New Media Journalism: a Modern Degree for Tomorrow's Journalists

In our modern world of high speed internet connections and instant status updates, it's hard to imagine that there was ever a time when the only source of news available to the public was in the form of a newspaper. When the radio came along and gave voice to the news, families could sit and listen to broadcasts together, and those that did not know how to read were able to stay as well informed as those that could. Television gave the news a face and gave journalists the opportunity to actually show audiences video footage of groundbreaking events. Instead of trying to describe the events, reporters could let the audience see the events for themselves. And now, the Internet has taken its place as the greatest innovation in news since television. The Internet allows people to interact with the news and lets news followers take control of how and when they receive updates. Many news organizations even allow members of their audience to submit their own citizen journalist reports of breaking news on the ground in order to offer insight into stories from eyewitnesses.

A degree in new media journalism is focused on teaching the journalists of tomorrow how to stay relevant in their field by teaching them how to use cyberspace as an outlet to deliver the news. Students are taught how to work with and adapt news to social networks, streaming video, pod-casts, and more. They are taught the theoretical aspect of being a journalist and the technical aspect of producing digital news.

Full Sail University, a nationally accredited institution, currently offers a Master of Arts degree in new media journalism that can be completed online. The program is 12 months long and promises "extensive, project based experience with the software tools that produce..." digital news content. Unique about the new media journalism degree offered by Full Sail is the emphasis on teaching students how to brand their image to create a "strong public identity". Students are required to complete courses in public relations and reputation management, all aimed at helping students deal with success should they be lucky enough to find it.

The current Master of Arts in new media journalism degree offered by Full Sail University focuses on three main areas; multimedia content development, interactive media distribution, and personal branding. With these skills, graduates of this program would be qualified to work for news organizations as digital news reporters and social network engineers, or they could work for themselves as independent bloggers and use the skills learned in the program to exponentially expand their exposure.

Source:

New Media Journalism, Master of Arts Degree - Online. Full Sail University.