Posts tagged education

And so it was the other day when the provost at Indiana University announced she was going to “improve” the university’s award-winning School of Journalism by running it out of Ernie Pyle Hall and mashing it into the College of Arts and Sciences where the scholars in charge will have their way with it. The provost said the journalism education reform we’ve been writing about was part of the reason for change. Yet from all appearances, she knows nothing of our work.

Eric Newton, Knight Foundation. Do Universities Hear the Critics of Journalism Education?

Newton’s piece is an effort to clarify the Knight Foundation’s work on the future of journalism education, which encourages universities to expand their programs, not shrink them, as Indiana University is doing.

The bottom line:

Is journalism education getting the message?  We’ve been talking about  four transformational trends.” Great journalism schools 1. connect with the rest of the university; 2. innovate with digital tools and techniques; 3. master more open,collaborative approaches,  and become not just community information providers, but “teaching hospitals” that inform and engage their communities.

Is that message getting through? The first reaction was: We’re doing it! But then schools showed us journalism with no engagement, which is pretty much like hospitals with doctors and medicine but no patients. When we explained, the second reaction was: We can’t do all this! If we teach gizmos, we can’t teach journalism. Wrong again. To teach journalism in the digital age you have to teach both journalism and the digital age — and use modern tools to do it. That’s why the schools that are serious about this are getting bigger, not smaller.

Accompanying the piece is a graphic depicting three layers of journalism education. Schools must do well at the bottom layer in order to climb to the next. 

For more, see the report on the Carnegie-Knight Initiative of the Future of Journalism Education.

Harvard Searches Faculty Email over Media Leaks Last year, there was a cheating kerfuffle (outlined in The New York Times) at Harvard University regarding a take home test. Private information about the scandal leaked to the media, and the school took it upon themselves to peruse the emails of resident deans to see who blabbed. Now, before you go stating the obvious about academic freedom and privacy rights, let the university attempt to quell your concerns: VIa Harvard’s Website: Consequently, with the approval of the Dean of FAS and the University General Counsel, and the support of the Dean of Harvard College, a very narrow, careful, and precise subject-line search was conducted by the University’s IT Department. It was limited to the Administrative accounts for the Resident Deans – in other words, the accounts through which their official university business is conducted, as distinct from their individual Harvard email accounts. The search did not involve a review of email content; it was limited to a search of the subject line of the email that had been inappropriately forwarded. To be clear: No one’s emails were opened and the contents of no one’s emails were searched by human or machine. The subject-line search turned up two emails with the queried phrase, both from one sender. Even then, the emails were not opened, nor were they forwarded or otherwise shared with anyone in IT, the administration, or the board. Only a partial log of the “metadata” - the name of the sender and the time the emails were sent – was returned. The school only searched the subject lines of emails for queried phrases. How are your concerns? Quelled? Now, consider this… Via The Chronicle: One of the deans was told of the search shortly after it occurred. The others were left unaware that administrators had searched their e-mail accounts until the Globe questioned Harvard officials about the incident late last week. So, even if one were to accept Harvard ‘s subject-line-search as harmless, the fact remains that some deans weren’t even notified that this was happening.  Via Associations Now:  When dealing with a media leak, how can you be sure to keep in mind the privacy of your members and leaders so that if such a situation arises, it doesn’t have to reach this point? Or should it ever be allowed to reach this point?  Unfortunately, that’s where we are. Lewis Maltby, head of the National Workrights Institute, says people shouldn’t be surprised by employer snooping. “Almost every every major employer in America today reads employee email,” he told NPR in an interview about the Harvard snoop. “And if you haven’t been told by your boss that someone is reading your email, that’s just because they haven’t told you.” Image: via The Harvard Gazette.

Harvard Searches Faculty Email over Media Leaks

Last year, there was a cheating kerfuffle (outlined in The New York Times) at Harvard University regarding a take home test. Private information about the scandal leaked to the media, and the school took it upon themselves to peruse the emails of resident deans to see who blabbed.

