Convergence and theUrban Journalism Curriculum

Karen M. Turner

Susan Jacobson

Temple University

Convergence, the Urban Mission and Temple Journalism

Curriculum has been actively evolving since the 1990’s

In 1995, broadcast journalism courses were added to the curriculum and the sequences were eliminated

EIG was added as a core course in 1996 Fall 2000 department reinstituted sequences 2001-2003 plans for reorganization “The New Look : Mission-Driven Journalism”

curriculum introduced in Fall 2004.

What Is Urban Journalism?

• Coverage of diverse voices and ideas• Coverage of the under-covered/under-served

inner city communities• Coverage of the complex issues facing the

nation’s urban centers • Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods.• Not euphemism for the coverage of only black

and brown communities

Convergence at Temple

Challenges: Changing Mediascape

Mainstream media outlets are laying off staffers and trying to redefine themselves

American public gets more of its news from TV and, increasingly, from the Web

Alternative and ethnic press is maintaining its audience and its revenue base

Traffic.com has hired 80 people in 2005, and plans to hire 30 more

New York Times is now charging money for some Web content

Challenges:Wireless Philadelphia

Philadelphia to become largest metropolitan area in the world with ubiquitous wireless access

How can journalists in Philadelphia take advantage of the new network?

What new platforms for news delivery will be available? (ex: WiFi PDAs, moblogs )

What kind of content will journalists create for these new delivery platforms?

What potential does the wireless network have to enable greater news coverage for under-served communities?

The Temple Curriculum

Mix interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches.

Core curriculum - more interdisciplinary. Sequences more multi-disciplinary.

Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab - New capstone course for all majors. Newsroom located downtown across from City Hall.

Interdisciplinary Core

Platform-independent basic courses: Writing for Journalists Audio-Visual Newsgathering Design for Journalists Electronic Information Gathering Journalism and Society Journalism and the Law Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab capstone

Multi-Disciplinary Sequences

Broadcast Journalism Magazine News-Editorial Photography for the Mass Media

Urban Journalism Elements

Focus on stories local to Philadelphia, particularly stories centered around under-served neighborhoods

Outreach to independent media organizations, including internship opportunities for students

Relationship with the city in preparing students for Wireless Philadelphia initiative.

Next Steps

Partner MURL with ethnic press in those neighborhoods where community media exists.

Incorporate student-run radio Internet radio station into curriculum.

Move MURL to a more Web-centric lab. Develop “live” field reporting from anywhere in

the city via the Wireless Philadelphia Internet. Develop models of urban reporting that may be

used in other cities, or by other urban media groups.

Sample Works

MURL - Multimedia Urban Reporting Labhttp://www.temple.edu/murl/Default.htm

Better World Election Day MoBloghttp://betterworldblog.livejournal.com/2004/11/02/

Student Project: Alex Goldblum’s Revolution http://alexgoldblum.com

Student Project: Kurt Sensenig’s Concert Radiohttp://www.artimperial.com/

For More Information

Karen M. Turnerkturner@temple.edu

Susan Jacobsonsusanj@temple.edu

See our paper on the Convergence Web site!