Is investigative journalism still alive today even with our current technological advances in social media? Investigative journalism can be described in many ways: “uncovering the hidden”; “expensive”; “difficult”; “requiring dedication”; “has impact”; “holding power to account” The hidden So does journalism become investigative when that newness involves uncovering the hidden? I would argue that it is anything […]

When is an online comment defamatory? If you post something libellous on Twitter about a local rival politician, and have only 30 followers, you can get sued. If you say something potentially libellous, using a pseudonym, on a UK newspaper site, with page views in the millions, you’re fine – that’s just “pub talk”. While […]

“If the French can do it, so can Americans” Our video conference with Governor George Allen was a great experience. Former Senator George Allen (R-VA) Governor Allen stressed the importance of, “do not spend what you don’t have.” “Defense wins championships” Campaigning and advancing ideas is how we can get this country back to work. […]

Visual Storytelling with Photographs Even if you don’t have aspirations of becoming an artist with a camera, as a journalist you should understand how digital photography works. Journalism without photographs is like writing without verbs. More time leads to better photos. If you want to improve your photography skills, the first step is to find […]

Journalism vs. Blogging Journalists are defined by what they produce; bloggers are defined by the technology they use. So how can we trust blogs? By the evidence that they give for what they write, and the quality of that evidence. Curiously, many professional journalists still expect users to trust them without showing their own evidence, […]

What does a mobile journalist need? I’ve compiled 4 lists of things I think a mobile journalist needs: hardware, software, systems, and mindset. Using the information I have learned from class I will also add to this list. Mobile journalism – hardware Smartphone with camera, video, audio, unlimited data plan Digital camcorder, iFlip, video recording […]

Just like Manchester Evening News crime reporter Nicola Dowling, I too have used mobile technology. While working with Patch.com, I found myself in front a severe car crash while driving home from the store. Without a digital camera and notepad, I quickly grabbed my mobile phone and snapped pictures of the accident. I also used […]

Blogging Stage 1 of blogging = play. Getting your first blog post and topic is very important to the beginning stages of a successful blog. Stage 2 of blogging =feedback The comments your first few viewer leave is critical to the management and future of your blog. Stage 3 of blogging = community Interesting topics in the community or […]

I am a huge fan of microblogging, especially twitter. It truly is one of the best ways to share a link to the article you have written. You get your content read so much quicker. Blogging can intimidate writers who don’t feel they can consistently anything of interest in 140 characters. C’monnnnnn now. That sentence was only 110 […]

Briggs, chapter 3: crowd-powered collaboration, was very confusing. Nonetheless, here are some key terms: Crowd sourcing– Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call. Check out this video explaining Crowdsourcing […]