Final Project Essay
Synopsis
Throughout this semester’s JMS 430: Digital Journalism course, I learned that I love to work on long form journalistic work, which is what I was able to do with the story project. However, something I didn’t know before this class is that there are different guidelines to writing an online article and writing an article for a newspaper. Articles crafted for online readership need to be broken up into chapters, include subheads and bullet points, include hyperlinks and should be half the word count of conventional writing. I learned that journalists can use social media posts and hashtags to track developments in a story they’re already working on or help formulate a story idea. That’s a newer development in the journalism world, so it’s really important to learn that now and apply it in my career. Finally, I learned how to critically analyze other parts of media, such as email newsletters, copyediting and writing headlines.
Developing the Story Project
My story project developed from an idea to ask people who live near me how they survive in San Diego to an in-depth look at recent college graduates and the housing crisis. The specificity of my project created an incredible opportunity to research a place I’ve called home since I was three years old. I was able to speak to people who opened my eyes to the housing issues, but also the potential solutions. The project also gave me the opportunity to create my own website, create infographics and have the final say in terms of how my article looks when it’s published.
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One of the journalistic and ethical guidelines I followed while I worked on this story included the fact that permission must be obtained before using online content. I chose to take all of the photos I included in my project because I did not want to cross any lines, even though there are fair use provisions and websites that allow people to use other people's photographs. Another journalistic guideline I followed included seeking the truth and reporting it, which is why I used a mixture of data-based sources and experienced sources.
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A challenge I faced with this project, which is something I often face as a journalism student, was finding sources. It’s always difficult because sources are giving you their time, but they have jobs, school and other obligations, so some of my sources were put in the article near the end of my final draft deadline. The other challenge I faced was exclusively writing for an online platform. I’m used to simply writing an article, and then it may end up online or in print. It was a learning curve to write subheads, bullet point lists and extra short paragraphs into my article.
Digital Media Experience
When I put my website and story project together, I realized how much I’ve learned about digital media techniques that I can use in my journalistic work. I learned how to use databases and the data within them to showcase trends, make proficient Excel sheets, create infographics and build Google Maps. These tools increase usability and interactivity, which are so important for online news articles.
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Social media is a tool in journalism, and I enjoyed finding sources on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, for my social storytelling work. However, I didn’t realize that the platform itself can dictate what sources you’ll want to use. For example, I could not embed X posts in the same way as Instagram because of the platform’s major changes last year.
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One of the most enjoyable moments in working on my website and the story project was learning about a huge issue in San Diego over a long period of time, which I don’t usually have when I’m working on a published article. I think the most enjoyable moment, though, is seeing the final product right now. I’m proud of the website I put together and the article I crafted, so I’m excited to share it with the public.