Budding Journalists Partner With International Reporters To Gain Experience

GW's School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) has partnered with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to provide journalism students opportunities to gain real-world experience from international journalists and to apply for funding to cover underreported stories. The partnership was announced last night at a co-sponsored awards ceremony for the YouTube/Pulitzer Center Project: Report short documentary contest. It is the first between the center and a Washington D.C.-area university.

"Our new partnership with the Pulitzer Center will broaden the horizons of our student journalists to think creatively about the kinds of stories that should be told," said SMPA Director Frank Sesno. "Interacting with these international journalists and possibly reporting a story from overseas brings SMPA students the chance of a lifetime to develop new areas of expertise and add a very unique experience to their resumes."

The Campus Consortium is an initiative begun by the Pulitzer Center to bring their resources to college campuses around the country. The year-long partnership with GW will begin in fall 2010 when students will be able to take advantage of two distinct opportunities — inside and outside of the classroom. Pulitzer Center journalists will meet with students during the academic year to highlight important issues that are underreported by U.S. media. At the same time, SMPA students will have the opportunity to apply for at least one international reporting fellowship for 2011. The fellowship will include $2,000 for travel or other expenses to cover one underreported story of their choosing from anywhere in the world. The fellows will receive specialized mentoring by international journalists and the center will help to further expose the students' work on a larger scale internationally.

"Collaboration is key to our work at the Pulitzer Center. We're thrilled to work with GW's School of Media and Public Affairs, to bring our global journalism on campus and to build on SMPA's inter-disciplinary approach," said Pulitzer Center Director Jon Sawyer. "Having a strong university partner in the nation's capital is a huge boost to the Campus Consortium network of university partners we are building throughout the nation. Our goal is to engage the broadest possible audience in the big issues that affect us all. We welcome George Washington University's support. We look forward to our work together in the months and years to come."

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting supports in-depth coverage of international affairs, focusing on topics that have been under-reported, misreported or not reported at all. The center funds reporting on all media platforms and partners with both traditional and new-media news outlets. It engages directly with students, building a constituency among younger audiences for quality global news coverage. Learn more at www.pulitzercenter.org and www.pulitzergateway.org

The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) is dedicated to the rigorous study of journalism and political communication with a focus on understanding the impact media have on how societies inform and govern, connect and communicate. As media undergo transformational change, SMPA's goal is to advance both theoretical insight and innovative practice. SMPA conducts ground-breaking research, offers inspired teaching and encourage hands-on work in the field and in our production facilities, and engages directly with thought-leaders in Washington and around the world.