JOUR 3325: TECHNOLOGY REPORTING

Fall 2015 syllabus (subject to change)

Class sessions: TTH 2-3:20 p.m., Umphrey Lee 278
Course blog: j3325.tumblr.com Course hashtag: #j3325
Jake Batsell, M.A.
Assistant Professor
214-768-1915 (office); 214-529-2978 (cell)
Email: jbatsell@smu.edu | Twitter: @jbatsell | LinkedIn profile
Office: Umphrey Lee 282C
Office hours: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or by
appointment
Welcome to Technology Reporting a journey into the future of journalism. In this
class, we will explore how social media, mobile technology, virtual reality, data-driven
journalism, audience engagement, online metrics and the many-to-many pattern of
communication are changing the landscape of news and information around the
world.
As a topical studies course, this class will focus on both practical and analytical skills.
The Division of Journalisms curriculum is designed to equip you with the versatile
newsgathering skills youll need to thrive in todays media world, while also grounding
you in the timeless ethical canons of news judgment, accuracy, fairness and truth. In
this class, youll build on those skills by scrutinizing the changing news business
through a critical lens. Youll also do plenty of reporting by producing a multi-platform
profile of a tech-savvy journalist, by tracking the work of an innovative news outlet
throughout the course of the semester, and by contributing to a class data journalism
project in collaboration with The Texas Tribune. Still, the goal of this class is not so
much to report about technology as to examine and discuss how technology is
changing the way modern journalists do their jobs and how you can harness
technology to become a more effective journalist. You should walk away from this class
thinking of yourself not only as a journalist, but also as a discriminating news
consumer and critical thinker.
Ready to get started? Here are a few quotes that encapsulate some of the ground well
cover:
Tools and services come and go; what is constant is our human urge to
share.
- Alfred Hermida, Tell Everyone
Its not just, Hey, heres what I found.
Its, Heres what I found, and heres all of it
for you to look through, and let me know what you find.
- Ryan Murphy, Texas Tribune news apps developer, in Engaged Journalism
Im looking to hire digital disruptors
who bring fresh eyes to the newsroom
and challenge the way weve always done things.
- Patti Dennis, vice president of news, KUSA-TV, Denver

Astonishing things can happen when a

news organization invites its audience to participate.
- Jake Batsell, Engaged Journalism
Learning outcomes are expected in four main areas. You will:

Understand the changing media landscape

Define concepts including data-driven journalism, crowdsourcing and engagement.
Articulate how news has become a two-way conversation, not a one-way lecture.
Describe how technological tools and social media have accelerated the news cycle.
Synthesize old-school reporting with new tools
Gather information through traditional methods (interviews and research) as well as
newer techniques (data mapping, mobile apps).
Experience the power of journalism delivered through mobile devices and virtual
reality.
Demonstrate new media literacy and critical thinking skills
Discriminate between facts, rumors, opinion, analysis and outright lies.
Debate how news organizations should handle modern dilemmas in two case studies.
Understand the audience metrics and analytics that are reshaping the media business.
Maintain an engaged social media presence
Harness social media tools (such as Twitter) to track the news, cultivate your personal
brand, distribute your work and contribute to the 21 st century news ecosystem.
Required texts and class materials
Tell Everyone: Why We Share and Why It Matters by Alfred Hermida (2014,
Doubleday)
Engaged Journalism: Connecting with Digitally Empowered News
Audiences by Jake Batsell (2015, Columbia University Press)
The Data Journalism Handbook (free Web version)
Multimedia Case Studies from Columbia University Journalism School:
o #1: Friend or Foe? WikiLeaks and the Guardian
o #2: Rating Teachers: A Job for Journalists? The Los Angeles Times and
Value-Added Analysis
You also must obtain a Google Cardboard viewer for your mobile/virtual
reality project.
Additional readings will be posted on the course blog. Stay up to date on the future of
news by following Nieman Journalism Lab, Poynter, CJR.org, Mashable, MediaShift and
others.
Attendance: Treat this class as if it is a job. You are expected to be in every class,
show up on time and turn in work on time. If you must miss class or lab, contact
the instructor in advance, just as you would your editor or boss at work. Roll will be
taken every day. Any student who misses the first day of class may be dropped. With
three or more unexcused absences, you could be dropped or receive an F. Absences
also will factor into your class participation grade. You get one free pass for an

unexcused absence. After that, each unexcused absence will result in an

automatic deduction of at least one percentage point from your class
participation grade. An absence will be considered unexcused unless you are able to
provide a doctor's note or some other good reason within 24 hours of an absence.
Acceptable reasons for missing class include a verifiable illness, family emergency,
religious holiday or approved school trip. Again, contacting me ahead of time will
always help your case. Those with an unexcused absence will receive a zero on that
days class activity and will not be able to make it up.
The SMU Health Centers policy on giving forms for excused absences is found at
http://www.smu.edu/StudentAffairs/HealthCenter. Please note that there is a PDF file in
this information that you can download and submit to me for consideration of an
excused absence. This form must be filled out fully for me to consider your absence as
excused. If you consult a physician for an illness and receive specific certification for a
recovery time, absences will be excused if I am given a form from the physician's
office.

