Valuable: Even for a Non-Journalist
I found “Writing for Digital Media” an extremely valuable and relevant course. Even though the degree I’m pursuing is a Master of Science in Information Science, and not one from UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the focus for my degree is in the areas of Human-Computer Interaction and Internet Technologies, so I did find many parallels to the curriculum covered here. I’ve also had an interest in writing for some time.
What’s So Different About Writing for Digital Media?
Primarily, I found this course provided a thorough analysis of the methods we use today to create and share digital information. The course immersed students in most of the online technologies and practices that are revolutionizing not only the field of journalism, but the entire world of online information sharing and interaction. The manual for the course, along with the other prescribed readings, provided amble evidence that writing for an online audience demands methods and skills much different from those required when writing for print and more traditional media sources.
My First…Everything
The early assignments allowed me the experience of working with these differences firsthand. Prior to this class, I’d never written a blog, an online article, or an online headline or subheading. I’d also never critiqued someone else’s online writing, formatting, or style choices. These assignments, and the associated readings, helped me gain a much clearer understanding of how and why people read content online, and of the many website elements (e.g., navigation, symmetry, clarity, separation) that help attract and maintain an online audience.
Tell Me a Story – Online
We were then given assignments that required finding a real story to tell online, and I found those quite informative and exciting. Each were completely new experiences for me, revealing much about the challenges facing journalists today. For instance, part of the emphasis in the Liveblogging assignment was on the phenomenon of crowd-sourcing, and I found that a fascinating and relevant topic to investigate and discuss with the professor and my fellow students, considering how these practices now make possible very new and different methods of realtime reporting.
My Woodward and Bernstein Experience
Perhaps the most satisfying and challenging assignment was the reporting assignment. I interviewed several people, including a North Carolina State Senator and House Minority Leader, on the timely and impactful subject of state voting maps. This assignment really illustrated for me the decisions one makes in collecting and preparing stories for online presentation. I feel I’ll now read online news stories in a much more informed way than I would have prior to this course.
Learning from Others
I’ve taken several web-based courses, and they all present certain challenges, but I found the online format to work particularly well for this course. Much of that can be attributed to the excellent guidance we received from the professor. I also had the good fortune of being immersed in weekly discussions with a very knowledgeable and talented group of fellow students. They provided a substantial amount of additional information and resources on the topics being studied, which added a good deal to what I learned during the course. I’m glad to have participated in such a diverse and rewarding learning experience.
