← Memos & History Bits Collection
11 documents · 1988–2015

The Poynter & Poynter NewsU Memos

This is a collection of memos and reports that I wrote during my time at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies.  I joined Poynter in 2002 as its Presidential Scholar.  This was a more like a consulting job.  I traveled from Phoenix to St. Petersburg at least once a month and stayed for a week to 10 days. In 2003 I joined the Institute full-time to lead its efforts to create an e-learning site, News University.  As Interactive Learning Director, I created, with lots of help, the world’s largest journalism-based online training program.  As of 2014, there are more than 300,000 registered users on the site.  I became Poynter’s director of partnerships and alliances [as known as business development] director in 2012.   Some of these memos are also reflected in the “Analog to Digital” timeline, which is the heart of this project.

1980s Changing newsrooms
Memo, 1988 Poynter Seminar on Design for 1980s

One of the first seminars I taught at was The Poynter Institute for Media Studies’ “Newspaper Design for the ’80s”.  Here’s the invitation letter from Mario Garcia bio, associate director of Poynter. I had been at the Institute earlier as

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2000s Journalism moves online
History, 2002 NewsU’s First ‘Public’ Beta

Even before much of the foundation of Poynter's e-learning project was laid, we tested the concept of an online group seminar, thanks to the support of the Asian American Journalism Association and one of its most forward looking leaders, Mae Chang.

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Memo, 2003 Poynter’s News University: Site Structure

I’ve have learned that when trying to create something new, it is helpful to draw a picture. Some folks learn by reading; others by looking at a picture. The site diagram of the 1st technology phase of Poynter’s e-learning project

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Poynter Institute Staff photos 12_15_2003
History, 2003 Remembering Nelson Poynter and Poynter Colleagues

In celebration of Nelson Poynter’s 100th birthday, the entire Poynter Institute staff gathered for two staff photographs in 2003.  The top photos is the traditional. The bottom photos has everyone wearing bow tie, a Nelson Poynter trademark. This photograph probably

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Memo, 2006 The Explosive Growth of Journalism E-Learning

Part of the mission of Poynter’s News University was to provide research on the whether e-learning would be an effective method of training journalists.  NewsU launched in April 2005 after a short beta period, with 1961 registered users.  In April

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2010s Training the digital newsroom
Memo, 2014 Constant Training: New Normal or Missed Opportunity

As part of the grant to The Poynter Institute for the creation and running of News University, an online training program, the Knight Foundation asked that we conduct studies as to how effective training was and better understand the training

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Memo, 2015 NewsU Story Contest Finalists

Poynter’s News University liked to celebrate its users and held a couple of contests to get compelling stories from its students. This document is a worksheet for those at Poynter who were tasked to pick the best stories. [The stars

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