Now, before you go stating the obvious about academic freedom and privacy rights, let the university attempt to quell your concerns:

VIa Harvard’s Website:

Consequently, with the approval of the Dean of FAS and the University General Counsel, and the support of the Dean of Harvard College, a very narrow, careful, and precise subject-line search was conducted by the University’s IT Department. It was limited to the Administrative accounts for the Resident Deans – in other words, the accounts through which their official university business is conducted, as distinct from their individual Harvard email accounts. The search did not involve a review of email content; it was limited to a search of the subject line of the email that had been inappropriately forwarded. To be clear: No one’s emails were opened and the contents of no one’s emails were searched by human or machine. The subject-line search turned up two emails with the queried phrase, both from one sender. Even then, the emails were not opened, nor were they forwarded or otherwise shared with anyone in IT, the administration, or the board. Only a partial log of the “metadata” - the name of the sender and the time the emails were sent – was returned.

The school only searched the subject lines of emails for queried phrases.

How are your concerns? Quelled? Now, consider this…

Via The Chronicle:

One of the deans was told of the search shortly after it occurred. The others were left unaware that administrators had searched their e-mail accounts until the Globe questioned Harvard officials about the incident late last week.

So, even if one were to accept Harvard ‘s subject-line-search as harmless, the fact remains that some deans weren’t even notified that this was happening. 

Via Associations Now: 

When dealing with a media leak, how can you be sure to keep in mind the privacy of your members and leaders so that if such a situation arises, it doesn’t have to reach this point?

Or should it ever be allowed to reach this point? 

Unfortunately, that’s where we are. Lewis Maltby, head of the National Workrights Institute, says people shouldn’t be surprised by employer snooping. “Almost every every major employer in America today reads employee email,” he told NPR in an interview about the Harvard snoop. “And if you haven’t been told by your boss that someone is reading your email, that’s just because they haven’t told you.”

Image: via The Harvard Gazette.

Journalism, Degrees and Jobs

From the Inbox: I’ve always been curious, is it possible to find work as a journalist without a degree? — Anonymous

I’d like to think it shouldn’t matter. Unlike being a doctor or a lawyer, there aren’t license or degree requirements for practicing journalism.

It might be harder to initially get your foot in the door but if you have the skills and the portfolio, people will (or should) look at that before checking out where or where you didn’t go to school.

Here’s what Joe Grimm once wrote at Poynter:

Some great journalists working today do not have college degrees. Few of the people working around them give it much thought or even know their degree status. It is all about “what have you done lately?”

Magda Abu-Fadil, a foreign correspondent and director of the Journalism Training Program at the American University of Beirut, doesn’t believe a journalism degree should be required but notes the realities of the job market in this interview with the International Journalists’ Network.

I don’t know if it’s worth all the money spent going to journalism school today since the landscape is changing so fast and we’re in a race against time with all the new technology, but it’s definitely worth investing in a degree since most employers still require it.

Mindy McAdams, who teaches journalism at the University of Florida, once indicated that the internship process is probably more important than the degree:

These challenges do not erase the simple fact that most journalism jobs are off-limits to all applicants who have not completed at least one internship. No internships = no job. It really is that simple. Many students, it seems, refuse to believe this applies to them. These are usually the students who are obsessed with getting high grades — as if anyone in a newsroom would ever care what grade you got in any class! (No one but a graduate school cares what your grades were.)

Hope this helps, and good luck. — Michael

Have a question? Ask away.

The Evolution of Media Literacy: Is it Important? Mashable: If you can’t make a determination of truth about the content in your Twitter and Facebook feed, or if you can’t figure out which sources are trustworthy in a set of Google search results, then all that information is doing you a disservice. As our technology evolves, and our streams become even more packed with tweets, articles, videos, pictures and posts, the concept of media literacy evolves with it. To be a functioning member of today’s digital society, one must not only be able to use social networking and online publishing tools, but must also be able to think critically about all forms of media. Social media allows the instant amplification of both fact and fiction, and without a strong foundation in media literacy, it can be difficult to determine which sources to trust. According to a recent Pew study, 83% of teachers feel that the amount of available information is overwhelming to students, and 60% think that finding credible sources among that flood is difficult. That’s why it isn’t surprising that over 90% of teachers surveyed agreed that some form of media literacy education should be included in every school’s curriculum. What do you think? Participate in the poll below to tell us how you feel. What makes you more likely to trust or share a story? How important is it for kids to learn digital media literacy? FJP: Sort of a no brainer, but an important piece. Related: Our media literacy tag. Check out the archives. —Jihii Image: Screenshot from the poll.

