LATEST NEWS ABOUT STONY BROOK'S SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
October 13, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning Investigative Journalist
Scott Higham Scheduled for School of Journalism's "My Life As . . ."
Series
October 12, 2008
Student Journalist Covers Visit of War Reporter
Kim Dozier to SBU
October 5, 2008
School of Journalism Adds Four Members to
Professional Advisory Board
October 3, 2008
Former CBS News Producer Joins School of Journalism
Faculty
September 25, 2008
School of Journalism's New Broadcast Center
Open
September 22, 2008
CBS War Correspondent Kimberly Dozier Scheduled
for School of Journalism's "My Life As . . . " Series
September 12, 2008
Schools of Journalism and Marine and Atmospheric
Sciences Team Up For Seminar Series
Take a tour of the newsroom, hosted by our own Marcy McGinnis Watch the Video»
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Students participate in both on-campus and off-campus news internships every semester. Faculty mentors follow the interns' progress, meeting regularly to help students develop both craft and workplace savvy. Among the organizations where Stony Brook student journalists have interned in the past year are the Southampton Press, Newsday, The Daily News, News12 and Glamour magazine.
USA Today Executive Editor Talks on New Media
By
SBU J-School Reporter
Kinsey
Wilson, executive editor of USAToday.com, warned an audience of
journalism students at Stony Brook University April 24 that the Internet’s
impact on the world of journalism is going to be severe.
“Newspapers that don’t rethink about what they are delivering to their audience will become obsolete,” Wilson said.
He likened the influence of the Internet to the America’s Cup sailing race. “The ambition is to win the race, but some days you’re just happy to make it back to port,” Wilson said.
Wilson showed the
students YouTube two videos that illustrated the amazing
changes the Internet has made in the multimedia world. The first
was Apple’s “Macintosh 1984” ad, which was shown on television just once, during
Super Bowl XVIII. The second was “Hillary
1984,” a controversial video developed by a man named Philip de
Vellis during the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. De Vellis took the Super Bowl ad, touched it up and created his own
political ad in support of presidential hopeful Barak Obama.
The fact that more than 3 million people have viewed this ad on YouTube “keeps me up at night,” Wilson told the students.
Wilson explained that what most news companies find discomfiting is the ease with which de Vellis put the ad together.
“Individuals can not only be publishers, but they can be the distributors,” Wilson said. “The media used to be able to command audiences because they controlled the airwaves. They had a monopoly.”
The Internet has changed this monopoly, making it easier for individuals to attract audiences themselves. It is now about the content and connection one has with one’s audience.
“That’s the major shift,” Wilson said.
To compete in this new environment, journalists will still need the core skills of accuracy, solid reporting and good writing. “That’ll remain essential,” Wilson said. “The thing that will change is the connection to the audience.”
An example of this new interaction is Brian Williams’ blog, The Daily Nightly, on MSNBC.com. Williams not only provides an inside look into the world of reporting, but he also lets readers communicate with him through the comments they leave.
“The next 10 years will be volatile,” Wilson cautioned the students. “Choose who you work for carefully. Be selective because some companies may dissolve.”
Wilson’s outlook was not all grim. Although the traditional world of journalism is changing, according to Wilson, he still believes that the Internet will provide many opportunities for reporters, writers and editors.
