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Navigating the Digital Landscape: Journalism In The Digital Age

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In the vibrant digital era, journalism is at a crossroads, embracing innovation and uncharted possibilities. Join us as we explore the unexplored frontiers of journalism in the digital age, where new strategies become our compass.

Digital Story Ecosystems: Beyond the Basics

News delivery has evolved beyond traditional means. Podcasts, live streams, and augmented reality now shape storytelling. Engage with your audience in immersive ways, turning stories into experiences. Navigating this digital realm means experimenting with new formats and adapting to changing preferences.

Community-Centric Journalism: Where You Shape the Narrative

As journalism extends beyond traditional borders, community-centric approaches take centre stage. Online forums are not just sources but active participants in shaping narratives. Successful navigation involves building meaningful connections, co-creating stories that resonate across diverse communities.

Personalised News Experiences: Tailoring for Impact

In an era of information abundance, personalisation is key. Algorithms curate news tailored to individual tastes. Navigating this landscape means balancing personalised content with journalistic integrity, crafting stories that resonate universally while catering to individual preferences.

Beyond the Click: Meaningful Engagement in the Digital Age

Beyond mere clicks, meaningful engagement is the metric of success. Explore interactive elements like social media polls and live Q&A sessions. Invite your audience into the journalistic process, fostering a sense of co-ownership in the news narrative.

Anticipating the Unknown: Future-Proofing Journalism

The digital landscape is ever-evolving, with emerging technologies shaping the future. Navigate this terrain by becoming a futurist, staying ahead of the curve with virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and interactive storytelling. Future-proofing journalism means being agile in the face of technological advancements.

In conclusion, the digital age unfolds unexplored possibilities for journalism. Embrace innovative storytelling, community engagement, personalisation, and meaningful interactions. The future of journalism lies not just in adapting to change but in actively shaping a bold narrative in this new digital frontier.

Application Tips: Audio

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Listen closely—do you hear it? The sound of stories yearning to be heard and waiting to be told. In the journalism industry, stories are intended to be felt, experienced, and resonated through audio as well as through the written word. They should ignite emotion and create vivid images in the minds of those listening.

When it comes to audio storytelling, your voice becomes the brush and the story, your masterpiece. With the Future Journalist Awards deadline quickly approaching, using sound to its full potential can open doors to capturing audiences and creating unforgettable stories.

Audio Application Tips:

– Writing for radio – when writing your script, use short words and sentences for ease. And make sure you’re able to pronounce the words you want to say!

– Slow down – it’s important to add emphasis to your voice and slow down to make sure you’re really getting the point across.

– Utilise sounds – whatever your story, make sure you’re utilising relevant sounds to add to your piece to make it more interesting.

– Know your purpose – it’s key to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your audio piece. Having a clear purpose will help crafting your piece accordingly.

– Relax – breathe deeply a few times before you record, especially if you’re nervous. Don’t forget, if you do mess up, it’s fine to start over.

– Record in one take – try and record your audio piece in one sitting as this will help if you need to edit your audio.

Audio journalism provides a more immersive experience for the audience and is a really fun area of journalism. Why not give it a go and enter the FJA with an audio submission!

Don’t forget the deadline for the competition is March 1!

The Future of Journalism: Embracing the Digital Revolution

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In today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, journalism isn’t what it used to be. Thanks to the rise of digital media, news is no longer just something you read in a paper, hear on the radio, or see on the TV. Social Media has taken the journalism world by storm, and there are now more ways than ever to get your stories out there!

Journalists aren’t just writers or TV presenters anymore. In this digital age, they are more like modern storytellers, creating art within videos, podcasts, and eye-catching graphics, with an aim to keep you hooked.

The Different Types of Journalism

Ever heard of data journalism? It’s like being a detective with numbers. Journalists can dig into piles of data online, find hidden stories, and use charts and graphs to show you what’s really going on behind the scenes.

By standard, Journalists would work in newsrooms among each other hunting down stories and reporting on them the second they get a hit! Now, you can do it all from your phone – social media isn’t just for sharing posts with friends or posting TikTok’s anymore. Journalists are using a multitude of platforms to tell stories as they happen, meaning literally anybody could now be a self-proclaimed reporter.

Now, imagine news that’s not just words on a page but a whole experience. That’s digital storytelling! Sites like Buzzfeed and Vice are now using interactive articles, videos, and immersive experiences online to make news exciting. It doesn’t all have to be doom and gloom!

So, there you have it – journalism in the digital age is like a never-ending adventure. It’s got its challenges, sure, but it’s also a playground of opportunities. Whether you’re a curious reader or thinking about becoming a journalist, take a look at our entry guidelines and join in the competition!

