WMI Spring 2012 Syllabus

8/3/2019 WMI Spring 2012 Syllabus

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WASHINGTON MEDIA INISTITUTE

SEMINAR

SPRING 2012

Time: Tuesday: 7:00-9:00pmFriday: 9:30am-5:30pm

INSTRUCTOR

Name: Amos GelbPhone: 202-285-4352

E-mail: [email protected] hours: By appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Washington Media Institute Seminar is the academic component of the WashingtonMedia experience. It is designed to work with and around the internship that you are

undertaking.

The seminar has three primary areas of focus:1) Increasing students creative metabolism2) Sharpening their decision making process3) Broadening their conception of media

The seminar itself is a very different kind of academic course based on the foundation of

a very different learning experience: experiential learning.

Experiential education is learning-by-doing and then reviewing both what has been doneand the lessons learned. At the core of this form of education is empowering students to

become active participants thereby honing their decision-making processes. To thatextent, skills training, lectures and other exercises are designed to work in tandem.

Those skills are then honed to be put to work at the accelerated rate expected in todays

professional world.

The course itself is built as a pedagogical pyramid. At the base skills, theory, andexercises are married to prepare students to maximize their internship experience. That

experience is then put into perspective by hearing from leading media professionals whodiscuss specific concepts as they are applied in the media today.

The overall goal for the course is to give students the skills, knowledge and experience of

the practical world they will soon enter by exploring the form and shape of media todayand how it is changing through the prism of the forces in Washington, DC: political,

social and economic.


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By the very nature of the Washington Media Institute, this is a survey course that coverstopics that are rich enough to entail a course in and of themselves. Instead, by giving

students a broader sense of the entirety of todays media, the Washington Media Instituteis designed to be a rigorous experience that is very different from the normal course work

students experience at their home schools.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

In line with the nature of experiential education, the goals of the seminar are practically

oriented. By the end of the course students will:

1) Understand the state of, form of, and players in the media as it exists inWashington, DC and the seismic forces reshaping it, so as better to understand

their future opportunities.2) Understand and critically analyze the interactions between journalism, politics,

economics and other forces and how those inter-actions shape todays media.3) Develop the technical skills needed to work across all todays different media at

the rate of production that is needed to compete today.4) Produce multi-media content, using new forms of media and storytelling.COURSE COMPONENTS:

The course is comprised of five parts:1) Skills training2) Lectures3) Speakers4) Site visits5) Assignments1) Skills: To understand and compete in todays media environment, students need to

have baseline skills so that they can work across all media. A difference inapproach of experiential learning is that rather than develop skills through

extensive training, students are given the core abilities and then hone and advancethose skills by completing projects that are concept-driven rather than skill-

development drive. Skills that will be developed are:

Writing (across all media) Video shooting/editing (using a variety of digital cameras and digital

editing technology)

Web presentation (using Wordpress and other programs) Social Media (Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin and other programs)

2)Lectures: There are at least two and a half hours of lectures each week that willlay out the themes or focus on practical concepts that will be covered in thecourse. These lectures will explore the media across the entire landscape in

Washington, DC, from political journalism to public relations and beyond,providing a holistic look at todays media as well as repeatedly revisiting skills

concepts as students abilities evolve.3) Speakers: As noted about, hearing from leading media professionals is the

capstone of the course, putting internship experience, skills and theory into


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professional perspective so that the lessons learned are placed in context. WMIstudents will hear from more than 30 speakers during the course of the semester.

It is important to note that this is not a speakers series where a set of disparatevoices offers little more than war stories, a chance for superficial networking and

an autograph. Rather, these speakers and their expertise are targeted at specific

topics and serve specific purposes.4) Visits: Just as speakers can add context and perspective, so too can site visits. Forexample, one can study Congress for a lifetime but a whole new level of

understanding comes from the experience of walking onto the floor of the Houseof Representatives or visiting a Congressional office. To that end, WMI students

will experience news organizations, government institutions and other relevantsites.

5) Assignments: The assignments are a key ingredient in getting the most out of DC.These assignments will challenge students to apply the skills introduced and make

decisions about what they should present. Initial assignments will focus ondecision-making and application of skills. Once baseline levels have been

established, assignments will grow in complexity and direct relevance to themedia today. All assignments will comprise of written, video and web

components reflecting the reality of todays media.

TEXTS:

Author Title PublisherMark Feldstein Poisoning of the Press Farrar Strauss Giroux

Jeff Jarvis What Would Google Do Harper CollinsPew Research Center State of the News Media 2011 Pew (online)

Clay Sharkey Here Comes Everyone Penguin

Plus selected articles and other work, which will be posted on the delicious.com page.

