Seminar in Media Theory
Times & Locations
| Start Date | End Date | Days | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/21/2025 | 5/5/2025 | MW | 3:40pm - 5:00pm | HORT 110 |
Additional Course Details:
Course Description: Independently created news-related content has taken off over the past several years on social media platforms, particularly YouTube.
Additionally, news networks from around the world have established YouTube channels, and many of them livestream their news programming, 24/7. For students who are interested in the news, and in news production, this course is for you. Digital Newsroom will focus on fact-based news production in all formats, using digital
technology available through the CMN Media Lab, and other resources on campus.
The primary objective of Digital Newsroom will be to create fact-based media content in textual, audio, and video formats. Verifiably reliable facts and lack of political bias are integral to the integrity of fact-based media. Additionally, fact-based media is essential for debate and decision-making in societies founded on principles of democracy. We will focus on those principles. However, there will also be the opportunity to create opinion pieces that are clearly identified as opinion. Opinion pieces will be measured by the quality of substantiation provided by the author(s).
Students will read, listen to, and watch news content, and critique it, based on a rubric that will be available at the beginning of the course. We will also review best practices, based on those expressed by such media companies as Reuters (general, for independent news content creators), and NPR (for podcast production). Subtopics include research, verification (of sources and content), identifying media manipulation (misinformation, etc.), field skills, constructive vetting,
workflow/scheduling, and more. There will be guest appearances from individuals who work or have worked in news media.
The class is writing-intensive, so all content will be produced in written form, regardless of the eventual format. Every piece of media content will be vetted by others in the class,, and by the instructor. High standards for audio and video production values will be set. The content created in the class will focus on campus, Durham, local,
state, national, and international newsworthy issues.