Finding your Unique Voice

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It goes without saying that jobs in the creative industries, particularly within Journalism, are competitive, and it can be challenging to break through the noise in such a fast-paced environment. So, what can you do to increase your odds within this ever evolving industry?

One technique, is to find your own unique voice, so you can attract your own unique audience – this is something that all aspiring creatives should be looking for. Among this, particularly within written work, finding your voice is essential to standing out among the crowd.

Become a ‘Storyteller’, not just a ‘writer’

People love nothing more than a good story, something they can attach themselves to and pull some kind of emotion from, so of course portraying yourself as a ‘storyteller’ rather than a ‘journalist’ in your writing makes sense. Storytelling is now being used more than ever by in-house writers or PR firms, working on behalf of different brands, in the hopes to draw in and retain the attention of audiences, and it seems to be working!

Get rid of that writer’s block!

For all creatives, writer’s block is one of the biggest concerns, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Don’t be afraid to go out and get some inspiration for your work, it doesn’t always have to be 100% your own, and there’s always a twist you can put on a story to make it your own. The best ways to gather ideas? Talk to people – a conversation can be a great source of inspiration.

Be true to others, as well as yourself

Misinformation is everywhere on the internet, so being able to distinguish the fact from the fiction is crucial. It’s easy to choose journalism subjects with the ‘shock factor’ in mind, thinking that you’ll get a few extra clicks in a shorter time frame, however, those few extra clicks are not worth the reputational harm.

Why a voice is important, and why a niche will help

As a journalist, it’s hard to find unique and interesting topics all the time, which is why it’s important that you write these topics in-line with your genuine interests – this is your niche. Naturally, you’ll create better work by working on something you truly care about, and in-turn you’ll attract the audience you’re looking for.

Take your time

Last but not least, be patient. Nothing ever comes right as you want it, but if you keep working toward that end goal, it’ll work in your favour. You’ll often receive pushback from people you’re working with, and there will be plenty of people asking for revisions, but the feeling of completion once you get that one piece out there into the world is fantastic.

The Basic Tips of Written Journalism in Industry

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Do you have big dreams and ambitious goals about becoming a written journalist? The FJA could help you kick start your learning and unlock doors to many adventures and opportunities.

Your secret weapon is knowing how to write an excellent application for the Future Journalist Awards. This is your opportunity to showcase your abilities, interests, and character in a few strong sentences.

It can be daunting to write something down. You don’t need to worry, though, because this article is your sidekick and is filled with tips on how to write a fantastic entry.

What do you want to write about? whether that be a match report on a sports event, a review or preview of an event.

When writing remember the three W’s 

  • When did the event happen?
  • Where did the event happen?
  • What happened in the event.? 

How to stick to the topic of writing? 

  • When writing it’s always good to mind map what you want to say. Therefore, this will help your workflow and stay on topic as a result the finished article will be easier for the reader to read. 
  • Write a list of what you want to cover in your work. This method will enable you to write in the most effective way by ticking off all the pointes as you go along. 

How long should entries be? 

  • In industry, entries can be from 500 words to 1000 words depending on the type of writing your doing. 
  • When writing a report on an event you often want to tell the reader about the key points that happened. For example, in a football match report you would talk about who scored the goal, how the goal was scored, what minute did the goal happen. 
  • Reports generally are 500 words in length. 
  • Features are 1000 words in length as you would be writing about the event you’ve been to, your thoughts and feelings on the event, people you’ve talked to, what did you find interesting about the individual. 
  • A participation feature is where you partake in an event and then write about your experiences.
  • When writing think about sights, smells, sounds of the places you’re writing from or what you would think in that situation.
  • Before submitting make sure to read your work to check for grammar and punctuation. 
  • Proof reading will allow you to identify any errors. 

Finally, from us all on the FJA team, we hope you have an incredible Christmas.

News Article: Baba Baboon

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An annual competition which aims to discover the next generation of journalists has launched at Staffordshire University.

The Future Journalist Awards, which is organised by third-year Sports Journalism and Journalism and Digital Media students, is open to young people aged seven to 18.

To enter, applicants need to write an article, review, or blog, or can choose to create a short video or audio clip on a smartphone.

The launch event was held in the journalism department’s newsroom and was attended by teachers from schools across Staffordshire. Attendees were given a hands-on tour of the broadcast newsroom and fully-equipped radio studio, giving them the opportunity to use professional standard equipment.

