COM565 COMMUNICATION WITH TECHNOLOGY: FINAL PROJECT BLOG

Technology’s impact on media, and culture

With so much focus on what has changed in traditional journalism since the rise of the internet, it is very easy to overlook the positive aspects of digital journalism. Janet Kolodsky, author of Practicing Convergence Journalism, believes that some journalism analysts often deliver a “chicken little” scenario when speaking about the prospects of the future of traditional journalism (2012, p. 1). Although it is true that magazine and newspaper subscriptions have declined resulting in drastically downsized newsroom staffing, there are positive aspects of digital communications.

One of the most recent good news reports came in December 2016 with announcement that The Washington Post was expected to hire 60 new reporters. An article by Fortune reminds of that the free media explosion along with decreasing revenue in print advertising has resulted in layoffs or buyouts over the past several years at various media outlets including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and Fortune’s owner, Time Inc. Therefore, the news of any potential hires represents a much welcomed and enthusiastic outlook for not only The Washington Post, but print journalism as a whole. Clearly, The Washington Post is establishing a blazingly new example of how print publications can begin to capitalize on how to function in the digital world of journalism (Darrow, 2016).

Most younger audiences prefer to obtain their news from other sources instead of from print publications and network news broadcasts. However, it doesn’t mean that there is a decline in overall news consumption. In fact, diverse news audiences’ interest in news has increased. News aggregators like Google News, Facebook and texting along with Storify, Youtube, instant messaging and Skype have contributed to an increase in news interest and consumption (Kolodsky, 2012, p. 1).

There are a number of ways that technology has impacted the methods in which communicators perform in their jobs. Technology and changes have also had an impact on the required training. Let’s take a look at six:

• Journalists’ newsroom functions have changed due to technology
• The Coveritlive app’s technological impact on journalism
• Crowdsourcing’s technological influence on journalistic research
• Society has changed how it communicates due to Facebook’s impact
• Cultural changes influenced by the internet and social media
• Social media’s impact on consumers’ shopping and buying methods 

Journalists’ newsroom functions have changed due to technology

Modern journalists require a little more technological savvy than traditional print journalists. In addition to the trusted reporter’s notebook and a digital recorder, today’s journalistic responsibilities extend to multiple newsroom tasks. Perhaps as a direct result of the decreasing newsroom staff, journalists may be expected to shoot their own digital photos or video which may also require editing, photo manipulation and publishing them to the website. Having reliable and fast computer skills enables modern journalists to type and edit their stories, store notes, send emails, and file reports from virtually anywhere in the field (Harrower, 2010).

Laptops and tablets allow journalists to become mobile reporters who are flexible and ready to react to unexpected breaking news events (Harrower, 2010).  Becoming adept at various software applications gives journalists a skill in processing images, completing page layout, video editing, and web design. In addition to these skills, of course, professional communicators are expected to have at least a bachelor’s degree in journalism or communication.

One of the methods for improving how journalist embrace new technologies and embrace the ever changing world of social networking may begin in the journalistic classrooms. In fact, many journalism schools are developing curricula that incorporates multi-media components. This begins teaching students how to perform as digital journalists right of out the gate. Upon their being hired into the newspaper and magazine newsrooms, students will be fully equipped to function in a variety of tasks. While there is a need to improve on how journalists function as tech savvy digital journalists, the necessity of exceptional writing skills, being ethically responsible and accurate will never change. The main improvement requires journalists, both modern and young, to understand that the foundation of good journalism as not changed – the manner in which journalism is delivered has changed (Friedman, 2012).

The Coveritlive app’s impact on journalism

Live streaming in reporting the news is not a new concept. Prior to the evolution of the internet and social media, it was customary and expected for journalist to report live from the scene of a breaking news event. The biggest difference today is that journalists do not have to have a camera crew along for the ride. All the reporter has to do is whip out their smartphone and begin carrying out their responsibilities as a journalist. However, professional journalists are competing with citizen journalists who are also equipped with a smartphone who can easily record and stream live to their social networking platforms from the same event. One of the downsides of live streaming is that it eliminates the opportunity to evaluate, reconsider or assess the journalistic value of the content they are reporting. Utilizing this technology does not afford the journalist a chance to confer with its editorial board, technical experts, or researchers (Hain, 2016).

According to journalist, Lise Lareau, one of the most notable changes in the newspaper newsroom is the digital tools that journalists must use. Modern journalists create video and file stories from their cell phones. Social media mediums such as Twitter and Facebook enable them to identify news makers and track down sources. From their desktops, journalists utilize software applications such as Coveritlive to conduct press conferences in cyberspace (n.d.).

Technology has made a major impact on methods in which journalists can report news. Modern journalists are able to join the world of liveblogging thanks to Coveritlive. This web based application allows live broadcasts and commentary from your blog. Coveritlive enables journalists to report breaking news events in real time (Needleman, 2008). Their audience can leave comments, ask questions, and send files and/or photos.

The only training or knowledge that is required to utilize Coveritlive is knowing how to set up a free Coveritlive account, add the embedded code by pasting it to your blog. Because the liveblog content is hosted and controlled by Coveritlive, you do not have to know HTML code (Needleman, 2008).

Although Coveritlive is flexible and easy to utilize. One of the methods to improve how live streaming is incorporated in the journalistic tasks is for them to educate themselves and their audience. By understanding how to determine whether or not a news source is reliable and credible, the likelihood of establishing and maintaining a journalistic code of ethics in live streamed journalism such as in Coveritlive, Facebook Live, and others. It is important to remember that embracing new technology is a choice that all journalists must make (PR Strategy, 2016). But, they must do so with responsibly without decreasing the value of their work, or compromising the integrity of good journalism.

