That’s the life of a journalist – and a student in the new COMM 273 class, Media News Writing and Reporting, thanks in large part to a bold experiment involving the College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Communications and Marketing team to equip participants with the skills they need to land writing, reporting, and editing jobs.
Communications and Marketing Director, Audrey Eldridge, and team members, Ashley Smith and Jessica Argyle, worked with Roya Camp, an adjunct faculty member and 30-year journalist, to design a real-world experience that ensured students interested in being published and posted would have the opportunity.
Members of the class, offered for the first time this fall, conducted news meetings similar to those held by professional news organizations to make sure writing assignments met news standards and were developing according to expectations. Editing happened in cycles so that the work submitted aligned with CWI style and the needs of students and employees.
Students connected with Eldridge and her team for assignments and for additional editing and feedback as they learned reporting and news writing skills, grappled with the ethical dimensions of modern journalism, practiced finding and refining stories, and polished their interviewing techniques.
Not all of the students’ reporting ended up on CWI platforms, however. Self-generated ideas, from powerful tragic human stories to business profiles to political dramas unfolding in Idaho’s capital, were among the compelling reads students developed.
CWI has always offered classes meant to equip students for jobs and careers, but this collaboration, which Eldridge, Camp, and the Communications and Marketing team have refined and plan to continue for the spring term, is in keeping with the vision for the Media Arts Program and CWI’s School of Business, Communication, and Technology to keep CWI students current and competitive in very rapidly changing industries.
Students who entered the class intending to have their work published met their goals, giving them valuable examples of produced content for their portfolios.
Better yet, they learned that the need for quality journalism and reporting is greater than ever and that stories are everywhere, just waiting to be discovered and told. All it takes is a bit of initiative, along with great writing and editing skills and a large helping of persistence, to serve up the drama of daily life for others’ enjoyment and education.
Not too late to register:
Space is available in Communication 273, Media News Writing and Reporting, for the spring term. The class will be held Wednesdays from 7:00 to 9:45 p.m. at the Ada County Campus Pintail Center.