Future-journalist-awards-2024

Lucy Nagington, teacher at Packmoor Ormiston Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, attended the launch event. She said: “It was fun to use the equipment, both behind and in front of the camera. It was a great insight into what our pupils will have access to if they decide to study journalism.

“The fact that our pupils can choose their own topic and format for their entries makes the awards really accessible.”

Teachers wanting to encourage their students to enter the awards can book a workshop, either at their school or college.

For the first time, there is also an option to book a workshop to be held at Staffordshire University, giving young learners the opportunity to experience the broadcast newsroom and radio studio first-hand.

Matt Smith, sports broadcaster and journalism lecturer at Staffordshire University, said: “The aim of the competition is to inspire young people to consider a career in journalism.

“My advice is to get involved, think about what you are interested in or what your hobbies are, and find a way to communicate your story, by writing an article, or creating a video or audio clip.

“We are all aware of the world around us, and most people use social media, which means that we are involved in communication and that is where journalism starts and ends.”

Deadline for the competition is March 1 and full details on how to enter can be found on the competition website: www.blogs.staffs.ac.uk/futurejournalist/. For more information, or to book a workshop, email futurejournalist@staffs.ac.uk.

All finalists from each of the five age categories will be invited to a special award ceremony to take place on March 28 at Staffordshire University’s Catalyst Building.

There will be three winners per category: best written content, best video, and best audio. Each will win a £50 Amazon voucher and be invited to attend a Newsday Experience at the University.

About the Future Journalist Awards:

The awards are split into five year group categories, each with age-appropriate guidelines.

Years 3-4: 250-words or 30-seconds audio/video

Years 5-6: 350-words or 45-seconds audio/video

Year 7-9: 450-words or 60-seconds audio/video

Year 10-11: 550-words or 1-minute 15-seconds audio/video

Year 12-13: 650-words or 1-minute 30-seconds audio/video

For more info, visit http://www.blogs.staffs.ac.uk/futurejournalist/

Staffordshire University Newsday: Behind the Scenes

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work on a newsday?  This article will offer you a taste of what happens at the STAFFS LIVE Newsroom behind the scenes. 

What is Newsday?

  • Every Friday, level six and master’s level sports journalism students at Staffordshire University participate in a newsday, serving as editors, presenters, and reporters.
  • The newsday broadcast consists of two bulletins: a 12pm bulletin that provides listeners with news in a concise format, and a 2pm bulletin that is lengthier and gives listeners an in-depth understanding of the topics that were previewed in the earlier bulletin. 
  • In the first semester, running from September to December, students cover radio, and in the second semester, which runs from January to May, they cover TV packages.    

The planning process for Newsday

  • The level six and masters students studying sports journalism gather on Wednesday to decide which stories will be featured in the Friday newsday show.
  • The editor may allocate stories to each member of the team during the editorial meeting.

Newsday Roles and responsibilities

  • Editor: chooses who covers which stories and how long each package will be. The length of the package varies according to the number of stories in the programme; the more stories there are, the shorter the package; alternatively, the longer the package.
  • The order in which the stories are presented in the programme is also decided by the editor; typically, the most recent news is shown first.
  • Presenter: The presenter’s job is to give the viewers a live presentation of the programme.
  • Reporters: their job is to investigate the stories editors give them. ensuring that they get B-Roll and interviews for their segment before editing the package in advance of Friday’s broadcast.

Radio and TV packages

  • Reporters need to consider the sounds and potential disturbances in the area where they wish to carry out the interview when creating audio packages. For TV Packages, the reporter must think about the background also when interviewing and filming pieces to camera.
  • It’s important to give sufficient information so that those listening may visualise what has happened or is happening when working on an audio piece.
  • Reporters need to be creative while producing a TV package and identify the best alternative to visually represent the story if there isn’t a suitable area that captures the scene.

Empowering Young Voices – Our Mission

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Our Mission – What We Would Like to Achieve

As the holidays are approaching, applicants may be using their spare time to work on their submissions. We’ve decided to explain exactly what Staffordshire University’s mission is during the awards. 

What are the main goals of the Future Journalist Awards (FJAs)?

The main goal of the FJAs is to empower young voices within the world of journalism. Whether that be through print, audio or video submission, the awards are held to give younger people a platform to express their journalism skills in any way they like.  

We also want to ensure:

  • We enable young people to demonstrate their creativity through a number of different outlets in a fun and easy way.
  • That the process of taking part in the awards is enjoyable to anyone who makes a submission.
  • We can show applicants a number of different ways journalism can be beneficial for them in the most exciting way.
  • Inspire young people to express their passion for their favourite things, such as sports, music events, politics and much more.
  • Give applicants the chance to take part in a number of experiences they may not have had before, like workshops, meeting guest speakers and learning important skills that they can use in different situations. 
  • To enable a diverse range of young voices to be heard within the media world.

