A piece on the RTDNA's websitesays local TV news might never be the same due to the coronavirus pandemic. It notes, among other things, the innovation required to produce stories while working remotely.
The Shop Talk panelists use that as the starting point for their discussion about how the pandemic is changing the way journalism is taught.
Will Buss said he will teach entirely online this semester. And the Western Courier will no long be printed – it’s available only online. That money-saving measure was implemented partially due to the pandemic.
Rajvee Subramanian said he must do face-to-face instruction for his audio and visual production classes because hands-on experience is the best way to learn those skills. But only half of the students will be in the classroom at one time; the rest will join in remotely.
He said even partial on-line instruction is challenging because this is entirely new territory for teachers.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
