COMM 250: Multimedia Reporting

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2022
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Strongly Recommended: COMM 101; ENGL 101.
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

This convergence journalism course incorporates print and broadcast techniques to produce multimedia pieces for the web. This includes multimedia storytelling incorporating writing, digital photography, graphics, shooting and editing video, and recording and editing sound. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Define the First Amendment and demonstrate understanding of its guarantees of free speech, free press, and free expression.
  • Explain briefly laws regarding libel, sedition, obscenity, invasion of privacy, plagiarism and copyright and demonstrate familiarity with industry codes of ethics.
  • Define the roles of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and discuss its policies.
  • Identify major industry trends in the historical and contemporary development of the mass media, and explore employment opportunities.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with multimedia peripherals (cameras, microphones, lighting equipment and audio recorders).
  • Demonstrate familiarity with multimedia software for editing photos, video and audio as well as for basic web development.
  • Demonstrate familiarity with channels for showcasing user-generated content such as YouTube and WordPress.
  • Create a multimedia project, which may be posted on the Clarion website and/or YouTube channel.

Major Course Content

  1. Overview of multimedia journalism
    1. Introduction to multimedia journalism
    2. Historical and technological development of multimedia journalism
    3. Digital media vocabulary
    4. Web resources
    5. Digital media hardware and software tools
    6. Print vs. web vs. broadcast: similarities and differences
  2. Audio-visual writing, reporting and editing web-based media
    1. Gathering audio
    2. Transcribing audio
    3. Writing scripts for reporter voiceovers
    4. Shooting video footage
    5. Editing and logging video and audio
    6. Lighting techniques
    7. Shooting and managing digital photos
    8. Designing a multimedia journalism story
    9. Building a multimedia journalism story
  3. Reporting with interactive graphics
    1. Introduction to alternative story forms -- maps, charts, tables
    2. Working with spreadsheets
    3. Producing graphics for interactive web display
  4. Finalizing reporting projects and stories
    1. Assembling the final multimedia journalism project
    2. Uploading completed projects to the Web
  5. Ethical and industry concepts
    1. Ethical issues: SPJ, NPPA and RTDNA ethics codes
    2. On-air etiquette and FCC broadcasting guidelines
    3. Multimedia journalism industry and career options

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Peruse award-winning, locally and nationally significant newspaper websites such as the sites of: the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com), the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, (http://www.sgvtribune.com); the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Startribune.com); the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte.com); the San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate.com); the Kansas City Star (Kansascity.com); the Honolulu Advertiser (Honoluluadvertiser.com); and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (JSOnline.com).

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

1. Highlight the strengths and weaknesses of an existing multimedia news or public relations presentation. Critiques can address usability, interactivity, functionality, readability, strength of separate pieces (e.g. writing, photos, videos, graphics, and/or audio), ability of separate pieces to support and supplement each other, and other topics, as well as the presentation’s ability to successfully engage the reader and to complete its goals, whether those goals are to inform, entertain, promote or to complete multiple goals.
2. Write a pitch for a web story, the kind you would submit to an editor. Include all the pertinent information you have and “sell it” to your instructor as best you can. Next, write a script for the story, including suggestions for shots, cuts, etc. The script will be assessed, and possibly approved, based on format, style and accuracy.

Examples of Outside Assignments

1. Shoot still photos of a Citrus Fine and Performing Arts production, a sporting event, or any other instance in which members of the Citrus College community are involved in some sort of activity. Edit and size the photos using Photoshop, then upload them for viewing on The Clarion Online.
2. Shoot video footage of an instance in which members of the Citrus College community are involved in some sort of activity (e.g. sporting event or holiday celebration in the Quad). Edit the video footage using video editing software, then upload the footage for viewing on the course YouTube page.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture