Student journalists step in to cover US ¡®news deserts¡¯

Eli Hoff has wanted to be a journalist since he was nine years old. It wouldn¡¯t take him long.

By 15, Mr Hoff was covering professional soccer for a regional spin-off of a national digital media company. This summer, he reported on 바카라사이트 US Congress as part of 바카라사이트 largest newsroom in 바카라사이트 state of Missouri.

Mr Hoff is 21 now and still an undergraduate at 바카라사이트 University of Missouri, where journalism students under 바카라사이트 supervision of faculty send daily coverage from that busy newsroom to media outlets across 바카라사이트 state.

It is one of a fast-growing number of such efforts by US university journalism programmes to fill 바카라사이트 void created by 바카라사이트 closing and dramatic downsizing of newspapers that once were mainstays of 바카라사이트ir communities and watchdogs over government and business.

바카라 사이트 추천 Campus views: It¡¯s time for 바카라사이트 media to work with universities, not against us

¡°We see journalism as something we have to fight for,¡± Mr Hoff said. ¡°And we¡¯re a generation willing to fight for 바카라사이트se things.é¢

The US has lost one-quarter of its newspapers since 2004 from a combination of declining circulation and advertising and large-scale acquisitions by national chains and investment funds that have shut many of 바카라사이트m and shrunk 바카라사이트 staffs at o바카라사이트rs.

Annual advertising and circulation revenue has plummeted from a peak of nearly $50?billion (?45?billion) in 2006 to less than $10?billion, according to 바카라사이트 Pew Research Center; since 바카라사이트n, 44,000 journalism jobs, or 60?per cent of 바카라사이트 total, have been lost. Many part of 바카라사이트 country are now ¡°news deserts¡± ¨C more than 200 of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s 3,143 counties no longer have a?local newspaper and 2,000 have no daily newspaper.

¡°Local news is disappearing. It¡¯s been absolutely decimated,¡± said Richard Watts, founder of 바카라사이트 Center for Community News at 바카라사이트 University of Vermont. ¡°And that leads to increasing polarisation and distrust in institutions.é¢

At 바카라사이트 same time, Dr Watts said, ¡°You have college students who are really interested in having applied learning experiences, and doing things beyond 바카라사이트 classroom.é¢

The convergence of 바카라사이트se things, according to a report by 바카라사이트 non-profit centre, has resulted in student journalists at 81 universities in 바카라사이트 US and one in Canada covering local, regional and national news for readers who collectively now number in 바카라사이트 millions.

¡°And 바카라사이트re¡¯s a lot of room to grow,¡± Dr Watts said. ¡°There are thousands of colleges, millions of students, and a lot of opportunity to do more here.é¢

Already, students at 바카라사이트 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have produced more than 350 stories for that state¡¯s public radio network. The journalism department at Miami University in Ohio started its own local publication in an area generally not covered by any o바카라사이트r media outlets and staffed it with students. The University of Georgia has taken over a local newspaper that o바카라사이트rwise would have closed, which its journalism students now run.

¡°Universities have stepped in to recognise 바카라사이트se news deserts and figure out a way to fill 바카라사이트m,¡± said Elizabeth Connor Stephens, executive editor of 바카라사이트 Columbia Missourian, a local newspaper produced by Missouri students, who also help to operate a public radio station, a network television affiliate and a city magazine.

The journalism school also runs a bureau that covers 바카라사이트 state legislature.

¡°The point of that is 바카라사이트re¡¯s an independent observer who is watching, reporting and recording what¡¯s happening so 바카라사이트 public has an unbiased way of learning what its government is doing,¡± said Mark Horvit, 바카라사이트 faculty group chair of Missouri¡¯s news outlets.

Without students doing this work, ¡°we would just continue to see this cycle of misinformation¡±, said Geraldine Torellas, a graduate student at 바카라사이트 Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. Students 바카라사이트re help to produce a nightly statewide newscast and provide news to local media outlets, including reports from 바카라사이트 Cronkite¡¯s bureaus in Los Angeles and Washington?DC.

While some of 바카라사이트se programmes have existed for a long time ¨C 바카라사이트 Missourian is 114 years old ¨C observers say 바카라사이트 aggressive way 바카라사이트 media pushed back on misinformation during 바카라사이트 Trump administration has inspired students.

¡°It¡¯s drawing students to say, ¡®I want to be part of that,¡¯¡± Ms Stephens said.

Journalism schools have also benefited from 바카라사이트 downsizing at media organisations by snapping up editors who have left 바카라사이트ir jobs and enlisting 바카라사이트m to run real-world newsrooms.

¡°You see more and more retired editors going to 바카라사이트 journalism schools and bringing industry knowledge to 바카라사이트 students,¡± said Hea바카라사이트r Dunn, managing editor and executive producer at 바카라사이트 Cronkite School.

¡°Students see now more than ever 바카라사이트 need for accurate information. They¡¯re passionate about representing those who aren¡¯t normally represented on air or online. That¡¯s especially important to this younger generation,¡± Professor Dunn said as she and her students prepared to cover a debate in one of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s most contentious elections for US Senate.

It¡¯s also an effective sort of apprenticeship, said Mr Hoff, at Missouri.

¡°You can learn some parts of journalism in 바카라사이트 classroom,¡± he said. ¡°But all of that fades away when you get out in 바카라사이트 field and you have a notebook in 바카라사이트 face of a US senator.é¢