignments.
F = Unacceptable – late, inaccurate, incomprehensible, factual errors or misspelled names. Plagiarism is
an automatic F and will be reported for academic disciplinary action.

Grading scale
No letter grades will be given for papers, tests, quizzes or projects during the semester. You will receive points.
At the end of the semester, I will add up the points and weight them according to the percentages listed below.
Your points then will determine your grade based on this scale:
A = 95-100
A- = 90-94
B+ = 88-89
B = 84-87
B- = 80-83
C+ = 78-79
C = 74-77
C- = 70-73
D+ = 68-69
D = 64-67
F = 0-63

Standards

Every article you do for this class must be original for this class. No repurposing of other work. You are
encouraged to submit work done for this class for publication elsewhere, but not to take a piece written for
another publication and turn it in for credit here. So, if you work for the student newspaper, or the radio station,
or elsewhere, your work for this class must go through our editorial process, and then you can publish it
elsewhere. All work assigned may be posted online.

No use of art that you have not produced. No use of music that you don’t have permission to use. If you don't
own it, or haven't received specific permission to use it, it's not acceptable for use and will result in a zero for the
assignment. If it’s not your original thought, attribute it. Quotes must be accurate.

All assignments are turned in by mail to me as an attachment in Microsoft Word 97-2003 format
At the top of each assignment Word document you will complete a slug consisting of:

BYLINE: Your Name (Jane.Doe@gmail.com)

CLASS: JRNL 80
DATE: Today's Date
ASSIGNMENT: No.1, etc.

E-mail's subject lines are formatted by NAME, CLASS, DATE, ASSIGNMENT NUMBER.
Example: Jane Doe, JRNL80, 9/9/09, Assignment No. 1

You will have a 1-hour window (10 p.m.-11 p.m.) the night before we meet to turn in your work.

All work may be posted. Get an e-mail and a phone number for all sources. This information must be included in
your notebook and e-mailed to me with every assignment. You will also post your final rewrites to a portfolio site
that you will set up.

On your assignments, You will correct grammar and style mistakes using the style guide and/or other resources.

Headlines are required and will follow New York Times style (mixing uppercase and lowercase) and will be
judged as strictly as the writing that follows. All work will have a headline that is compelling, and grammatically
correct.

All articles must include appropriate and specific links. Multimedia will be captioned, people will be identified,
photogs/videographers/creators will be credited.

No unidentified or anonymous sources unless approved by the professor. You can not interview your family or
friends for an article for this class. Wikipedia, or Lexis-Nexis are not acceptable citable sources.

The Schedule

You are required to work on assignments in the NewsHub and community-coverage operations every week. You
must complete and publish one NewsHub assignment per week.

We will start by building your multimedia reporting skills and knowledge until midterm, followed by the reporting
and production of your final project, a multimedia, multisource investigative article for consideration for
publication in NassauNewsLive.com, our hyperlocal online journalism project.

Final Project

The final project is an extended piece of community journalism that serves as a centerpiece for your portfolio.
You will conduct in-depth research to identify a topic to investigate and report. You will produce an edited online
video package following our format, and a text-based article with hyperlinks, as well as a production memo,
transcripts of all interviews and plan for social-media integration -- as well as the use of additional and
complementary multimedia such as slideshows and databases.

One-Minute Papers

At the end of each class, you will write a deadline article on what you learned best, and what you learned least
during the class period. This is not a recap of the class, but an opportunity to quickly reflect and think and shape
your efforts going forward. I read each one after class.
Learning Journal

You will make a weekly post to a website that details your reflections on the readings and the class discussions
for the week. Here are some things you can do in this:

• List all unfamiliar and important words and terms; look up and write out definitions.
• Write your version of the author's thesis or point of view -- in no more than one or a few
sentences.
• List three or four important subtopics. Do some mindmapping on paper or your laptop.
• Pose a question about each reading. (It not about what you know, it's about what you want to
know.)
• Note anything you find surprising, or which stimulates you to rethink your own assumptions.
• Does any of the above connect with your thoughts, your relationships, your community,
democracy, the world? Do these terms, perspectives, subtopics, questions provide any insight into the
practice of journalism online?
You will also be required to read and comment on other student's journal entries.
Critiques

Part of the process in this class is to give you experience in thinking critically and providing helpful advice and
feedback to your peers in the form of real-time critiques. It also gives you practice in how to work in a press-
conference atmosphere, and in presentation skills.

Presentations

You will often have the opportunity to present your work in front of your peers. You should always introduce
yourself, and provide a quick synopsis of what you are discussing. Have points to discuss and a conclusion.

