Part 1 questions
What is crowd-sourcing? Is it good for journalism or bad for journalism?Give at least one example of a news story that used crowd-sourcing – an example that we have not seen in our textbook or discussed in our lectures.
What I was looking for:
Define crowd-sourcing: Asking your audience for help. Distributed reporting. Having your audience contribute research (information, photos). Citizen journalism, participatory journalism, pro-am journalism.
This is good, because 1) there have been cutbacks in newsrooms – journalists can’t be everywhere! … and 2) journalists can benefit from the ‘wisdom of the crowd’; our readers are smart and helpful.
But we must be careful, too. Some readers may give us wrong information or even try to trick us (to manipulate the news media).
Gen (Zou Xinying): Communities are powerful. They may do lots of investigations easily, because they have many members.
Lily Zhang: How a U.S. news organization called ProPublica asked people who had been hurt in hospitals to share their experiences
Huang Xiang Lin:Example –“cruel cat” incident
Why are cellphones important in journalism today? (Discuss how journalists use cellphones and how news consumers use cellphones.)
What I was looking for:
Cellphones are the most ubiquitous computers today. They are everywhere. Journalists have them, and our audience has them. They are portable and powerful.
Journalists can use cellphones in doing research (checking Weibo and social media; searching for information online; contacting sources; taking photos and videos) … for publishing (sending a story to their newsroom; posting directly on social media or a blog) … and for promoting a story and engaging the audience.
News consumers can use cellphones for receiving news (text stories, videos, photos – via the web, social media and RSS) … and for interacting with the news (discussing stories, micro-blogging about news, contributing information, crowd-sourcing). In today’s 24/7 world, consumers expect news to be ‘on demand’ (available and updated whenever they want it).
Zhang Qian: Gave a good example of Southern Metropolis Daily reporter Wu Bo covering a meeting of the NPC/CPPCC. Also, “news consumers can learn what happens by using cellphones. At the same time, they can use their cellphones to express their views.”
Zhang Linyue:“Our cellphones are now just like a mini computer that can be connected to the Internet.”
Tang Luzhou: Did excellent research on the number of cellphones in China (1.235 billion! Amazing! I often see a lot of professors who have TWO cellphones. One for each ear? ;)
Sang Jinru:“The mobile phone has almost permeated all aspects of the journalist’s work.”
What is RSS, and why is it important in social and mobile media journalism?
What I was looking for:
RSS is a way to publish and a way to read. It is based on computer coding (XML) that separates a headline from a summary from the body of a story. This is a great way for news organizations to publish, because then they can post their RSS feed in a lot of different places. And RSS is a great way for consumers to read the news, because they can scan the headlines (read the headlines quickly) … and then decide which full stories to read. RSS makes it possible to display your Weibo feed and other content on a particular web page or with an RSS readers.
Wang Xiaoli: Four advantages – Save time, concise, convenient, increase knowledge
Song Rui: QQ’s RSS
Rong Xiaotong: Discusses SEO and XML and RSS! (alphabet soup!)
What is a “MoJo”? Do you think that in the future, most journalists will be “MoJos”? Will you be a “MoJo”?
What I was looking for:
Define MoJo: Mobile Journalist
Different kinds/levels of MoJos: Some may use only a cellphone; others use a laptop, cameras, tripods, microphones …
This is the future; our audience expects mobile reporting – and reporters must perform several roles (a writer as well as a photographer).
At the same time, there is a future for in-depth reporting, longform writing, professional-broadcast TV.
Li Hang: Reporters use portable electronic equipment to collect, edit and publish news. … The audience is going mobile, so journalists should, too.
Sun Yujie: But just as it said in our textbook, ‘This transformation doesn’t mean mobile reporting will replace in-depth reporting.” We will still need mainstream media journalists …
Chen Yanxi: MoJos are divided into two groups. One is gearhead, and the other is light packer. (And then Stella explains the difference.)
Do you believe the blogger Han Han has been an influential voice in Chinese society? Why or why not? Is his writing journalism or something else?
What I was looking for:
Recap what Han Han has done; perhaps reference the CNN video.
Yuan Xinyue: Maybe he used to be an influential voice in China, but now not. (Dora then explained Han Han’s evolution – from writing Triply Doors, novels, essays … to being a race-car driver … and now his movie. Dora suggests that Han Han may have lost his focus along with his popularity.)
Yang Xinyuan:Listed recognition Han Han has received – from Time magazine, the British magazine called New Statesman … and how many people have visited his blog. “I think Han Han’s writing is not journalism, but it’s more important on the mental level” (it makes you think).
Zheng Zhivi: bold and brash views … humorous and sharp writing style … can express opinions that most people cannot express
Weibo messages
Summarize news
Good grammar and spelling
Best practices for micro-blogging: Use hashtags, links, photos, videos, animated or special text, etc.
End with comment, question or other conversation starter
Avoid vague links like “click here for more information”. Just put the link … or be specific, like “Photos from the scene