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WINTER 2014
Page 12A
Carol Smith
is a freelance writer and editor
who lives in Springtown, Pa. The
former high school journalism
adviser and English teacher was
editor of The Bethlehem News,
a Lehigh Valley News Group
publication. For 12 years, she
edited The Wall Street Journal
Classroom Edition Teacher
Guide, a Dow Jones & Company
publication. She can be reached
at [email protected].
Adviser Update
A time of
creative
destruction
journalism and mass communicaearchlights and Suntion graduates have jobs working
glasses: Field Notes
on the World Wide Web.
from the Digital Age of
Newton compiles a history of
Journalism” contains a wake-up
the future of news and delivers
call for the traditional journalist
an optimistic message to journaland an important message for
ism students: yes, there are jobs.
journalism teachers: it’s time to
These new jobs require new skills
change journalism education.
and a new collaborative approach
In his recently released digital
to how journalists are taught and
book, “Searchlights and Sunhow they do their jobs.
glasses,” author Eric Newton,
Newton’s 5 MB digital book also
journalist and senior adviser to
ties current journalism trends to
the Knight Foundation presiKnight Foundation investments
dent, calls for the digital transin journalism and media innovaformation of journalism and jourtion education, which now exceed
nalism education. Today’s digital
$200 million. Knight has awarded
tools and social media are
grant funds to cutting-edge prorewriting the fundamental “who,
grams, such as News 21, a teachwhat, when, where and how” of
ing hospital model. Newton is an
journalism but the “why” is just
advocate of the teaching hospital
as important as ever. Tweets,
model, a living lab, a news ecosysblogs and YouTube videos may
tem, where professionals coexist
bring news to the consumer
with scholars. The teaching hospiinstantaneously, but the need
tal for journalism education rests
still exists for free, independent
upon the ancient idea that people
thinkers to filter all this informalearn by doing, Newton said in a
tion.
speech on the topic. Journalism
“Searchlights and Sunglassstudents working together with
es” supports education as the
professionals and professors
key to train journalists (the inexdeliver the news to their commuperienced and the veterans) to
nities. Newton believes that the
use digital tools to continue their
creation of these learning labs will
pursuit of the truth; the watchhelp lead journalism to a better
dog tradition of the investigative
future in the 21st century.
reporter still matters.
A joint production of the John S.
Newton’s title refers to the
and James L. Knight Foundation
metaphor of how journalism
and the Reynolds Journalism Instievolved as a searchlight for
tute, “Searchlights and Sunglasstruth. Today, it is equally tasked
es” is designed in HTML5. This
with shading the glare of the
digital book/textbook is written for
digital age so important facts
educators, journalists, students
do not get lost. In fact, the puband news consumers and includes
lication itself is intended to be
a Kindle version and a pdf format.
a “giant pair of sunglasses,”
It is available free at searchlightNewton writes, “filtering the endsandsunglasses.org. I read the
less beams of ‘new information’
book in pdf format on a tablet, but
about the future of news.”
also downloaded it to a Kindle
Newton’s digital book is filled
ereader. If printed, the book would
with links and resources idenbe 294 pages, plus 100 pages of
tifying the digital tools that are
the learning layer.
opening up newspapers and
With access to the Internet,
allowing for a more engaged,
the book’s learning layer, which
participatory reader. The time
contains more than 1,000 links,
to change how the news is
lessons and resources in printable
delivered is upon us. With the
y arol mith
pdf format, can be turned on with
decline of daily newspapers,
one click of the mouse button on your computer. These teaching tools
print journalism jobs are being lost but digital media jobs are abundant.
were developed with the University of Missouri’s Donald W. Reynolds
It’s a time of creative destruction. It is as natural as the transformaJournalism Institute.
tion any industry undergoes. When technology and the demands of
The assignments and other activities are organized on three levels:
consumers changed, there was not much demand for blacksmiths as
Flashlight, Spotlight and Searchlight.
transportation moved from horses to automobiles.
With the loss of 18,000 or more local news jobs comes the creation
See SEARCHLIGHTS on page 15A
of journalism jobs for the digitally literate. Today, 60 percent of today’s
News systems,
journalism education
need to change
BOOK REVIEW
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