Role of the Editor Online Course
The IWMF and the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin offered women journalists from Latin American and the Caribbean the opportunity to participate in an online course in English to build and improve their leadership and management skills. The five-week online course was held from October 4 to November 5, 2004 with 15 women participating. The course was free of charge.
Led by University of Texas associate professor of journalism George Sylvie, the course, entitled The Role of the Editor, was conducted entirely online. Each week, students were given deadlines to watch video lectures, participate in online discussions, complete assignments that pose problems in real-life newsroom situations and take weekly reviews. The flexible structure allowed students to view the lectures and do the assignments on their own time.
Two exams to assess overall comprehension and knowledge of major concepts covered were assigned during the course.
Course Agenda
The course sought to help journalists balance being an effective leaders and good managers while running efficient newsroom operations. Sessions covered topics such as:
- What is an Editor
- Vision - Developing a Plan and Creating Structure
- Leading - Making Decisions, Creating a Style
- Motivation - Managing Creative (and sometimes Difficult) People
- Life as a Middle Manager
- Developing Communication and Feedback
- Handling Change and Risk
- Ethics
Course Requirements
- The course was open to women journalists from any country in Latin America or the Caribbean.
- The course was designed for editors and aspiring editors with a minimum of three years of experience as journalists.
- Excellent comprehension of and a written command of English.
- Basic knowledge of the computer, Internet, and email.
To apply The deadline for this program has passed.
Questions Contact programs@iwmf.org.
The Role of the Editor Online Course was made possible by a grant from The Ford Foundation.