UNITY Student Projects

UNITY Student Projects

Students from across the nation participated in week-long projects at the UNITY 2008 convention in Chicago, IL July 23-27, 2008. Dozens of aspiring journalists worked side by side with professionals and mentors to produce solid and innovative journalism across media platforms in a more integrated "convergence" newsroom.

Students and professionals worked in a “converged” newsroom at the UNITY ’08 Convention. The UNITY website was the main hub for distribution for all students' generated content and the primary source of news and information about the convention participants and online users across the country. The project generated a newspaper and produced audio features and short television newscasts. While generating content, students got training in video and audio production as well as webcasting, podcasting. This project was designed to give students an understanding of how to acquire the multimedia skills needed to land a job.

UNITY ’08 Announces Core Team for Converged Student Media Project. Download the PDF.

Areas of concentration:

Radio area
Students are in charge of conceiving, developing, reporting and producing stories for traditional radio and the Internet. Students serve as on-air reporters, producers, editors and engineers. Some students will do daily reporting and some will do longer, feature stories. Students will learn how to produce all of their work using the latest digital editing and producing software and each participant produces at least one story. This area emphasizes writing, producing, recording and finding your radio voice. UNITY will pay for participant's meals, travel and lodging.

Newspaper area
This area features a team of students and professional journalists working in a newsroom setting to cover news, current events, and features or trend stories. It will be a mix of convention material as well as community, general interest or media related issues. The print staff will write, edit, layout and produce a print edition while also contributing stories, photos, video and/or audio for the website in this new converged production of news. Students work as reporters, photographers, copy editors and graphic artists. Some students will be asked to write and/or produce video or audio in Spanish. UNITY will pay for participant's meals, travel and lodging.

Television area
Broadcast journalism students will produce three 10-15 minute television newscasts that will be streamed on the UNITY website and broadcast on special channels during the convention. Student will focus on both the UNITY convention and on community/general interest stories or media-related issues. Students serve as reporters, producers, anchors and videographers while working under the pressures of daily newscasts to be broadcast on television and more frequent deadlines for the webcasts and web-only packages. UNITY will pay for participant's meals, travel and lodging.

Online area
The UNITY web publication will become the main medium for students' contents and a prime source of news and information about this historic gathering for convention participants and online users across the country. The online area offers students the chance to help build a Web site while using the latest technology in graphics, video, audio, webcasting, podcasting and other multimedia skills to cover the daily activities of the convention and other general interest themes. The students work with online media professionals in all phases of putting together a comprehensive site along with the collaboration of student journalists working primarily in other areas of the converged newsroom. This includes news gathering, site design and site maintenance. UNITY will pay for participant's meals, travel and lodging.

STUDENT PROJECTS AT 2009 AAJA CONVENTION IN BOSTON

The Student Projects at the Annual AAJA National Convention provide students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in news production and reporting in a professionally guided atmosphere of convergence using the latest communication technology.

Check back February 2009 for applications for the 2009 Student Projects at the AAJA Convention.

Students will work in a multiplatform environment and have the opportunity to practice daily journalism in a convergence newsroom, as well as work with professionals from major news organizations and gain valuable career-building experience.

The professional staff is composed entirely of experienced working journalists who select the students through a competitive process. AAJA subsidizes convention registration, travel and accommodations of interns.

For any questions or inquiries about student-related programs, please contact Nao Vang, the Student Programs Coordinator at (415) 346-2051 x102 or programs@aaja.org.

"I can think of very few situations which could be better for an aspiring journalist than the AAJA student project. I left with valuable real world experience: understanding the importance of strict deadlines and high standards. At the same time, I was always getting encouragement from my mentors and students. It's also great to have the network of professionals I know I can trust for support and feedback."

Eric Shih