Assignments:
The following ethical guidelines apply to all written and multimedia work for this
course:
Dont cover a story on any activity in which you are involved or to which you have a
close personal connection. Dont use family members or significant others
(boyfriend, sibling, parent, roommate, etc.) or friends as primary sources.
Rely primarily on YOUR OWN reporting and research. When citing material other than
your own, ALWAYS LINK to the original source.
Dont quote journalism faculty or j-students as sources unless approved in advance.
Primary interviews should generally be conducted in person or by phone. E-mail
interviews are for follow-up or to fill holes, check facts, or to set up interviews. Main
interviews should be conducted by e-mail on an emergency basis only and
should be specifically indicated as such in the story or blog item.
Inform all sources that you are working on a story for Web publication. You must
always tell all of your sources that the story you are reporting could be
published or aired on multiple platforms. Your work could appear on news sites
both on and off campus. Your stories, in other words, are for public consumption and
your sources must know that.
Do not use anonymous sources unless approved by the instructor.
Missing deadline will be penalized harshly. Even with advance notice, my general
policy is to deduct one letter grade for each day the assignment is late, unless your
absence is excused (as defined below).
Guest speakers and field trips: Professional journalists and other relevant speakers
will be invited to class during the semester, and we also may take several field trips.
You will be asked to tweet a question using the #j3325 hashtag, and a summary of the
speakers presentation and/or field trip will be due at the start of the next class.
Laptops and cell phones in the classroom: Please follow common courtesy. Yes,
this is a Technology Reporting class. But that doesnt mean its acceptable to play
games during class, or to catch up on e-mail. Laptops should be used for taking notes
or in-class assignments only. Out of courtesy to your classmates and to the instructor,
texting, e-mailing, Web browsing, and social media should be avoided during class,
unless they are germane to our class activities and discussions. Turn your phone off

during class. If a cell phone rings during class, I get to answer it. Failure to adhere to
these policies will result in deductions from your class participation grade.
Speed Team shifts: Three times this semester (once per month), you must report for
a two-hour Speed Team shift in the Convergence Newsroom as part of our Divisions
efforts to foster a digital-first culture across all SMU student media platforms. These
shifts will count toward your class participation grade. For more information, see
http://j.mp/speedteamchecklist. Shifts are not considered complete until you fill out a
shift report at http://j.mp/speedteamreport.
Grading: Specific criteria on each of the below items will be discussed later, but here
is the overall structure for how your grade will be determined in this course:
Class participation, exercises, and assignments

30 percent

(Attendance, in-class exercises, discussion, case

studies, pre-class assignments, speakers, field
trips, Speed Team shifts)

Mobile/virtual reality project

(With a partner)
Journalist profile

10 percent
20 percent

Class data journalism project

20 percent

News innovation project and final presentation

20 percent

(You will follow and assess the work of an

innovative news organization over the course of
the semester, summarizing your findings in the form
of a final paper and oral presentation to be delivered
during our scheduled final exam period on
Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.)

__________________________________________________________________
Semester grades:

94-100
90-93
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
59 and below

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF

As are rare and are awarded only for truly excellent work. Very good work receives a
B; average work a C; below average a D. This is in accordance with SMU
regulations. I am happy to discuss your grade for any project. If you wish to protest a
grade, a formal process is available.

Academic dishonesty: Plagiarism, fabrication and resubmission or double

submission of work performed for another class all are considered to be acts of
academic dishonesty and a violation of the SMU Honor Code. Any of the above
violations will result in an automatic failing grade on the assignment and a written
referral to the SMU Honor Council and Dean of Student Life.

