2008 Poynter Educators Forum

   The University of Maryland has a pretty traditional journalism program. We have about 550 students and emphasize accuracy and deadline-driven reporting and story telling. We are known for our skills courses and our Capital News Service bureaus teams of print reporters in Washington, D.C., and Annapolis, Md., as well as a broadcast team that produces a nightly newscast on the university-owned cable station and an online bureau that produces original content and repackages stories from the print folks and the TV station. You can see some of our students work at: http://www.newsline.umd.edu/

     Yet not all our undergraduate students get to participate in CNS because of the limitations of our staff. Our print tract is quite separate from broadcast and online tracts, as well. Weve heard from alumni who say that while they received a strong journalism education from us, they wish theyd had more exposure to new media before they graduated. Were attempting to tear down those walls. In a nutshell, were mixing things up so that everyone is exposed to multimedia technology. We are teaching the basics of broadcast to the print students and put more emphasis on writing for our broadcast students. Ill give you the details in the curriculum circle. I cant tell you if what were doing is working yet, but we think were on the right track.