The 19th annual NABJ Multimedia Short Course was held March 16-19. Students from 14 prestigious universities from across the nation who have a career interest in journalism participated in this four-day program.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Cox Enterprises, and the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication sponsored the program.
The main purpose was to teach, guide, and mentor future multimedia journalists.
The event featured important information from professionals in the journalism field including Anthony Wilson, news reporter and anchor for ABC 11 in Durham, N.C.; Charlitta Rodrigues, content producer for NBC Universal in Washington, D.C.; Anzio Williams, news director for KCRA-TV and KQCA-TV in Sacramento, Calif., and many more.
“They are just as demanding as if you were in an actual newsroom. Deadlines have to be met and you have current event quizzes,” said Galvin Wells, a second-time participant and senior mass communication major at N.C. Central University.
In addition, the program also allowed time for networking with both peers and professionals to gain insight on what to expect in the field of journalism.
The topics discussed included shooting and editing, resumes and portfolios, writing skills, production techniques, newsroom politics, technical skills, and much more.
Student participants, both returning and new had great things to say about the opportunity they received for being chosen for this program.
“The short course is a tremendous opportunity for mass communication students. You learn so much from the mentors and you get real-world experience working in the newsroom. They give you a complete rundown of a newsroom in three days. You leave learning way more than you came knowing,” said Wells.
Even though some participants were not communication or journalism majors, they still gained knowledge about good photography, editing, recording, web-page design and graphic skills.
“The short course is geared toward media tracts or news information, as opposed to my major which is filmmaking. I must say that the experience
this workshop has given me insight on a more formal style of filming and a more structured script. I have a greater respect for news, print, and radio,” said Antonio DeGraffenreaidt, a first-time participant and senior filmmaking and theater major at Winston-Salem State University.
Professionals enjoyed the eagerness and willingness to learn shown by the students.
“This was one of the more successful groups we’ve had. They came with the right attitude, were willing to learn, and had some skills. It was very gratifying to see students step up,” said Anthony Wilson, who was also the lead instructor for the NABJ Short Course.
Professionals and student participants alike felt that the short course reached all goals that it set out to achieve.
“I thought it was quite successful because the students seemed to have gotten something out of it. They appreciated the professionals coming here. It was successful because of the quality of work and the quality of questions. They were prepared,” said Ted Holtzclaw, news operations manager for WANC-TV in New York, N.Y.
Real-life experiences that the short course provided were beneficial to the student participants and provided them with knowledge that they could not receive in the classroom.
“There was a great bunch of students who went from the first day not knowing a lot to coming up to me saying how much they’ve learned. School only teaches you so much. We’ve tried to give them real-world experience with what it’s like in a newsroom,” said Marc Willis, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Washington, D.C.
“Overall it was an awesome program. I’m glad I had the opportunity to participate. Hopefully I will have the privilege to come back next year,” said Vakaya Townsend, a first-time participant and junior electronic media and journalism major at A&T.
- Essence Lee