Crowdsourcing’s technological influence on journalistic research

In 2006, Wired Magazine Contributing Editor, Jeff Howe, coined the word crowdsourcing to describe the method of combining a job or task that is traditionally performed by employees and outsourcing the job or task to a large group of unidentified people (Akagi and Linning, 2013, p. 3). Technological advances have challenged traditional journalists to explore various innovative avenues in reporting the news. Crowdsourcing is one of the newest tools journalists utilize. Crowdsourcing enables journalists to build a deeper and flexible connection with the individuals that are receiving, evaluating, and reacting to the news (Akagi and Linning, 2013).

Smartphones and other mobile devices has equipped virtually everyone with a video camera, and are able to contribute information and data during unexpected events such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. According to Akagi and Linning, crowdsourced photos and mobile videos contributed to available footage. One of the clearest photos of the suspects was provided by an iPhone (2013).

Crowdsourcing can potentially provide journalists even greater insight and information by directly receiving help from individuals who are most knowledgeable about the topic. In news breaking circumstances like the Boston Marathon bombing, crowdsourcing can help journalists learn about the events as they unfold in real time from people at the scene of the event (Vehkoo, 2013). However, there is a downside. Relying on crowdsourced information without appropriate verification can result in reporting false and potentially damaging information. The lack of accurate research and verification led to falsely identifying the bombing suspects days after the tragedy (Akagi and Linning, 2013).

There are steps that can be taken for improving how crowdsourcing is utilized. Properly trained journalists can avoid misinformation by continuing to adhere to ethical journalistic codes, and by exemplifying good journalism. Appropriate journalistic crowdsource training results in considering the quality, validity, and ownership of the content obtained by the journalist (Akagi and Linning, 2013).

Society has changed how it communicates due to Facebook’s impact

Sometimes, it is hard to remember the days when staying in touch meant stopping by for a visit, calling someone on the phone, or writing a long letter, mailing it, and then waiting for a written response to your letter is delivered to your mailbox. Each of these forms of communication was personal and conveyed warmth. When email capabilities came along, it allowed you to communicate with a larger audience, and at a much faster rate of response and engagement. Emails enabled you to contact someone at any time, and gave them the opportunity to respond at their own leisure. The era of Facebook has drastically changed the manner in which society communicates. Facebook has had a major influence on news content and advertising from corporations. Facebook is a culture change (Communication Analysis, 2016).

One of the most notable cultural changes created by Facebook is in how we share personal or special events. Rather than mailing out cutely themed invitations, or making a phone call, Facebook enables us to create an electronic invite. It is just a matter of writing a brief introduction to the event, and then clicking on the names of those you want to invite. Take a look at how to create and send an invitation to your family and friends on Facebook:

According to founder, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has created a culture that is a more open, and connected global society. Social media has changed relationships, businesses, privacy, toppled regimes, changed the news media, and the meaning of every day words (Elgot, 2015). Although there are negative aspects of how Facebook affects our lives, we now have stronger relationships, contributed to a stronger economy with greater opportunities, and a strengthened community of people reflecting upon everyone’s system or values (2015).

Facebook satisfies the need for basic human need for social connection. But, there has been some debate about if Facebook can result in the opposite effect. If your life is in a rut or not exactly where you had imagined, watching the Facebook lives of your family and friends as they get married, raise their children, get promotions or travel around the world may cause you emotional harm. Instead of elevating your well-being, Facebook can tend to undermine how you react (Gross, 2014). Of course there are positive aspects. Facebook has changed our traditional methods of communicating to allowing you to stay in the contact without having to post, like or share. Many individuals spend hours on Facebook everyday simply scrolling through the timelines reading what their family and friends are posting, sharing or liking. Without saying a single word, Facebook fulfills the need to feel connected to the outside world without physically being a part of the outside world.

While there may seem to be a need for a plan to improve our individuals communicate via social media, there are steps that can be taken to ensure that your privacy and social media communications are safe, do not cause damage to the user. It is important to control the amount of personal information that you share on Facebook.  Another easy method to protect yourself is to control what strangers and see by changing the privacy settings on your Facebook account. This will ensure that your page can only be viewed by friends and is not open to the public.

Cultural changes influenced by the internet and social media 

Most likely, we all experienced some form of anxiety when we took that first step into the unfamiliar world of the internet and/or social media – especially if you were born before the technological revolution. Discussing how the internet and social media has impacted culture must begin with why many of us have at one-time viewed these mediums as a negative influence on society. Cultural and social anxieties are communicated metaphorically through the internet. Those anxieties were built upon our fear of providing too much information about our private lives and families. Internet trolls, predatory hackers, pedophiles, and phishing scams seemed to be out there lurking and waiting to pounce on our vulnerable entry into that unfamiliar online world (Furedi, 2015).

Once that fear had dissipated, we easily became comfortably intertwined with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest. Social media has made a life-changing impact on how we communicate as a society. Utilizing social media has reshaped how we interact and communicate. The culture of communicating on a professional and personal level has dramatically changed over the past decade. Facebook, for example, offers a comprehensive model for the internet’s effect on social skills, and education (Lule, 2015).

The internet has also vastly changed the culture in which we used to seek employment. Gone are the days of typing resumes and cover letters and dropping them in the mail. Today’s job search usually begins with a lengthy online application, and possibly followed by the employer Googling the applicant’s name (Lule, 2015). A new digital tool named LinkedIn has also greatly impacted how potential job seekers, and employers connect. LinkedIn can assist applicants in contacting a larger number of potential employers in a shorter time frame without painstakingly uploading your resume to multiple company websites (Saltzman, 2012). In the video below, it demonstrates the ease of contacting potential employers via LinkedIn.

