Multimedia News Production

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This class bases journalistic practice on a deeper understanding of communication theories that are critical for becoming effective storytellers. Journalism grounded in a better theoretical understanding can be more self-aware of possible biases and limitations. This class is conceptually divided into two parts: First, students will learn various multimedia production skills. Second, students will acquire an overview of critical communication theories and learn how these apply to and inform journalistic content production and consumption. Specifically, students will learn to produce journalistic video, audio and data visualization content guided by theories that are related to news production such as rhetoric; theories of media effects including framing, hostile media effect and more; and theories of and about audiences such as information processing and active audience participation. In the process of creating journalistic content, students will have to research and present how their chosen topic is currently understood by the various stakeholders of the issue. They then will learn how to gather and interpret data and evidence in order to not only report the facts but also to discuss consequences of their stories for the community they are reporting on and possibly also the field of journalism. At the end of this class, students will also be able to discern how their and other news stories may be viewed and understood through the lenses of the various communication theories.