WordPress @ UM-J
It is a press, certainly, but a press from which shall flow in inexhaustible streams… A spring of truth shall flow from it: like a new star it shall scatter the darkness of ignorance, and cause a light heretofore unknown to shine amongst men.
―Johannes Gutenberg
CMS enters academia
Investigates and enhance CMS use in journalism, with a WordPress focus. Why WP?: 30% of web, 60% of CMSs (W3Techs). Most common CMS, including journalism sites. Most UM J-school sites use WP.
UM-J WordPress sites
University of Montana School of Journalism (blog)
Related departments
Prof projects
Montana Center for Investigative Reporting
Courtney Lowery Cowgill – Educator. Journalist. Farmer.
One Multisite to rule them all:
- Spin up new site (can have own domain name).
- Share creation tools.
- Maintain security (of entire UM net).
- Ensure accessibility (1 blind/deaf user, 40% traffic: Google search).
- Archive retired projects (losing born-digital news faster than print).
- Contribute to open-source community.
The Gutenberg editor (beta) for WordPress
A media site’s CMS hugely influences what the publication can and can’t do. A media maker spend hours daily inside their CMS.
The Media Lab could start the first project that investigates and enhances CMS use in journalism, especially WordPress, the most common platform for media sites and for UM J-School projects.
Related:
- Tools we use 1: Publishing print newspapers online: CMSs
- WordPress moves news past the printed newspaper
Get advice from WordPrescients in Edu: Lorelle VanFossen, Clark College and Jeremy Felt, Washington State University (team of 3: 1500 sites).