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Producing Online News
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Producing Online News
Digital Skills, Stronger Stories



October 2010 | 440 pages | CQ Press

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Follow the author's blog at http://www.producingonlinenews.com!

The dazzling speed of change in online journalism can mask a simple truth: online news is still news. Cutting-edge technology benefits the audience only when journalists apply it in the service of good stories. Building on a foundation of news stories, Producing Online News shows students how to use the right tools to get the right information to the right people at the right time. The goal is to become a full-fledged online news producer and transform stories into a complete news experience for an ever more demanding audience.

Ryan Thornburg, a journalism trainer who has managed the websites of top news organizations, hones the skills students need to produce stories using multimedia, interactivity and on-demand delivery- online journalism's three pillars. Practical instructions show students not just how to use the tools but also how to make good journalistic choices in applying them. The book works for courses specifically in online journalism or for any journalism course that incorporates multiple platforms. 

Features that make for stronger stories:

  • TOOLS sections walk students through the latest technology- Twitter, Wordpress, Audacity, Caspio, Dipity and more- so their writing gains more immediacy and impact.
  • Real-world examples from both traditional outlets and new-style sites like ProPublica, PolitiFact, BeliefNet and Global Voices showcase journalists connecting with their audiences.
  • View Source boxes uncover the technology behind a specific news project-for example, how do just five editors at Yahoo News publish 2,000 stories a day?
  • News Judgement boxes explore journalistic choices- sure, students can link a story to anything on the web- but should they?

 


 
I. FOUNDATIONS OF ONLINE NEWS
 
1. Online News is Different
 
2. Online News is Still News
 
3. The Online News Audience
 
II. TODAY'S TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
 
4. Managing Content on a News Site
 
5. Editing News for Searchers and Scanners
 
6. Basics of Web Research: Cultivating Links, Cultivating Sources
 
7. Linking
 
8. Multimedia Reporting
 
9. Collecting and Using Data
 
III. THE FUTURE OF NEWS
 
10. Journalism as Process: Blogs and Breaking News
 
11. Journalism as Conversation: Engaging the Audience
 
12. Remixing the News

good

Mr Paul Lashmar
School of Arts, Brunel University
February 28, 2013

The book is highly recommended for lecturers. It helps me in delivering News Writing course. By using the book, I could manage the course as a "futuristic" course. It means that classes I am handling are not only learning how to write stories for conventional media, like newspapers and magazines, but also digging knowledge and inspiration to tell stories "virtually". The students are increasing their awareness that online media is growing. This kind of media will be their "battle field". Indonesia is relatively open to social and online media. That's why this book is highly recommended.

Each section in the book is also fruitful. Multimedia section let the students learn journalism within an area the love, namely internet. It also comply with the notion that our university uphold, Multimedia Nusantara University. Meanwhile, Section 2: Todays Tools and Techniques helps us to be more familiar with procedures in producing online news.

Mr F. X. Lilik Mardjianto
Communication Science, Multimedia Nusantara University
December 12, 2012

the textbook supports many of the other texts that provide the framework for writing either for print, broadcast or online. It is important for a text to set out the opportunities that are available to new journalists and the real alternative that onlien offers those with a desire to tell stories. I am much encouraged by theis text as it is a viable alternative to some historical reissues.

Mr Kristian Low
Journalism, Southampton Solent University
April 4, 2012

Detailed, practical and up-to-date. An essential for students of online journalism.

Dr Abel Ugba
Mass Communications , University of East London
October 18, 2011