A plan for improving the negative influence of social media begins with recognizing the symptoms. A study conducted by Dr. Ethan Kross, founder of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan, and research by the University of Missouri, advises that there is a direct connection between heavy social media usage (specifically Facebook), and feelings of depression and envy—another major issue observed in prevalent social media use amongst youth. Dr. Kross prescribes face-to-face contact and human interaction.

It’s possible that you have been utilizing LinkedIn because you are either unhappy in your current position or you are unemployed. The prescribed antidote? Face-to-face contact and human connection. “The feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, anxiety and depression are often a result from the daily unhealthy self-comparisons people make to their peers and strangers online,” according to Dr. Kross.

Social Media’s impact on consumers’ shopping methods

Before the technology revolution, it was often said that word of mouth was the best form of advertising. Word of mouth simply meant when one friend or associate told another person about your business, products or services and so on. Is verbal word of mouth is still considered the best form of advertising in today’s world?

I believe that social media is the technological upgrade to word of mouth. After all, liking, tweeting, sharing and posting statuses about our shopping and buying options on social media is the same as word of mouth. It’s word of mouth turbo-charged with a technological boost. Spreading the word about our shopping experiences, reactions to products and services, and engaging in online conversations with our family, friends and the producers of the brand is much faster than waiting for a person-to-person meeting, or phone call. Social media allows information to flow from your Smartphone, computer, or mobile device in real-time. It’s instantaneous!

Without question, shopping has always been a social event. However, social media has enabled us to engage with large numbers of individuals without necessarily knowing them personally (Tanase, n.d.). Social media offers a win-win situation for the consumer and the company producing the product or service. When consumers engage in the online discussions in the form of comments, companies are able to receive an immediate reaction to what their brand has presented to its intended audience. Companies are able to utilize social media platforms to initiate creative and unique marketing programs with a specific outcome, for instance, to promote a new product or to simply celebrate a special event. In the case of Dunkin Donuts, National Donut Day was celebrated by utilizing Facebook Live to invite fans of Dunkin Donuts to experience a peek inside its top secret test kitchen by watching how cake donuts were made. The live video received 31,330 views, 2,450 impressions, 919 comments, and 567 shares (Liffering, 2016).

To improve upon the shopping activities of their customer base, businesses would be wise to include an social media component within their online marketing strategy if they want to benefit from the constantly changing social media technology. By taking a page from Dunkin’ Donut’s playbook, companies will position themselves to welcoming their customers as a member of their brand’s team.

COM565 COMMUNICATION WITH TECHNOLOGY MEDIA BLOG GROUP 2

Facebook’s impact on how society communicates

I’m from the era of life before Facebook when staying in touch meant stopping by for a visit, calling someone on the phone, or writing a long letter, mailing it, and then waiting for a written response to your letter is delivered to your mailbox. Each of these forms of communication was personal and conveyed warmth. When email capabilities came along, it allowed you to communicate with a larger audience, and at a much faster rate of response and engagement. Emails enabled you to contact someone at any time, and gave them the opportunity to respond at their own leisure. Facebook has had a major influence on news content and advertising from corporations. Facebook is a culture change (Communication Analysis, 2016).

One of the most notable cultural changes created by Facebook is in how we share personal or special events. Rather than mailing out cutely themed invitations, or making a phone call, Facebook enables us to create an electronic invite. It is just a matter of writing a brief introduction to the event, and then clicking on the names of those you want to invite. Take a look at how to create and send an invitation to your family and friends on Facebook:

According to founder, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has created a culture that is a more open, and connected global society. Social media has changed relationships, businesses, privacy, toppled regimes, changed the news media, and the meaning of every day words (Elgot, 2015). Although there are negative aspects of how Facebook affects our lives, we now have stronger relationships, contributed to a stronger economy with greater opportunities, and a strengthened community of people reflecting upon everyone’s system or values (2015).

Facebook satisfies the need for basic human need for social connection. But, there has been some debate about if Facebook can result in the opposite effect. If your life is in a rut or not exactly where you had imagined, watching the Facebook lives of your family and friends as they get married, raise their children, get promotions or travel around the world may cause you emotional harm. Instead of elevating your well-being, Facebook can tend to undermine how you react (Gross, 2014). Of course there are positive aspects. Facebook has changed our traditional methods of communicating to allowing you to stay in the contact without having to post, like or share. Many individuals spend hours on Facebook everyday simply scrolling through the timelines reading what their family and friends are posting, sharing or liking. Without saying a single word, Facebook fulfills the need to feel connected to the outside world without physically being a part of the outside world.

A look at how the internet, social media changes culture

Discussing how the internet and social media has impacted culture must begin with why many of us have at one-time viewed these mediums as a negative influence on society. Cultural and social anxieties are communicated metaphorically through the internet. Most likely, we all experienced some form of anxiety when we took that first step into the unfamiliar world of the internet and/or social media – especially if you were born before the technological revolution. Those anxieties were built upon our fear of providing too much information about our private lives and families. Internet trolls, predatory hackers, pedophiles, and phishing scams seemed to be out there lurking and waiting to pounce on our vulnerable entry into that unfamiliar online world (Furedi, 2015).

