IT: Information

BBC News 24, Sky News, CNN. We live in an era where news has become almost instantaneous. This free course, IT: Information, will look at how news is gathered and the technology that's used for its dissemination. You will also be encouraged to examine how information might be manipulated by questioning its reliability.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Bringing the news on the back of a horse
• 1 Bringing the news on the back of a horse
• 2 From newsreels to real news
• 2 From newsreels to real news
• 2.1 Communication technologies
• 2.2 The role of technology in the broadcast news industry
• 2.3 Newsgathering and newspapers
• 2.4 Comparing early sources of news
• 2.5 News and television
• 2.6 New media
• 2.7 Digitisation of the news
• 3 Newsgathering now
• 3 Newsgathering now
• 3.1 Introduction to SNG and ENG microwave
• 3.2 IT processes in newsgathering
• 4 Anatomy of a digital camcorder
• 4 Anatomy of a digital camcorder
• 4.1 An introduction to the camcorder
• 4.2 Sound and light input
• 4.2.1 Microphone
• 4.2.2 Microphone input subsystem
• 4.2.3 Lens system
• 4.2.4 CCD light sensor
• 4.2.5 Focusing
• 4.3 Recorder
• 4.4 Batteries
• 4.4.1 Voltage, current and resistance
• 4.4.2 Battery parameters
• 5 Signal transmission
• 5 Signal transmission
• 5.1 Transmission of electrical signals on wires
• 5.2 Other transmission media
• 5.2.1 Microwave
• 5.2.2 Optical fibre
• 5.3 Signal speeds, propagation times and distance: the formula triangle
• 6 Trust
• 6 Trust
• 6.1 Reliable information
• 6.2 Authority and the variety of information sources
• 6.3 Authentication of information
• 6.4 Pictures
• Conclusion
• References
• Acknowledgements