I recently presented “Too Good to Be True?” at the BEA (Broadcast Education Association) Ignite session in Las Vegas. BEA Ignite shares the best enterprise ideas for the classroom. You can view all the Ignite presentations here. This group exercise helps students determine the credibility of social media information. News professionals can also use these tips. We know misinformation can

Despite the seismic changes fueled by the Internet, and exacerbated by the economic downturn that led to the further erosion of advertisers, mainstream media–management as well as rank and file–have been late to adapt to change. Although journalists typically pride themselves on the ability to adapt to changes throughout a workday, their flexible nature has not been so evident when

Conversations about the future of journalism often focus on the demise of the industry. I do not argue with the fact that the industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation, an uncertain future. Digital media has allowed a once passive audience to become active consumers and producers of information. An active audience demands more of journalists, one factor leading to an

I recently learned that my research paper has been accepted for presentation at the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) annual conference. My research focuses on journalists’ adoption of new media and the resulting impact on their job routines. Indeed, mass communications has always been influenced by technology, and this is an exciting time to teach and study

As the quieter summer months take hold, with another academic year behind us, this is the perfect time for reflection. Looking back at what was accomplished always seems to put the daily grind into perspective. One of the great joys of this past semester was teaching budding journalists at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School and Utica College. The semester, for the

Thanks to the recent case involving a blogger who was ordered to pay $2.5 million to an investment firm she wrote about, the evolving debate about bloggers as journalists rages on. The judge in the case ruled Crystal Cox is not entitled to protections afforded to journalists. Courts have not been definitive in their determination of whether bloggers should be

The State of the News Media report drives home what we in the communications industry, whether we like it or not, already know: new media provides countless channels for people — who traditionally turned to newspapers, television, and radio for news — to consume information. The resulting impact on the industry has been seismic. But, all should not appear so

Blogs raise many challenging legal issues, including those involving defamation, privacy, and the legal definition of a blogger. From a legal perspective, emerging new media, which includes blogs, is rapidly evolving. The law has yet to catch up with the pace of new media and the issues they present. Courts handling new media cases have attempted to apply preexisting laws,

Who knew that a 140 character tweet could lead to a $50,000 defamation lawsuit for a Chicago woman? Amanda Bonnen wrote the tweet in reference to a battle with her landlord over alleged mold in her apartment. (I’ve learned you can never use alleged enough.) Horizon Group Management filed a lawsuit against her, claiming that her statement damaged the company’s

Now that Walter Cronkite is gone, is there another news anchor who might be worthy of the being called “The Most Trusted Man in America.” Brian Williams? Matt Lauer? Charles Gibson? Nope! Think Jon Stewart. Stewart’s show that mocks traditional newscasts and how stories are reported has attracted a huge following since its debut nine years ago. Now, The Daily