Once that fear had dissipated, we easily became comfortably intertwined with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest. Social media has made a life-changing impact on how we communicate as a society. Utilizing social media has reshaped how we interact and communicate. The culture of communicating on a professional and personal level has dramatically changed over the past decade. Facebook, for example, offers a comprehensive model for the internet’s effect on social skills, and education (Lule, 2015).

The internet has also vastly changed the culture in which we used to seek employment. Once upon a time, I sat for hours typing resumes and cover letters on an electric typewriter. Those brilliantly written documents were then mailed or faxed to potential employers. However, today’s job search usually begins with a lengthy online application, and possibly followed by the employer Googling the applicant’s name (Lule, 2015). A new digital tool named LinkedIn has also greatly impacted how potential job seekers, and employers connect. LinkedIn can assist applicants in contacting a larger number of potential employers in a shorter time frame without painstakingly uploading your resume to multiple company websites (Saltzman, 2012). In the video below, it demonstrates the ease of contacting potential employers via LinkedIn.

Social Media’s impact on shopping methods

In the 1990s, I had the honor of networking with a large and unique group of entrepreneurs who were members of a multiple-level marketing company. The weekly all-day Saturday meetings, and semi-monthly special events were upbeat, fun, and highly motivational. One of the things that we were often told about building our respective businesses was that word of mouth was the best form of advertising. Word of mouth simply meant when one friend or associate told another person about your business, products or services and so on. I wonder if verbal word of mouth is still considered the best form of advertising?

I believe that social media is the technological upgrade to word of mouth. After all, liking, tweeting, sharing and posting statuses about our shopping and buying options on social media is the same as word of mouth. It’s word of mouth turbo-charged with a technological boost. Spreading the word about our shopping experiences, reactions to products and services, and engaging in online conversations with our family, friends and the producers of the brand is much faster than waiting for a person-to-person meeting, or phone call. Social media allows information to flow from your Smartphone, computer, or mobile device in real-time. It’s instantaneous!

Without question, shopping has always been a social event. However, social media has enabled us to engage with large numbers of individuals without necessarily knowing them personally (Tanase, n.d.). Social media offers a win-win situation for the consumer and the company producing the product or service. When consumers engage in the online discussions in the form of comments, companies are able to receive an immediate reaction to what their brand has presented to its intended audience. Companies are able to utilize social media platforms to initiate creative and unique marketing programs with a specific outcome, for instance, to promote a new product or to simply celebrate a special event. In the case of Dunkin Donuts, National Donut Day was celebrated by utilizing Facebook Live to invite fans of Dunkin Donuts to experience a peek inside its top secret test kitchen by watching how cake donuts were made. The live video received 31,330 views, 2,450 impressions, 919 comments, and 567 shares (Liffering, 2016).

COM565 Communication with Media Technology Blog Group 1

Technology’s impact on how modern journalists perform

With so much focus on what has changed in traditional journalism since the rise of the internet, it is very easy to overlook the positive aspects of digital journalism. Janet Kolodsky, author of Practicing Convergence Journalism, believes that some journalism analysts often deliver a “chicken little” scenario when speaking about the prospects of the future of traditional journalism (2012, p. 1). Although it is true that magazine and newspaper subscriptions have declined resulting in drastically downsized newsroom staffing, there are positive aspects of digital communications.

Most younger audiences prefer to obtain their news from other sources instead of from print publications and network news broadcasts. However, it doesn’t mean that there is a decline in overall news consumption. In fact, diverse news audiences’ interest in news has increased. News aggregators like Google News, Facebook and texting along with Storify, Youtube, instant messaging and Skype have contributed to an increase in news interest and consumption (Kolodsky, 2012, p. 1).

There are a number of ways that technology has impacted the methods in which communicators perform in their jobs. Technology and changes have also had an impact on the required training. Let’s take a look at:

• How technology has changed the way journalists function in the newsroom
• Discover how the Coveritlive app has made a technological impact
• How technology has influenced journalistic research: Crowdsourcing

How technology has changed the way journalists function in the newsroom

Modern journalists require a little more technological savvy than traditional print journalists. In addition to the trusted reporter’s notebook and a digital recorder, today’s journalistic responsibilities extend to multiple newsroom tasks. Perhaps as a direct result of the decreasing newsroom staff, journalist may be expected to shoot their own digital photos or video which may also require editing, photo manipulation and publishing them to the website. Having reliable and fast computer skills enables modern journalists to type and edit their stories, store notes, send emails, and file reports from virtually anywhere in the field (Harrower, 2010).

Becoming adept at various software applications gives journalists a skill in processing images, completing page layout, video editing, and web design. Laptops and tablets allow journalists to become mobile reporters who are flexible and ready to react to unexpected breaking news events (Harrower, 2010).  In addition to these skills, of course, professional communicators are expected to have at least a bachelor’s degree in journalism or communication.

Discover how the Coveritlive app has made a technological impact

According to journalist, Lise Lareau, one of the most notable changes in the newspaper newsroom is the digital tools that journalists must use. Modern journalists create video and file stories from their cell phones. Social media mediums such as Twitter and Facebook enable them to identify newsmakers and track down sources. From their desktops, journalists utilize software applications such as Coveritlive to conduct press conferences in cyberspace (n.d.).

Technology has made a major impact on methods in which journalists can report news. Modern journalists are able to join the world of liveblogging thanks to Coveritlive. This web based application allows live broadcasts and commentary from your blog. Coveritlive enables journalists to report breaking news events in real time (Needleman, 2008). Their audience can leave comments, ask questions, and send files and/or photos.