The Evolution of Media Literacy: Is it Important?

Mashable:

If you can’t make a determination of truth about the content in your Twitter and Facebook feed, or if you can’t figure out which sources are trustworthy in a set of Google search results, then all that information is doing you a disservice. As our technology evolves, and our streams become even more packed with tweets, articles, videos, pictures and posts, the concept of media literacy evolves with it.

To be a functioning member of today’s digital society, one must not only be able to use social networking and online publishing tools, but must also be able to think critically about all forms of media. Social media allows the instant amplification of both fact and fiction, and without a strong foundation in media literacy, it can be difficult to determine which sources to trust.

According to a recent Pew study, 83% of teachers feel that the amount of available information is overwhelming to students, and 60% think that finding credible sources among that flood is difficult. That’s why it isn’t surprising that over 90% of teachers surveyed agreed that some form of media literacy education should be included in every school’s curriculum.

What do you think? Participate in the poll below to tell us how you feel. What makes you more likely to trust or share a story? How important is it for kids to learn digital media literacy?

FJP: Sort of a no brainer, but an important piece. Related: Our media literacy tag. Check out the archives. —Jihii

Image: Screenshot from the poll.

Just Ask

This isn’t strictly journalism-related, but any tips on how to get sponsored to go to academic conferences? I thought to ask here since I’m hoping to volunteer to blog and do outreach to US institutions in exchange for help with travel expenses (it’s abroad but discussing issues pertinent to the US and students especially). Any other recommendations for what to do to get there or organizations that might be helpful? Again, I know this isn’t perfectly FJP-related, but thanks for reading! — Anonymous

I’m not good at this but my brother is and his solution is simply this: ask.

As in, there’s no harm in asking for what you want. The worst that can happen is someone says no.

The idea actually works well for pretty much anything. Ask, follow up, be respectfully persistent, let it drop if you don’t get the response you’re looking for. As said, I’m not good at it, my brother get’s frustrated at my inability to do this, and I’m perpetually amazed by the things he goes off and does because he simply asked.

In your case, who knows, maybe you’ll be surprised.

So, literally just get in touch with the organization that’s putting on the event, and get in touch with any other organizations that are remotely associated with it. And then tell them what you’ll do.

How do you figure out who’s involved? Go to the Web site and look at the event sponsors. If none of them work out, think of other organizations or brands or companies that somehow fit in the general spot you’re talking about.

If you get a bite, outline your skills and tell them what you can do for them. For example, I can write, rock the social web, film, create interesting illustrations. Whatever it is, tell them. And then do it.

Who knows, beyond supplementing travel expenses, they might pay you to actually do things. And if we’re talking payment here, or a desire to be paid, see this post from earlier today. It’s important.

Note that all this will probably fall under some sort of “Content Marketing” umbrella and they’ll ask you to do X, Y or Z.

And I ask you to understand that because that’s generally the quid pro quo being played here and you have to be comfortable playing it before getting involved with it.

Some people are, some aren’t. But you need to know. — Michael

Using the Newspaper as a Textbook Newspaper in Education Week is an annual celebration of the newspaper as a classroom resource. This year, the American Press Institute has partnered with the Newseum to create a free downloadable curriculum for middle school and high school students (there are extension activities for elementary school students) featuring six lessons aligned with Common Core State Standards.  Lessons are as follows: Newspapers in Your Life What’s News Where? The First Rough Draft of History In the Newsroom The Fairness Formula Planning for the Unpredictable Media Literacy Where News Comes From Evaluating the News Somewhat Related: I recently encountered TuvaLabs, a startup that creates math classroom content using news and current events. A fantastic concept.—Jihii Image: via emissourian.

