Journalism Schools and Doing What You Know Best

Jackie Hai recently wrote an interesting entry in her blog Convergence Commons about how journalism schools should apply the basic theory behind link journalism — ‘do what you know best, and link to the rest’ on teaching the craft of journalism and its fundamentals (techniques, tools, etc). She proposes that schools should “link out” to peripheral knowledge bases (business/advertising, information technology, programming), which could be accomplished by sending students to other schools and organizations within the university system.

The partnership between the Missouri School of Journalism and Newsy.com offers students a chance to not just learn, but also practice, online video and new media skills in an entrepreneurial environment. ‘Learning by doing’ is a well-proven method of education and has been a long-standing practice at Missouri (a.k.a. ‘the Missouri Method’). Adding to Missouri’s TV station, radio station and newspaper, Newsy.com offers Missouri a digital newsroom where students learn techniques by practicing them. That digital newsroom work experience is complemented with editorial and audience development classes taught by the Newsy.com management team.

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Show Me Your Sources

Lately the blogosphere is buzzing about Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thompson’s complaint that Google devalues everything.

I agree with TechDirt’s Mike Masnick who argues that Google does precisely the opposite: It adds value.

http://techdirt.com/articles/20090213/0249023757.shtml

Here’s a quote from Masnick’s insightful rebuttal:

“Google doesn’t devalue things it touches. It increases their value by making them easier to find and access. Google increases your audience as a content creator, which is the most important asset you have.”

Similarly, Newsy.com provides users access to sources that they would not have discovered on their own. And because every story we produce creates two links back to the featured sources - one in the transcript and the other in the main title of the story - we are increasing the audience for the content creator.

Yesterday’s story, Climate Change “Exceeds Predictions

” features sources like NDTV and ITN that are not on most Americans’ radar screens.

What other sources should we be following?  We’d love to hear your feedback.