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Know Your J-Jargon

metadata: Data about data. Examples of metadata include descriptors indicating when information was created, by whom and in what format. Metadata helps to organize information online and make it machine-readable. HTML is an example of metadata - it organizes the data in a web page so browsers can display it sensibly. Web pages often have hidden metadata that helps with their search engine ranks. Photos uploaded to Flickr carry metadata such as time taken, camera model and shutter speed. MP3s have metadata such as the artist name, track title, album name and so on.

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Future Now Archive

We have asked dozens of journalists at the top of their profession to explain what they do and how they got there. Here is a collection of our conversations with them, sorted by department.

  • future of journalism
    • 20 Questions A Journalist Should Ask About Poll Results
      Two polling experts give 20 questions journalists should ask about polls.
    • Adam Westbrook
      For a new generation of journalists, the ongoing journalism revolution spells opportunity. Adam Westbrook, a free-lance journalist from London, explains exactly how.
    • Brian Stelter
      Changes are forcing colleges and universities to rethink what a journalism education should look like.
    • Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action
      How do we give students knowledge and critical thinking skills to sort through their daily information tidal wave in our media-saturated world?
    • Ian Bogost
      Professor Ian Bogost of Georgia Tech says that journalism is hardly dying; in fact, it’s possible that it couldn’t be killed. The idea of informing and educating a public, such that they can make independent decisions, is something that is so endemic of a democracy, that we would have to take down the democracy to kill it. Instead, what’s changing is the way that we communicate with one another.”
    • Journalism: English for the 21st Century
      Freedom sells: Palo Alto High School's student journalism program is so successful because they have true freedom of the press and can write about issues of importance to them.
    • Journalist and scholar
      Journalist and scholar Dan Gillmor tells how he would run a journalism school in today's media environment.
    • Kent State Center for Scholastic Journalism study shows student media strong
    • On learning together, in journalism
      When you study or work together, in a classroom or in a newsroom, a little bit of each of you is shared with the other. And in that cauldron, when there is hope, hope will not disappoint you.
    • Steve Buttry
      Steve Buttry, Information Content Conductor at Gazette Communications in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, explains how to break and gather news on Twitter.
    • The journalism future is here and now in our classrooms
      2009's National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year Paul Kandell of Palo Alto (Calif.) High School discusses journalism's future.
  • journalism's future
    • What's The Point Of Journalism School, Anyway?
      Thinking about majoring in journalism in college? What will you learn? With the news industry in transition, is journalism a sustainable career path? And is it worth the large financial investment for your parents? This report by NPR explores the challenges and potential rewards of becoming a professional journalist.