Excellence in Online Journalism

David A. Craig is an associate professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. He teaches journalism ethics, editing and graduate research courses. His research interests include excellence in journalistic practice, the ethics of journalistic language, coverage of ethics in professions and values for ethical decision-making. Craig worked for nine years as a news copy editor. He earned an M.A. in communication from Wheaton College and a Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He taught editing courses at Northwestern University and Missouri. He has been a professor at Oklahoma since 1996.

"I think it is a great idea and will fill a need, both for my class and other, more skills-oriented online journalism courses. I like that it includes ethics but goes beyond that – the four elements of excellence on the Web go to the unique characteristics of the medium and therefore give students something new to think about and discuss, whether from the viewpoint of journalists or as media consumers. ... The book, by looking specifically at opportunities and challenges of ethical journalism ONLINE, will contribute to understanding both journalism ethics (because there are new challenges online) and the general practice of online journalism."

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Excellence Online: A Work in ProgressExcellence in Old and New MediaExcellence Online: Four Developing Standards2. An Ethical Lens for Looking at ExcellenceA Practice: The Social ContextTelos: The Big-Picture GoalInternal Goods: Distinctive Achievements of the PracticeStandards of Excellence: Setting the Bar for the FieldVirtues: The Qualities of Good CharacterExternal Goods and Institutions: Danger Lurking3. Speed and Accuracy With Depth in Breaking NewsThe Battle to Be Fast and Right: An Old Challenge With New PressuresInsights from Online Journalists: Giving Voice to a StandardBreaking News Through an Ethical LensOnline Excellence in Development: The Hudson River Jet LandingChallenges to Maintaining and Enhancing ExcellenceOvercoming the Challenges: Virtues in ActionOn-the-Job Profile: Mark Stevenson Facing the Daily Challenges4. Comprehensiveness in ContentInsights From Online Journalists: What Comprehensiveness MeansChallenges to ComprehensivenessOvercoming the Challenges: Virtues in ActionOn-the-Job Profile: Jenni Pinkley Facing the Daily Challenges5. Open-endedness in Story DevelopmentExcellence in Story Development OnlineThe Dynamic of ExcellenceChallenges to Excellence in Story Development: External Goods LurkingAttitude Check: Virtues for 21st-Century JournalistsOn-the-Job Profile: Robert Quigley Facing the Daily Challenges6. The Centrality of ConversationA Longtime Value Takes Center StageStandards of Excellence in Online ConversationThe Dynamic of Excellence in ConversationNow for the Challenges: Stumbling Blocks in the "Conversational Commons"Virtue and ConversationOn-the-Job Profile: Eric Zorn Facing the Daily Challenges7. Beyond the Big Guys: Independent and Community Journalism OnlinePerspectives from Three Smaller OrganizationsCitizen Journalism, Social Media, and Journalism as a Practice8. The Future of Excellence in Online Journalism: Living in the World of Both-AndThe World of Both-AndWhat It Takes to Work in the World of Both-AndIndexAbout the Author