Grantee Spotlight: Facing History & Ourselves

Teachers learned how history could be used to provide context for current events at a March 15, 2011 workshop hosted by Facing History & Ourselves.

This workshop prepared Chicago Public Schools teachers to teach students from the Chicago area to understand the critical role that media and journalism play in their lives using the documentary Reporter as a teaching tool. Reporter is about award-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof and his work in the Congo. It demonstrates how and why reporting is vital to our democracy.

Later this summer, there will be another intensive two-day workshop for Facing History teachers to become part of a national network of teachers exploring ways to use digital technology.

For more information about Facing History, click here.

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Grantee Spotlight: The News Literacy Project on Empowering Teens Through News Literacy

At a brown bag lunch session for After School Matters staff on March 30, 2011, Peter Adams from The News Literacy Project offered an overview of the field of news literacy; explained why it is an essential part of developing empowered, responsible digital citizens; and offered some relevant ways that this content may be used in after school settings.

The area of news literacy has gained important attention in recent years as the news and information landscape continues to undergo rapid and radical changes. Ever since the rise of cable news networks, and the 24-hour news cycle, consumers have experienced an explosion of sources for information, especially on the Internet. But navigating these sources, and understanding the varying levels of bias and credibility that they employ, pose significant challenges for everyone.

As so-called “digital natives,” the current generation of young people arguably has more opportunities for meaningful civic engagement than any other, but it likely also faces unprecedented levels of misinformation and distortion as well. Learning to separate fact from fiction in the digital age is an essential skill set—one that can be incredibly empowering for rising citizens.

The News Literacy Project partners with schools and youth organizations to help students sort fact from fiction, evaluate information sources and learn why quality journalism is important to a healthy democracy.

To learn more about The News Literacy Project, click here.

Check out their blog for ideas on how to use news literacy in the classroom.

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Resources for Journalists

The McCormick Foundation's grantees and partners offers several opportunities for journalism training and professional development. Check out the opportunities below:

Apply for a training fellowship to attend one of the 2011 McCormick-Poynter Specialized Reporting Institutes below. Ethnic media and Chicago-area journalists are encouraged to apply.

• The effects of the economic crisis on families April 4-5, 2011- The Suburban Newspapers of America Foundation and AP Managing Editors Foundation held this April training in Chicago. Check out resources from the workshop, posted on Poynter's NewsUniversity page.

• Track the impact of stimulus funds on communities May 10-12, 2011- The New England Center for Investigative Reporting at Boston University held a workshop to help reporters track the impact of stimulus funds on their communities; click here for resources from the workshop.

• Reporting the census June 16-17, 2011- Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication will hold a June training on reporting the census. More information coming soon.

• Covering the crisis in funding public pensions June 1-3, 2011-The Society of American Business Editors and Writers will hold this June training in Phoenix. Registration for this workshop has closed, but check out Poynter's News University resources page in the coming weeks for workshop resources.

• Political polling June 17-18, 2011- American University's School of Communications will host this June workshop. More information coming soon.

• Islam in the Bible Belt August 21-23, 2011 Middle Tennessee State University's School of Journalism will hold this August workshop. For more information and to apply, click here.

Other fellowship and grant opportunities:

• George Polk Grants For Investigative Journalism- The George Polk Awards grants are given to experienced reporters from newspapers, radio or television to pursue specific investigative projects. The intent is to provide short-term relief to journalists and also to promote investigative articles on the Web.
• 2011 Dart Center Ochberg Fellowships- a unique seminar program for mid-career journalists who want to deepen their knowledge of emotional trauma and improve coverage of violence, conflict and tragedy. Application deadline, July 27, 2011. Click here to apply.

  
  

Awards:

• It’s time to highlight your innovative online work. J-Lab’s annual contest rewards the process of journalism as much as the end result, with a grand prize of $10,000 and special distinction awards totaling $6,000. Applications are now open. Deadline: June 6. Click here for more information and to apply.

Also, check out these resources and interesting research:

New Media Toolkit- An online toolkit with tutorials and resources for nonprofits and others to learn to use social media and digital media tools.

Chicago is the World- ethnic media project led by journalist Steve Franklin at the Community Media Workshop.

OurChinatown -This Asian American Journalists Association’s Executive Leadership Program project is led by a unique multidisciplinary team, which includes experts in community development, online editorial and digital production.

Paper and Database Trails -This slideshow from IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) explains how to get useful public documents and data.

Web for Watchdogs -Also from IRE, this slideshow explains how to be a "smarter searcher" on the Internet.

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Grantee Spotlight: ICFJ’s Spanish-Language Multimedia Trainers

We are excited to support the International Center for Journalists’ new program, “Líderes Digitales: Creating a New Generation of Spanish-Language Multimedia Trainers.” This initiative will teach dozens of journalists from across the U.S. to train their own newsrooms in multimedia storytelling, emerging technologies, social media and visual techniques.

Participants were chosen from more than a dozen states, including large cohorts from California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas. Some represent Telemundo and Univision but others work for local news organizations and nonprofits.

The program begins with 57 participants, who will all take part in a four-week online course. At the end, participants will submit proposals for a multimedia project that will strengthen their communities

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ICFJ will then choose 26 reporter trainers to attend a three-day boot camp on backpack journalism. From this group, eight finalists will be chosen to receive additional intensive training to become Spanish-language, digital-media trainers.

For more information on this exciting program, click here.

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