Killing journalism softly, a new use for Instagram, and appreciating teachers: This Week’s Fresh Powder Report

What’s really killing modern journalism:

This PBS column by former Vice President of News at NPR Jeffrey Dvorkin claims that “click-bait” journalism – or, more simply put, media production that relies on hits and views – will be the death of journalism. Dworkin compares Uber, a “taxi company that doesn’t own any cars,” to modern journalism; now that news comes from freelancers, bloggers, and social media mavens, it’s a more open-source approach to reporting. But why is that a bad thing?Industry wages for those in the journalism field have plummeted, working conditions have worsened, and companies are downsizing, just to name a few. And, while Dvorkin isn’t so optimistic about our ability to “reverse” these digital changes, he knows it’s not all bad – many media industries have skyrocketed profit-wise, and more digital journalism startups are finding success than ever before.

Handheld Journalism Tools:

Whether we want to admit it or not, it’s almost impossible to separate student journalism from mobile journalism. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing – in fact,here are 5 fantastic mobile journalism apps for student staff members to utilize when they’re reporting on the go.

Instagram isn’t just for selfies and cats:

As we mentioned in last week’s’ Fresh Powder, Investigative Journalism is in need of a pretty serious makeover. Enter Jon and Jeff Lowenstein of Chicago, who reported on a mortgage scheme targeting older African-Americans by posting a photo of one of the victims of this scam on Instagram, accompanied by a lengthy captioned that summarized her experience. Long-form Instagram “stories” are an instant, visually appealing way to break big news – and, with platform built around shares, likes, and commenting, it opens up the dialogue surrounding new reporting in a major way.

The ten best places to continue your journalistic education:

Ideally, being a part of a high school journalism publication will inspire at least a few young, bright minds to continue their journalistic endeavors in college – for those select few, USA Today has compiled a list of the top 10 schools to receive a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Speaking out for student journalism:

While we’re on the subject, here’s a blog post written by National Council of Teachers of English member Alana Rome stressing the importance of scholastic journalism as an element of high school education. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

These things also happened this week:

The Met Gala’s theme this year, “Maanus vs. Machina,” inspired plenty of future-forward fashion choices.

Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’ breaks records by earning 16 Tony nominations.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Day, so make sure all of you hardworking advisers and educators take some time to appreciate everything you do for your students – you deserve it!