Using the Newspaper as a Textbook

Newspaper in Education Week is an annual celebration of the newspaper as a classroom resource. This year, the American Press Institute has partnered with the Newseum to create a free downloadable curriculum for middle school and high school students (there are extension activities for elementary school students) featuring six lessons aligned with Common Core State Standards. 

Lessons are as follows:

Newspapers in Your Life

  • What’s News Where?
  • The First Rough Draft of History

In the Newsroom

  • The Fairness Formula
  • Planning for the Unpredictable

Media Literacy

  • Where News Comes From
  • Evaluating the News

Somewhat Related: I recently encountered TuvaLabs, a startup that creates math classroom content using news and current events. A fantastic concept.—Jihii

Image: via emissourian.

Deadlines: Google Student Journalism Fellowships and Scholarships

If they’re not on your calendar mark it now:

  • The 2013 Google Journalism Fellowships: This 10-week, $7,500 fellowships is “aimed at undergraduate, graduate and journalism students interested in using technology to tell stories in new and dynamic ways. The Fellows will get the opportunity to spend the summer contributing to a variety of organizations — from those that are steeped in investigative journalism to those working for press freedom around the world and to those that are helping the industry figure out its future in the digital age.” Deadline: January 31.
  • The AP-Google Scholarship: This $20,000 scholarship for the 2013-2014 school year “is targeted to individual students creating innovative projects that further the ideals of digital journalism.” For example, “Have you created original journalistic content with computer science elements? Are you thinking up new ways to tell a story with technology? Are you a “techie” who knows how to construct a journalistic story through multimedia? We’re looking for students pursuing studies at the crossroads of journalism, computer sciences and new media.” Deadline: February 8.

Yes, you should apply.

The Cover Letter We’ve been sitting on a question in our inbox. Courtesy of Ceillie Gordon it goes like this, “What should we put in our cover letters when applying for journalism internships and jobs?” It’s a good question, and one I’ve answered more or less before (see here and here and here and here). The TL;DR version of each is to basically get your online presence in order, which means: create a portfolio of your work and/or a blog that demonstrates both what you know about the subject matter of the organization that you’re applying to and how you present that information (aggregation, original reporting and musings, etc). If your current online presence (say, on Tumblr) is a bunch of Justin Bieber gifs and other blinky things, consider launching something new that digs into ideas and content you’re looking to pursue. Spend time on this. Spend 30 minutes to an hour a day for a few months and you’ll have plenty to impress whoever it is you’re applying to. Then, in your letter, link to this. Talk about this. Show whoever it is you’re writing to that you’re invested in the subject and know about it. That said, be human. Express your personality. Show people what makes you tick. There’s neither harm nor foul to include in your cover letter something along the lines of, “While my journalistic interest is in commodities pricing and international trade, I must admit a cultural fondness for animated Justin Bieber gifs which you can see at my personal site, Viva La Bieber.” See what I did there? I combined a bit of the professional seriousness with the fun of your personality. (And as an aside, I had no idea that Viva La Bieber existed as a Tumblr but wasn’t surprised to see that it actually does.) Yes, it may turn some hiring people off but it will also turn some hiring people on. There are a lot of smart people out there and hiring decisions often come down to whether or not — all else being equal — the person applying will fit into the culture of the existing team. We are, after all, going to spend a lot of time working together. And for you, you’ll have a better time working with people who get your Bieber fetish than with those that look down their nose at it. About this time last year I received a cover letter from Jihii for an internship opening we had. She will hate me for what I’m about to do but since she doesn’t know I’m writing this I’ll take the hate in hopes that maybe her example might help you. Here’s some of what she wrote. I cannot tell you how happy I was to see your Tumblr post about the internships in NYC. This is a good start. She knows our Tumblr and isn’t just blindly mailing out cover letters. After a brief biographical overview (she grew up outside of New York City, studied at a small liberal arts college in California, was editor in chief of the school’s student magazine and worked on an independent documentary project) she writes: I wrote my senior thesis on literary journalism and how it can survive and be developed in a new media age… ie: how can multimedia/web tools help hit the same emotional spots and create the same visceral experiences that literary tropes traditionally have? That’s one of my biggest research interests at present and FJP’s work is one of the few places I feel I can bring that conversation up. See what she did there? She linked her interests to ours by demonstrating previous work that dovetails into a question we occasionally pursue. She also outlines what she would like to pursue in the internship and this is her taking a chance. Does she know we’re interested in the topic? Generally yes because she know the type of themes we’ve been publishing. She then goes on to tell us about her overall digital skills and then what she’s done since graduating: Right now I’m… waiting on some admission decisions for graduate studies in journalism. I’m working on a documentary film with some friends on undocumented Latino immigration. I’m curating a Tumblr that is kind of my own version of FJP: navigating media (thank you for the inspiration!) and I’m also doing some freelance writing. I just finished up an internship at The New Press in all things publishing, and I’m currently working at Columbia University Teachers College Edlab. I’m there because I’m fascinated by all the ways technology is revolutionizing communication and I’m getting the opportunity to learn a lot about design and multimedia. I write a blog on Data Visualization for them (I adore infographics) and I’m also working on putting together an exhibition on dataviz. Sprinkled throughout her cover letter were links to her online work which is important. It’s one thing to say you’ve done X, Y and Z. It’s another to actually show it. End result: If you follow the FJP you know that Jihii’s been with us and, arguably, writes and posts the more thoughtful material we have. So, how to write your cover letter: think inverted pyramid, tailor it to who you’re sending it to, provide concrete examples of relevant work you’ve done and link to those examples where possible. And yes, your resume should be online (and here’s a wonderful, funky example of one that’s making the rounds). Hope this helps. — Michael Have a question? Ask away. Image: Twitter post from Scott Leadingham.

The Cover Letter

We’ve been sitting on a question in our inbox. Courtesy of Ceillie Gordon it goes like this, “What should we put in our cover letters when applying for journalism internships and jobs?”

It’s a good question, and one I’ve answered more or less before (see here and here and here and here).

The TL;DR version of each is to basically get your online presence in order, which means: create a portfolio of your work and/or a blog that demonstrates both what you know about the subject matter of the organization that you’re applying to and how you present that information (aggregation, original reporting and musings, etc). If your current online presence (say, on Tumblr) is a bunch of Justin Bieber gifs and other blinky things, consider launching something new that digs into ideas and content you’re looking to pursue. Spend time on this. Spend 30 minutes to an hour a day for a few months and you’ll have plenty to impress whoever it is you’re applying to. Then, in your letter, link to this. Talk about this. Show whoever it is you’re writing to that you’re invested in the subject and know about it.

That said, be human. Express your personality. Show people what makes you tick. There’s neither harm nor foul to include in your cover letter something along the lines of, “While my journalistic interest is in commodities pricing and international trade, I must admit a cultural fondness for animated Justin Bieber gifs which you can see at my personal site, Viva La Bieber.”

See what I did there? I combined a bit of the professional seriousness with the fun of your personality. (And as an aside, I had no idea that Viva La Bieber existed as a Tumblr but wasn’t surprised to see that it actually does.)

Yes, it may turn some hiring people off but it will also turn some hiring people on. There are a lot of smart people out there and hiring decisions often come down to whether or not — all else being equal — the person applying will fit into the culture of the existing team. We are, after all, going to spend a lot of time working together. And for you, you’ll have a better time working with people who get your Bieber fetish than with those that look down their nose at it.

About this time last year I received a cover letter from Jihii for an internship opening we had. She will hate me for what I’m about to do but since she doesn’t know I’m writing this I’ll take the hate in hopes that maybe her example might help you.

Here’s some of what she wrote.

I cannot tell you how happy I was to see your Tumblr post about the internships in NYC.

This is a good start. She knows our Tumblr and isn’t just blindly mailing out cover letters.

After a brief biographical overview (she grew up outside of New York City, studied at a small liberal arts college in California, was editor in chief of the school’s student magazine and worked on an independent documentary project) she writes:

I wrote my senior thesis on literary journalism and how it can survive and be developed in a new media age… ie: how can multimedia/web tools help hit the same emotional spots and create the same visceral experiences that literary tropes traditionally have? That’s one of my biggest research interests at present and FJP’s work is one of the few places I feel I can bring that conversation up.

See what she did there? She linked her interests to ours by demonstrating previous work that dovetails into a question we occasionally pursue. She also outlines what she would like to pursue in the internship and this is her taking a chance. Does she know we’re interested in the topic? Generally yes because she know the type of themes we’ve been publishing.

She then goes on to tell us about her overall digital skills and then what she’s done since graduating:

Right now I’m… waiting on some admission decisions for graduate studies in journalism. I’m working on a documentary film with some friends on undocumented Latino immigration. I’m curating a Tumblr that is kind of my own version of FJP: navigating media (thank you for the inspiration!) and I’m also doing some freelance writing. I just finished up an internship at The New Press in all things publishing, and I’m currently working at Columbia University Teachers College Edlab.

I’m there because I’m fascinated by all the ways technology is revolutionizing communication and I’m getting the opportunity to learn a lot about design and multimedia. I write a blog on Data Visualization for them (I adore infographics) and I’m also working on putting together an exhibition on dataviz.

Sprinkled throughout her cover letter were links to her online work which is important. It’s one thing to say you’ve done X, Y and Z. It’s another to actually show it. End result: If you follow the FJP you know that Jihii’s been with us and, arguably, writes and posts the more thoughtful material we have.

So, how to write your cover letter: think inverted pyramid, tailor it to who you’re sending it to, provide concrete examples of relevant work you’ve done and link to those examples where possible.

And yes, your resume should be online (and here’s a wonderful, funky example of one that’s making the rounds).

Hope this helps. — Michael

Have a question? Ask away.

Image: Twitter post from Scott Leadingham.

The Millennial’s Learning Dilemma

Digiday came out with an interesting compilation of perspectives on millennials (aka Gen Y, born in from the ’80s to the 2000’s) who comprise the new crop of working professionals in ad agencies.

The ad exec’s perspective seems largely to be that millennials feel excessively entitled, are at times over-payed and are inclined to having big ideas but no mastery of a craft. Example: an agency executive talking about a millennial he hired and then let go (via WTF Millennials: Managing Agencies’ Newest Generation:

He didn’t know how to do anything. He could talk about stuff and criticize what agencies were doing but really added no value. At one point, I walked by his desk and saw Facebook on one monitor and Tweetdeck on another. I told him that he’s so good at social media that he’s totally unproductive. We let him go a few days later. In his mind, he nailed the task and moved on to help get the ad industry back on track. Sigh. The overconfidence, zero accountability and zero remorse is 100 percent millennial. They don’t get the concept of learning.

The millennial’s perspective seems to be one which struggles to reconcile with one too many contentions: old-school divisions of labor, integrating digital and traditional advertising, and harder, bigger questions like how to maintain (idealistic?) values of openness, honesty and social good, while working in an industry that isn’t exactly reputed for these things. They’re left unable (and perhaps unwilling) to master a craft because of a lack of the bigger picture, and at times a lack of mentorship to get there.

FJP: I thought about using Tumblr’s chat-post format to excerpt these pieces as a conversation between millennials and ad execs, but in my mind, the perspectives don’t really speak to each other. Though I don’t work in advertising, the conversation touches on adjacent industries just the same. The problem seems to be that many of us (millennials) view “learning” as a very intentional (and arguably selfish) affair. I’m certainly victim to the big ideas and not enough craft dilemma but it’s because I want to master a craft if I’m driven to on a personal level, and that drive entirely comes from having a clear vision of the big picture—confidence that my efforts today won’t lead to another future in which social good is at the bottom of the priority list, and profit is at the top. This attitude won’t work well in the average entry-level position, but it’s often our only entry point. I’ve been lucky enough to receive an education and professional mentors who encourage me to go long with my big ideas, which in turn makes me want to be accountable. Not an easy environment to create but much gratitude to those who’ve done it. —Jihii

World’s largest natural sound archive now fully digital and fully online.

