ABC partners with colleges on journalism

Q: I am very interested in studying journalism in college and I heard that ABC News recently announced a collaboration with a few universities. What can you tell me about this?

A: ABC News just started a program called ABC News on Campus at five different schools throughout the country: Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications; the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications; the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communication; and the College of Communication at the University of Texas-Austin. In order to further answer your question, I interviewed Mark Lodato, the news director and professor of practice at Arizona State's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Jason Katz: For those of my readers who aren't familiar with ABC News on Campus (http://abcnews.go.com), would you please explain what it is?

Mark Lodato: ABC is launching actual news bureaus inside five of the nation's top journalism schools. There will be students paid by ABC to search for and produce content for the network across multiple platforms (ABC Television, ABC.com, etc.). In addition to television work, students will be doing Web reporting, photojournalism, print journalism and more. Additionally, the product doesn't have to be produced by the bureau students - any Cronkite student (or any ASU student, really) is welcome to pitch story ideas to the network through the bureau.

JK: What type of training will the on-campus bureau receive?

ML: We have a faculty adviser assigned to the bureau. Meanwhile there will be opportunities for the bureau students to receive training from ABC staff, both here in Phoenix and in New York (for the bureau chief). While all of our students are welcome to apply for a bureau position, I imagine most applicants will be our most advanced students.

JK: How many students will make up the on-campus bureau and how will they be chosen? How will the bureau chief be chosen?

ML: Students interested in a bureau position will apply much the same way they would for a job. We conducted interviews for the bureau chief position in May. ABC Executive Producer John Green was here for that. We've filled two of the spots, and will fill another two or three most likely in August. Faculty adviser Sue Green and bureau chief Emily Graham will fly to New York in a few weeks for hands-on training with the people they'll be working with in New York.

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