Prof, two students at Online News conference
October 7, 2009
Thom Lieb, professor of journalism and new media, and students Nicole Fallek and Melissa Hale were among the sold-out crowd at the 2009 Online News Association conference in San Francisco.Lieb was there to act as a mentor in the student newsroom and also to begin interviews for a joint project between ONA and the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The project will archive some of the great online journalism that has won ONA’s Online Journalism Awards in the last decade and will be featured in a kiosk at the Newseum as well as on the Web sites of both organizations. More details are here.Nicole and Melissa worked as multimedia student reporters in the student newsroom. Melissa worked with Austin Fast on a Word on the Street slide show. She also reported on the Outwit the Algorithms session.Nicole worked with Noah Buhayar on Five news startups in 60 minutes. In addition, Nicole and Armand Emamdjomeh took photos of the winners of the Online Journalism Awards for a slide show. In addition, Nicole created a graphic commemorating the ONA’s 10th anniversary.
Two students to cover Online News Association conference
August 21, 2009
Two Towson University Mass Communication majors have been selected to work as multimedia reporters at the Online News Association Annual Conference in San Francisco, Oct. 1 through Oct. 3.
Nicole Fallek and Melissa Hale were chosen from applicants across the United States and Canada. At the conference, they will be providing daily coverage of the event. Their selection was based in large part on the work they already had done on personal Web sites and other New Media projects.In addition, Nicole has been asked to design the logo marking the ONA’s 10th anniversary.
Nicole and Melissa were awarded TU Undergraduate Research Grants to help defray the costs of attending the conference. In return, they plan to present reports on their experience at the conference to the campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and interested classes.
Founded in 1999, The Online News Association has more than 1,700 professional members whose principal livelihood involves gathering or producing news for digital presentation. The membership includes news writers, producers, designers, editors, photographers, technologists and others who produce news for the Internet or other digital delivery systems, as well as academic members and others interested in the development of online journalism.
BaltTech blog highlights J/NM student
June 15, 2009
Tyler Waldman was the subject of a recent Baltimore Sun BaltTech post. Writer Gus Sentementes recounts meeting Tyler at news conference and being surprised that the Towson senior was carrying a video camera in his role as an intern for WBAL Radio. Sentementes’ comments reinforce the importance of the new converged curriculum at Towson:
The Web has torn down the walls among different kinds of media (print, TV, radio) and given us all the same level playing field.It’s so important for the next crop of journalists, like Tyler, to get early experience in doing journalism with whatever tools can help him tell the best story, and one that can be consumed by the most amount of people.
In a comment on the post, Tyler echoed the writer’s sentiments: “Learning to be versatile is going to be key for the next generation of journalists.”
The Towerlight wins 8 regional SPJ awards
March 31, 2009
The Towerlight, the independent student newspaper at Towson University, won eight regional Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence awards March 28 at the SPJ regional conference in Arlington, Va.
Senior Editor Nick DiMarco earned two third-place certificates for articles about fire fighters living in Lutherville and off-campus crime.
Photo Editor Kris Marsh and Art Director Rachel Fauber took home two of the top three places for photo illustration.
The Towerlight cover on Dropping the Drinking age in September won first place and will be considered for national honors. Marsh also received third place for feature photography.
Tyler Tech, a technology column by Tyler Waldman, was named the second best column in the region, and Towerlight alumnus Patrick Smith received two awards. Smith’s feature shot from last year’s TigerFest earned first place and will be judged in the national competition.
Three TU J/NM majors cover Online News conference
September 12, 2008
Lauren Veneziani, Katrina Fleming and Kerry O’Brien (from left to right) were among the select group of students chosen to provide coverage of the 2008 Online News Association annual conference in Washington, D.C. Also attending the conference were faculty members Jenny Atwater, Sandy Nichols, Stacy Spaulding and Thom Lieb.
Kerry and Katrina collaborated on a slide show focusing on the ONA Student Newsroom. Lauren created a slide show on Mobile Phones and a feature on Amy Webb’s Top 10 Technical Trends. In addition, Katrina live blogged a session on interactive maps and then took a plunge into using Flash and created a great Interactive Map of the conference. And Kerry O’Brien, working with student Cynthia Yoo of the University of British Columbia, had the chance to interview Tina Brown.
