Producing Online News: Digital Skills

The dazzling speed of change in online journalism can mask a simple truth: online news is still news. Cutting-edge technology benefits the audience only when journalists apply it in the service of good stories. Building on a foundation of news stories, Producing Online News shows students how to use the right tools to get the right information to the right people at the right time. The goal is to become a full-fledged online news producer and transform stories into a complete news experience for an ever more demanding audience.

Ryan Thornburg, a journalism trainer who has managed the websites of top news organizations, hones the skills students need to produce stories using multimedia, interactivity and on-demand delivery- online journalism′s three pillars. Practical instructions show students not just how to use the tools but also how to make good journalistic choices in applying them. The book works for courses specifically in online journalism or for any journalism course that incorporates multiple platforms.

Features that make for stronger stories:

• TOOLS sections walk students through the latest technology- Twitter, Wordpress, Audacity, Caspio, Dipity and more- so their writing gains more immediacy and impact.
• Real-world examples from both traditional outlets and new-style sites like ProPublica, PolitiFact, BeliefNet and Global Voices showcase journalists connecting with their audiences.
• View Source boxes uncover the technology behind a specific news project-for example, how do just five editors at Yahoo News publish 2,000 stories a day?
• News Judgement boxes explore journalistic choices- sure, students can link a story to anything on the web- but should they?