News Hub
You are required to participate in the News Hub activities as a reporter. You must complete an assignment a
week. There will be lists of coverage possibilities that are first-come, first-serve. Additionally, you can pitch an
idea of something you would like to cover or a NewsHub task you could do. Assignments will not be considered
final without an e-mail notification of approval from the staff.

When you accept an assignment, you are responsible for the timely completion of the assignment and that is on
a real-time deadline. Most assignments will be worth 1 point.

You must score 16 NewsHub points over the semester to fulfill the standards for this portion of the course. You
can not score more than 2 points in a week, so you must make this a part of your weekly routine.

You will have opportunities to use new services such as Twitter and Livestream to do your reporting.

Work that meets the standards of NassauNewsLive.com will be published on that website. NNL is a student-run,
hyperlocal online journalism publication covering the communities surrounding Hofstra University. Tim
Robertson, a journalism graduate student, is the managing editor. There are other students who serve in
leadership and editorial positions and you will have an opportunity to work with them and get mentorship and
help.
The NewsHub typically operates from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and we will strive to have
student editors available to help you during these times, but this is not guaranteed. You may need to
communicate via e-mail to get assignments. You will report the assignments you complete each week in a short
memo.

The NewsHub gives you the opportunity to work in a world-class 21st Century newsroom with access to the
newest tools and a community full of stories to follow. It is your opportunity to get professional clips, quality
search hits, and present your reporting to the world.

Course Calendar
The following schedule is subject to change in reaction to news events and your needs.

Class 1 – Topic: Introduction, Background

Professor introduces the class, students introduce themselves. Assessment, Technology

Reading Assignment for Next Class

-- Textbook: Advancing the Story, Ch. 3 “Multimedia Newsgathering” (pp 54-80);
-- "Get a FlipCam, Here's Why"
http://vinvelasquez.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/get-a-flipcam-heres-why/
A Video Journalist's Blog

Class 2 – Topic: Flip Video with Every Story (with in-class Flipcam project)
Students are introduced to the Flip camcorder and its operation as well as embedded multimedia.

Reading Assignment for Next Class

-- Textbook: Advancing the Story, Ch.7, “Writing for the Web,” (pp. 167-191)
-- How to write for the Web http://www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/writing/
Robert Niles. Online Journalism Review

Writing Assignment No. 1 Video Shoot, Embed, Caption

– After creating and posting video from class project, create an assignment sheet with embeds, url,
caption and credit, and e-mail on deadline.

Writing Assignment No. 2 Web Writing Rules

– Create a 10-point list of rules for writing for the web.

Class 3 – Writing
Discussion of writing for the web and content-management guidelines from
syllabus. Discussion of microblog presentation and mobile.

Reading Assignment for Next Class

-- Basic HTML (j-learning.org)
 http://www.j-learning.org/build_it/page/basic_html/
-- CSS (j-learning.org) http://www.jlearning.org/build_it/page/css_cascading_style_sheets/

Writing Assignment No. 3 Content Management Exercise

Students access the NassauNewsLive.com content-management system and create a new article,
entering your previous codes and caption from Assignment No. 1. Save and preview to make sure that it
is visible. Re-enter the system and adjust the size for your embedded video to 280 pixels, making sure
you constrain the proportions. E-mail the NNL URL to me

Class 4 – HTML and Content Presentation

Professor will review HTML and discuss content presentation for the screen.

Reading Assignment for Next Class

A Guide to Protecting Your Online Identity, Leah Betancourt, Mashable, April 21, 2009
http://mashable.com/2009/04/21/protecting-online-identity/
Snitch.name http://snitch.name
31 college students to watch for 2009, Charles Apple, Visualeditors.com, April 23, 2009
http://www.visualeditors.com/apple/2009/04/thirty-one-college-students-to-watch-for-2009/

Writing Assignment No. 4 Personal Profile

Following the profile used in the "31 College Students to Watch" article, create your own profile, with
links to relevant articles, organizations. Write a paragraph discussing the pros and cons of posting this
online.
Using the Yasni people search tool and the Snitch.name tool, search for yourself and write a 50-word
assessment of what an employer would learn about you in conducting this search.

Friday afternoon -- Post Learner’s Journal Entries from 4-5 p.m. EST

Class No. 5 Search, Your Online Identity, Your Reputation

With more and more journalism online, journalists have to be aware of reputation management skills and the
information that is available beyond search.

