About the Course

Welcome to Multimedia Journalism: A Practical Guide.

Here’s what it is.

It’s the complete practical course in:

• Writing text reports for newspapers, magazines and websites
• Writing features, interviews and reviews
• Taking, editing and publishing still images online
• Filming, editing and publishing video reports
• Recording, editing and publishing audio reports including podcasts.

In short – it sets you up for a career as a multimedia journalist, with all the practical skills required in toady’s media industry.

Here’s a quick Q and A on what it can do for you.

What are people saying about it?

"A great textbook for undergraduate journalists with a well thought out mix of practical exercises and tips and hints as well as plenty of real-world examples. It covers the essential technical skills they will need. Very impressive." Mary Williams, Portsmouth University

"A text like this is perfect for a young journalist learning the ropes of the business. I’m a huge fan of the chapter setup, and the online portion of the course, it will tie it directly to my course website as well." Rob Johnson, Director of Multimedia Technology, La Salle College High School

"The entire layout is inviting for students and a mine of information and ideas for teachers/tutors. It is written in an accessible manner without talking down to its readers, and is obviously written by a journalist for journalism students, but would also be invaluable to a working journalist who was now having to tackle the demands of the convergent newsroom." Angela Birchall, Salford University

Who’s it for?

It’s a project designed for students on journalism and media undergraduate and postgraduate courses or on in-house training schemes.

What does it cover?

It covers everything you need to know about reporting using text – for both print and the web – still images, video and audio, including podcasts. That means it is a comprehensive guide to all the practical elements of a journalism or media course.

If follows the syllabus requirements set by courses accredited by the Joint Journalism Training Council.

What format does it take?

It’s a book and a website.

The book contains all the essentials. The things that don’t change – all the good practice that remains the bedrock of learning to be a good multimedia journalist.

The website demonstrates how to apply the skills covered in the book, and gives countless examples of good and bad practice in writing for print and the web, in taking photographs, and in recording and editing audio and video.

The website will be constantly updated as new hardware, software and methods of working develop.

And there will be regular video masterclasses in key aspects of journalism. You can listen to industry experts and put your questions to them.

What will it do for me?

It will guide you from day one through to your final exams, and bring you from the most basic level up to the competence expected of a newly qualified multimedia journalist.

So, it will prepare you for a multimedia career. You’ll be up to speed on writing for a newspaper, magazine and on a website. You’ll be able to take still photographs, edit and publish them online. You’ll know how to plan, film and edit a video report; and how to create audio reports, including podcasts.

What won’t it do?

It won’t cover the historic or theoretical aspects of journalism or media studies. It doesn’t cover shorthand. It only covers media law in outline.

That was then . . .

A lot of journalism training misses out the internet and multimedia. It covers the essentials, but it assumes we work like in this old film . . .

. . .this is now

These days no one works just for print – or indeed for radio or TV. Today journalists work across media, and need the skills to tell a story in any medium. Look at how the Daily Telegraph functions today, and compare it with the old video.

Follow MMJ on Facebook, on my blog,  and on Twitter

On Facebook, where you'll find regular updates on the MMJ project, its masterclasses, and multimedia jouralism in general.

On my blog - write, edit, blog - you will find regular postings about developments in multimedia journalism.

On my Twitter feed you'll find links to a wide range of material that I think journalists will find interesting or useful.

MMJ on your mobile

You'll find all the latest developments on the mobile version of MMJ. Either type www.mippin.com/multimediajournalism into the browser on your mobile device, or click on the button

Sign up to the MMJ Weekly Newsletter

We'll keep you posted on the latest developments on the site, and in the wider world of multimedia journalism. Sign up here

What does the future hold? Does anybody know?

This post from my blog brings together all the possible futures that were discussed in one week.

We can’t know exactly how things are going to turn out, for journalism and journalists, but we can acquire the multimedia stills that will equip us to work, whatever way things move.

Journalist superstar

Many journalists would like to be famous. Not many make it, but some become bigger than the publisher that employs them. The web makes it possible for many more to strike out on their own, without the protective umbrella of a mainstream publisher. Or at least, that’s what I think. Find out why here.

Sound and image

Soundslides are a great way of creating audio and still photograph packages. Here’s a great example of them in use. We cover this in the book and on the website. There's also a masterclass with photojournalist and Soundslide pioneer David Berman here.