Since we are using blogs for some of our projects, I want to make certain that students understand the following:
Please do not confuse the casual nature and language of many blogs with the "traditional" standards of journalism. Blogging is often personal in nature and told from a definite point of view. We will have many multimedia and/or reporting assignments that may be more personal and/or feature-oriented. This, of course, is different from traditional "hard news" reporting, where the focus on "objectivity" and storytelling will be more structured. For all assignments in this class, I expect you to uphold the high standards of "traditional" journalism -- even if it is published on your blog or site. This means that you should not ignore grammar, spelling, punctuation or clarity.
Here is a great article about the differences and debates brewing over "blogging versus journalism":
"Why Bloggers Can't Replace the Work of Professional Journalists"