The Division of Journalism has adopted the following policies. By enrolling in

this class you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:
Reporting standards for all media projects
Your story will be graded on content: is it fair, is it newsworthy, is it well sourced? Is
the story organized, are all questions answered, and is all information properly
attributed? Are direct quotes preceded by strong transitions in print stories? At least 5
points may be taken off for problems like these. For errors of fact, expect 10 or more
points off.
How to earn an "F" on any media project
Miss a deadline. Misquote or misrepresent someone. Rewrite or submit a story or
package that was produced for another class. Fabricate or plagiarize.
Plagiarism and Fabrication
Plagiarism is stealing someone's words or ideas and passing them off as your own.
Fabrication is making stuff up. Both strike at the heart of the journalistic process,
where proper attribution and fact checking are paramount. As mentioned above,
plagiarism and fabrication in this course will be addressed in the harshest manner
possible, including referral to the honors council.
Reporting and Sourcing
You are required in all cases to fully disclose your identity and purpose to sources, and
any promises of anonymity or other special arrangements with sources must be
discussed with your instructor before such agreements are made. Under no
circumstances should you grant a source the right to review or approve your story
(though you may agree to check quotes for accuracy). You must always tell all of your
sources that the story you are reporting could be published or aired on multiple
platforms. Your work could appear on news sites both on and off campus. Your stories,
in other words, are for public consumption and your sources must know that. Friends,
colleagues, and family members are not acceptable sources. Unless you have cleared
the source with your instructor, expect at least 5 points to be taken off for each
unacceptable source.
A special note: This policy provides academic guidance to students regarding work in
Journalism classes and is not in any way intended to impose a legal standard of care
for student journalists.
Grants of Anonymity*
Students should avoid using unidentified sources whenever possible. There are times,
however, when the only way to get a story is to offer anonymity; such offers should be
a last resort after repeated attempts to go on the record have failed and the student

has received permission from the instructor. Information may be on the record, on
background, not for attribution or off the record. These are prearranged agreements
between a reporter and a source, which govern how specific information can be used.
These deals must be agreed to beforehand, never after. A source can't say something
then claim it was "off the record." That's too late. Most sourcesand even many
journalistsdo not understand what these terms mean. If a source requests some
degree of anonymity, the journalist should make sure the terms are clear, as follows.
* with thanks to the NYU Journalism Handbook for Students

On the Record
Anything the source says can be reported, published, or aired. All conversations are
assumed to be on the record unless the source expressly requests -- and the reporter
explicitly agrees -- to go off the record beforehand. The reporter should be sure to
mark notes clearly so that it's possible to see what's on the record and what is not at a
later date. Never rely on memory and always try to get back "on the record" as quickly
as possible.
On Background
This means you may use what the source gives you without using the source's name.
In effect it confers anonymity on your source, but allows you to work with the
information the source has provided.
Not for Attribution
This means that a reporter agrees not to identify a source by name. Identification is
provided only by reference to the source's job or position. That identification must be
agreed upon by the reporter and the source, and is almost always given in a way that
prevents readers from discovering the source's specific identity. The reporter should
make sure the attribution is accurate and should press the source to allow the
attribution to be as specific as possible. For example, a reporter would want to
attribute information to "a high-ranking official in the Justice Department," rather than
"a high-ranking law enforcement official," if the source agrees beforehand.
Off the Record
You may not use the information unless you can confirm it with another source who
doesn't insist on speaking off the record. The information is offered to explain or
further a reporter's understanding of a particular issue or event. In general, it is best to
avoid off the record conversations; another option might be to converse off the record
and then try to convince the source to agree to waive the agreement.
Excused absences for extracurricular activities
If you are participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled university extracurricular
activity, you will be given the opportunity to make up class assignments. It is your
responsibility to make arrangements with your teacher prior to any missed
assignment. (See University Undergraduate Catalogue.)
Religious observance

Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing

class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and
should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed
because of the absence. (See University Policy No. 1.9.)
Disability accommodations
Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first be registered
with Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies (DASS) to verify the disability
and to establish eligibility for accommodations. Students may call 214-768-1470 or
visit http://www.smu.edu/ALEC/DASS to begin the process. Once registered, students
should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make appropriate
arrangements.

KEY DATES / MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS

This course examines a continually changing subject and includes a variety of guest
speakers and field trips, which requires flexibility in the course schedule. Weekly
readings both from the required texts, and more timely online readings will be
listed on the course blog. Use the blog as the most up-to-date guide, as it will include
the most current information as the semester unfolds.
That said, here are some key dates to factor into your semester planning:
Tuesday, Sept. 15: Semester-long news innovation projects assigned.
Tuesday, Sept. 29: Mobile/virtual reality presentations and papers due in class.
Tuesday, Oct. 13: No class. (Fall Break)
Tuesday, Oct. 20: Midterm class participation grades returned to students.
Tuesday, Oct. 27: Journalist profiles due.
Tuesday, Nov. 24: No class. (Batsell speaking engagement)
Thursday, Dec. 3: Final class, and target date for completion of class data project.
Wednesday, Dec. 16: News innovation presentations will be delivered during our
scheduled final exam period, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.