The only training or knowledge that is required to utilize Coveritlive is knowing how to set up a free Coveritlive account, add the embedded code by pasting it to your blog. Because the liveblog content is hosted and controlled by Coveritlive, you do not have to know HTML code (Needleman, 2008).

Understanding how technology has influenced journalistic research: Crowdsourcing in journalism

In 2006, Wired Magazine Contributing Editor, Jeff Howe, coined the word crowdsourcing to describe the method of combining a job or task that is traditionally performed by employees and outsourcing the job or task to a large group of unidentified people (Akagi and Linning, 2013, p. 3). Technological advances have challenged traditional journalists to explore various innovative avenues in reporting the news. Crowdsourcing is one of the newest tools journalists utilize. Crowdsourcing enables journalists to build a deeper and flexible connection with the individuals that are receiving, evaluating, and reacting to the news (Akagi and Linning, 2013).

Smartphones and other mobile devices has equipped virtually everyone with a video camera, and are able to contribute information and data during unexpected events such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. According to Akagi and Linning, crowdsourced photos and mobile videos contributed to available footage. One of the clearest photos of the suspects was provided by an iPhone (2013).

Crowdsourcing can potentially provide journalists even greater insight and information by directly receiving help from individuals who are most knowledgeable about the topic. In news breaking circumstances like the Boston Marathon bombing, crowdsourcing can help journalists learn about the events as they unfold in real time from people at the scene of the event (Vehkoo, 2013). However, there is a downside. Relying on crowdsourced information without appropriate verification can result in reporting false and potentially damaging information. The lack of accurate research and verification led to falsely identifying the bombing suspects days after the tragedy (Akagi and Linning, 2013).

Properly trained journalists can avoid misinformation by continuing to adhere to ethical journalistic codes, and by exemplifying good journalism. Appropriate journalistic crowdsource training results in considering the quality, validity, and ownership of the content obtained by the journalist (Akagi and Linning, 2013).

COM510 Power of the Media Revisited

While I still believe that social media has propelled me towards being more anti-social, the course resources and exercises have better equipped me to become a more active new media producer. I now realize that traditional media had indeed shaped my beliefs — don’t trust anything that isn’t produced by a reliable printed publication or a reputable broadcast organization. I didn’t realize that my reluctance to move fully into online news production had pigeonholed how I not only received news, but I also allowed my distrust of online news production to limited where I consumed the news. For instance, prior to this course, the only online news sources that I followed on a daily basis were cnn.com, msnbc.com, wcpo.com, msn.com, and usatoday.com. However, the number of new media resources that I rely upon has more than doubled because I have given the sources a chance to show me what they have to offer as a reader.

I was really excited to learn about a number of interesting websites that I discovered through my classmates. Even more surprising was my reconnecting with The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Dayton Daily News, and The Lexington Herald-News by exploring each of their online versions. This experience has convinced me that although the face of the traditional news publication may be changing, they are still alive and well in cyber life. Becoming media literate and recognizing the power of the media cannot happen for me, as a journalist unless, I fully embrace all that new media has to offer.

Writers accepting the important role of disseminating information cannot do so without committing to being responsible for producing news that is accurate, balanced and reliable. By establishing commitment to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, the writer is demonstrating that they recognize the power of their information that they are releasing to the world. They are saying, I am writing this information so that my reader can take the information that I have provided and use it to make an informed decision about various aspects of their personal lives. In doing so, they can be assured that the information that I have provided has been fully investigated and is based upon reliable sources that can be vetted.

The danger of producing information that has not been fully investigated or confirmed by expert resources can lead the reader to accepting information that may be harmful to their health or society. For instance, there are a lot fake or satire websites producing full-fledged news reports. Many of these reports sound and look like the real thing, but are in fact untrue. I’m not sure why websites like these are interested in producing lies, innuendo and rhetoric. But they exist. My greatest fear of writers who take a joy in producing inaccurate or straight untruths is that they will harm young members of their audience who are not yet trained to understand how to recognize a reliable news source.

Becoming media literate may influence readers to become more inclined to follow the trail of a well-respected writer who has established their website as reputable and ethically sound. I am enlightened to discover that I am on the path to discovering a new way to journalism described by Andrew Jaspan expertise, full disclosure, and a code of conduct. (Jaspan, 2013)

Jaspan, Andrew. (2013). A new way to journalism: TedXPerth. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecpsXpDV6t4

COM510: Multimedia Tools

Multimedia enhances our messaging by providing substance. A website that flows with endless text is like a homemade chicken soup that is missing all of the ingredients that classifies it’s purpose. Until you add chicken, carrots, peas, salt, pepper, and garlic, all you have is a pot of bland water.

A website comes to life once photographs, hyperlinks, videos, music, graphics, charts, advertisements and headlines are added. By incorporating the right combination of media tools, the reader becomes engaged in the website’s message. Being able to interact with a variety of messaging techniques, the reader’s interest is captured and they are likely to spend more time on the page.

In theory, it is believed that adding multimedia components will foster positive attitudes and will thereby facilitate greater involvement and engagement (Sundar, 2000).

As an entrepreneur, creating newsletters was my favorite project because it allowed me to utilize all of my skills. In addition to writing and editing, I could use photographs, headlines and graphics to enhance the articles on each page of the newsletter. I have wanted to create a website or blog for a long time. But I was intimidated because I did not believe that my desktop publishing abilities were updated enough for me to make the transition from traditional journalism to e-zines.

