N.C. A&T JOMC hosts 27th NABJ Multimedia Short Course

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 20, 2019) – The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will host the 27th annual National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Multimedia Short Course March 20-23, 2019.

The short course is designed to help student members gain the knowledge and skills necessary to tell news stories on various content platforms. During the four-day seminar, students will participate in hands-on workshops and gain a greater understanding of newsroom job requirements.

“The purpose is to prepare them for the industry. They have to understand the impact of digital storytelling,” said Gail Wiggins, interim department chairwoman and director of the NABJ Short Course. “Students will get a real sense of how news happens, and how different news-gathering techniques are used in digital storytelling.”

Wiggins, an NABJ 2016 Educator of the Year and advisor for the N.C. A&T award-winning NABJ student chapter, has been instrumental in coordinating the program for several years.

The event will feature workshops on digital storytelling, reporting techniques, politics in the newsroom, social media challenges and the future of the industry.

This year’s major sponsor, Comcast-NBC Universal, is providing professional development for students focusing on resume critiques, interviewing skills and networking. Course sessions will utilize an interdisciplinary approach, including students from marketing, information technology and journalism. Additional sponsors include: Capital Broadcasting Company/WRAL Community Fund of Triangle Communication Foundation, WXII-12 (Hearst Communications) and NABJ.

More than 20 professional journalists from across the country with titles like presidents and general managers, producers, managing editors, reporters, anchors, photojournalists, news directors and multimedia journalists are slated to serve as mentors in the short course

The short course is open to students who are juniors and seniors enrolled in an accredited college or university. They must have a declared major in broadcast journalism or communication, and a cumulative grade point average of 2.5. There are nearly 30 students participating in this year’s multimedia short course seminar.

N.C. A&T students participating in the 2019 short course include: Gabrielle Cooke, Cameron Dinkins, Bethany Easley, Patrick Edmond, Jordan Peterson, Arlette Hawkins, Cierra Ivey, Denver Lark, and Kennedy Thorne.

Visiting students have been selected to participate representing various schools including: the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; the University of Maryland-College Park; Fayetteville State University; Georgia State University; Syracuse University; Morgan State University; Arizona State University; Florida A&M University; Georgetown University; Kent State University; the University of Texas at Austin; Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York; Virginia Commonwealth University; State University of New York at Fredonia; Delaware State University; Jackson State University; and High Point University.