Monday, January 19, 2009

Go to the web some more young journalists


Ed, a former University of Westminster student now working at the Financial Times

It's difficult to talk about the web as this new thing anymore, but it's interesting sometimes how much scant regard is given it by new journalists.

Ed, a journalist now at the Financial Times talks about how important the web module was for him.

Now in his present job, he gave it short shrift at the time. Ed was a strong enquiring student, so deserves his early success -he freelanced at the Guardian during his studies, then soon after got this job.

I caught him sitting on the news desk one morning whilst training Financial Times journalists about videojournalism.

You can find that training programme and how the police stopped us filming here. This film on Ed was shot on a Canon Ixus 70 which I keep in my coat breast pocket.

Ethics and new Journalism
But there are also professional standards and ethics, we as journalism lectures must emphasis to a generation, more so, given the wild wild west about the web. This is something I talk about visiting colleges and engaging with those within my institution.

For instance, the use of copy or anything which breaches the rights of others and professional bodies. Its relevant because, even though the web is this anarchic soul, there has to be some order to the way we treat others and deal with material not deemed our own.

Because ultimately good journalism is also about good journalism practice. Go to the web young journalists. Please read.

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