Journalism will always be one of the most important fields of study. Although the business continues to change drastically due to new media, it’s vital for new voices to add perspective to what occurs in our society.
To inspire new journalism students at Howard University, the National Newspaper Publishers Association teamed up with Chevrolet to launch a new journalism fellowship at the school.
The fellows will be selected by Howard University faculty and NNPA staff and will receive hands-on experience in media. Students will also receive a stipend and be given a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu to drive during their reporting duties.
“This program is a fellowship and internship opportunity for Howard University students to apply and participate this summer for markets such as Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, and Detroit,” said Gracie Lawson-Borders. “This will give them an experience of going out into communities and covering stories and gathering content through print, social media, and through photos and video. It’s a chance for them to grow and hone their craft but also hear their stories and give these stories context.
Lawson-Borders also discussed how GM will play an important role in the fellowship.
“With the new Malibu, the students will be using at the media outlets as a pool car,” she said. “They’ll be using that technology as they’re driving and capturing their stories. So this is really a commitment of supporting the community on behalf of General Motors and Chevrolet.”
Rapper MC Lytes was also in attendance and shared how journalism has always played an important role in hip-hop.
“It’s about giving internships to students majoring in journalism who will be the future storytellers,” MC Lyte said. “We’re looking for individuals who are able to be bold and courageous and integral and tell a story like no one else can tell it. Hip-hop is basically the news of the street. We tell the news. It’s very reflective of what’s happening in the community and there are different styles and different perspective. Can you imagine being a writer that is able to evoke change from people and call people to be accountable and responsible for what is happening in their own communities? So there is so many things that resonate well for me with this program and how hip-hop and media correlate.”
Howard University communications majors can visit www.nnpa.org/dtu for more information. The deadline to apply for the DTU/NNPA Fellowship is April 10, 2016.
