Tag Archives: Professor

New York University journalism student banned from blogging on class

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In a report for MediaShift, New York University journalism student Alana Taylor called on the institution up its game:

“I was hoping that NYU would offer more classes where I could understand the importance of digital media, what it means, how to adapt to the new way of reporting, and learn from a professor who understands not only where the Internet is, but where it’s going… I am convinced that I am taking the only old-but-new-but-still-old media class in the country,” she wrote.

Commenting on one particular class, ‘Reporting Gen Y (a.k.a. Quarterlifers)’, Taylor acknowledged the talent of her teacher Mary Quigley, but felt let down by the programme’s lack of understanding of social and digital media, twittering her frustration during class.

Taylor’s article prompted the inevitable split of comments between support and accusations of arrogance – a microcosmic version of the response to Tampa Bay intern Jessica da Silva on her blog.

But now Taylor has been told not to blog, Twitter or write about the class again without permission, according to an update from MediaShift.

In response to questions from MediaShift’s Mark Glaser, Quigley said her students were free to blog, twitter, email etc the class after it had finished – adding the caveat that they must ask permission before doing so.

Taylor seems to have been reined in unnecessarily – if her comments had been entirely in praise of the class, there would be no grounds for this blog post.

If NYU has a policy of classes being taught ‘off the record’ then surely this goes against the initiative, observation and analytical thinking that the school is trying to teach and instead discourages students from putting these skills into action?

For those commenters on Taylor’s original post accusing her of being a know-it-all – isn’t the university claiming the same thing if it doesn’t allow its students to freely give feedback like this?

Teachers from the course could instead have interacted with the criticism and opened up the discussion – who knows, other students might benefit from hearing about and witnessing Taylor’s social media experience first hand.

All change at the Telegraph: integration continues

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image of the Telegraph newsroom at Victoria

The Telegraph has moved further towards its vision of a fully integrated newsroom with a raft of promotions, new arrivals and a newly integrated Science team.

Integrated desks contribute to both titles and the web site, The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Telegraph.co.uk, and so far business, sport, foreign and comment desks have been reshaped to fit the new mould.

The integrated science team will be headed up by Daily Telegraph science editor Roger Highfield and Sunday Telegraph science correspondent Richard Gray, with Professor Steve Jones continuing to contribute. The team will be assisted by Kate Devlin.

The changes follow the abrupt departure of Nic Fleming, Daily Telegraph science correspondent, two weeks ago.

Following the significant number of departures from the Telegraph sports desk last month, former Times sports feature writer Alison Kervin is joining as chief sports interviewer. She replaces star interviewer Sue Mott.

Other changes include Stephen Adams’ promotion to arts correspondent, replacing Nigel Reynolds who was axed last month.

The Daily Telegraph has also appointed former Press Association chief reporter John Bingham to take a senior reporting role.

Further changes are expected as the integration policy continues to roll out.

There has been talk of strike action over management decisions to axe staff members, which included the Telegraph Media Group’s decision to remove the entire reader relations desk as well as individual journalists over the last few months.

Sunday Telegraph editor Patience Wheatcroft resigned in September 2007, reportedly over the integration strategy.

Media lecturer bans use of Google and Wikipedia by students

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A story from close to home. Brighton’s beloved Argus (hot with media stories in the last month, what with the homeless newsreader and all) reports that Professor Tara Brabazon, from the University of Brighton, has banned her students from turning to elements of the web for their research.

Professor Brabazon’s ire has been caused by what she dubs ‘ the University of Google’, students repeating the first thing they find on the internet without the necessary candor to double check facts and the validity of statements.

She said too many students took the quick fix of turning to the internet for easily obtainable information, adding that poor use of technology by students was encouraging shallow ideas and hampering the development important values of research and analysis.

“The education world has pursued new technology with an almost evangelical zeal and it is time to take a step back and give proper consideration of how we use it,” she told the the paper.

Jay Rosen @ Journalism Leaders Forum: UK newspapers two years behind US in audience interaction

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New York University Journalism School professor Jay Rosen told the Journalism Leaders Forum @ UCLAN, that based on what he had heard at the forum UK regional newspapers seemed two years behind the US for developing editorial products that relied on large-scale user-interaction.

Responding to comments made by Trinity Mirror Regionals editorial director Neil Benson, that the next year would be about experimenting with new editorial projects that relied on great audience interaction and overcoming journalists resistance to allowing the audience to interact, Rosen told the forum that those barriers to audience interaction began breaking down in the US two years ago and that newsrooms there were now addressing how best to cross ‘the digital sea’.

[audio:http://www.journalism.co.uk/sounds/bensonrosen.mp3]

Listen here to Neil first explain his position (in response to a question from Chair Mike Ward about whether or not it was yet possible to see ‘scalable and durable’ models for editorial/user interaction products) then Jay comment on the developments in the UK (Note: both were phoning into the forum so the sound quality isn’t perfect).