Our mission after the awards?

At Staffordshire University, not only do we want to see as many applicants as possible during the awards and receive as many entries as we can, but we want the appetite for journalism to continue after the FJAs. 

The experiences applicants gain from taking part in the awards can be useful in a number of situations. Skills picked up such as storytelling, editing, recording and lots more could prove to be invaluable forever. 

Ultimately, we would love to see young people expressing their imagination in anything they are passionate about. It would be fantastic to see to see a variety of different submissions and potentially spot the next sports presenter, vlogger, radio host or social media star. 

The Power of Storytelling

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Journalism is a dynamic storytelling medium that continuously evolves and has the ability to educate, uplift, and inspire change. It is our responsibility as journalists to find the truths and accurately and extensively communicate them to the public.

One of a journalist’s most valuable skills is the ability to tell stories. It’s a way of purposefully using narrative and storytelling to share information. Sourcing exciting information and presenting it in a way that hooks your audience in is essential to crafting a great story. 

It’s key to begin your story with the most important information and keep your audience’s interests front and centre while writing an engaging story. Steer clear of jargon in your writing to further engage readers, listeners, or viewers. 

Tips for Storytelling:

  • Remember to tell an engaging story that is also educational if you want to stand out from the competition. This is ultimately your secret weapon. 
  • Choose the angle you want to take on the story before you start crafting it. While journalists ought to maintain impartiality, choosing your viewpoint will aid with keeping concentration and delivering a clear message.
  • Consider what makes your story unique and go with that.
  • Journalistic writing is all about accuracy; if you stick to the facts, you’ll be fine. Remember to not include your personal opinions.
  • If you’re a written journalist, you should express your point using simple language and well-formed sentences. Articles should aim for a sentence length of approximately 20 words, with one to three sentences per paragraph.
  • maintain ethical standards.  Your stories should convey accurate, dependable, and trustworthy information acquired from reliable sources.

As a journalist, there are countless ways to tell stories, from radio pieces to television news packages. Storytelling is more than just writing narratives. For instance, creating a visual package can elicit feelings and provide additional context that words alone might not be able to. 

As the journalism industry transitions to the digital era. It’s critical to master the use of social media platforms, data visualisation tools, content management systems, and multimedia storytelling techniques. Journalists can improve their narrative skills and interact with their audience in new ways by effectively utilising these tools.

Staffordshire University’s Future Journalist Awards returns for 2024 

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On November 15, Staffordshire University’s journalism students organised an informative event tailored exclusively for teachers, providing an insight into the Future Journalist Awards (FJA) 2024.  

The launch event was held in the journalism department’s newsroom and was attended by teachers from schools across Staffordshire. Attendees were given a hands-on tour of the broadcast newsroom and fully equipped radio studio, giving them the opportunity to use professional standard equipment. 

The Future Journalist Awards, which is organised by third-year Sports Journalism and Journalism and Digital Media students, is open to young people aged seven to 18.  

To enter, applicants need to write an article, review, or blog, or can choose to create a short video or audio clip on a smartphone. 

Teachers wanting to encourage their students to enter the awards can book a workshop, either at their school or college.  

For the first time, there is also an option to book a workshop to be held at Staffordshire University, giving young learners the opportunity to experience the broadcast newsroom and radio studio first-hand. 

At the launch, journalism student Louis Eccleston, a member of the FJA events management team, presented an overview of the awards. The presentation included an interview with sports presenter Matt Smith, who shared his journey into journalism.  

Smith who studied Modern Languages and Politics, recounted his transformative experiences of living in Italy, which fuelled his passion for media and journalism. An interview that highlighted his insightful story demonstrated the various routes into the industry while inspiring those watching with the wide range of possibilities that a career in journalism presents. 

Journalism student Ben Hopley, of the FJA school liaison team, emphasised the value of the awards, before showcasing two videos submitted by previous year’s winners. The first explored current concerns, highlighting the significance of online safety. The second highlighted the diversity that the applicants bring to their work.  

Deadline for the competition is March 1 and full details on how to enter can be found on the competition website: www.blogs.staffs.ac.uk/futurejournalist/. For more information, or to book a workshop, email futurejournalist@staffs.ac.uk.  

All finalists from each of the five age categories will be invited to a special award ceremony to take place on March 28 at Staffordshire University’s Catalyst Building.  

There will be three winners per category: best written content, best video, and best audio. Each will win a £50 Amazon voucher and be invited to attend a Newsday Experience at the University.