In this class we'll look at American mass media with an eye toward understanding how it developed from the broadsheet to the Internet, and what these technological, design, and delivery changes mean for the content, values, and business model of journalism. 

Should media outlets try to be non-partisan? Is there room for "opinions" in journalism? What was the country like when there were only a handful of startup newspapers? Why did we turn toward valuing news 24/7 instead of only weekly, daily, or nightly? How should we think about mainstream sources vs. independent or alternative sources? Is our media landscape "fragmented," and how did this environment develop from the Revolution through the 21st century?

Join us in this 8-week course to explore these questions and a host of others. Our goal will be to contextualize today's media environment to better understand how we got to 24/7 notifications and headlines, and to provide some perspective on the role of the media away from all of the noisiness and attention-seeking. Check out the course syllabus to see the planned course outline (though keep in mind that I reserve the right to edit this based on student needs and interests! I will inform you if any changes occur :)

All of the content students need to learn each week's new concepts is included in the course, either as pre-recorded video, assigned reading, or an assignment that will help them practice what they've read and watched.

I am available for questions via the Outschool messaging system throughout the week.