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Fellows to Research, Develop and Test New Technology-Based Journalistic Methods
Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 10, 2008) - Six leading journalists and scholars will work on ground-breaking new approaches to journalism during the upcoming academic year as the first class of Fellows at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the Missouri School of Journalism.
The 2008-2009 Donald W. Reynolds Fellows announced today, are:
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Bill Densmore, expert on Internet information technologies and Internet-related business models, currently working on the Media Giraffe Project and the New England News Forum at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
The Information Valet
Bill Densmore will work to define, document and rally public support for building a new Internet infrastructure that will sustain news and information through a shared-user network. Layered upon the basic Internet, it will be a network for information commerce among publishers, producers and artists. The network will allow online users to share, sell and buy content through multiple Web sites with one ID, password, account and bill. |
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Margaret Duffy, PhD, research associate professor and chair of the Strategic Communication program at the Missouri School of Journalism.
YAYA
Margaret Duffy plans to create an annual study of media use and preferences of the Youth And Young Adult market (YAYA)--those between the ages 18-24. Her goal is to identify the best media choices to connect with youth audiences, thus guiding journalists and news organizations. Duffy will collect and analyze data on how young people find and use news and information, including their preferred formats, content and delivery methods. The results will help media organizations build new business models for journalism and advertising. |
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Mike Fancher, former editor-at-large and senior vice president of The Seattle Times Company, which he led as executive editor for 20 years, winning numerous Pulitzer Prizes.
Updating the Journalist's Creed
Mike Fancher will explore the question: "What is the Journalist's Creed for the 21st Century?" He will research how shifting elements, such as the relationship between journalists and the public, will affect the values and principles of future journalists. He will survey citizens and journalists to learn how to build trust and guide ethical decisions among those who transmit news, and conduct forums and seminars on technology and the changing roles of journalists. |
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Jennifer Reeves, associate professor for the Radio-Television Journalism program and new media director for KOMU-TV at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Multimedia, Multi-platform News Hub
Jennifer Reeves will work to integrate multiple newsrooms to create a multimedia, multi-platform hub for regional news. Essentially, she plans to develop a team model that will combine text, still pictures, video, and audio content from journalists and citizens and will deliver it to consumers through television, radio, newspaper, phones and online media. This regional news and information hub will many times multiply the newsgathering and delivering capabilities of traditional news media. |
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Jane Stevens, associate faculty member for the Knight Digital Media Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism; webcentric journalist and consultant.
Creating News "Shells"
Jane Stevens plans to develop "shells," or networks, that will contain databases, resources, news, information and stories, along with background information contributed by journalists and members of the community. The goal will be to solve community issues. Journalists will serve in their traditional roles as fact-checkers, watchdogs and trusted sources. These open-source templates will be available to communities who want to hire journalists and journalists who are establishing similar Webcentric networks for communities. |
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Matt Thompson, deputy web editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and co-creator/producer of the Flash movies "EPIC 2014" and "EPIC 2015," alternative histories of the media, set in the future, which have had millions of viewers worldwide.
Wikipedia-ing the News
Matt Thompson will explore and model a Wikipedia-inspired approach to local news--one that feeds news updates into an online living archive that will provide background and context for the news. He plans to prototype this news Web site. Its core organizing principle will be context rather than time. Stories will be deeply interlinked, and the "latest news" will be continually enriched with other information and stories. In his research, Thompson will explore potential business models, ways to organize the site, and how the site might adapt to ever-increasing distribution vehicles. |
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The Fellows will work with other professional journalists, faculty and students at the Institute, which brings together citizens and journalists in programs aimed at improving journalism in democratic societies. The annual Fellows Program brings in leading thinkers to develop new ways to gather, process and deliver news, information and advertising.
In addition to the Fellows program, RJI sponsors experiments and studies on new journalism models, both at its own Journalism Futures Lab and at cooperating news organizations around the world.
RJI was launched in 2004 with an initial grant of $31 million from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. Donald W. Reynolds was a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. Based in Las Vegas, The Foundation provides grants and gifts for medical research, health and human services programs, educational, cultural and historical endeavors, improvement of the practice of journalism, and more.
The Sept. 12 dedication of RJI's new complex will mark the climax of the Missouri School of Journalism's three-day Centennial celebration. During this event journalists from around the world will convene to participate in 35 journalism sessions and 27 media technology discussions among other activities.
Housed in 50,000 square feet of new and remodeled space, the three-building RJI complex includes a modern four-story glass-walled structure built inside a carefully preserved 1892 Victorian gothic building on the University of Missouri campus. To view: RJI images. |
