ONA Weekly #310

By on May 27, 2020

ONA, McKinsey and Company partner on climate-change award

We are pleased to announce the Online Journalism Awards will feature a total of $25,000 in cash prizes over five years for winners of the Topical Reporting: Climate Change category, thanks to generous support from McKinsey and Company. New for 2020, this category honors stories that address climate change’s impact on our daily lives through various lenses — including science, policy, health, trade, agriculture, sports, business or insurance. “Supporting the climate-change award is another way McKinsey can help reinforce journalism’s vital role of educating the public and leaders on the impact of climate change and how we all play a role in creating a more sustainable world,” said McKinsey Global Publishing Director Elect, Raju Narisetti.

Reminder: Submissions to the Online Journalism Awards are due June 4.

How educators are teaching journalism virtually

When the time came to move classes online, many journalism educators only had a few days to reshape their curriculum to be delivered in a digital format. We checked in with the ONA Educators community to see how they’ve been teaching the next generation of journalists.

  • University of North Carolina professor Steven King is convening his Emerging Technologies class in virtual reality — enabling elements that wouldn’t be possible in a video conference, like writing on a white board and chatting before and after class.
  • Southern Methodist University professor Jake Batsell reworked a project originally focused on the 2008 economic crisis into a comparison to what his students are seeing play out today. “I hope it’s infusing their work with more of a sense of purpose because it’s not just going through the motions of a homework assignment, but it’s responding to a moment in time,” he said.
  • For his summer class, University of Hartford professor Abe Hefter is using Cleanfeed to create a virtual on-air studio and master control room for his students. They’ll deliver a sportscast in real time, combining pre-recorded and live elements.
  • University of Oregon professor Damian Radcliffe is breaking up his lectures into a series of short quizzes to keep students engaged and stave off Zoom fatigue. 
  • Educators at the Missouri School of Journalism are launching a pop-up newsroom staffed by 10 students and recent grads to cover the impact of COVID-19 across the state.

Are you a journalism educator? Join the ONA Educators Facebook group to see how your peers are innovating. 

ICYMI: Our lineup for the next 5 months

You may have seen our announcement last week about ONA20 Everywhere (Oct. 1-16) — but did you see the six other learning and networking opportunities we’re planning for the next five months? We’re designing everything for a digital environment, including a Leadership Town Hall series kicking off in June, another round of sign-ups for ONA Community Circles, an Emerging Tech for Journalism Summit in July and more. Different backdrop, same ONA energy and focus. 

How we’re designing ONA20 Everywhere

Our conference is famous for its high energy, optimistic spirit and creative participants — and we’re reimagining every element from the ground up to ensure they happen intentionally in a digital format. Go behind the scenes with ONA Chief Knowledge Officer Trevor Knoblich to learn more about our thought process, assumptions and what we’re testing. 

Upcoming events

ONA Local groups regularly host events for digital journalists all over the world. All events are currently happening online. Find a group near you.

Career opportunities

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recent postings include:

On our radar