Borderzine is now accepting applications from college journalism instructors from Hispanic-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities for full scholarships to attend its 2023 Dow Jones News Fund Multimedia Training Academy at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Since 2010, the academy has trained more than 120 educators from HSIs and HBCUs who have incorporated new digital reporting skills to their classrooms.
“It is incredibly rewarding to hear how much professors say they are getting out of this training and bringing back to their students,” said Kate Gannon, director of the academy. Gannon is an associate professor of practice in journalism at the University of Texas at El Paso and serves as director for Borderzine, the capstone project for the UTEP multimedia journalism program.
“Instructors tell us they are incorporating a lot of what they learned here in their courses. They are sharing their training with other faculty and, in some cases, have introduced new courses and changes to their schools’ curriculum to give their students a competitive edge in this new media landscape we’re in,” Gannon said.
Rick Brunson, senior journalism instructor at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida, shared in a follow-up evaluation of the program that he credits the academy with helping him better help his students.
“Learning audio here back in 2014 equipped me to eventually take over the Audio Journalism course at our university — and the students in that class ALWAYS are able to land internships at local radio and TV stations — and jobs afterward,” Brunson wrote.
What is provided and how to apply
The Dow Jones News Fund provides funding for full scholarships to 12 journalism instructors across the country to attend the academy hosted at the University of Texas at El Paso, June 2-8. The fellowship covers airfare (up to $600) to and from El Paso, lodging at the Hilton Garden Inn near campus with breakfast every day, four lunches and two dinners during the workshop.
The deadline to apply is midnight on Thursday, May 18. You may click here to fill out the online application form.
An immersive reporting experience
The Academy teaches basic skills in multimedia reporting using a learning-by-doing model. Participants in the academy are supported by trainers as they go out on assignment in teams in the El Paso community to produce multimedia stories that are published in Borderzine.com at the end of the workshop.
The academy simulates a deadline-oriented, real world newsroom where instructors gain hands-on experience in how to use video, audio and digital photography in news gathering, and then how to use editing software in story production. Trainers assign story topics and act as “fixers” for the teams, helping to set up interviews and provide transportation and coaching in the field. You may take a look at some of the most recent stories produced in past sessions under the Special Projects section of Borderzine.
This fast-paced, hands-on academy has a proven track record of helping journalism educators develop their skills and confidence in multimedia journalism production.
“Instructors have told us how much they appreciate getting out into the community and doing real stories with the support of a dedicated trainer,” Gannon said. “They say it helps them have empathy for what their students are going through and gives them the confidence to make their courses challenging because they can draw from their own experience in the field.”
The team of trainers has included nationally-known multimedia consultant and NPR Consultant Project Manager, Doug Mitchell; Borderzine Director and former Digital Content Manager for The Coloradoan Media Group, Kate Gannon; Radio journalist, Monica Ortiz Uribe; Audio/Video educator and former TV videographer Andrew Valencia and Dr. Lourdes Cueva Chacon, assistant professor for the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University.
For questions about the Dow Jones Multimedia Training Academy, please feel free to contact Gannon via email at kagannon at utep.edu.
Borderzine is an innovative journalism education initiative and online publishing platform that prepares minority journalists for jobs in 21st century news media, addressing the urgent need for diverse newsrooms that reflect our nation’s complex identity. Since 2008, Borderzine.com has published rich, relevant content about the borderlands produced by multicultural student journalists at UT El Paso and partner schools across the U.S. and Mexico.
The Dow Jones News Fund is a national foundation supported by Dow Jones, Dow Jones Foundation and others within the news industry. The organization’s emphasis is on education for students and educators as part of its mission to promote careers in journalism.