The selected texts represent different components of the course:Feldstein is a historic text to give some background on how the media evolved to its

current state

Jarvis captures the ethos of the new media world and the changing relationship

between news supplier and audienceState of the News Media offers a snap shot of todays media

Sharkey explores the influence the new media is having on information.

ASSIGNMENTS:

There are four types of assignments for this course:

Multi-media projects

There will be series of assignments (four), which will put into practice the skills

and concepts we address in class.Reflective Papers

There will be two reflective 5-page papers that will require you to take stock ofwhat you have been learning and hearing.


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External CommissionsAfter the initial projects, we will produce work for external organizations to raise

the stakes in the quality of your product.WMI Challenge

A WMI challenge project that allows students to reflect upon all they have

learned in a multi-media presentation.

GRADING

Attendance: 10% Papers: 10% Team Assignments: 25% Pop quizzes: 5% Commissions: 25% Challenge: 10% Class participation: 15 %

While each element will contribute a percentage to the final grade, failure tocomplete any single assignment will result in negative affect on your grade of up to 3

full grades.

COURSE CONTENT:

The course is broadly divided into three sections:

Old Media explores the values, skills, and characteristics of the legacy media as theyexist today and how they evolved.

New Media explores the new and social media as they relate to journalism andcommunication in practice today and, more importantly, how the foundations of old

media translate or dont - to the new age. The issues range from legal and ethical, tobusiness and content forms.Everything beyond explores those elements of the media that may not fit cleanly into

the rubric of earlier elements. Included but not limited to issues ranging fromdocumentary and reality television, to branded networks and issues arising from global

journalism and content creation.


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Provisional Schedule

The schedule is subject to change

Week 1:

January 9th

January 14th

Orientation and boot camp

OLD MEDIA: WEEKS 2 6

WEEK 2

WHERE IS JOURNALISM TODAY?

Tuesday1/17NO CLASS FIRST DAY OF INTERNSHIP

Friday1/20ASSIGNMENT

REVIEW

9:00-10:00 AM

CRITIQUE

ASSIGNMENTS/WEBPAGES

LECTURE

10:00-12:30 PM

WHATS WRONG WITH

JOURNALISM TODAY?

A review at the prevailing views

on the state of journalism.

Readings:

State of the

News Media

Come to class

with 5

problems you

see in

journalism

today

SPEAKER

2:00-3:000PM

Tommy Burr Salt Lake

Tribune. Tommy is a newspaper

report from a traditional regional

paper. It is an interesting place to

be in journalism today.

National Press

Club, 14thand

F streets DC.

Site Visit/SpeakerVoice of America

The Voice of America is a verytraditional newsroom,

broadcasting traditional news on

radio and video. This is a place

where traditional journalism is

very much alive

300Independence

Ave,

Washington

DC.

SPEAKER

4.30-6pm

Steve Springer senior executive

producer.

WEEK 3

JOURNALISMS ROLE IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL LANSCAPE

Tuesday 1/24WATCH STATE OF THE UNION

PLAY THE DUNKING GAME!

Friday 1/27LECTURE

9:00-10AM

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

An examination of the vital historical

role journalism has played in shaping

US society from John Paul Zenger to

Readings:

Poisoning

the Press.


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Watergate. How does that traditional

role and influence translate in an age

of Kim Kardashian, the Arab Spring

and Herman Cain?

WATCH

10:00-12:30PM

ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN

Washington journalism cannot be

discussed without understanding thepivotal role of these events.

SPEAKER

3:30 5:00PM

Mark Feldstein GW Professor and

award-winning journalist. Feldstein

will discuss his book (the assigned

reading) and talk about the history of

investigative reporting and why it has

been so important.

WEEK 4

COVERING WASHINGTON AND THE HILL

WEEK 5

HOW THE ECONOMICS SHAPED THE MEDIATuesday 2/7

LECTURE

7:00-8:00PM

STORYTELLING

We will return to the art of

storytelling raised in boot camp.

Particularly, we will look at narrative

storytelling techniques and explore

how different kinds of stories can be

told.

Reading:

Excerpt from

On Writing

Well, Zinsser;

Autism article

in Atlantic,

John Donvan

SPEAKER

8:00-9:00PM

John DonvanABC NewsNightline

Donvan is the best storyteller in

television today and will talk about

his processes and style.

Friday 2/10

Monday 1/308-9pm Kalb Reportspeaker tba. National Press

Club, 1400 FStreet

Friday 2/3

SITE VISIT

10:00-4:30PM

Visit Capitol Hill

Meet the players from journalists to

press secretaries to Capitol staffers to

understand how the media covers the

Hill. Details TBA.

Tour the

Capitol

Take Metro to

Capitol South

and walk straight

to the Capitol

Dome. Meet on

House side.

