NEW MEDIA STREAM

The profession and practice of journalism is wellentrenched in its trajectory of change ushered in by digital media which has made the process significantly more open, democratic and participatory. It is now not just desirable but imperative for journalists of the future to acquire the skills and the mindset to set the tone, adapt, stay informed and introduce the new tools and the new thinking not just to the media industry but also to the consumers of news.

New media students of the ACJ are prepared to spearhead that change, particularly in the South Asian context. They are introduced to a curriculum that is on par with worldwide trends giving them the ability to think, work and engage like 21st century journalists.

At the very heart of our programme are the core journalism skills and every new media concept and technology focuses on the application of these skills. Through the course, students will be imparted training in newsgathering, reporting, writing and editing. There will be a strong focus on language and style with students taught to write factually, creatively and analytically in response to the story’s demands. Students produce a lab journal, ACJ Newsline and their work through the year is compiled in a digital portfolio which showcases their individual digital journalism skills.

In the first term, students are introduced to blogging, social media, writing for the web, web design, search engine optimization, and multimedia storytelling. They are imparted training on appropriate software packages and exposed to web design and production tools.

During the second term, students are trained to use social media for journalism. They are taught social media verification and introduced to the latest multimedia storytelling tools and applications. Live-blogging, curation, microblogging are included in the curriculum.

Mobile journalism, data-driven journalism, hyperlocal and entrepreneurial journalism are some of the components of the third-term curriculum. Besides, students are also taught how to live-stream audio and video, conduct webinars, create graphics using mapping and infographic tools and use augmented reality applications for journalism.

In response to the dynamics of the digital media landscape, the curriculum is updated through the year so that students are exposed to the latest tools and trends and gain the confidence and the capability to adapt to the constantly-evolving environment of the media industry.