SNAP enables Newsdesk technology for University of Dortmund

SNAP enables Newsdesk technology for University of Dortmund

Tuesday, 16 December 2008 17:43

The future of journalism lies in cross media publishing. The Insititute of Journalism of Technische Universität Dortmund prepares its students for work with a new education program. Starting from summer term in 2009 the young journalists will learn how to produce television and radio shows as well as print and online news.
The institute signed a contract with Hamburg-based system integrator SNAP Innovation. SNAP is supporting the project on the technological side.

 

The Newsdesk Team: Jörg Naß, Thorsten Mann, Tim Strehle (all Digital Collections), Niels Hufnagl (SNAP Innovation), Michael Schulte, Prof. Dr. Günther Rager (f.l.)

Core technology is the newly developed unified newsdesk: content from all four training editorial departments is concentrated in the application. At this desk students from the advanced study period decide what kind of content is used for which channel. Students in their entry-level study period deliver content as editors and reporters. All students learn how to present topics in different media channels. The newsdesk will be ready for production in April 2009.

A group of students was also involved in the project: Together with project manager Prof. Dr. Günther Rager, Dipl.-Journ. Michael Schulte and Dipl.-Journ. Lisa Griesing they developed an innovative model that links together the different editorial departments – organisationally as well as contextually.

For the technical concept and development the Institute of Journalism chose vjoon K4. System intgerator SNAP Innovation was engaged to deploy K4 for the university newspaper “Pflichtlektüre”.

“In the US many reknown universities such as “Yale Daily News” and “The Daily Pennsylvaian” already use K4,” says Andreas Schrader, Managing Director of Vjoon. “We are happy to support the education of future German journalists.”

In phase two of the project SNAP Innovation will install the asset management system DCX from Digital Collections. The database includes an interface for all training editorial departments. The integrated topic-planning module allows students to control all content from all editorial departments. “With the newsdesk solution the university of Dortmund implements a vision that is being discussed all over the publishing industry. We are happy to help creating Germany’s most modern editorial department,” says Niels Hufnagl, project manager at SNAP Innovation.

In the publishing industry the newsdesk project is observed with great interest. “With crossmedia desk the institute is training students for the practical experience,” says Ruhr Nachrichten editor-in-chief Dr. Wolfram Kiwit. Media publishing company Lensing already works with desks that bring together editors from print and online departments. “We are excited to see the experiences gained from integrating radio and television with the newsdesk. This is going to be trend-setting for the industry.”
The student council has supported the project from the beginning. “The Institute of Journalism continues to offer an education that mirrors the journalistic work in a realistic way; this is found nowhere else,” says student-council speaker Livia Rüger.