Ian's+Letter+of+Intent

Ian's Home Page Ian Hitchcock P.O. Box 1595 Dubois, WY 82513 9-8-09

Senior Project Advisory Committee Dubois High School 314 Helmer Dubois, WY 82513

Dear Senior Project Advisory Board:

The general area of interest for my senior project is the field of journalism. I am interested in journalism because I am considering pursuing a career in this field, and feel that it would allow me to use my strengths to make a positive difference in the world. Journalism interests me because of its impact on our lives. I am curious how the presentation of news affects the public’s perception of current events. I have previous experience with the medium in my one year role as a staff writer for the Dubois High School student newspaper. I have some knowledge of the field through previous research of famous journalists such as Edward R. Murrow. I understand the concepts at the heart of journalistic ethics, and am familiar with the various forms in which news is presented, including print, broadcast, and online journalism.

My research paper will focus primarily on the role of journalism in our society and examine the revolution currently taking place with regards to how the future of the industry will be shaped. Through my paper, I wish to discover the possibilities for the future of journalism will take. As the economic model for journalism for the past 50 years is rendered obsolete by the changes in technology, I wish to examine how the changes in technology offer both opportunities and challenges to an industry in a state of flux. Additionally, I wish to determine the role of journalism in our society, and determine how the technological revolution will shape the way journalists meet that obligation in the years to come.

I intend for my physical project to be an application of the knowledge I gain from writing the paper. Through the process of discovering the future of journalism, I hope to apply both my current technical skills and skills I have yet to develop to create a product that reflects one of the potential futures for the industry. As such, I plan for my project to be a web site/blog which chronicles my observations of the industry, and applies several of the journalistic techniques that will sustain the industry through the 21st century. This blog will allow me to tap into the varied multiplatform ways of communicating that the internet allows, include video, audio, and print resources. The internet is the tool that is shaping the journalistic landscape, and allowing multiple ways of communication to present journalism in a variety of forms. In creating a blog, I will challenge myself to learn new online techniques such as web page design, which will be essential skills for the journalists of the future. I will need to determine an audience for my online presentation, incorporate both text and visual graphics. I wish for my blog to chronicle my observations of journalism’s role in our society, and discuss whether or not journalists are fulfilling their responsibility to society. The blog will require me to analyze current news outlets, synthesize information regarding their presentation, and present it in a clear and efficient manner. I hope to compliment my analysis with interviews with journalists, thus tapping into all of the resources the internet has to offer. This project will challenge my technical skills, and my intellectual ability to make relevant connections between my research and my project. I expect to spend in excess of 20 hours on the creation of this project, and do not believe that it will entail any financial costs. I hope to use the internet as a resource to contact journalists throughout the state and country and seek their input on my project and the future of the industry.

Finally, I understand that plagiarism (according to Websters online dictionary) is “the use of others words or thoughts and the representation of those as one’s own”. Furthermore, I realize that my committing any act of plagiarism in conjunction with this project will result in my receiving a failing grade for this project, and possible disciplinary action at the discretion of the school.

Sincerely,

Ian Hitchcock

Student: Date: _ Parent: Date: _ Research Topic: _