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Journalism students at the University of Missouri worked
with the staff of VOX, a weekly Columbia magazine, to publish two special
issues devoted entirely to covering conflicts in the community. The students also
broadcast their articles on KBIA radio, gaining practical experience in convergence
journalism by moving their stories across media outlets. The project was
another step forward for the Center for the Study of Conflict, Law and the
Media.
"It's a cutting edge curriculum enhancement that focuses on
the new trends of interest-based reporting and convergence journalism," said
Center Co-Director Michael Grinfeld.
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| The Noveber 16 and 22 issues of VOX magazine were devoted to covering community conflicts |
The project was part of Grinfeld's Journalism and Conflict
course, a collaboration between MU's top programs in journalism and law and dispute
resolution.
Students spend the first half semester learning the
foundations of conflict theory, which mirrors the law school's dispute
resolution coursework. Then, during the second half of the semester, students
put theory into practice by applying these skills in everyday situations. The
class includes role-plays, some done in tandem with law students, that
puts students in realistic conflicts that they are likely to encounter in their
careers.
"The purpose is to teach journalists how to better evaluate
conflict so their work is more insightful, contextualized and accurate," said
Grinfeld, who hopes the class will become a model for journalism training and
education.
This is the first year since the course was introduced in
2002 that Grinfeld's students have produced an edition of VOX.
"I wanted to link the work they were doing with actual
media," said Grinfeld.
Judy Bolch, journalism faculty member acting as the
editorial director of VOX, played an integral role in the project. She guided
student editors at the magazine as they moved the articles through the
publication process. The end result was a two-part series in back to back
issues of the magazine including articles, photographs and book reviews.
Feature articles included:
In addition to learning how to cover conflicts in the
community, students also practiced dealing with conflicts that came up in the
production process. Students had to negotiate with their sources, classmates,
designers and their editors. Although there were some "bumps along the way,"
both Grinfeld and Bolch said the project was a great success and reflected the
real conflict resolution process that must occur during the publication of any
magazine.
"I'm sure the writers and our customers learned a lot about
viewing conflict in different ways and about how conflict permeates every
aspect of our society," said Bolch.
Students have clearly gained from the project.
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"I think it was one of the most rewarding reporting
experiences I've ever had," said Julie Wyatt, one of the 24 students in
Grinfeld's class. "The project is designed to teach students about negotiating
through conflicts--and it definitely did that. Now, when I'm working on a
story, I'm much more thoughtful and tactful in the questions I ask and the way
I think about issues."
Grinfeld said he plans to do a similar project again next
fall.
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| Julie Wyatt |