Towerlight Photo Editor wins recognition for his work
May 20, 2008
Towerlight Photo Editor Patrick Smith has had a photo picked as a 2007 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award National Finalist. It’s the second honor for Patrick this year; in addition, a portfolio of work placed first in The Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2008 Collegiate Gold Circle awards. We asked Patrick for this thoughts about his latest award and the photo that brought him the honor. His thoughts:
Snow dumped onto campus Dec. 5 as I stood on the roof of the University Union in khakis and a light coat shooting a snowy weather feature.
When I had left for morning classes I expected another chilly winter day. But after I walked out of class at noon I realized forecasters called for 2 to 4 inches to be dropped on Towson throughout the day.While the cover image of The Towerlight had already been shot, I knew this surprise snowfall image would dominate the cover. However, I didn’t realize that this photo would later go on to be a 2007 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award National Finalist.
It’s very rewarding to get recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists again this year. Last year, I won five SPJ awards, although I thought my entries this year were a lot stronger.
Conversely, winning awards isn’t everything. While it’s a good morale booster and erases the bad assignments and long hours worked, in the end it’s only a piece of paper. Awards are always subjective; it’s never known what the judges had in their minds when making final decisions.
These awards won’t change my attitude, shooting or ego. Tomorrow is the same as the rest and in the end it’s about making telling photographs that inform the reader.
Survey: Journalists will be expected to write for all media within five years
May 6, 2008
From Media Life Magazine:
Ignore some of those pessimistic circulation and layoff headlines. Newspaper editors around the world are optimistic about the future of newspapers, but most no longer see it as a print-only business. Some 85 percent of editors are somewhat or very optimistic about the future of their newspaper, according to a survey of 704 senior editors done for the World Editors Forum and Reuters, perhaps because 86 percent believe that integrated print and online newsrooms will become the norm. Furthermore, 83 percent believe that journalists will be expected to be capable of writing for all types of media within five years. Some 44 percent of the editors surveyed think online will be the most common platform for reading news in the future. That’s up from 41 percent last year. Only 31 percent think print will be, while 12 percent said mobile and 7 percent e-papers. The survey also found that editors increasingly believe that news will be free in the future, 56 percent of editors, up from 48 percent last year.
J/NM curriculum changes ahead
April 15, 2008
Starting in fall 2008, the J/NM curriculum is being overhauled. Many changes are coming to ensure that our graduates are prepared for the world of convergence journalism. Starting with their first classes, students will confront the challenges and opportunities of the new era. For students on catalog year 2008 or later, the new requirements are:
Required Core Courses for All Tracks within the Major
MCOM 101 - Introduction to Mass Communication (3)
MCOM 350 - Media Law (3)
or
MCOM 433 - Media Ethics (3)
MCOM 490 - Mass Communication Research (3)
Required Basic Courses (15 units)
MCOM 257 - Journalism & New Media I (3)
MCOM 258 - Journalism & New Media II (3)
MCOM 341 - Digital Publishing (3)
MCOM 358 - News Editing (3)
MCOM 407 - Writing for New Media (3)
Required Professional Skills Writing Courses (3 units)
One of the following:
MCOM 356 - Feature Writing (3)
MCOM 383 - News Reporting (3)
MCOM 381 - Broadcast Journalism I (3)
MCOM 409 - Literary Journalism (3)
Track Electives (9 units)
Choose from the following and from any courses not already chosen in the above listings:
MCOM 100 - Using Information Effectively in Mass Communication (3)
COMM 131 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3)
COMM 304 - Persuasion (3)
MCOM 352 - Media Criticism (3)
MCOM 359 - Magazine Publishing (3)
MCOM 385 - Mass Media and Society (3)
MCOM 388 - Cyberspace and Communication (3)
MCOM 391 - Photojournalism
MCOM 411 - Communication Process (3)
MCOM 415 - Mass Media Graphics (3)
MCOM 431 - Public Opinion and the Press (3)
MCOM 457 - Photojournalism II (3)
MCOM 460 - Internship in Jouenalism (1-6 units)
MCOM 481 - Broadcast Journalism II (3)
MCOM 479 - Special Topics in Mass Communication(3)
MCOM 496 - Independent Study in Mass Communication (1-6 units)