However, the COM510 course and the discussion of multimedia tools have shown me that creating an engaging website is not that different than developing a print newsletter. Multimedia tools will allow me to plan and design a page in the same manner that I would for a newsletter. But the best part is that multimedia tools give me the power to do something that I could not have done in traditional journalism. I can add sound and movement by embedding videos, movies and music. Most importantly, my audience can have a hands-on experience by clicking on links that will immediately take them to additional information, or prompt them to share it with others. From a marketing standpoint, the reader is able to take action by purchasing products that may be mentioned in the articles or advertisements that support the website.

Sundar, Shyam. (2000). Multimedia effects on processing and perception of online news: A study picture, audio, and video downloads. Retrieved from: http://www.journalism.wisc.edu/~dshah/blog-club/site/Sundar.pdf

COM510: Best Practices

The blog that I have developed for this course is not the blog that I would present to the world. Although I put forth a strong effort to complete each of my assigned blogs accurately, professionally and offered reliable resources, I am not satisfied that I have met the requirement for best practices. The standards that I have envisioned for my website as a journalist must be a stronger demonstration of my writing, editing and research skills. However, I do believe that this course has finally put me on the path to creating and developing a website that offers its readers a wide range of opportunities to explore what I have to offer. My reputation as a writer has always been considered as professional and well thought out. I expect to produce a website that represents my newsletter writing experiences and my educational credentials.

Jane Friedman’s blog is one of my favorite writing websites that I have watched evolved over the years. Friedman, an author and former Writer’s Digest editor, uses her blog to not only promote her books and writing services, but she also highlights consulting services, resources for writers, speaking engagements, online classes and events and conferences. She is an expert in digital media and the future of authorship. I was so impressed by Friedman when I first began my Creative Writing graduate studies, I considered approaching her about serving as my instructor for my self-designed professional writer course. Her website is simple and easy to navigate, and readers can subscribe to her weekly email digest of blog posts and monthly newsletters. She also offers the opportunity to guest post by linking the writer to guest post archives to give them an idea of the type of guests and guests posts she accepts. There is also a link offering help on pitching a guest post.

Friedman, Jane. (2015). Retrieved from: http://janefriedman.com/blog/

COM510 Module Six: Using Social Media Tools

This week’s assignment challenges that I begin exploring new media tools by experimenting with mediums that I am unfamiliar. The aids.gov listed a number of new media tools that led to a wealth of links and information. Because I’ve always been curious about how RSS feeds work, this was my first investigation. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication which allows the user to subscribe to a particular website where automatic messages are delivered via email or a news reader (aids.gov, 2013). I quickly realized that I have been using this tool every time I signed up for a newsletter. I plan on developing an online e-zine to promote the topic of writing, authors and my own writing services in the future. Therefore, I will continue to educate myself on how RSS feeds can be used to meet the needs of my audience.

Social Bookmarking is a way to store, organize, and search websites and allows the information to be stored in one place that can be accessed in the future. This tool also allows interesting links about specific topics to be shared socially.

Tags and/or keywords are used to help organize the items that have been bookmarked. Tags also help others to find information and links to materials that a specific person has published online. Although I was surprised to learn that Pinterest can be used for social bookmarking, I am not exploring Pinterest for this assignment because I am very familiar with how it works. It has become one of my favorite pass times, but I hope to use it in the future to promote myself as a writer. I can be followed at https://www.pinterest.com/opheliathomas/.

It also surprised me that Twitter was listed as a social bookmarking tool because I’ve only viewed it as a method for sharing messages and promoting events. I have had a twitter account for several years, https://twitter.com/1GramblingGyrl but I only used when I was writing for soaps.com and was required to promote the articles that I had written. For this assignment, I tried to determine how Twitter could become more useful to me. Right now, I have nothing of interest to share within 140 characters. But, after listening to Paul Lewis’s TedX video, I fully understand that Twitter has the power to initiate great change and discussion. Lewis pointed out that Twitter users were primarily instrumental in locating witnesses and unveiling the truth involving the suspicious deaths of two men who died in separate incidents (Lewis, 2011). I plan to also use this tool to promote myself as a writer and to engage in topics that increase global social responsibility. I found it interesting that the Library of Congress digitally archives every public tweet (Aids.gov, 2015) https://www.aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/twitter/. I always believed that once the tweet had been posted, it only exists on the user’s profile and could no longer be accessed. Now that I know that tweets on a wide range of topics are being stored, I will begin to explore how Twitter can take on a helpful role in my academic and professional career.

Delicious is a social bookmarking site that I would definitely use because it will allow me to unclutter each of my computers. Delicious allows the user to create specific categories that can then be sorted and stored with tags (aids.gov, 2015).

For instance, I could use Delicious to bookmark each of my COM510 module resources by assignment. I could also include the additional websites that I found valuable during my research. This tool would be extremely helpful. I could avoid becoming confused and being disorganized while I am researching and writing my assignments. By using Delicious, I will no longer have to navigate between multiple open screens and devices while I am working. There have been many instances, where I am simultaneously accessing information from multiple screens on my computer and iPad. Delicious will help me save time, become more organized and less stressful. Socialbooking is easy to access and to understand. A video demonstrating how it works can be viewed at https://www.commoncraft.com/video/social-bookmarking.

References:

aids.gov. Social Bookmarking. (2013). Retrieved from: https://www.aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/social-bookmarking/

aids.gov. Twitter. (2013). Retrieved from: https://www.aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/twitter/index.html

Delicious. Retrieved from: https://delicious.com

Lewis, Paul. (2011). Tedx Thessalonki: Crowdsourcing the news. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_lewis_crowdsourcing_the_news

COM510 Module Five: Oconee County Observations

Lee Becker has a Ph.D. in Mass Communications, a Masters in Communications, and Bachelors in Journalism. He established the Oconee County Observations Blog following in the established tradition of the newsletter. As a journalist, he states that he intends to strive for accuracy, fairness, and transparency. I believe that the standards that he has established for his blog confirms that he is a professional journalist.

