J&PR Wired
No More Looking into a
Crystal Ball; Now We're Looking Through Glass
By Eva Cuarenta
__________
Yes, It's Google Glass
By Natalie Norris
__________
Paid in Experience
By Eva Cuarenta
__________
TGC: Agency Experience;
Multi-platform Storytelling
By Veronica Richardson
__________
The Orion:
Responding
to Economic,
Technological change
By Veronica Richardson
Digital Media Startups: Driving
J&PR Students Toward Innovation
By Natalie Norris
In fall 2013, Chico State Journalism & Public Relations offered a trial course where students were encouraged to think about journalism in an entirely new way: Through the lens of Digital Media Startups.
The "special problems course," which is how a trial-run class is described, brought an entrepreneurial focus to the journalism and public relations option, said Debra Johnson, a professional-in-residence public relations professor.
Johnson received a fellowship to attend theScripps Howard Journalism Entrepreneurship Institute at Arizona State University. She was one of 15 educators nationwide selected for the program, which was held in January, 2013, at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
One requirement upon being selected was that the educators must offer an entrepreneurial journalism course the following semester. With that in mind, Johnson created Digital Media Startups.
The course introduced J&PR students to aspects of journalism that they had not encountered in the program before.
Credit: John Riggin
Students were able to use their creativity to invent original startups. From a blank screen on their computer, to an entirely new product, students ended up with a business plan in place ready to share to investors.
"The startups class has taught me a lot about entrepreneurialism and startup culture, which has gotten me to think about how I can apply my skills as a journalism/PR student to creative business solutions," said John Riggins, a student in DMS.
We sat down with Johnson to learn more about her experiences teaching JOUR 399, "Digital Media Startups":
Q: Why entrepreneurship? Wouldn't that be a business skills course?
A:
Entrepreneurial journalism examines how journalists can make successful news ventures exist in an online environment. It forces you as the journalist and the entrepreneur to understand how you can make money in today's digital world with your journalistic storytelling abilities.
Q: How did students benefit from taking this course?
A:
Students benefit in many ways:
- They're creating a digital media product in an industry that they are passionate about. This is helping expand their creativity, their strategic thinking skills and their understanding of markets.
- They are building a business plan to support that product, which means they have to figure out monetization: how do I make money in a sustainable way, how do I meet the needs of the marketplace, how do I compete against others in my same product space.
- They're using a wide range of skill sets employers value - from conducting primary research with consumers to designing user interfaces for mobile apps to crafting persuasive pitches to secure financial investors.
Q: What is the most important concept you wanted students to take away from DMS?
A:
That professional opportunities abound for journalists in today's digital world if you're willing to accept risk and put yourself out there.
To read the chair's column, click here.
