Take a look at JWire, a national network committed to:
- In-depth reporting
- Story planning and collaboration
- Responsible, hard-hitting journalism
- Working with media professionals to improve coverage
- Convergent media programs
We’re looking for schools willing to participate in the second year of a ground-breaking project to alloq journalism programs all across the nation to showcase their best reporting. This news consortium, known as JWire, kicked off in 2009 and continues through the 2009-2010 school year.
We’re looking for newspaper, news magazine or broadcast outlets that want to:
- Plan, develop and produce, individually or in teams, multi-source reporting for print, online and multimedia formats.
- Present sessions at scholastic journalism conventions about the project and show the importance of such reporting in a democracy.
- Offer a road map for others to follow to help them report like this.
- Catalogue depth stories others can use for models and resources;
- Receive special critiques and coaching from newsroom and classroom professionals;
- Share ideas and sources, including discussions (blogs, Facebook, Google Docs, Wikis Twitter, etc).
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
* This school year you have a chance to make a difference in how journalists like you look at reporting tough issues. Show how student journalists can find expert sources and combine them with student perspectives to really tell how issues impact today’s teens.
* Applications for JWire are available now.
* Fall 2009 marked the beginning of a new approach to reporting essential stories, with student journalists from schools across the nation sharing information with each other and with national experts. See how they covered the economy in 2008-2009. A new story topic — health issues — will appear in 2009-2010.
* All at no cost to participating schools.
* All based on student ideas with critiques and support from working journalists and nationally known advisers.
* All presented in multimedia formats, with training and sharing sessions via electronic means.
WHY THE NEED EXISTS
Judges of scholastic publications across the country report not only fewer examples of in-depth or investigative reporting - by teams or by individuals - but also a dramatic decrease in the caliber of existing stories. Too few expert sources, too little overall perspective and background, and too much author opinion in factual news articles.
JWire offers students a chance to be part of investigative and in-depth reporting and to create a model for others.
This model will allow student media programs to share ideas and reporting while receiving encouragement, training and coaching.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME INVOLVED?
Newspaper, news magazine, broadcast and Web news sites would be eligible in the first year. No cost to participants.
* Access to the Internet for story planning, information gathering, story filing and sharing is essential.
* Equipment to be able to produce digital images and story files is necessary.
* Willingness to be an active participant in all phases of the project is the secret.
* Enthusiasm to expand your reporting coverage and make an impact on yours and other schools is what it takes.
Questions?
E-mail us at jabowen@kent.edu or cbowen@kent.edu