Journalism Next

The Third Edition of Journalism Next: A Practical Guide to Digital Reporting and Publishing is the most informed, practical, and succinct guide to digital technology for journalists. Author Mark Briggs’ forward-thinking techniques and accessible style prepares today’s journalists for tomorrow’s media landscape transformations. Readers will learn how to effectively blog, crowdsource, use mobile technology, mine databases, and expertly capture audio and video to report with immediacy, cultivate community, and convey compelling stories. Briggs helps readers quickly improve their digital literacy by presenting the basics and building on them to progress towards more specialized skills within multimedia. Readers will become equipped to better manage online communities and build an online audience. Journalism Next is a quick yet valuable read that provides a detailed roadmap for journalists to reference time and time again.  

 

The Third Edition of Journalism Next: A Practical Guide to Digital Reporting and Publishing is the most informed, practical, and succinct guide to digital technology for journalists. Author Mark Briggs’ forward-thinking techniques and accessible style prepares today’s journalists for tomorrow’s media landscape transformations. Readers will learn how to effectively blog, crowdsource, use mobile technology, mine databases, and expertly capture audio and video to report with immediacy, cultivate community, and convey compelling stories. Briggs helps readers quickly improve their digital literacy by presenting the basics and building on them to progress towards more specialized skills within multimedia. Readers will become equipped to better manage online communities and build an online audience. Journalism Next is a quick yet valuable read that provides a detailed roadmap for journalists to reference time and time again.  

 

Foreword By Jennifer Preston, vice president, journalism, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Preface
UNIT ONE: BASICS
Introduction: Journalism is about people, not technology
Welcome to the age of transformation
What job can I get in journalism?
Summary
1 We are all Web workers now
Digital information
What is it? How the Internet works
How Web servers work
How Web browsers work
What is it? Syndicated content with RSS
What’s Next? Set up an RSS reader and subscribe to feeds
What is it? FTP (file transfer protocol)
What's Next? Set up an FTP program
Web-design basics
What is it? How Web pages work
What’s Next? Build an HTML page quickly
What is it? CSS (cascading style sheets)
What's Next? Add CSS to HTML
What is it? XML (extensible markup language)
What is it? Content management systems
What’s Next? Launch a WordPress site
What is it? Mobile apps versus mobile Web
What’s Next? Make a WordPress site for mobile
Newsroom Innovator: Burt Herman, Storify
Summary: Start to see digital opportunities
2 Blogging and microblogging: Publish, distribute and connect
What is it? Blog basics
What is it? Microblogging basics
What's Next? Make a plan, create a blog
What's Next? How to build an audience for your blog
What's Next? Start using Twitter
Newsroom Innovator: Matt Thompson, NPR
Summary: Love it or lease it
3 Crowd-powered collaboration
What is it? Crowdsourcing
What is it? Open-source reporting
What is it? Pro-am journalism
What is it? Managing news as a conversation
What’s Next? Build and manage a community online
What’s Next? Keep conversations accurate and ethical
Newsroom Innovator: Sona Patel, The New York Times
Summary: Collaborative publishing, social media are here to stay
4 Going mobile
What is it? Mobile journalism
What’s Next? Making mobile journalism
Newsroom Innovator: Etan Horowitz, CNN Digital
Summary: Mobile future
UNIT TWO: MULTIMEDIA
5 Visual storytelling with photographs
What is it? Digital photography
What’s Next? Shooting better photos with a digital camera
What’s Next? Working with digital photographs
What’s Next? Publish your photos online
Newsroom Innnovator: Josh Trujillo, SeattlePl.com
Summary: Photography is a critical tool for journalists
6 Making audio journalism visible
What is it? Audio journalism
What’s Next? Get started with audio
What’s Next? Gear up and get out there
What’s Next? Editing digital audio
What’s Next? Start podcasting
Newsroom Innovator: Robert Smith, NPR Planet Money
Summary: Audio journalism—Part of next big thing
7 Telling stories with video
What is it? The digital video revolution
What’s Next? Plan your video and go
What’s Next? Voice in video
What’s Next? Gear up and get out there
What’s Next? Shooting good video
What’s Next? Working with digital video files
What’s Next? Publishing video online
Newsroom innovator: Matt Mrozinski, WTHR, TVNewsStoryTellers.com
Summary: Start small, but make sure you start
UNIT THREE: EDITING AND DECISION MAKING
8 Data-driven journalism and digitizing your life
What is it? Your digital life
What is it? Data-driven journalism
What’s Next? Building spreadsheets, databases
What is it? Map mashups
What’s Next? Build an interactive map with data
Newsroom Innovator: Ryan Pitts, The Spokesman-Review
Summary: Better life, better journalism
9 Building a digital audience for news
What is it? Measuring journalism
What’s Next? Track all that you publish
What’s Next? Track your audience
What is it? Search engine optimization (SEO)
What’s Next? Use SEO to grow your audience
What Next? Use social media as distribution channels
Newsroom Innovator: Marissa Nelson, CBC News & Centres
Summary: Track, measure, distribute, adapt
Appendix: Suggested Web resources
About the Author
Index