ZURb1247 Social networks in the news

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
doc. MgA. Jan Motal, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Ondřej Schneider (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Barbora Telferová (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. MgA. Jan Motal, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Boris Rafailov, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites
The student should have at least basic knowledge about the production of domestic news media on social networks. Personal involvement in some of the social networks, where Czech and foreign media place news content (Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok...) is also assumed.
Basic knowledge of working with audio-visual material - filming and basic video editing is an advantage.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the functioning of reporting on social network platforms in the current domestic and international media environment. The course aims to clarify to students the key differences between news media outputs on classic platforms and on social networks and to teach them the basic specifics of modern storytelling.
The seminar would be very practically focused, after getting to know the theory, the students will be involved in the practical application of the loaded knowledge in the form of short analyses, creation of their own contributions, or even entire independent projects.
The lecturer of the course is Ondřej Schneider, senior editor of social networks, news editor and lecturer of mobile journalism in the news department of CT Brno. He has been involved in the management of intelligence profiles for six years and has also participated in several foreign trainings and conferences.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will know and be able to apply the basic differences between reporting for traditional platforms and for social networks. They will learn to distinguish the most frequently used formats. In their next possible media engagement, they will be able to bring and offer procedures and formats that are less common in the domestic environment. They will also learn the basic mechanisms and criteria for distinguishing the type of messages with potential for success with audiences on social networks. In the same way, students should be able to make a basic assessment of public metrics of the success of contributions on networks.
Syllabus
  • 1. Traditional form of news processing X processing on social networks.
  • 2. Differences between the concept of reporting on social networks in  commercial media and public service media.
  • 3. Types of post formats, procedures for their creation, different suitability for covering different news events - optimization of work procedures.
  • 4. Basic strategies for achieving successful metrics as an important indicator of "success" in social media reporting.
  • 5. Publication tools as an important help in editorial planning.
  • 6. Differences in access to individual types of social networks (Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok...). Different audiences = different content.
  • 7. Evaluation of publicly available metrics on social networks.
  • 8. Pitfalls of reporting on social networks (disinformation, difficult sorting of content according to quality, limited possibilities of content monetization...).
  • 9. Dilemmas of different content creation strategies - quality X quantity.
  • 10. Planning and proposals for final projects.
  • 11. Final evaluation, discussion and feedback.
Literature
  • Exploring The Impact Of Social Media On The Dynamics Of News Consumption: A Study On Its Effectiveness. Kumar L. 2023. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376650357_Exploring_The_Impact_Of_Social_Media_On_The_Dynamics_Of_News_Consumption_A_Study_On
  • Reuters Online Training: Introduction to Digital Journalism. Online vzdělávací kurzy. https://reutersdigitaljournalism.com/
  • News Sharing in Social Media: A Review of Current Research on News Sharing Users, Content, and Networks. Kümpel. Karnowski. 2015. DOI:10.1177/2056305115610141
  • Viral News on Social Media, Digital Journalism, Al-Rawi A. 2019. 7:1, 63-79, DOI: 10.1080/21670811.2017.1387062
  • Social Media Newsgathering. Thompson Foundation. Sue Llewellyn. Online kurz. https://thomsonfoundation.edcastcloud.com/learn/social-media-newsgathering-self-paced#
  • MORAVEC, Václav. Média v tekutých časech : konvergence audiovizuálních médií v ČR. Vydání první. Praha: Academia, 2016, 188 stran. ISBN 9788020025722. info
Teaching methods
Presentation of specific examples and skills, practical exercises, independent tasks and discussions.
Assessment methods
The course is designed as a seminar and the teaching is based on practical exercises. The condition for completing the course is therefore participation in workshops and the completion of assigned sub-tasks.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/ZURb1247