Innovation in College Media

Paul Bradshaw, a UK journalism prof, writes some tips about how to be a journalism student. Great stuff (thanks to Mindy for bringing it to our attention).

Never content to let well enough be, I'm going to add some thoughts to Paul's list. Here's the basics of his bullet points:

1. Read the news
2. Forget you have an opinion.
3. Know the difference between news and features.
4. Make contacts.
5. Get a life.
6. Don’t sit around waiting for an email reply.
7. Learn how to spell.
8. Be open to new experiences.
9. Read books.
10. Know what you want to get out of this - and chase it.

Be sure to go to the link above to read all of the explanations.

So here are a few additions I've thought of, off the top of my head - where you can see that there are thoughts taking off, because there's no hair there.

1. Watch good video - It's not enough now to just be able to tell a story with words. I love words, but words don't always do the story justice. Look at good video documentaries. See what they do well, and what could be improved.
2. Engage in conversation - I'm not as much a stickler as Paul about forgetting that you have an opinion. Be willing to admit mistakes. Respond to readers. Engage your audience.
3. See stories from all angles - It's not always about the photograph, either. Sometimes, a map can tell a story as well as a graphic in the newspaper, or a timeline. Know which types of online artifacts can help your news story.
4. Embrace the Web - Use hyperlinks. Practice blogging. Push for online-first news publishing. Use the online content management system in your workflow. Don't accept the old standards of turning in .doc's to the copy editors. Demand that they embrace the future instead of dragging their feet in the past. Follow bloggers on your campus. Let them help you ferret out story ideas. Don't EVER dismiss the power of the online medium to drive readers to your publication.
5. Be willing to fail - Try innovative projects. Throw things at your editors that they would never expect. Look for ways to push the envelope of storytelling on your campus. I guarantee if you do you will be more prepared for the future of journalism than your peers.
6. Ask "why?" - NEVER be afraid to challenge the conventions of journalism. Some of the things we've done for so long have been done because "that's the way we've always done them." This goes along with the point above about being willing to fail. If we accept the received wisdom as wisdom - without critical evaluation - we do a disservice to ourselves and to journalism as a whole.
7. Think about databases - How can a story with lots of data be broken down into manageable bits of information that people can parse by their interests.

These additional ideas won't guarantee your success in the future of journalism, any more than will Paul's original 10. But they will be a help, more than a hindrance. Don't just stop at print (or broadcast). The best piece of advice I ever received was to keep learning always. Keep learning always.