NewsU has launched a new course called Leading an Online Newsroom: What You Need to Know. The course is taught by Susan Karol, executive director of the Suburban Newspapers of America Foundation, and funded by Knight Foundation.

The course consists of five “classes”, each with tips and commentary from editors on best practices for online newsrooms. There are also interactive activities that simulate running an online publication and respond to news events: class participants choose which staff members to send to cover a story, and learn how to adjust their workflow for breaking news.

It also features a “Case Study Showcase” of seven online news organizations’ successes and challenges. Participants can also add their own newsroom to use as an example.

The NewsU team is working on its third course, which will be on innovation in community news, and will hold two webinars this month. Check out a list of NewsU courses (.pdf), which are free for everyone who registers on the web site.

Dan Pacheco explains how the new Printcasting model will be tested in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Printcasting lets people become their own publishers by creating a way to package stories and generate advertising revenue. Anyone can create a “printcast” about their interests or community.

Printcasting will be beta tested with the MediaNews Group, which owns 54 daily newspapers.

Pacheco, a 2008 Knight News Challenge winner, is currently expanding his project to such cities as Denver and Los Angeles.

Knight Foundation awarded the Bakersfield Californian a Knight News Challenge grant to develop Printcasting, which ties online content to publication templates.

Printcasts update themselves when the selected web sites and blogs are updated, and can be printed or sent to a mobile device. People who make printcasts can also make money from targeted ads by local businesses.

The Knight News Challenge hopes to speed adoption of digital innovations in community news.

Printcasting is one of several Knight News Challenge platforms that, once completed, will be released to everyone as open-source software.

On Wednesday June 10, Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen gave a keynote speech at the League of American Orchestras National Conference held in Orchestra Hall, Chicago. 

The audience was encouraged to adapt music performance so that indeed the art form does not die, but instead persists in a digital medium enhanced by greater communal accessibility. Find his speech here.

I’m here in New York City for the 6th Annual Games for Change Festival. This festival brings together nonprofits, game designers, academics, journalists and foundations who believe in the power and potential of using digital games for social change.  

Last night Knight Foundation and Games for Change  honored the best News Games of the field at the Knight News Game Awards.

The winner of the award was Play the News by Impact Games.

September 12th — A Toy World received a lifetime achievement award.

Budget Maze and Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City received honorable mentions.

Congratulations to the winners!

Knight Digital Media Center’s News Entrepreneur Boot Camp brought together 15 journalists who are planning news news and information start ups. The center provided training and coaching in product development, social media engagement and the business of news.

Here are two blog posts on the center site that reflect on the sessions:

At the Online Journalism Review, Robert Niles, who helped plan the boot camp, says “Journalists must emerge from a culture of failure to survive.”

Michele McLellan, who attended the session and will document the work of the entrepreneurs in the coming year, asks: “Can journalists be entrepreneurs?“

The Knight Digital Media Center’s website has been given a facelift. KDMC believes this will make it easier for our visitors to find what they need — from training opportunities, to blogs exploring the future of news and online journalism, to the latest tweets from some thoughtful folks.

This redesign reflects feedback from loyal and new users trying to access our timely blogs as well as our deep archives of past seminars.

Check it out:
KnightDigitalMediaCenter.org

Please join us at Knight in welcoming a new colleague and congratulating two of our own for a lifetime achievement award and a new elected position.

Welcome to Dennis Scholl, the new Miami Program Director for Knight.

From the press release,

Scholl will work with local leaders to identify opportunities for investing in innovative ideas and programs. His efforts will include leading the Knight Arts Challenge, a $40 million initiative to unite South Florida through the arts.

An art collector for more than 30 years, Scholl has lead local and national philanthropic efforts in the visual arts. He served as founding chair of the Guggenheim Photography Committee, of the Tate Modern American Acquisitions Committee and of the Miami Art Museum Collectors Council. He has also served on the boards of the Aspen Art Museum, the North Miami Museum of Contemporary Art and the alternative art space Locust Projects, of which he was chair.

Congratulations to Damian Thorman, National Program Director for Knight Foundation on his election as Vice Chair of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.

Congratulations to Susan Patterson, Charlotte Program Director for Knight Foundation, on receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Hornets Nest Girl Scout Council’s 4th annual Women of Distinction Award Luncheon. Here she is with her mother, who was her first Girl Scout leader.

Posted by Eric Newton, VP, Journalism Program:

150 enterprising Washington DC news people talked about using social media to connect with citizens and work with former rivals … this from the day-long NewsVision symposium March 30, Knight Conference Center, Newseum … in this video, innovators from the Orlando Sentinel, USA TODAY, Publish 2 and the University of Maryland looked at new ways networking can improve journalism … panel slides here (the first and last are the funniest).

The Newspaper Guild , the Knight Foundation , and the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism , sponsored NewsVision in partnership with ONA and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Good quote: “This is a crisis we will not waste. The answer for us is not to retrench and just to go back to what we do best … we have to innovate.” — NPR CEO Vivian Schiller … NPR is retraining in partnership with the Knight Digital Media Center . Videos of Politico’s John Harris , others are at the NewsVision site… also a new survey of online journalists.

Knight is funding two experiments that seek to engage young people with news on Facebook. The Daily on Facebook and Hot Dish offer users news and opportunities to take action and earn points and prizes. A University of Michigan researcher will study how young people use the sites for the next two months.  More about the project at the Knight Digital Media Center’s Leadership 3.0 blog.