Reading Assignment for Next Class

Building Networks Around News Martin Langveld, Neiman, Lab, Jan. 26, 2009.
http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/01/building-social-networks-around-news/
How to: Search for Information Within Social Networking Sites By Colin Meek, via Journalism.co.uk,
May 30, 2008.
http://www.journalism.co.uk/7/articles/531651.php
See related slideshow, Mining information from social networks.

Writing Assignment No. 5 Nassau Officials on Social Networks

Find social network pages for 5 Nassau County politicians or officials. In 200 words, create a pitch for an
article based on your research.

Class 6 – Researching in Real Time

Professor will discuss best-practices in research techniques for reporting.
 Reading Assignment for Next Class
-- Textbook: Advancing the Story, Ch. 2, “Reporting the Story” (pp 23-42)
Living In | Hempstead Village, L.I. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/realestate/30livi.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2
Beat reporting
http://www.america.gov/st/freepress-english/2008/April/20080416221340eaifas0.9266735.html

Writing Assignment No. 6 – Beat Pitch

Based on your reading, research your possible local beat for the semester and prepare a beat document
for that beat. Work must reflect in-depth research into the topic, with links.

Class No. 7 – Beats Presentation

Students will present their beat pitches to the class and accept questions and
comments.

Reading – Go through the tutorial “Creating Movies with Windows MovieMaker”

http://www.aiken.k12.sc.us/Schools/MVHS/website/mslong/teachers/movie2.html
Writing Assignment No. 7—Beat Report
Write 250-word memo assessing on your progress in your NewsHub responsibilities and
accomplishments. Include hyperlinks to your articles and views generated.

Class No. 8 – MovieMaker Editing

Reading Assignment
-- Textbook: Journalism 2.0 “Shooting and Managing Digital Photographs,” Ch. 8,

Writing Assignment No. 8 -- Photography

Take 60 photographs, including profile photographs of people, shots of groups, action, candid --, indoors
and outdoors. Create an account on Flickr.com and upload the photographs, writing a complete title, and
including a full three-sentence caption with credit for each of your top 5 photos. Create a "set" for the
photographs and then create a slideshow using the set's specific URL and the Vuvox.com or
Animoto.com online slideshow applications.

Class No. 9 – Audio

Reading --
-- Textbook: Journalism 2.0, “Digital Audio and Podcasting,” Ch. 7

Writing Assignment No. 9 – Video Without You

Report a 1:00:00 video news article that is entirely made of interview quotes and SOT. You can not
narrate but you can have graphics. The point is to let the pictures and sound tell the story.

Class No. 10 – Multimedia

Reading Assignment
-- Textbook: Advancing the Story The Multimedia Mind-Set, Ch. 1
-- Textbook: Journalism 2.0, “New Reporting Methods” Ch. 4.

Writing Assignment No. 10 – Analyze Small Newspaper Online

Find a newspaper with circulation of less than 35,000 anywhere in the country and then examine and
analyze its online presence and effectiveness (250 words). Include links.
Class No. 11 – Link Journalism

Reading Assignment
What is Link Journalism?
http://www.publish2.com/about/what-is-link-journalism/

Writing Assignment No. 11 Linking Mainstream Article

Rewrite a mainstream media article, adding embed and URL links for at least 1 video and at least 5
related articles, following class guidelines for attribution.

Class No. 12 – Math, spreadsheets

Reading Assignment
Percentage Change for Journalists
http://www.robertniles.com/stats/percent.shtml
Writing Assignment No. 12 Percentage Change
Write an article with links to 5 examples of news articles citing percentage change.

Class No. 13 – Midterm Examination

Reading Assignment for Next Class

View, read and critique in 100 words no less than 5 previous J80 Final Projects on NassauNewslive.com
Writing Assignment No. 13 Final Project Pitch
Create the pitch for your final project.

Class No. 14 – Final Project Kickoff

Presentation of Final Project pitches for Q&A, class critique

Class No. 15 – Hyperlocal Journalism

Reading Assignment
NYTimes.com ‘Hyperlocal’ Web Sites Deliver News Without Newspapers
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/technology/start-ups/13hyperlocal.html
Writing Assignment No. 14 Hyperlocal News
Define what a hyperlocal news publication is and give 5 examples with short blurbs of description.

Class No. 16 – Copyright

Reading Assignment
Journalism Education Association Violators risk the sting of Internet theft,.
http://www.jea.org/pressrights/pressrightscurriculum/internettheft.html

Writing Assignment No. 15 Copyright

Find online sources for copyright cleared photographs and music for use in production, and write an
entry that lists the sites, gives a hyperlink and a description.