As a citizen of Oconee County, Georgia, Becker’s experiences and aspirations for his hometown influence his coverage of news events and discussions that occur regarding the developments in Oconee County. Becker’s news coverage is presented objectively, and does not offer his personal opinions on any of the county’s issues (Becker, 2015).

The Society of Professional Journalist Code of Ethics requires that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and is the foundation of democracy. Becker’s blog demonstrates that he adheres to the SPJ Code of Ethics as he produces ethical journalism and ensures that he encourages the free exchange of accurate, fair, and thorough information. He encourages his readers to offer comments and regularly works with other citizens of Oconee County to create news content and videos for the blog. In addition, his inclusion of video recordings helps to maintain clarity and accuracy in his reporting.

Although a majority of my news reporting and journalistic writing was not completed for a major news publication, I would be offended if I was not labeled as a professional. Therefore, it is extremely important to me that someone who takes on the responsibility of news reporting does so as a professional journalist who accepts, understands, and promotes ethical journalist standards. In fact, I have always taken offense to bloggers who demonstrate that freedom of speech gives them license to report unverified news and allows them to ignore the code of ethics.

My view about the influences that a citizen journalist has been primarily negative because I have only considered all of the bad journalism that I’ve witnessed. I viewed this form of journalism as a show of disrespect to journalists who have spent years earning degrees, and had fought hard to build professional portfolios that presented their bylines. I believed that trained journalist more than earned the honor of being called a professional. But this assignment forced me to reevaluate the positive aspects of citizen journalist. Paul Lewis’ TedX video had a completely unexpected influence on my “old school” journalistic views. Prior to this assignment, I would have never referred to a person on the street with a video recording as a journalist. But thanks to Lewis’ examples of how the power of citizen journalists influenced bringing forth the truth in real life events. Today, I plan to fully embrace the importance of citizen journalists. I also have a new understanding about the power of Twitter and other forms of social media as invaluable tools in new journalism.

Lewis presented two stories that initially reported news that purposely mislead the audience about what led up to the controversial deaths of two men in separate events. In both instances, the initial reports covered up the fact that the men were actually killed by the authorities that tried to control what was being reported. Had it not been for citizen journalists who either witnessed and or recorded the actual events, the truth about the men’s deaths would not have been discovered.

A new way of doing journalism, citizen journalism or collaborative journalism, means that professional journalists must accept that they cannot know everything. It is to their advantage to allow other people, through technology, be the eyes and ears. This empowers other members of the public to no longer solely exist as passive consumers of the news. It empowers them to become co-producers. Lewis believes that this form of journalism can enable ordinary people to hold powerful organizations accountable for actions that are deemed unjust (Lewis, 2011).

Surprisingly, Lewis convinced me that non-professional journalists have the ability to show good judgment, and can assemble information that results in a balanced news story. I now believe that a non-professional who achieved media literacy can build themselves into credible and informed journalists.

Becker, Lee. (2015). Oconee County Observations. Retrieved from: http://oconeecountyobservations.blogspot.com

Lewis, Paul. (2011). Tedx Thessalonki: Crowdsourcing the news. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_lewis_crowdsourcing_the_news

Society of Professional Journalists. (2014). SPJ code of ethics. Retrieved from: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Mistakes, False News, and Errors

Today’s trend of “report now, apologize later, by news agencies clearly violates the Society of Professional Journalist’s Code of Ethics. Not only does this form of journalism cheat the audience of accurate and reliable reporting, it also causes the audience to lose faith in news organizations that we once considered to be the voice of accuracy and truth. When news agencies follow this method of reporting, they are ignoring the specified code of taking responsibility for accuracy, and verifying information before releasing it (SPJ Code of Ethics). Unfortunately, it has become customary for news organizations to release information that they know is incomplete or has been received from a secondhand source. This act of racing to be the first to report breaking news is very frustrating. In fact, I have become conditioned to no longer accept the word of those news organizations that I have always trusted without first conducting my own online research.

As a society, we should expect and demand that individuals and news organizations provide more evidence that verifies what is being presented before it is reported. SPJ’s requires that journalists take steps to diligently seek out subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing. By rushing to publish or broadcast a news report, it is very probable that the reporter will not have enough time to fully investigate the news sources that could possibly strengthen the validity of the news story. One example of failing to verify information before officially reporting the breaking news was demonstrated during the 2006 Sago Mine explosion in West Virginia.

A day and a half after the Sago Mine tragedy, the news media rushed to report that the twelve trapped miners had been found alive. In fact, The Washington Post front-page headline read “12 Found Alive in W. Va. Coal Mine.” Unfortunately, this news was tragically untrue because only one miner had survived. In this example, it should be understood that the atmosphere in the mining town and on the site of the explosion was emotionally intense and dramatic. Somehow the news of the survivors had been misunderstood due to the lack of clear electronic transmission over walkie-talkies and cell phones (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2010, p. 105). It is clearly understandable that everyone was eager to report good news to the families and friends that were anxiously waiting to hear about the status of the miners. However, had the news organizations taken more time to ask what is missing? They would have realized that an official authority had not reported the news on the actual number of survivors. By failing to verify this critical element, the families suffered a great deal of heartache and news organizations received a black eye in their failure to report an accurate and reliable news story.

