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Journalism · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Online & Social Media Journalism

The news no longer waits for the morning paper. This course trains students in “Mobile Journalism” (MoJo) and the art of real-time reporting. Students will learn to use smartphones as complete production studios, leverage social platforms (X/Twitter, TikTok, Instagram) for news gathering and distribution, and navigate the algorithms that determine what the world sees.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master "Mobile Journalism" (MoJo): Shooting, editing, and publishing from a phone
  2. Verify user-generated content (UGC) using OSINT tools during breaking news
  3. Write "Click-worthy" headlines that maintain journalistic integrity (SEO)
  4. Engage audiences through live-streaming and community management
  5. Analyze web analytics to understand audience behavior and retention
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01The Digital First Mindset: Speed vs. Accuracy
  2. 02Writing for the Web: Scannability & Hyperlinks
  3. 03Mobile Photography & Video for News
  4. 04Social Media Newsgathering: Finding Sources
  5. 05Verification: Spotting Fakes & Deepfakes
  6. 06The Art of the Thread: Serialized Storytelling
  7. 07Content Management Systems (WordPress/CMS)
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Live Reporting: Facebook/IG Live & TikTok
  10. 10Data Journalism Basics: Visualizing Numbers
  11. 11SEO for Journalists: Google News Algorithms
  12. 12Newsletter Journalism (Substack Model)
  13. 13Podcasting & Audio Snippets for Social
  14. 14Building a Personal Brand as a Journalist
  15. 15Ethics: Online Harassment & Trolling
  16. 16Final Project: The Multimedia Digital Story

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Multimedia Digital Story

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Mobile and Social Media Journalism by Anthony Adornato
  2. The New Journalists: Roles, Skills, and Critical Thinking by Paul Benedetti
  3. Verification Handbook by Craig Silverman
  4. Journalism Next: A Practical Guide to Digital Reporting by Mark Briggs
  5. Like, War: The Weaponization of Social Media by P.W. Singer
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