Comments on: Teaching journalists to fish (no telling what they might catch) http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/teaching-journalists-to-fish-no-telling-what-they-might-catch/ Notes from the classroom and observations about today's practice of journalism online Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:46:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Dan Kubiske http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/teaching-journalists-to-fish-no-telling-what-they-might-catch/#comment-10757 Dan Kubiske Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:10:29 +0000 http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2008/teaching-journalists-to-fish-no-telling-what-they-might-catch/#comment-10757 You've got the right idea. Teach them how to use the tools they have available and leave the idea that they should then use those tools to dig. The fact that your students are interested in doing that shows how far things have changed. When I tought a journalism course in Shanghai about 15 years ago, the students were afraid to use a telephone to get information or additional quotes. ("You never know who you are talking to or who is listening.") Likewise a majority -- something like 60% -- were interested in journalism so they could get information early and then use that information for their own financial benefit. In the past 5 years or so that has changed as the technology has changed. With the Internet more information is available to more people. It's just that governments like those in CHina and Vietnam are not keen on their people really learning how to dig the depths of the Internet. So any help any of us can give in teaching the future journalists of those countries how to do that digging is a great step forward. You’ve got the right idea. Teach them how to use the tools they have available and leave the idea that they should then use those tools to dig.

The fact that your students are interested in doing that shows how far things have changed.

When I tought a journalism course in Shanghai about 15 years ago, the students were afraid to use a telephone to get information or additional quotes. (”You never know who you are talking to or who is listening.”) Likewise a majority — something like 60% — were interested in journalism so they could get information early and then use that information for their own financial benefit.

In the past 5 years or so that has changed as the technology has changed. With the Internet more information is available to more people. It’s just that governments like those in CHina and Vietnam are not keen on their people really learning how to dig the depths of the Internet. So any help any of us can give in teaching the future journalists of those countries how to do that digging is a great step forward.

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