The virtual world has become an important part of our lives. Today, you can listen to your favorite radio, watch live TV-shows or read the latest news in the Internet. In order to be as close as possible to their reader, listener or viewer, journalists are trying to adapt to new information technologies. Keeping up with competition and combining original content with maximum speed were the things that the students of the School of Advanced Journalism learned at the course of digital journalism. Dumitru Ciorici, co-founder of www.agora.md, worked with the students. 

The course began with a brief introduction to digital journalism. Students learned how to self-finance a news portal, how make an online platform profitable and how to promote the web content. The trainer also explained how to calculate the audience of a site and what criteria influence the increase or decrease of online traffic. Young people tested various search engines, found out why it is important to adapt to mobile versions and what the features of this type of journalism are. The trainer pointed their attention to the importance of proper application of various multimedia tools – the thing that differs online journalism from classical journalism – and noted that a reporter specialized in online journalism should know how to harmoniously complement a text with audio, video, photographs and graphics.

After this introduction, rather theoretical, beginner journalists proceeded to the practical part of the course. This year, for the first time, the SAJ students worked side by side with the team of AGORA, experiencing the job of an online reporter first-hand. For four days, after editorial meetings, they would have several hours to research stories, write news, and make photos and even videos. The best articles of the School’s students were posted on www.agora.md.  For the first time at this course, young people simulated a live broadcast and made interviews in the AGORA studio.

Young people were impressed by this unique experience and noticed that everything they learned at this course will help them later in their chosen careers. “I liked having this course in a real newsroom, along with other journalists. It was very useful for us,” said student Maria Svet at the end of the course.

Dumitru Ciorici was also pleased with the results of the course, which, he said, was an opportunity for the students to systematize their knowledge. According to the trainer, digital journalism is a “trend, and it will become a priority for all media outlets in a not so distant future.” This is why it is very important that students are familiar with optimal working tools and with how they can make their product more attractive to readers. “I liked the fact that the experiments in the newsroom, in the studio and with the drone fascinated the students. It is a sign that they may really enjoy journalism,” concluded the co-founder of the www.agora.md news portal.

Tomorrow, the SAJ starts the last course of this year – Community Journalism.