PRLog (Press Release) -
Oct 15, 2009 -
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has hosted a webcast for journalism educators (http://www.knightcasestudies.org/
podcasts). The session was moderated by Dean of Students Sree Sreenivasan. Prof. Coronel and Director Lundberg discussed their experience with one of the free case studies available on the program’s website:
http://casestudies.jrn.columbia.edu.
The free case, “A Life on the Line: the Christian Science Monitor and Jill Carroll,” examines the strategies available to a news organization whose reporter has been kidnapped. Through class discussion of the issues raised by the case, students come to appreciate the complex constituencies the news organization must manage. They also gain an appreciation of the nuanced contract--written and unwritten—between news outlets and stringers (non-staff reporters paid by the story).
A listener asked whether the Initiative’s library of cases included examples of the “ordinary”
challenges of journalism. Yes, responded Lundberg: numerous cases are about editorial decisionmaking by both editors and reporters. Prof. Coronel emphasized that “teaching”
cases do more than raise ethical issues for discussion; they help students build reporting skills ,as well as critical thinking abilities. She added that students in her case classes were engaged and lively, vying to make their points.
The collection of nearly 25 case studies covers such topics as strategic management, reporting on science, investigative reporting and blogging.
The podcast can be found at
http://www.knightcasestudies.org/podcasts .
The Knight Case Studies Initiative was launched in February 2007 with a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The program aims to enhance the way journalism is taught by giving teachers powerful new tools for the classroom. The goal is to train students to think like newsroom managers and news industry leaders.
