To prepare its students for successful careers in an ever-changing media landscape, the College of Media and Entertainment has launched a “teaching hospital” approach to journalism that focuses on mobile storytelling about issues facing millennials.
Studio M — which stands for media, mobile, millennials and MTSU — will allow students to be immersed in tracking millennials and issues that affect them, especially in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
Issues such as employment, health care, the economy, education, student loan debt, gender pay gap, religion, race and diversity will be reported, recorded, produced and written in partnership with The Tennessean and other news organizations.
“This is about young journalists reporting about their own generation through multiple media and on multiple platforms,” said Dean Ken Paulson. “Studio M gives our students invaluable experience and will allow us to tell insightful stories about millennials and their growing impact on society.”
The new teaching approach will primarily target mobile news platforms and will launch in conjunction with MT Now, an app developed by the College’s Center for Innovation in Media.
“The goal is to provide the best possible mobile experience for users of Studio M and media partner apps. That’s important since social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and SnapChat have become the default mobile experience for millennials, who are more accustomed to ‘bumping into news’ on mobile devices,” said Val Hoeppner, project leader and director of the Center for Innovation in Media.
In the first year of operation, Studio M will reach nearly 130 School of Journalism students through courses such as Advanced Reporting, Immersion Media, Feature Writing, Reporting and Data Journalism. Students will work under the direction of professional journalists and professors of practice, those who continue to practice their craft in addition to teaching courses.
“Studio M” was jump-started by a $50,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to support talent and leadership, and advance excellence in journalism. Other founding contributions included $25,000 from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and $10,000 from the Tennessean.
MTSU students work on deadline inside the Center for Innovation in Media. (MTSU file photo)
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