ABC News launches campus journalism initiative

ABC News has selected the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication as home to a new digital bureau to be staffed by students.

ABC News on Campus is a partnership with five top U.S. journalism schools across the country to educate and mentor talented college students. The new bureaus will open in September 2008.

Each bureau will have a team of paid student staffers including a bureau chief. Carolina’s bureau staff will be Carly Swain, Zachary Ferriola-Bruckenstein, Walter Storholt, Wilson Andrews and Jennifer Carpenter. Swain will be the bureau chief, and assistant professor Dave Cupp will serve as the faculty adviser.

In addition to the official staff, any student on campus is encouraged to contribute ideas and content. ABC News will provide an annual stipend to manage the bureau and help provide digital technology including video cameras, computers and editing software.

Students will report on stories in their area and produce a wide array of content for ABC News’ digital and broadcast platforms, including “Good Morning America,” “World News with Charles Gibson,” “Nightline,” ABC News NOW, ABCNEWS.com, mtvU, ABC News Radio and NewsOne.

“These college digital bureaus will extend the newsgathering reach of ABC News throughout the country,” said ABC News’ President David Westin. “In addition, they will enable us to nurture bright young journalism students, giving them hands-on training from some of the most seasoned news professionals in the business and opportunities to see their work appear on ABC News’ platforms.”

Whether students are responding to breaking news or creating daily original content, the ABC News on Campus initiative will provide unique insight into what America’s 33 million 18-25 year-olds are thinking. Student participants will consist of upper-class undergraduate and graduate students who are selected by ABC News and the universities.

Each bureau will receive extensive training including on-site mentoring with the student bureau chiefs and faculty liaisons at ABC News headquarters twice yearly. Representatives from ABC News will also travel to all five campuses for ABC News information sessions.

The 2008 ABC News on Campus college news bureaus are:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Arizona State University
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Syracuse University
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

University of Florida
College of Journalism and Communications

University of Texas
College of Communication