Class No. 17 – Journalism Skills, Jobs

Reading Assignment
Use Twitter to Find Your Next Journalism Job
http://www.robbmontgomery.com/2009/02/use-twitter-to-find-your-next-journalism-job/
Social networks link in ways you can't foresee
http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/pages/resources/2008/02/social_networks_link_in_ways_y/
 Journalismjobs.com, Cubreporters.org
Writing Assignment No. 16 Social Media for Jobs
Write a 250-word guide to finding a job or an internship using social media and the Internet. Include at
least 5 links.

Class No. 18 – Data and Journalism

Reading Assignment
@ Future of Journalism: Adrian Holovaty's vision for data-friendly journalists
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2008/jun/06/futureofjournalismadrianh
Writing Assignment No. 17 Data and Journalism
Find 5 examples of news organizations using data and list them. Suggest 5 sources of data that can be
reported in this new form of journalism.

Class No. 19 – Mobile Journalism

Reading Assignment for Next Class

Webmedia Group LLC, Mobile Basics Telephony for Journalists
http://krochmal.posterous.com/mobile-telephony-basics-for-journalists

Writing Assignment No. 18 Mobile Media

Find 5 examples of mobile journalism used by mainstream news organizations. List with links.

Class No. 20 – Community engagement and management

Reading Assignment for Next Class

Lessons in Community from Community Editors http://onlinejournalismblog.com/tag/community-
editors/

Writing Assignment No. 19 Community Management

Write a 200-word guide to community management for journalism

Class No. 21 –Entrepreneurship and Journalism

Reading Assignment for Next Class

The Internet killed journalism.
http://startupmedia.org/blog/jeremy_pennycook/apr_30_09/journalism_30_the_future_of_the_business_of_journalism

Writing Assignment No. 20 Hope for Journalism

Write and evaluate in 200 words what this writer sees as the model for hope for journalism

Class No. 22 – Livestreaming

Reading Assignment No. 20

Livestreaming is the future of Newspaper news video online http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/531119.php
Eight questions about video journalism and newspapers http://www.robbmontgomery.com/2009/03/8-questions-
about-newspaper-video-reporters/

Class No. 23 – Video Deadline

Class No. 24 –Text Deadline

Class No. 25 –Presentation

Writing assignment for all: Compile the list of contacts, links and sources used in covering your beat and post in
central location for future NassauNewsLive beat reporters.

Class No. 26 –Final Examination

How to Use the Syllabus

Print this out and place it in a binder. It will serve as your roadmap through the semester. It will also be available
for you online.

How to Study for this Course

This is course where you need to stay current. The assignments build on each other and the key is to work with
the technology, patiently. If you encounter a roadblock, reach out to your colleagues, myself or the Internet
community. Do the reading, collect URLs, learn cut-and-paste and write quickly. Then printout and edit yourself,
forgetting that the words are your sweet little treasures. Cut out the junk and get to the point. Make your
deadlines and learn from the editing process.

Disabilities

If you have any documented disability-related concerns that may have an impact upon your performance in this
course, please meet with me within the first two weeks of the current semester, so that we can work out the
appropriate accommodations. Accommodations are provided on an individualized, as-needed basis after the
needs, circumstances and documentation have been evaluated by the appropriate office on campus.

For more information on services provided by Hofstra, and for submission of documentation of your disability,
please contact:

• Ann Marie Ferro in 101 Memorial Hall at 516-463-5341 (for physical and/or psychological
disabilities) or
• Dr. Diane Herbert in 202 Roosevelt Hall at 516-463-5761 (for learning disabilities and/or ADHD)
All disability-related information will be kept confidential.

The NewsHub
The Hofstra University NewsHub was opened in December 2007 and is designed as a converged
newsroom, open to all students working on journalism projects. The NewsHub is home to Nassau News
Live, a pioneering hyperlocal student-run online news organization providing coverage of the
communities surrounding the university – The Village of Hempstead, Garden City, Roosevelt and
Uniondale. Students produce multimedia reporting on community issues, going to board meetings,
interviewing locals, following breaking news events and applying state-of-the-art technologies and
techniques to the journalism fundamentals of the classroom.

Tim Robertson, a graduate student in journalism, is the managing editor of NNL and is available M-T in
the afternoons, leading a staff of volunteer editors and students reporters.

JRNL10 students are required to work an hour a week in the NewsHub’s assignment desk, a position
that allows the students to learn the community, develop news instincts in a real-world atmosphere.
JRNL10 students are in a constant search for information on Nassau County news events to enter into
the NewsHub’s online calendar for schedule and staff news coverage.

Students also get a chance to write articles and work closely with the student editors.

You will also have the opportunity to participate in the weekly live newscast streamed online, or cover
breaking news events.