Journalism 2.0 - Knight Citizen News Network

Introduction
You can do this
Can you cut a word in your copy and paste it into a different location to help
the sentence flow? Then you have what it takes to edit audio and video.
Can you send an attachment with an e-mail? Then you have what it takes to
publish a blog with pictures.
With a little practice and experience, digital journalism will actually save you
time. Talk to any newspaper reporters who have successful blogs and ask them if
it takes more time out of their week because they’re doing “extra” work. The
answer likely will be “no.” How can that be? The blog turns out to be a great
organizational tool for beat
reporters. It’s a notebook kept in
Change is inevitable.
Progress is optional.
The future is now.
10
Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive
the public sphere so reporters
know which topics have “juice,”
helping them prioritize the stories
they should work on.
Go find someone who works on
the Web site for a news company.
Ask them how they learned
to do what they do. In almost all cases I would wager that they are self-taught.
It’s simply the result of wanting to learn something new.
That’s the secret: If you truly want to learn how to do digital journalism, you
will. Remember, this is about people, not technology.
This handbook will guide you along the way, breaking down each skill and
technology into digestible lessons that will be immediately usable for you in your
work. It is organized so you can focus on one discipline at a time. It is practical,
not conceptual. You will be able to perform the skill the same day you read about it.
It has to be that fast — there is no time to waste.
The fact is, if you work in journalism, you work for an online news organization
— whether you want to or not.
Change is inevitable. Progress is optional. The future is now.
– Mark Briggs
1 American Society of Newspaper Editors, Newsroom Employment Census, 2006. Numbers are for paidcirculation
newspapers.
2 The Long Tail, Hyperion, July 2005. Chris Anderson is editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine.