Six students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) will receive hands-on experience during the three-day Online News Association Conference, Oct. 5-7 in Washington, D.C., as part of the HBCU Digital Media Fellowship. The program also gives them high-profile exposure and advanced practical knowledge of emerging technologies, tools and approaches to reporting and distributing news online.
The 2017 HBCU Digital Media Fellows
Supported for the fourth year by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, each fellow will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the conference, as well as a free one-year ONA membership. Over the three days, fellows will work closely with lead mentor Michael Grant, Creative Director, San Francisco Business Times and 2017-18 John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University, and Michelle Johnson, chair of the ONA Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab and Associate Professor of Practice, Multimedia Journalism at Boston University, to produce multimedia packages for the conference and be immersed in intensive digital journalism training.
The fellowship is centered on a highly-engaged conference experience for students, with a focus on the evolving nature of online journalism. Fellows are embedded in the Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab, where students work with mentors to produce reporting using the latest in digital technology. Fellows also participate in group workshops led by industry leaders that range from learning about emerging media trends to hands-on training in current storytelling tools and techniques. Schedules are tailored to students’ particular career interests, and they have time to attend conference sessions and networking events, where they connect with professional digital journalism innovators.
Selection Committee
Benét Wilson, Aviation Queen LLC
Michael Grant, San Francisco Business Times
Ingrid Sturgis, Howard University professor
Justin Madden, Cleveland.com
LaCrai Mitchell, CBS News (past fellow)
Daarel Burnette III, Ed Weekly
Glynn Hill, Houston Chronicle (past fellow)
Ju-Don Marshall, WFAE