My “Dare to Dream” Journalism Curriculum

Here at the journalism department at the University of Memphis, we are about to brave yet another assault on mount curriculum change.
I’ve observed this process now at more than one university, and I can tell you it’s the epitome of Groundhog Day.
It’s not that there isn’t a general acknowledgment of the need to change. The [...]

I Fed The Trolls: Trying (and Failing) to Elevate the Dialogue

Don’t feed the trolls!
That’s what everybody tells me. There’s no point, and next thing you know, they’ll be in front of your house with an AK-47. And I know they are right. But I leave comments on stories anyway, sometimes, even when I know that I’m not going to change any minds.  Why do I [...]

Teaching Journalism Students to Be Entrepreneurs

Lisa Williams and Dan Gillmor offer advice at AEJMC on how to teach entrepreneurship to journalism students. Among the highlights: Practice a concise, clear, compelling pitch for your idea & start by identifying a need or a void you can fill.

For Journalists, Entrepreneurship Is Like Chasing the Story

Eric Newton of the Knight Foundation speaks at AEJMC conference in Boston about entrepreneurship and journalism.

The Future, it’s in the Data.

If the future of the journalism is in data, maybe we should be thinking a lot harder before laying off the news librarians.

Cronkite’s Spirit Still Lives

Don’t get me wrong. I’m as disgusted as the next person that the big TV honchos have lost their way, sending obsequious emails to Sanford promising to let the governor “frame the conversation as you really wanted” (not even bothering to be subtle, eh, Gregory?), and giving a black eye to journalists everywhere by refusing [...]

Moving On

We talk, and we talk, and we talk,  and we reinvent the wheel again, and again, and again.
Some days, I want to cry uncle.
If you know me, you are probably rolling your eyes right now because you’ve heard this rant I’m about to launch into before. For years.  Let us ALL hope we can stop [...]

Get Your M.A. For Free and Help Change Lives of Memphis Teens

Earn your master’s degree in journalism at the University of Memphis and help change the lives of some bright, hardworking teens. We’re looking for an eager and energetic journalist who is flexible and loves to work with young people. The position pays your tuition and includes a $7,000 stipend.

The successful applicant will become the [...]

Skills and Knowledge EVERY Journalism Student Needs

The journalism department at the University of Memphis is in the early stages of updating  our curriculum to help our students build the knowledge and skills they will need in the new media world.  I would love to get your feedback as we embark on this project.
Currently, we have three news/editorial sequences:  newspaper/magazine, broadcast, and [...]

In 2009, Let’s All Be In This Together

Old media vs. new media. Tired, tired, tired.
I’m far from the first blogger/Twitterer to point out that it is getting old, but yet, it persists. New media folks love to congratulate themselves over how smart and cutting edge they are and to snuffle at those who just “don’t get it.” (The journalism Twitterverse was alive [...]