[chiPHPug-discuss] [Fwd: programmers + journalism = ??]

[Richard L. <ce...@l-...>]

Forwarding to the Chicago PHP User Group as requested:

-------------------------- Original Message --------------------------
Subject: programmers + journalism = ??
From:    "Rich Gordon" <ri...@no...>
Date:    Fri, January 9, 2009 11:40 am
To:      chi...@l-...
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings.  I teach journalism at the Medill School at Northwestern
University, and we have a cool (and perhaps a little crazy) program
offering
scholarships to programmer/developers to earn a master's degree in
journalism at our school.  I am interested in plugging this program to
your
CHIPHPUG members - through your normal e-communication channels as
well as
(if you're interested) via making a presentation (as little as 2 mins,
longer if you think there'd be an appetite) about this program.



Wondering if this is possible?  Here's a short blurb about what we're
up to:





The Medill School at Northwestern University, one of the nation's top
journalism schools, has a unique opportunity for skilled
programmer-developers: full scholarships to attend our one-year master's
program.  The scholarships, financed through a grant from the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation, cover tuition, academic and living expenses.
Students can enroll starting in June or September 2009, or January 2010.
You can learn more about the scholarships on our Web site at
http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/admissions/programmers.html.  For
questions about the scholarship program, feel free to contact me at
ri...@no....



In the first three calendar quarters, scholarship winners study the
craft,
culture and process of journalism - reporting, writing and
storytelling - as
well as choosing from a variety of elective courses.  In their final
quarter, the "programmer-journalists" enroll in one of our innovation
courses, in which they collaborate with other master's students to invent
something new and relevant to journalism and media.  The team
including the
first two scholarship winners just wrapped up by launching News Mixer
(http://www.newsmixer.us), a site designed to engage young adults in
conversation and interaction around the news.  You can read more about
News
Mixer at
http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/studentwork/archives.aspx?id=110531.
(And check out the reaction the project has been getting:
http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2009/01/news-mixer-generates-widesprea.html. )



Why are we doing this?  Simple.  The world of media and journalism is
changing rapidly.  People who understand coding and journalism are in
great
demand now -- at traditional media companies as well as startups. 
Newsrooms
want journalists who can help figure out the best way to present
data-driven
stories on digital platforms. Media companies want people who can build
better systems for news production and distribution.  Startup
companies want
developers who understand how people use and consume information. And
there
are endless opportunities to create new digital products that engage
audiences with information they need to be citizens.  With programming
experience and a master's degree from Medill, the scholarship winners
will
be perfectly positioned to help invent the future of media and
journalism.







Rich Gordon

Associate Professor, Director of Digital Media in Education

Medill School, Northwestern University

1870 Campus Drive

Evanston, IL 60208

(847) 467-5968





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