journalism-pku news

THE CHANGING FACE OF JOURNALISM How to hold on to its key principles while adapting to today’s society.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

What is Journalism?According to the American Press Institute:

Journalism is the process of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news information.However, Journalism can be distinguished from other literary activities from its commonly identifiable characteristics and practices. The purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, and their governments.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

What are the key principles of Journalism?

FAIRNESSIMPARTIALITYACCURACYHONESTYTRANSPARENCY

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

FAIRNESSThe rights of individuals involved in any story should always be respected. Persons or organizations publicly accused should be given the opportunity to respond.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

IMPARTIALITYAlthough it is impossible for humans to be 100% impartial, journalistic activities should be impartial.Any necessary precaution should be taken to avoid conflict of interest.

A Journalist should neither accept nor pursue any activity that may compromise their integrity. In any newspaper, there should be a clear distinction between news and opinion.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

ACCURACYAccuracy is one of the great corner stones of journalism. Therefore, all effort must be taken to make sure that all published material is accurate and free of error. If any material is corrected, after the initial publication, then a note should be made either at the top or bottom of the article to state that changes have been made. This particularly applied to online material.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

TRANSPARENCYJournalists must always identify themselves as journalists when gathering information for publication; regardless of any form of medium they are using.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

JOURNALISM IN TODAY’S DIGITAL AGEHow have things changed?

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT ON NEWS

Lines have been blurred between journalists and bloggers.Ordinary citizens can now “break news” via sites such as twitter/weibo.

There is a rush among many media outlets to be the first in breaking news. This has resulted in countless incidents of inaccuracy in news reporting.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

WRITING FOR WEB

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

Why is a good headline critical?

According to statistics, webpage users read, at most, 28% of online written content. How to write a good headline:

Make the title as short as possible: 3-6 words is idealDo not complicate a titleThe headline must be a summary of the news piece

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

Points to note:Less is more.Follow the steps of writing: introduction, body and conclusion.Don’t make the font too small.Web readers prefer sans serif fonts.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUESTips on how to conduct a great interview and get what you want.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

1. BE PREPARED!Learn as much as you can about your subject prior to the interview. Be sure of your facts!Know what questions you are going to ask and why – write down your questions.Think about the medium – audio, video or print media all require slightly different interviewing techniques. Also, make sure that your equipment is working. Audio is the most important component!Find a good location – avoid coffee shops i.e. Starbucks. Aim to interview at a location that will add value to your story.Be early! Do not be on time!

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

2. Never give an interviewee questions in advance.3. Ask the most important questions first – Be sure to warm up your interviewee though!4. Don’t worry about asking the same questions over and over again – Sometimes people need a bit of time to warm up to you or the topic.5. Nothing is ever off the record.6. Don’t worry about awkward silences.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015

7. LISTEN! – The flow of your questions must be natural and conversational. 8. Watch your body language – particularly when it comes to video interviews. 9. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.10. Treat your subject with respect and ALWAYS thank them for the interview, regardless of its outcome.

ALICE NAMU | MAY 22ND 2015