SEMINARS

Election ‘08: Covering Politics in Cyberspace

April 18 - April 21, 2007
Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California
In partnership with Investigative Reporters & Editors

About the Seminar

Covering Politics in Cyberspace Blog

A group of University of Southern California graduate students blogged the 4-day seminar, sharing what they heard and saw from a perspective that included their own insights as consumers of New Media and future journalists.

The Knight Digital Media Center @ USC Annenberg School for Communication brought 20 multimedia journalists together with experts from private and public sectors to focus on: 1) how political and special interest organizations are using the Internet and New Media tools; 2) how to use the Internet and New Media tools to provide innovative and interactive coverage of politics; and 3) how to incorporate watchdog journalism techniques into your online coverage.

It is already apparent that New Media tools and the Internet will play an even greater role in Election 2008, building on the political digital strategies of 2004 and 2006. At the same time, news organizations are using New Media tools to create campaign coverage online that allow for greater interactivity with their audiences and a greater ability to practice watchdog journalism at a new level. This seminar was designed to help news organizations develop coverage plans that exploit the potential of digital media. In addition, fellows received instruction in investigative “money and politics” tools, including hands-on computer-assisted reporting lab.

Speakers

Chuck DeFeo
vice president and general manager, Townhall.com

Colin Delany
founder and chief editor, epolitics.com

Nancy Scola
freelance writer/activist, policy advisor, outreach coordinator, and Internet political strategist

Micah Sifry
co-founder and executive editor, Personal Democracy Forum, which covers the ways technology is changing politics, and techpresident, a blog dedicated to the 2008 Presidential campaign (www.personaldemocracy.com)

Todd Ziegler
senior vice president of client services, Bivings Group

Full Speaker List

Resources

Presentation materials and slide decks used during the seminar.

David All Group: “Google + YouTube + Politics”
IPDI.org: The Audience for Political Blogs: New Research on Blog Readership
IPDI.org: The Virtual Trail: Political Journalism on the Internet
Pew: Election Newshounds Speak Up: Newspaper, TV and Internet Fans Tell How and Why They Differ
The Bivings Report: “The Internet’s Role in Political Campaigns”

Full Resource List

Agenda

April 18, 2007, 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Advance Reading Materials

April 18, 2007, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Election ‘08: Opening Lunch

Welcome and introductions. (Porter and Donald)

Keynote address - “Politics and the Internet: What Do We Really Know?” (Cornfield)

Presentation by:

Vikki Porter, director, Knight Digital Media Center, USC Annenberg School for Communication
David Donald, Training Director, Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting
Michael Cornfield, Vice President of Public Affairs, ElectionMall Technologies, and adjunct faculty in strategy and message, George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management

April 18, 2007, 1:45 PM - 3:45 PM

Tech-politics: The “Facebook Effect,” Netroots and Beyond

Campaigns have done their obligatory “social networking,” blogging and webpages and staked out their Second Life headquarters. What are the real strategies that might make a difference in our most digitized election in history? Why and how?
• Moderated by Drew Clark, senior fellow and project manager, Center for Public Integrity.

Presentation by:

Micah Sifry, co-founder and executive editor, Personal Democracy Forum, which covers the ways technology is changing politics, and techpresident, a blog dedicated to the 2008 Presidential campaign (www.personaldemocracy.com)
Chuck DeFeo, vice president and general manager, Townhall.com
Colin Delany, founder and chief editor, epolitics.com
Nancy Scola, freelance writer/activist, policy advisor, outreach coordinator, and Internet political strategist
Todd Ziegler, senior vice president of client services, Bivings Group