Why digital media matters to you—even if you don't realize it

By Kara Tabor

Courtesy of Flickr user Japanexperterna.se

Throughout the month of September, ONA Mizzou will be sharing our best journalism school tips with you. ONA Mizzou is dedicated to bringing together all journalism students, and connecting them to skills and job opportunities in digital media. We already have some exciting digital media workshops planned, but, first, let’s get through the first month of school together. 

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. in RJI 100A (aka the Fishbowl), for ONA Mizzou’s first event, Journalism 101: Ask Me Anything. A panel of upperclassmen journalism students will be on hand to answer any questions you have about the J school. Submit your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #ONAAMA.

What kind of news do you consume?

Now, before you start thinking of the different organizations and outlets that you follow on a regular basis, I want you to think past the content to the way you take in your information—the medium.

To emojis, mobile and beyond

From Flickr user

Marco Paköeningrat

By Katy Mersmann

Just last week, BuzzFeed announced the addition of emojis to its content management system. The news about BuzzFeed's move to include emojis in stories and headlines got a decent amount of traction; it's a fun, albeit unusual move by a company known for trying new things. Along with emojis in the CMS, BuzzFeed also added them to its style guide, giving their use a more real, journalistic feel:

Where's the BuzzFeed in New York Times' convention coverage?

  By Stacey Welsh

This is an update to Stacey Welsh's June 23 post titled "'Buzz surrounds New York Times politics partnership.'"

The New York Times is buzzing with coverage of the Republican and Democratic national conventions -- but it doesn't look like that includes as much BuzzFeed as promised. I've found little evidence of joint coverage despite the organizations' announcing a political partnership in June.

'Buzz' surrounds New York Times politics partnership

By Stacey Welsh

The New York Times has announced it’s spicing up coverage of the 2012 Democratic and Republican national conventions with a BuzzFeed collaboration. The paper posted a press release explaining how the not-so-traditional partnership will offer "expanded video coverage." Times staffers and BuzzFeed’s political team will create video segments with commentary about the conventions and the events leading up to them.

Erik Wemple, a Washington Post blogger, comments that the most "astounding" part of the move is that the Times proposed it. Additionally, he writes, BuzzFeed has only been covering politics "seriously" since January when former Politico writer Ben Smith joined as the site's editor-in-chief. Wemple, however, said this wouldn't be a problem because the Times is searching for "the ability to command a large following and to strike up the sorts of online conversations for which older, well-paid, traditional newspaper reporters aren’t famous."