Via cornelluniversity:

“In terms of speed and the breadth of material now accessible to anyone in the world, this is really revolutionary,” says audio curator Greg Budney, describing a major milestone just achieved by the Macaulay Library archive at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All archived analog recordings in the collection, going back to 1929, have now been digitized and can be heard at www.MacaulayLibrary.org…

…It took archivists a dozen years to complete the monumental task. The collection contains nearly 150,000 digital audio recordings equaling more than 10 terabytes of data with a total run time of 7,513 hours. About 9,000 species are represented. There’s an emphasis on birds, but the collection also includes sounds of whales, elephants, frogs, primates and more.

Seven thousand students have registered for two massive open online courses at the University of Texas’ Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. Could this evolve into journalism-training-for-all?

Textbooks, 812% More Expensive Than 1978 With a new semester almost upon us, it’s time to figure out why college textbooks are so absurdly expensive.

Textbooks, 812% More Expensive Than 1978

With a new semester almost upon us, it’s time to figure out why college textbooks are so absurdly expensive.

For Students: a New Multimedia Storytelling Competition From the multimedia magazine the Atavist. Beginning January 1, 2013, students are invited to participate in the above competition by submitting a long-form, nonfiction story that isn’t just writing — the judges want to see photography, video, narration and illustrations. Whatever’s appropriate and fits into the Atavist’s editorial platform. There are openings for high school, college and grad students. Enter here, and good luck.

For Students: a New Multimedia Storytelling Competition

From the multimedia magazine the Atavist. Beginning January 1, 2013, students are invited to participate in the above competition by submitting a long-form, nonfiction story that isn’t just writing — the judges want to see photography, video, narration and illustrations. Whatever’s appropriate and fits into the Atavist’s editorial platform.

There are openings for high school, college and grad students. Enter here, and good luck.

Apply now! Opportunities for journalists and students

onaissues:

We’ve pulled together a number of opportunites for journalists that have deadlines looming. Apply now for these grants, scholarships and training opportunities. 

Grants
The International Women’s Media Foundation will award three $20,000 grants to entrepreneurial women journalists to help them launch their own digital media start-ups. Deadline is Jan. 25, 2013. Apply here.

The Alexia Foundation, which supports photojournalists documenting humanitarian and social justice issues, is offering grants to students who produce still photos and multimedia projects and to professional photographers. Deadline is Jan. 18, 2013 for professionals and Feb. 1, 2013 for students.

J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism and the McCormick Foundation are accepting applications for the McCormick New Media Women Entrepreneurs award, which will provide four women-led media projects with $14,000 each. Applications are due by Jan. 23, 2013. Apply here.

Workshops and trainings
“Nobody was born a successful media titan. They developed a set of skills that allowed them to succeed.” The Maynard Media Academy at Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, which trains media entrepreneurial leadership and management, is accepting applicants for 2013. Participants attend two sessions, in January and March, 2013, to develop their business and leadership skills. Tuition is $3,5000 and applications are due by Dec. 31. Apply here.

Get an introduction to Infographics and Data Visualization with a free online course offered by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. The six-week course runs from Jan. 12 through Feb. 23, 2013. Sign up.

American Press Institute’s Transformation Tour is a series of workshops on digital skills for journalists. If you register in December, the cost is only $100 — that goes up to $200 in 2013. The next session, on Transformational Communities, will focus on connecting news organizations to their digital communities and increasing engagement. The session, led by Chuck Peters of the Gazette Co. and Jeff Sonderman of Poynter Institute, is Dec. 7 in Arlington, Va. Register here.

Opportunities for students
AP is now accepting applications for its global news internship program. AP will accept as many as 20 interns for summer 2013. The program, open to full-time students and recent college graduates, places interns throughout the U.S. and in Jerusalem, Johannesburg, London, Mexico City, Moscow, New Delhi, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Tokyo. Visit AP.org for information on how to apply.

Students can win a $5,000 scholarship by participating in Free to Tweet, a celebration of First Amendment rights funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and organized by 1 for All. High school and college students can participate through Dec. 15 by tweeting their support for their favorite First Amendment freedom with #FreetoTweet.

See more opportunities on journalists.org.

FJP: We often get messaged about where to look for such opportunities. These are great programs. Apply away.