JNL 240 Multimedia Journalism

Lecture Hours: 2
Lab Hours: 2
Credits: 3

Introduces students to the reception and production of multimedia texts designed for circulation in the mass media landscape and presents opportunities to practice media literacy skills related to both theory and practice. Engages students with key historical and contemporary texts in writing, photography, data visualization, layout/design, audio, and video journalism. Write for digital platforms, distribute news via social media, and present text, photography, audio and video.

Prerequisite: Placement into WR 115 or WR 090 with a grade of C or better; or consent of instructor. Previous computer experience.
Student Learning Outcomes:

Read and view works of alphanumeric, visual, audio, and video journalism at a literal level and understand the processes involved in the creation of media for all platforms.
Identify and define the stylistic devices and technical elements (e.g. hardware and software) used in the creation of each of these types of works.
Identify and compare styles, genres, and themes, and apply critical approaches to each type of work.
Engage in written and verbal critique of each type of work.
Gain competency in the critique and/or practice of each modality of journalistic writing: text (both print and digital), layout and design, social media and distribution, photojournalism, data visualization, audio and podcasting, and studio broadcast and/or location documentary videography and postproduction.
Demonstrate the integration of all modalities on both the critical (media literacy) and practical (production) levels.

Statewide General Education Outcomes:

Interpret and engage in the Arts and Letters, making use of the creative process to enrich the quality of life; and
Critically analyze values and ethics within a range of human experience and expression to engage more fully in local and global issues.

Content Outline

Writing for Digital Platforms
- Blogging
- Writing for digital publications
Photojournalism
- Visual literacy
- Capturing images
- Editing images
- Storytelling with multiple images and text
Journalism and Data Visualization
- Concept
- Data collection
- Interactivity
- Printing vs. digital distribution
Layout and Design
- Masthead and headline design
- Text attributes
- Layout of photographs
- Relationships between Images and words
- Printing vs. digital distribution
Social Media
- Gate-keeping functions of social media
- Distributing news via de-centralized networks
Audio
- Listening
- Podcasting
- Interviewing
- Postproduction
- Distribution
Video
- Moving image literacy
- Studio production for broadcast: camera and lighting basics
- Location shooting
- Postproduction: editing
- Postproduction: audio
- Distribution: hosting on YouTube
Integrating Images, Sounds, and Words
- Media literacy
- Integrated multimedia production