DISCUSSION

4:40 5:15pm

Covering the Hill

After meeting all the players we will

discuss why coverage of the Hill is

not only so sparse but how that

coverage influences peoplesnegative impression of the Hill.


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ASSIGNMENT

REVIEW

9:30-11:00AM

REVIEW SECOND

ASSIGNMENTS

LECTURE

11:15-12:30 PM

THE ECONOMICS OF

JOURNALISM

We will explore how the economics

of media have shaped the nature andform of legacy journalism.

Begin reading

Jarvis

SITE VISIT

2:00 5:00PM

WJLA/POLITICO

The WJLA newsroom in DC houses

both a legacy media entity the

ABC-affiliate local television station

and the hottest new media journalism

Politico.

We will explore how legacy media is

faring as it shares space with new

media.

SPEAKERS BILL LORD Station manager

WJLA

LEON HARRIS Chief anchor

JAKE SHERMAN Politico,

Congressional correspondent.

WEEK 6

THE RELATIONSHIP WITH PRTuesday 2/14

LECTURE

7:00-9:00 PM

EPORTFOLIOS

We will begin the process of building your

eportfolios, which are the newest, and

rapidly growing in popularity among

recruiters, way of presenting your work

and resume.

ASSIGNMENT TURN IN FIRST 5 PAGE PAPEREVALUATE THE SPEAKERS SO FAR

AND, BASED ON THEIR

COMMENTARY AND WHAT YOU

HAVE READ, HOW HAS YOUR VIEW

OF THE MEDIA CHANGED, IF AT

ALL.

Friday 2/17

LECTURE

10:00-12:00PM

Press and PR an uncomfortable

symbiosis.

A look at the underlying factors in the

relationship between PR and journalism inD.C. and explore how the stakeholders and

motivations create a contentious

relationship and how the lines between the

two are getting blurred.

SPEAKER

2003:30PM

ELLIOT NEGIN Union of Concerned

Scientists. There is a whole business of PR

that is related to the issues rather than

products. The Union of Concerned


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Scientists is just trying to save humanity

and Elliot is the press person.

SPEAKER

3:45-5:00PM

KEITH BLACKMAN a leading media

and pr consultant. He has worked with big

pr firms, corporate America, and a range

of other organizations. A former NBC

producer he made a successful voyage tothe dark side.

NEW MEDIA: WEEKS 7-9

Week 7

THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRANSITION TO THE NEW MEDIATuesday 2/21

SCREEN

7:00-9:00 PM

STATE OF PLAY

The quintessential DC journalism

movie that explores the conflict

between old and new media.

Finish

reading

Jarvis by

this week

Friday 2/24

SITE VISIT

10:00-12:00 PM

THE WASHINGTON POST

We will spend the day at the

Washington Post learning how this

fabled newspaper is adjusting to the

new media age and exploring the

culture wars between old and new

media taking place.

SPEAKERS Rajiv Narissetti Managing editor

Nurith Aizenman - Reporter Editor

Amy Shinns - Reporter

DISCUSSION

4:00-5:00PM

WashPost recap we will review

and consider the complex issues

surrounding this newspapers

evolution to a new media entity.

WEEK 8: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEWEST MEDIATuesday 2/28

ASSIGNMENT

REVIEW

7:00-9:00PM

SCREEN AND REVIEW THIRD

VIDEO/WEBPAGE

ASSIGNMENTS

Friday 3/2

LECTURE

10:00-12:00PM

The Social Network

What is behind them and how do they

really work and what is that impact on

journalism? Are they really as game-

changing as conventional wisdom

would suggest.

Reading:

Sharkey


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SPEAKER

2:00-3:00PM

Joe Gizzy

New Media Strategies one of the

top communications strategists in the

city.

SPEAKER

4:00-5:00PM

Andrew Noyes

Public Affairs Communications

Director at Facebook.

SPRING BREAK MARCH 5TH 9TH

WEEK 9

THE GOVERNMENTS ROLE IN THE NEW MEDIATuesday 3/13

NO CLASS

Friday 3/1

LECTURE

10:00-12:00PM

NEW MEDIA NEW POLICIES

The new media changes everythingfrom copyright to net neutrality. How

is the system adjusting? What are the

limitations and how does the old

relationship between media and the

government translate? What is net

neutrality and why it matter? What is

governments role in this new media?

Reading:

Sharkey

SITE VISIT

2:00-5:00PM

Federal Communications

Commission

SPEAKER

4:00-5:00 PM

Haley Van Dyck - FCC New Media

Director

Colin Crowell FCC Special Counsel

EVERYTHING BEYOND: WEEKS 10-14

WEEK 10

RADIO THE OTHER BROADCAST MEDIUMTuesday 3/20

TBD

Friday 3/23

LECTURE

10:00 12:00PM

Radio the Forgotten Medium

Much ignored amidst the glamour of

TV and the web is the enduring

quality and power of radio. Rather

than being killed by television and theinternet, today more people listen the

NPR than watch the combined three

Network TV newscasts. How has it

survived when it was ruled dead so

many times? What are the different

models and how it is evolving?

