Journalism for Dummies

I went through my first NewsU course last night and did not find it very useful. However, Poynter is not to blame. Journalism itself is the culprit. I chose the course called "The Interview" in order to improve at what I feel is the most difficult and most essential part of good reporting. The course is simplified, providing information that all journalists and journalism students should already know. The interactive game does not give online students a chance to practice. It only lets them choose their speed by clicking along a pre-determined path. Clicking the mouse prompts the in-game journalist to ask interview questions that only require a yes or no answer, and another click of the mouse will answer a cell phone call from Chip, who lectures on why that journalist should have asked open-ended questions.

But as I was trying to think of ways the game might be improved, I realized something. It can't. After journalists learn the few text-book basics of interviewing, there's nothing more to teach them. A journalist who reads bookshelves of interviewing guides will not be any better than the journalist in the field practicing the skill. This is why the NewsU course failed to meet my expectations. The actual information we learn in any journalism course, from Intro to Advanced Reporting is simple. It's applying it that's the hard part.

Now I know for next time to pick a subject I know nothing about with the goal of familiarizing myself with a subject, not improving.