Oct. 17, 2013 – A new digital book launched today by Knight Foundation calls for change in journalism and journalism education—and is itself an example of that change.

Searchlights and Sunglasses: Field Notes From the Digital Age of Journalism is a digital romp through the past, present and future  of news  written by Knight Senior Adviser Eric Newton. With one click, it turns from a standard digital book into a teaching tool. A “learning layer” appears and offers more than 1,000 links, lessons and resources, which were developed with the University of Missouri’s Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

“The digital age has turned journalism upside down and inside out. But it has not done that to journalism education,” Newton said. “Journalism and mass communication schools continue every year to pour thousands of graduates into entry level news jobs. We should do more to give the next generation what it needs to help reinvent news.”

Designed in HTML5, the new digital book is written for educators, journalists, students and news consumers who believe great journalism should thrive in the digital age. It is available free at searchlightsandsunglasses.org and includes a Kindle version.

The insightful essays are Newton’s field notes from a career as a journalist and a grant-maker at a pivotal time for the news industry. For two decades he has been at the nexus of news developments, first at the Newseum and now at Knight Foundation. Newton covers a range of topics, including the decline of press freedom in the post-9/11 world, the argument for measuring journalism’s impact on communities and the importance of expanding one’s media diet beyond mere “comfort news.” The book’s learning layer converts each essay into a tool for classroom discussion.

The title refers to the metaphor of how journalism evolved as a searchlight for truth but today is equally tasked with shading the glare of the digital age so important facts do not get lost. In fact, the publication itself is intended to be a “giant pair of sunglasses,” Newton writes, “filtering the endless beams of ‘new information’ about the future of news.”

Searchlights and Sunglasses debuts at a time when only 26 percent of the media professionals surveyed  said their new hires came with “most or all” of the skills they need to succeed, and four in 10 graduates surveyed said they received too little technical education.  With textbooks and curriculums slow to adapt and reflect changes in the industry, students aren’t necessarily get the education they need to work in the present and invent the future.

“We believe the book can be of substantial help to students and teachers studying journalism at all levels,” said Roger Gafke, director of development at the Reynolds Journalism Institute and leader of the RJI resource team. “It brings together into a single location important ideas, links to fundamental resources and suggestions from our team of teachers on how students and teachers can use the content.”

Newton is launching the book today at the annual conference of the Online News Association in Atlanta.

To complement its journalism education reform efforts, Knight Foundation and three other major foundations today announced a $1 million challenge fund encouraging universities to create teams that will experiment with new ways of providing news. The fund, administered by the Online News Association, will pay for live news experiments that develop teaching hospital models in journalism education, where students create innovative projects with professionals, professors and researchers. ONA will make applications available in November.

The digital book also ties current trends to Knight Foundation investments in journalism and media innovation education, which now exceed $200 million. Knight has endowed chairs and fellowship programs at universities; created the cutting-edge News 21 programs, a teaching hospital model; and in recent years, funded media innovation, digital research, entrepreneurial journalism and new tool development and use. Last year, Knight Foundation and other funders called on America’s university presidents to speed change in journalism schools.

PBS MediaShift, a leader in covering change in journalism education, will continue the book’s call for education reform. The site will revamp and relaunch an EducationShift section at EdShift.org boosting its content with help from digitally savvy professors. It will spark further conversation on journalism and communication school reform online and through social media.

Read the new digital book at searchlightsandsunglasses.org and join the conversation on Twitter using the #edshift hashtag.

Advance Praise for Searchlights and Sunglasses:

“The up-hill battle for journalism in the digital age is well-known.  What has been missing is a solution.  The voice of clarity about that is embodied in Searchlights and Sunglasses.”
–John Lumpkin, director, Schieffer School of Journalism, Texas Christian University, and former vice president, Associated Press

“Searchlights and Sunglasses is a fascinating, comprehensive, and at times inspiring look at the changes in and possibilities for the news industry.”  
–Dori J. Maynard, President, Maynard Institute for Journalism Education

“…  a highly critical, sometimes scathing, and wholly on point critique of the state of journalism education … a detailed, positive and uplifting blueprint of how to move forward … a must-read for journalism students, professors, deans and – most important – university presidents as they consider what journalism education, and ultimately journalism itself, needs to be in the digital future.”
—Christopher Callahan, founding dean, vice provost and professor, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University

 “It perfectly exemplifies how cutting-edge technology can be used to achieve the best pedagogical results. This digital book … will do wonders to educate a new generation of reporters and writers … and will resonate immensely with students and teachers alike.”
–Raul Reis, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Florida International University

“….a provocative platform to raise current issues related to the profession to the academy. It will, I expect, be assigned reading for administrators and top faculty in schools around the country…”
–Susan Moeller, Professor of Media and International Affairs & Director, International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, University of Maryland

“… a unique and important book. Eric Newton has been one of the most influential people in shaping journalism’s future for more than a decade. This volume tracks his journey, outlines what he has learned and where he thinks we are headed—on everything from document clouds to the future of journalism education.”
— Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of the American Press Institute and founder of the Project for Excellence in Journalism

“Eric Newton is a key thinker, doer and supporter of journalism today… Every reporter, editor, executive, and journalism school teacher and student needs to read this.”
— Jeff Jarvis, writer, consultant, and associate professor and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York.

“The HTML5 experience of the book is what makes it different from most books.… Sections of the book can be used in a variety of journalism classes — not just an introductory journalism class, but as part of lectures or topics when covering the major issues and trends in journalism today.”
–Amy Schmitz Weiss, Associate Professor, San Diego State University

“… a comprehensive perspective of the current state of American journalism and what needs to be done for the industry to respond for the future. More importantly, it provides a clear call-to-action and roadmap for those in journalism education, especially at smaller institutions, that have stuck to old routines and not yet
embraced the digital revolution.”
– Adam Maksl, Ph.D., assistant professor of journalism, Indiana University
Southeast

“…a must-read for anyone who works in the field of journalism and communications…discusses innovations and collaborations that can help us adapt to constant change and make sense out of the massive amount of information at the tips of our fingers.”
— Jose Zamora, VP, Strategic Communications, Univision Network News 

“…reminds us why truthful, open and ambitious journalism matters — and why it deserves our committed action and “off-the-planet crazy” ideas in classrooms and newsrooms to help it thrive. The Learning Layer is a treasure trove of innovative examples, useful digital tools and practical classroom activity and discussion ideas.”
– Sally Lehrman, Senior Fellow, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

About the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute works with citizens, journalists and researchers to strengthen democracy through better journalism. RJI seeks out the most exciting new ideas, tests them with real-world experiments, uses social science research to assess their effectiveness and delivers solutions that citizens and journalists can put to use in their own communities

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Contacts:

Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, Knight Foundation, (305) 908-2677 or (786) 300-8317, [email protected]

Brian Steffens, Director of Communications, Reynolds Journalism Institute,  
(573) 882-8251, [email protected]