Contemporary Issues in Journalism
Code
722011076
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Ciências da Comunicação
Credits
10
Teacher in charge
Paulo Nuno Vicente
Weekly hours
3 letivas + 1 tutorial
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
In this course, we will present and discuss the questions and the main challenges journalism is facing with the development of the Internet. Analyzing current problems, under the light of the theory already produced in this field, students will internalize the characteristics of a profoundly changing business.
In this course, it is expected that students:
1) understand the challenges journalism is facing nowadays;
2) strengthen their knowledge about media convergence and the changes Internet has brought to the journalistic field;
3) recognize the effect that social media and citizen journalism can bring to the definition of what is journalism.
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
The syllabus of this course will cover: a) the analysis of the current situation of the press all over the world, as well as the strategies used by newspapers to fight against the constant depletion of readers; b) the analysis of the changes produced in journalism by the introduction of Internet in newsrooms; c) the study of media convergence and its effects on journalism; d) the questioning of participatory journalism (or citizen journalism) and its consequences on the definition of the journalistic profession; e) the presentation of some new professional tools that are helping to change the role of journalists in the newsroom, both in the production of new content and in closing the gap between sources, readers and journalists.
Bibliography
GILLMOR, Dan (2005) Nós, os media, Presença, Lisboa.
JENKINS, Henry (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York University Press, New York.
MEYER, Philip (2004) The Vanishing Newspaper, University of Missouri Press, Columbia.
PROJECT for Excellence in Journalism (2012) State of News Media 2012, http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/
RHEINGOLD, Howard (2002) Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution. Perseus Publishing, Cambridge.
More recent texts will be available in a wiki specially built for this course.
Teaching method
The course will combine theoretical exposition with collective discussion of previous distributed texts and practical analysis of journalistic materials.
Evaluation method
Evaluation results from 3 elements:
1. A final essay related with the course contents (50%);
2. The attendance and participation in the course, namely through the public presentation of a scientific paper, and dynamization of, at least, part of one session (30%);
3. A public presentation of one of the tecnonologies Internet made available to journalists (and citizens) and their effects on the journalistic field (20%).