Student Journalism: Getting ahead of the curve

Journalism is changing. For the prospective journalist, this means moving with those changes. Enter ‘Journalism Plus’ – the evolution of storytelling.

Journalism Plus was coined by media guru Robert Scoble earlier this year: in his own words: “Journalism plus understanding how Google works; journalism plus understanding how to use a video or still camera; journalism plus knowing how to get audio up online; journalism plus understanding the new live search engines and the new live technologies like FriendFeed and Twitter.”

This openness to evolving technologies is echoed throughout the industry. As Rosental Alves, director at Knight Center for Journalism at University of Texas, outlines: “[Journalism graduates] must be engaged in the search of new ways of storytelling, new narratives and especially how to put together multimedia narratives.” Solely being proficient with the pen is fast becoming obsolete as consumers swarm to alternative means of getting their news.

Pioneering student editor Greg Linch echoes his mentor, Knight Chair of Visual Journalism Rick Beckman, as he welcomes such evolutions: “Journalism is not about the medium – it’s about the story. Audio and video helps the subject tell their own story. Multimedia storytelling allows us to do better journalism.”

Trinity Mirror’s Birmingham City University Online Journalism Student of the Year for 2008, Azeem Ahmad, recently graduated and is on the hunt for a job in the industry. He spoke of the importance of flexibility in the prospective employee: “Traditional tools, such as shorthand, are valuable and are essential skills to have as part of a journalist skill-set. Just as camera-operating, a knowledge of the web and audio/video manipulation are.

“Essentially, the more skills and knowledge a journalist can add to their skill base will only serve to make them more employable.”

Symbolising student journalism in a digital age, this year, Daniel Bachhuber and his network of fellow college editors hope to establish their own content management system of university news publishing. Born out of a frustration with the near-monopoly College Publisher software has in the industry, ‘Co-Press’ looks to bring more independence, creativity and flexibility to university publishing.

Working for two months as online editor of the Oregon Daily Emerald, Daniel spoke of becoming quickly disillusioned with the existing software: “[College Publisher] is too restrictive, poorly developed and proprietary, locking innovative students to a platform that limits creativity.

“All summer long, I schemed of different ways to get the Emerald [University of Oregon newspaper] off College Publisher and on to an open source content management system that we would maintain ourselves.”

Daniel’s project has grown from strength to strength in recent months, building up a qualified network of student editors from across America. Reiterating utility of the internet, he said: “I owe a lot of credit to the inherent networking value on the Web.”

Alongside these new ways of reporting, journalism graduates are also reminded of the potential benefits of understanding and utilising online tools. As CEO and co-founder of NowPublic.com, Len Brody, puts it: “Your marketing capabilities are going to be as important as your writing capabilities. Particularly skills like search-engine optimisation, tagging, understanding how content moves and flows online, the ability to generate news and discover news within social networks and other communities.”

Blogging, as the core of your online brand, is cited as a great platform for showcasing these skills. For a basic start-up WordPress or Bloggeraccount there is no charge and, considering I can do it, is fairly easy to activate and manage. With time and confidence a domain name can be bought (yourname.org, for example) and with it a more independent, flexible and impressive website. So showing your online proficiency in all its glory.

A great believer in the networking value of the Web, Daniel outlined his vision of the future of student journalism: “The Web is not only a new medium for journalism, but even more so an entirely new way of communicating.

“In my humble opinion, non-professional journalists should not only have a greater presence on the Web in the near future, but they must also be thinking critically about the core of what ‘journalism’ is and how it applies across the increasing variety of tools and mediums.”

It is clear that as the Vatican moves to launch the Pope’s own Google channeland Labour campaign strategists fumble around with social media, we should, as the ‘MTV Generation’, make use of our natural capacity for all things technological. Social networking is second nature to us; shooting stills and video an everyday occurrence. Let’s capitalise on this and get ahead of the curve.

In spearheading alternative student publishing, Daniel Bachhuber has got ahead of the curve. He advised how others can do the same: “[These skills] are changing quicker than the journalism schools can teach them, which ultimately means you’d be better off learning them on your own or through network-based education with your peers.”

Really, getting online and involved in communities and conversations is the way forward. With pro-activity, aspiring journalists can evolve their story-telling and be the Journalist Plus so pined for in the industry.

As award-winning Azeem offers: “Blog as often as possible; subscribe to and read the key influencers/speakers in your chosen field - and comment too. Let the author know you’ve read what they’ve written and agreed or disagreed with it; start and get involved in the discussions, engage with the community online and create one around yourself; join Twitter, and become a networked journalist. Engage, engage, engage - I can’t stress that enough.”

Online Learning Resources

I use W3Schoolssite for teaching myself web coding such as HTML, CSS etc.

I use Mindy McAdam’ Flash tutorialto teach myself Flash.

Lynda.com is also cited as a great resource, I haven’t yet used it myself

I’m sure there’s loads more and I’d love to hear of them. Love to hear your feedback.