Course Overview

The course is a unique "hybrid" format that combines both offline and online instruction and a mix of individual and group assignments that will challenge participants and deepen their knowledge of digital, physical and legal threats they face in their jobs. For the first Module -- on fundamentals -- participants will be flown to Perast, Montenegro, on the weekend of May 25-27, 2018, for a high-intensity (and also fun) weekend of in-person instruction, plus socializing. Modules Two and Three will be held online. At the end of the two online Modules, participants will gather online for special live feedback and training sessions with the course instructors for what we expect will be lively give-and-take over the content of the course and journalism issues in general. The entire course will take about ten weeks. Tuition is free. All expenses will be paid by the program. Application deadline: March 5, 2018, at 17.00 (5pm) Central European Time

Module 1: Digital Journalism Fundamentals

Unit 1: What is journalism? Who is a journalist?
Unit 2: Legal rights and restrictions: overview and challenges
Unit 3: New media ethics

Module 2: Newsgathering 

Unit 4: Access to public data
Unit 5: Handling private and confidential data
Unit 6: Protecting sources and source materials

Module 3: Publishing

Unit 7: Defamation and privacy
Unit 8: Publishing leaks
Unit 9: Security and safety

At the end of the course, we expect participants to have practical working knowledge of the full range of challenges facing journalists and other publishers in the digital. They will understand fundamental journalism issues of definition -- who is a journalist and what is a journalistic act, both practically and legally speaking? -- and rapidly evolving ethics. Participants will have a sound understanding of their rights to access public information and know how to go about obtaining it. Participants will understand the rapidly shifting minefield raised by privacy issues and know their risks and protections with regards to defamation and libel. They will be armed with best practices for protecting themselves against avoidable defamation, libel and privacy claims.

They will have increased their ability on a practical level to protect sources, methods, and documents -- and themselves.