SITE VISIT

2:30-4.30pm

SIRIUS-XM RADIO Sirius-XMNewYork Ave, NE


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SPEAKER Bob Edwards former NPR host

now star of Sirius-XM

SPEAKER

6:00-6:30pm

Dan Raviv CBS Radio one of the

journalistic work horses of the city.

CBS Radio 2000

M Street DC

WEEK 11

LONG FORM PRODUCTIONTuesday3/27

ASSIGNMENT

DUE

SECOND PAPER DUE (EMAIL) NO CLASS

Friday 3/30

LECTURE

9:30-12:00PM

LONG FORM PRODUCTION

How does long form production differ

from short form? How is the story

telling different? What can be learned

from reality television?

SPEAKER

1:30-3:00PM

SEAN FINE AWARD WINNING

DOCUMENTARIAN. Jason

SPEAKER

3:30-5:00PM

JASON WILLIAMS FORMER

CNN PRODUCER TURNED

REALITY SHOW EXECUTIVE.

Jason is one of the leading makers of

non-fiction television for networks

such as Discovery and National

Geographic.

WEEK 12

THE MILITARY AND THE MEDIA

Tuesday 4/3TOPIC UNDERSTANDING

NETWORKING

SPEAKER THOMAS COOK, THOMAS

COOK ASSOCIATES. Thomas is the

master networker. He will show you

how the game is really played.

Friday 4/6

SITE VISIT

9:00-12:00PM

THE PENTAGON

We will visit the White House and

talk to communications leaders.

Exact details to come

Tour the

Capitol

Take Metro to

Capitol South

and walk straight

to the Capitol

Dome. Meet on

House side.SPEAKER

12pm- 1pm

COL JIM FLEIGAL

Assistant Director of Social Media

Office of the Secretary of Defense

LECTURE

2pm 3.30pm

THE MILITARY AND THE

MEDIA FROM EMBEDDING TO

CENSORSHIP the military

specialized at keeping secrets, the

press at revealing them. We will look


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at the push and pull of media covering

them military under the banner of the

1st amendment. And how that

discussion extending to issues like the

Arab Spring and the role of

journalism and the media in the US

and abroad.

WEEK 13

ALTERNATE CONTENT CREATIONTuesday 4/10 TBD Friday 4/13 LECTURE

10-12pm

ALTERNATE CONTENT

CREATION

Increasingly there are alternate forms

of content being creating by alternate

organizations. This week will look at

some of these alternate content formsand who is creating them.

SPEAKER

2-3.30pm

Joie Chen Branded Networks. Joie

worked at CBS and CNN before

leaving traditional journalism to

establish what she called the third

rail of information.

SPEAKER

4-5pm

Jon Senior Canvas Bag

Productions. Jon creates road shoes

for corporations. It may seem far from

journalism but it is about content

creation, and as he tells it, story

telling.

WEEK 14

THE WHITE HOUSETuesday 4/17

TBDFriday 4/20

SITE VISIT

10:00-12:00PM

WHITE HOUSE

We will visit the White House and

talk to communications leaders.

LECTURE COVERING THE WHITE HOUSE

How has coverage of the President

changed from Watergate? How do

reconcile the 24/7 news cycle withbeing managed by the White House

press staff?

SPEAKER Ed Henry FOX White House

Correspondent Henry has covered

the White House first for CNN and

now for FOX


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WEEK 15: WRAPPING UPFriday 4/27

PRESENT

10am -10.30am

CAPSTONE

PROJECTS

PRESENT

10:45am - 11.15am

EPORTFOLIOS

PRESENT

11.15am-11.30am

INTERN

PRESENTATIONS

FINAL COMMENTS/

HOUSE CLEANING

11.30am-1pm

WRAPPING UP

THE SEMESTER

GRADUATION LUNCH

1-2PM

GRADUATION

LUNCH

CLASS POLICIES

Attendance policy: unless arranged and approved by the Professor ahead of time, thereis a zero tolerance for absences. Each absence will contribute to grades being deducted.

Two unexplained absences will cost one grade.Late work: the media world is unforgiving. Late work will not be accepted withoutexceptional reasons.

Policy on Religious Holidays:

Please notify faculty and staff as early as possible of any conflict with religious events.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Simply put dont cheat or plagiarize. Punishment can include dismissal from the program,In the real world you will be fired or worse.

WMI Spring 2012 Syllabus

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