Some updates about your final project

1. For Wednesday, please write a 200- to 300-word blog post on what your final project will be about. I think we had a great discussion today, and I was especially pleased at the help you were giving each other. In your blog post, I’d like to see a thesis sentence — that is, the argument you intend to make — as well as some specifics rather than a broad theme.

2. As we discussed, the deadline for your final project will now be Monday, June 29, at 10 a.m. This gives you four extra days, including a weekend. By the time you read this, I’ll have updated the syllabus.

3. I will be in my office on Thursday, June 25, for some drop-in help with your projects. I’m thinking about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but please let me know if those don’t work for you. I’m also happy to discuss your project any time by email or during office hours.

The evils of evil aggregation

This BuzzFeed story by Alan White on how an evil aggregator called Central European News ruined the lives of three people is well worth your time.

Teen who was killed reportedly refused to join gang

As you read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ memoir, think about this story in The Boston Globe about a teenager who was shot to death in Boston, reportedly because he had refused to join a gang.

How to manage the conversation with your community

We discussed comments and online news today, and you’ve done some reading on the topic as well. Please write a short blog post on how you would manage comments if you were in charge of a news site. Issues to consider:

• Would you require real names, or would you allow anonymous and pseudonymous contributions?
• Would you screen all comments before allowing them to be posted, or would you simply remove offensive comments after they had been posted?
• Would you encourage shifting the conversation to platforms you don’t control (especially Facebook), or would you try to keep it in-house?

Try to make use of some of our reading on comments by quoting and linking as appropriate.

Getting ready for your final project

This coming Monday, June 15, please be prepared to discuss your final project in class. We will go around the conference table and hear from each of you. An in-depth discussion will help you write a better project — we’ll probably let it run for an hour or more.

Let’s hear about your topic, what sources you’ve consulted, what sources you’re planning to consult and the like. And be prepared to help your classmates.

The ethics of photojournalism

Many thanks again to Mark Garfinkel of the Boston Herald for speaking with us Monday about the ethics of photojournalism. I asked you to take some notes on his talk. Please write a short (200- to 300-word) blog post about his talk before class on Wednesday. You may choose any topic he raised.

Using Creative Commons

Here is a photo of Kanye West that we found using Creative Commons.

Photo (cc) by David Shankbone and published under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.