Urge 2 Converge/Convergence Journalism

Chapter 1 Exercises

Create a “media diary” of your daily contact with different communications media.

Conduct an informal poll of friends and family to determine the amount and type of media they use on a daily basis.

Check out who owns your most admired or most used website, newspaper, magazine or television channel and figure out their connections to other media organizations.

Develop a list of news sections of a television newscast or a daily newspaper for an audience of your peers. What would you include or eliminate from what is now being offered?

Debate whether the diversity of news sources provides a diversity of news and opinion.

Discuss if and how the federal government, i.e. the Federal CommunicationsCommission, should ensure diversity, localism and competition in news

Chapter 7 Exercises

Dissect a favorite news website and explore how the web enhances the storytelling. Look at the layout of the home page, the design of the navigation devices, the use of visuals on every page and any differences in daily, breaking news and special projects in terms of using the web’s strengths. Write a minimum of two pages.

 Cover a local news event and write a breaking news blurb for the web. The blurb should run no longer than three chunks or 100-150 words. Try and write three blurbs within three hours of the event, changing and updating each one.

 Take a breaking news story presented in another medium (print or broadcast) and plot out other links and background that could add context to the story. Think about an interactive element for the story such as comments, chat room, timeline or map. If a broadcast story, plot out how you would go beyond playing a video clip online. How would you use material not in the aired piece? If a print story, what visual elements could you add?

Take a news feature story presented in another medium and plot out other links and background that could add context to the story. Think about an interactive element for the story such as comments, chat room, timeline or map.  If a broadcast story, plot out how you would go beyond playing a video clip online. How would you use material not in the aired piece? If a print story, what visual elements could you add?

Develop a plan for how you would change an online news site’s content throughout the day, taking advantage of the differences of online users’ browsing habits in the morning, day and night.

Chapter 6 Exercises

Take earlier news stories written for broadcast and determine what new context and detail would be needed for a print story. List people who should be contacted, interviewed and questions that need to be asked.

Take earlier meeting or speech story written for broadcast and review notes as to what could be added for a 500-750-word print story. Pick out additional quotes, information, description that could be used.

Rewrite earlier broadcast news stories into 500-750 word print stories.

Find a feature story idea and map out a list of story sources and angles.

Write a 500-750 word story about a speech presented by a guest speaker or lecturer.

Research and write a simple profile or obituary. Plan graphics/pictures to be used to accompany the story and how you would go about getting those visuals.

Attend a public meeting and write a 500-word story to turn in the next day.

Chapter 5 Exercises

Find two different national news stories from a wire service and a newspaper and turn each of them into a :25 reader.

Find two different state or local news stories (for example stories about a fire, accident, storm, government action or meeting) from a wire service and a newspaper and turn each of them into a :25 reader.

Listen to a televised speech or press conference by the U.S. President or other head of state or local, national or international leader. Take notes and pull four soundbites, no longer than :10-:15 each, that represent the most interesting, important, best comments presented.

Write a 1:00 speech story by listening to a press conference or speech, pulling soundbites no longer than :10-:15 and using at least two in your story.

Find a local crime, weather or fire story in print or online and plot out visuals needed for a :25 voice-over story for television. Think about the footage needed to best present the visual elements needed to graphically illustrate the story.

Find a local news story that could warrant a reaction piece. Go out and interview at least 10 people, collecting names and contact information, and write a 1:00-1:20  reaction story, using several of the collected soundbites.

Chapter 4 Exercises

Find a national news story presented in different media by different news organizations such as Associated Press, MSNBC.com, CNN, CBS, Reuters. Pick out the people and organizations used as sources for the information of the article. List other people you might think could be sources of information.

Compare and contrast a major crime or courts story as presented in different media. Note similarities and differences in sources of information, information presented and quotes/soundbites. Note how and if each medium plays to its strengths.

Compare and contrast a sports “game” story from a print, broadcast and online source. Note similarities and differences in sources of information, information presented and quotes/soundbites. Note how and if each medium plays to its strengths in the style of writing and presentation.

Cover a governmental meeting and write a story memo on how the story should be presented in print, broadcast or online.

Develop a news feature story idea, write a story memo and pitch it for presentation in different media.

Chapter 2 Exercises

Put together an organizational chart of a local news operation, noting the different jobs people do and who they work with and for.

Evaluate a story as it appeared in a newspaper, website and television newscast to note the similarities and differences in length, placement and sourcing.

Outline how the different media handle commentary and public opinion. Are there ways for audiences to determine commentary from news reporting.

Develop a multiple media approach to a breaking news story in your area. What parts of the story should be presented online, in a newspaper or on air?

Choose a favorite newspaper or television news show and outline how to make it more convergent.

Chapter 3 Exercises

Develop an ethics policy for breaking news for a print-online-broadcast operation. Who should have the final authority to put a story out for public viewing? Are there certain rules that would need to be followed before a story is published online, in print or put on the air?

Take stories found in the newspaper and discuss how and if those stories could work online or on air. What would you need in terms of information, elements to ensure that the news story is presented to take advantage of online and/or broadcast’s strengths?

Look at a major story (September 11^th anniversary, Blackout 2003, first day of bombing in the Iraq War, Presidential Vote 2004, Columbia shuttle explosion) and review strengths of each medium in telling the story.

Pick a news story and discuss the use of images/visuals to the benefit of each medium – in print, online, on television.

Convergence Journalism Book is Available

The paperback version of "Convergence Journalism" is now available for reading, reviewing, checking out, etc. It hit the warehouse May 8.
This will be the last shameless promotion of the text.
The rest of this site will be devoted to interviews, exercises, insights and vignettes about the convergence and the what the newsrooms I visited for this text are doing to do news in more than one medium.

Textbook Look

Urge2Converge Text on journalism in a multiple media world now has a look to it.
Welcome to the cover of "Convergence Journalism."