Program News

Business Editor Says Social Media are Westernizing China

Zhang Hong, deputy editor-in-chief of the Economic Observer, told students in Advanced Business Writing how the weekly newspaper uses social media in news gathering and distribution. He visited Professor James Breiner's class on March 29.

The newspaper, with print distribution of about 100,000, gets about 10-15 percent of its web traffic from Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Zhang said.

Indiana, Tsinghua students do data mining on food

Lars Willnat, professor of journalism at Indiana University, brought 17 students to visit the campus and Professor Lee Miller's data mining class on March 12.

Miller started the session started with a presentation on some of the top restaurant chains operating in China. Students then did a a data-mining exercise in the form of speed dating, in which they each interviewed 10 of their peers from the other country about their food preferences and eating habits.

After two minutes, they moved to interview the next person.

From Human Trafficking to "Fracking," 2012 International Reporting Fellows Tackle Key Global Issues

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) announced that 10 U.S. minority journalists will take on important social-justice and economic issues in this year’s International Reporting Fellowship program. The 2012 Fellows, chosen from 128 applicants, will cover a range of key issues, from the latest routes for smuggling people from Mexico into the United States, to a comparison of natural gas extraction called “fracking” in Poland and Pennsylvania.

Text-and-Mobile News Network Opens Coverage of Rural Indonesia

In a rural corner of Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, indigenous people can now send out the important news in their communities, thanks to a groundbreaking cell phone-based network officially launched this month by Knight International Journalism Fellow Harry Surjadi.

The new service – which opens up a part of the country previously cut off from news coverage – had its public debut at a press conference on February 15 in the provincial capital of Pontianak.

Knight Fellow Looks at What's Ahead in Health Journalism

Knight International Health Fellow Mercedes Sayagues talked with IJNet recently about the challenges that exist for health journalists all over the world. At the top of the list, she says, are topics that are taboo - difficult to report because editors are often worried about publishing or broadcasting content that might be offensive. But she also sees hope in digital innovations that can make it easier to get important information out quickly.

Lancement D’une Plate-forme en Ligne Pour Des Blogueurs Qui Couvrent L’élection Présidentielle au Sénégal

ICFJ et le Centre d’études des Sciences et Techniques de l'information (CESTI) ont lancé une plate-forme d’information en ligne pour les blogueurs sénégalais qui couvrent la campagne électorale et l’élection présidentielle au Sénégal. La plate-forme est hébergée par le site du CESTI et vise à créer un espace permettant aux blogueurs de diffuser et de partager leurs articles sur la campagne électorale qui a débuté le 5 février et qui se termine par l'élection présidentielle dont le premier tour est prévu le 26 février.

ICFJ and CESTI Launch Online Bloggers Platform During Senegal's Presidential Election Season

ICFJ and the Center for Sciences et Information Techniques (CESTI) have launched an online news platform for bloggers during Senegal’s national election season. The platform is hosted on the CESTI website and is aimed at creating a space for bloggers to report and share their stories on the election campaign, which began on February 5 and culminates with the presidential election on February 26. The platform is a result of a bloggers’ workshop organized by ICFJ and CESTI on November 10-11, 2011.

Online Master’s Degree in Digital Media a First in Latin America

The University of Guadalajara’s Digital Journalism Center, launched by Knight International Journalism Fellow James Breiner, is now offering the first online master's degree in digital media in Latin America.

“This new degree is particularly important because students can access the training they need from anywhere,” said Rosalía Orozco, director of the Digital Journalism Center.

Journalists from Chattanooga and Chicago Honored for International Reporting

Two reporters have won awards, named for Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, for outstanding coverage of global stories with important local angles.

New Mobile SMS Service Helps Indonesian Villagers Hold Company Accountable

The first message came by text on October 17 from a cell phone in rural Indonesia, and it quickly got results – a surprising and encouraging turn of events for the new citizen journalist who sent it.

“One hundred residents of Sei Enau village … are defending their lands,” it read in the native Indonesian language. It was the very first SMS message sent through a new communications system developed by Knight International Journalism Fellow Harry Surjadi, in partnership with Ruai TV and Internews.