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The MoJo Prof

by bentleycl from Columbia

Last Post 27 days, 17 hours Ago


If you haven't noticed, the Tigers are prowling the political blogs again.

In the fall I have the pleasure of teaching editorial writing at the Missouri School of Journalism. I've been a newspaper editor, but I really don't think many young journalists will have a chance to fill the editorial page. That's the domain of the senior staff.

But they certainly can blog. And what better place to try their wings than MyFoxSTL.

I divided my class into four team, each with a theme:

CultureWars -- A liberal-leaning look at politics and social issues. Adam Daniels, Burk Krohe, Sean Madden, Bridget Mullen, and Greg Wasserman take turns posting.
TigersRightPaw -- A conservative view from four university students: Nathan Birt, Gregory Spielberg, Benjamin Herrold and Philip Laposa.
ShowMeMo -- It's a look at politic from the Missouri perspective. Written by Amber Fehrenbacher, Ryan Neal and Adam Stillman.
ShadesofGreen -- Green and green: The politics of the environment and the costs of protecting it. Written by Melissa Boyer, Lesley Grissum and Lauren Titterington.

In addition, a faculty member from nearby Columbia College sits in on the class and blogs on this system. He also writes a Friday column for the Columbia Missourian. Dave Rossman's acerbic blog is ProfDave.

Many media critics (perhaps read "you"?) complain that journalists are out of touch with their readers and don't grasp the significance of the blogging phenomenon. That's why these students are targets for your comments. Given the reputation of the Missouri School of Journalism, you can count on one or more of these students becoming an editor at one of America's leading newspapers. And all will play some significant role in the media. Giving them real-world experience is what we call the "Missouri Method."

So here is your chance. Teach them the ropes by cutting them no slack. But be honest, please. And if you have a problem or special comment, you can post it to me here or you can email me at bentleycl@missouri.edu .

Clyde Bentley
Associate Professor
Missouri School of Journalism


7 Comments |  Add a Comment

Member Comments Total Comments: 7
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mr_wildflower read my blog view my photos
Oct 8, 2008 | 11:28 AM

Hey Clyde........ Hope your summer was eventful, scenic, and intoxicating......

RetiredPro
Oct 8, 2008 | 3:11 PM

i dont know who they were to begin with...so welcome newcomers...i truly respect any college student taking time to blog versus what we did in the good old days...it was called partying...maybe society is getting smarter...

mr_wildflower read my blog view my photos
Oct 9, 2008 | 12:49 PM

This is a bad time for this assignment..... Your students are facing an uphill battle trying to get blogs read in the political section...... With the election a little over 3 weeks away the political blogs are flying 4 to 4 pages a day..... The last one I wrote in political went 2 pages deep in about 6 hours..... There is too much to read to keep up with them......
The best advice I can give them is to make it interesting and choose a topic that the readers can connect to and don't make it too long...... Some of the ones that I have seen lately have almost been a full page for one blog....... Most readers will only get about 1/4 the way through before losing interest...

mrmgrady read my blog view my photos
Oct 10, 2008 | 3:37 PM

good to have you and the students back!!!!

Let the games begin!!!!

suetonius read my blog
Oct 13, 2008 | 9:57 PM

Prof,
I'm not telling you how to do your job but please remind your students there's no bottom here in the blogosphere. That in the end integrity and brutal facts must prevail in order for the United States to succeed.
"Game on!"

FREEDOMFREE read my blog view my photos
Oct 14, 2008 | 7:58 PM

HERE A THEME , VOTE YET ,

IT KINDA RINGS ,

VOTE FOR FREE , FREEDOMFREE .

kaylas
Oct 15, 2008 | 4:58 PM

Why is it this guy gets tomake blog issues? Another white guy. Really something new here. He is working for FOX and is supporting MacCain. Wate your time if you want.

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bentleycl

I'm an online-media professor at the Missouri School of Journalism. But I'm also a granddad, a letterboxer and an inept woodworker. I spent some time in the MyFox STL office and became hooked on the MyFox blogs. So here I am, sort of the voice of journalism with a big J. I'll take your criticism or answer your questions about the news, the media system or journalism of the future. If you are into the theoretical end of blogging, check my professional blog at http://thecyberbrains.com
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Member Since: 5/25/2007