There is a lot of blame that should be shared for this growing trend. If we are to become a media literate society, we are all responsible for how information is presented, how it is received, and how it is influences our actions. When I speak specifically about individuals and bloggers who are not professional journalists, I believe that a majority of them have not begun to educate themselves to becoming media literate. They are simply receiving, creating and sharing information that they believe will get a reaction out of their audience. For users of social media, that audience is most likely their family and friends. For the non-journalist blogger, that audience are those individuals who follow them online. Because they are not professional journalists, they do not understand the importance of accurate and reliable news reporting.

As for media literate individuals, we must demand more from our personal communities who contribute the the trend of fast and bad journalism. But, I have to also point out that the mainstream media has given credence to those non-journaists. Clearly, information communication technology (ICT) has pressured mainstream media to be the first to break the news. Therefore, they have become guilty of ignoring the SPJ’s Code of Ethics due that effort to beat the competition to the headline.

References:

Carter, Bill. (2013). The FBI criticizes the news media after several mistaken reports of an arrest. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/business/media/fbi-criticizes-false-reports-of-a-bombing-arrest.html?_r=1

Kovach, Bill and Rosenstiel, Tom. (2010). Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information overload. New York: Bloomsbury, USA.

COM510: Module Three – Sources, Credibility, and Social Media

For my research paper, I will be focusing on the article, How Our Schools are Holding Black Girls Back. Lori Bezahler, Cassie Schwerner, and Kavitha Mediratta wrote the article. I determined that the article was credible by evaluating the authority of each of the authors, and then by evaluating their professional affiliations, and the resources that were used to create the foundation of the article. Each of the author’s level of expertise was confirmed when I researched the websites associated with their professional organizations. By researching the authors, I was able to begin answering the questions: Whose message is this? Who created it? And, Why it was created? Each of the authors’ credentials was confirmed by the websites of their respective organizations. In addition, each of the websites also provided information confirming their intent and provided links to additional articles related to the topic of educational inequity.

Lori Bezahler, President of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, leads a national grant-making program. The Hazen Foundation seeks to organize and lead young people and communities of color to dismantle structural inequity based on race and class (Hazen Foundation, 2015). Bezahler has written for The Nation, The Washington Post, Foundation Review, The Journal of Responsive Philanthropy and has taught as an adjunct assistant professor at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.

Cassie Schwerner, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President of Programs of the Schott Foundation for Public Education. Schwerner also serves as the Vice Chair of the Early Education and Childcare Pooled Fund. She has performed as a research and editorial assistant for Jonathan Kozol and has also worked on his books, Inequalities and Amazing Grace. She remains as Kozol’s close advisor and serves as a trustee of his Education Action Fund – a small foundation that distributes funds to families in New York and Massachusetts. Schwerner received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Boston College where she specialized in social movement theory. Her dissertation, Sing a Song for Justice, focuses on multicultural organizing.

Kavitha Mediratta, Head of Racial Equity Programmes at the Atlantic Philanthropies whose mission is dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Mediratta leads the foundation’s efforts to reform zero tolerance school discipline policies and promote racial inequity. Mediratta authored Community Organizing for Stronger Schools: Strategies and Successes by Harvard Press. She also authored numerous other publications. She has a B.A. from Amherst College, a Masters of Education from Columbia University’s Teacher College and a Ph.D. in Urban Education from New York University.

The World Wide Web gives anyone the ability to publish online. Therefore, it is imperative that users of the Internet develop a critical eye to evaluate the credibility of Internet information (Montecino, 1998). I strongly support the idea that developing a keen sense of the credibility of sources, based on such clues as the author’s connection to the subject, audience, source of publication, and documentation of supporting evidence, helps evaluate print and other types of sources.

Understanding who the authors are allowed me to confirm that their interests in addressing the issues involving African American and girls of color were valid and unbiased because their past works have clearly demonstrated their professional interests in this topic. My research also assisted me in determining that the target audience is broad because there are many variables that are discussed on the topic of educational inequity with a specialized focus. The target audience includes, but is not limited to, educators, public school administrators, parents, legislatures, and child and education advocates.

I am using this topic to determine if the findings that are addressed in this article are valid. I am also interested in further determining what studies and/or programs are in place to help close the gap between how black and girls of color are treated within the American educational school system. I trust the authors of this article because of their academic credentials and their previous publications. Neither of the authors could be labeled as bloggers. My professional background as a journalist prevents me from readily trusting information originating from non-professional bloggers because they are not required to follow a journalistic code of ethics and have given themselves free rein to state their opinions as fact.

This assignment challenged me to delve into each of the author’s credentials and professional connections and all of the resources that were utilized to build the foundation of their article. I believe that the primary subtext of the article states that in order to begin correcting the issues of educational inequity for black and girls of color, it must first be addressed how disciplinary methods are being improperly implemented.

References:

Atlantic Philanthropies.org. 2009. Management and Staff. Retrieved from: http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/bio/kavitha-mediratta

Bezahler, L., Mediratta, K. and Schwerner, C. 2015 Time.com How our schools are holding black girls back. Retrieved from: http://time.com/3699697/black-girls-school-trouble/

Hazen, Edward. W. Foundation. 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.hazenfoundation.org/staff

Montecino, Virginia. 1998. Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources. Retrieved from: http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm

Schott Foundation for Public Education. 2013. About Staff. Retrieved from: http://www.schottfoundation.org/drupal/about/staff/cassie-schwerner

University of Oregon Libraries. 2014. Critical Evaluation of Information Sources. Retrieved from: http://library.uoregon.edu/guides/findarticles/credibility.html