While you are enrolled in the J-School, and hard at work on assignments, it can be difficult to look at the bigger picture. When you do have a moment, or once you have graduated, here are some sites to explore to continue learning, both about the field and about the consumers of journalism’s products.

The Poynter Institute is “a school for journalists, future journalists, and teachers of journalists.” Poynter runs training sessions for practitioners, and also maintains a very rich website, with features ranging from analyses of news graphics and design, to journalism ethics discussions, to photojournalism galleries.

Poynter is also home to columnists, including the blog of Jim Romenesko, which keeps its finger on the pulse of the media industry, and which is the first blog read of the day for many in the field. And, our very own Sree Sreenivasan’s column can be found on the Poynter site as well.

Poynter’s librarian maintains the Resource Center, which includes bibliographies on various topics in journalism (encompassing web links and suggested readings), tip sheets, and much more.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism, a project of the J-school based in Washington, DC, conducts an annual survey, The State of the News Media, which analyzes audience characteristics and the economics of the media industry. The survey encompasses radio, television, print and online news sources, and solicits public opinion via the Pew Research Center for People & the Press.