EducationCurriculum & Schedule
Saturday, May 9th
Arrivals
Walking Tour of Old Town and Charles Bridge
Sunday, May 10th
Tour of Prague, including Castle
Welcome Dinner in Old Town
Monday, May 11th
9:30 – 10:30: Jeremy Druker – Introduction and Overview of Course
10:30 – 12:30: Reporting from Prague (Rob Cameron, BBC)
- Writing for radio, how to be clear and concise, but definitely not boring
- How to structure, script, record, edit, and mix sound-rich audio pieces
- Use of sound, how to liven up your reports and create a sense of place
- Interview techniques, what makes a good radio interview
- Package techniques, how to get the most out of a story and produce great radio
- How to make the most out of stringing for a foreign news organization
- How to get your editors’ attention.
12:30 – 1:30: Break for lunch
2:00 – 4:00: Afternoon at the American Center
The students will meet the head of the American Center and learn about the center’s activities in the Czech Republic. The group will then be joined by Daniel Ernst, the press attaché for the U.S. Embassy, who will speak about the differences between Czech and foreign reporters; the embassy’s policies for dealing with journalists and story queries; and his time in the Middle East.
Tuesday, May 12th
9:30 – 12:30: Multimedia Reporting (Nedim Dervisbegovic, RFE/RL)
- What should be included in a multimedia journalist’s toolkit (hardware and software)
- How to evaluate a story and decide what multimedia elements work best
- How to record and edit high-quality video
- How to judge basic visual elements
- Storyboarding
- Shooting photo essays and soundslides
- Thinking about distribution on the web.
Wednesday, May 13th
9:30 – 12:30: Story Idea Discussion
Three long-time journalists in Prague will be part of a roundtable discussion on student story topics (Jeremy Druker, Ky Krauthamer, and Nada Strakova).
12:30 – 1:00: Break for lunch
1:00 – 4:00: Plan for Thursday’s Story-Final Story Ideas and Approaches
Thursday, May 14th
Full day of story-reporting
Friday, May 15th
9:30 – 12:30: Critique Stories
12:30 – 1:30: Break for lunch
2:00 – 5:00: Digital Journalism (Benjamin Cunningham, Economist)
- Changes in digital presentation and how they affect writing
- Using digital tools to aid you in reporting
- Adapting writing skills to another medium
- Social networks as a means to promote your work
- Essential skills for a multimedia toolbox.
Saturday, May 16th
Karlstejn Castle
Sunday, May 17th
Free Day
Monday, May 18th
9:30 – 12:30 Women in the media (Jana Ciglerova)
- Determination as a vital part of one’s goal
- Early career in the Czech media
- The aspect of luck in one’s career: Czech saying “Luck is there for the ones who are ready for it”
- Britain: journalism, studies and work for The Guardian/Observer
- Being a woman in the mainstream media: many female reporters, only few female editors –why
- The importance of failure in one’s career: I have failed twice (MFDnes, Elle)
- Comeback makes you twice as powerful: my beginning work for television and radio has made me way more versatile. Had I not failed, I wouldn’t be so
- Women’s issues and me: launch of a woman’s weekly and a weekly TV show
- How does motherhood affect career of a female journalist?
Tuesday, May 19th
9:30 – 12:30: How foreign correspondents are using social media (Jeremy Druker)
- Quick overview of how social media is changing the journalism profession, for better or worse
- The most popular foreign correspondents on Twitter and why
- Tips for building a social media audience when working from abroad
- Mistakes not to make and threats to credibillity.
Afternoon:
Respekt, the leading Czech weekly news and social affairs magazine, housed in the massive Economia media complex (which features a central newsroom for all of their publications with a «Superdesk» in the middle, where the main editors sit and collaborate across publications). An introduction and discussion with foreign editor Martin Ehl and reporter Lucie Kavanova.
Evening:
Czech Television. This would include a tour of the station’s 24-hour news channel and a viewing of Hyde Park, the live social-media-driven talk show.
Wednesday, May 20th
9:30 – 12:30: Story Planning Meeting
12:30 – 1:30: Break for lunch
2:00 – 5:00: Start on Stories
Thursday, May 21st
Story Production
Friday, May 22nd
Story Critiques and Planning for Final Stories
Saturday, May 23rd
Trip to Plzen
Sunday, May 24th
Free day
Monday, May 25th
9:30 – 12:30: Jan Urban – former dissident leader, journalist, war correspondent, and author – will talk about the Czech transition and the role of the media since 1989.
Tuesday, May 26th
Story Planning Meeting
Wednesday, May 27th
Finish Final Stories
Thursday, May 28th
9:30 – 12:30: Final critique: Jeremy and Rob.
7:00: Farewell Dinner
Friday, May 29th
Departures