A new research hub: the Tow Center at Columbia

The Tow Center for Digital Journalism, created at Columbia University in 2010, focuses on providing journalists with the skills and knowledge to lead the future of digital journalism. The center is both a research and development center for the profession as a whole. Emily Bell — former director of digital content for Britain’s Guardian News and Media — and her team of journalists and academics, explore how the development of technology is changing journalism. The team give particular attention to the practice of journalism and its consumption. Here’s the center’s first major report, on how the transformation of American journalism is unavoidable: http://towcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/TOWCenter-Post_Industrial_Journalism.pdf

Activities:
Flashlight: Read the Tow Center report. Do you agree or disagree with its main points?

Spotlight: Research the Guardian news group. How popular is http://www.guardiannews.com/ -- the Guardian’s web site? (You can use http:www.Alexa.com to measure of the site’s ranking). If the Guardian more popular in the United States than the New York Times? Why or why not?

Searchlight: The Tow Center accepts proposals for useful research. Its requirements are here: http://towcenter.org/research/request-for-proposals/ Review the requirements and write a paper about a suggested piece of research.

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