By Laura Nelson
Student Writer
USC Annenberg welcomed more than a dozen leading minds in journalism to Los Angeles this week for a summit on the future of journalism schools.
Deans of 12 journalism schools and officials from grant-making foundations joined Dean Ernest J. Wilson III and School of Journalism director Geneva Overholser for two days of meetings concerning the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education.
The group discussed curriculum improvements to make journalism schools more relevant; progress on News21's annual investigative projects; and the future of the Carnegie-Knight Task Force, a group of five schools working to create a platform for discussions about journalism and policy issues.
"It's always valuable to get together with folks from peer schools to trade thoughts about journalism in these fast-changing times," Overholser said.
Attendees included deans from leading journalism schools, including Columbia University and the University of California at Berkeley, as well as representatives from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
"People were grinning ear to ear during this," Wilson said. "It was such a pleasure to see so many of my colleagues together in one place, discussing something that we all care deeply about."
A reception showcasing Annenberg's successes in digital and collaborative journalism and a dinner with USC President C. L. Max Nikias on Tuesday evening marked the end of the summit.
"The reception was the real highlight," Overholser said. "[It was] a wonderful opportunity for Annenberg to show our colleagues what creative, inventive work is going on here."
The Carnegie-Knight Initiative is a partnership focusing on helping journalism schools enrich their curriculum and improve their relevancy in journalism’s changing world. The initiative is responsible for News21, a partnership between USC Annenberg and four other universities teaching students innovative, hands-on journalism practices.
Reports from the News21 "news incubators" have appeared in mainstream and emerging media outlets. Most recently, 11 student journalists from News21, including USC Annenberg graduate Richie Duchon, collaborated with the Center for Public Integrity to investigate national transportation safety.
During the reception, Annenberg student leaders spoke to conference attendees about USC Annenberg's publications, including Neon Tommy, Intersections: The South Los Angeles Report, "Impact," Annenberg TV News and Annenberg Radio News.
Professional news organizations attending the reception included the nonprofit journalism website Spot.Us, which partners with USC Annenberg. Visitors can submit a pitch to the site for a story they feel needs to be written, and the site accepts donations from the public to fund the costs of that story.
Fellows in the Annenberg-Marshall-Viterbi News Entrepreneurship Fellowship taught attendees about their collaborative program, which puts student journalists, business majors and engineers in teams. The teams attend a journalism and digital media “boot camp” at the Knight Digital Media Center, and then discuss journalism’s future with news organizations and faculty.
This year’s fellows consulted with The Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Times, and Southern California Public Radio/KPCC on how to improve mobile media and social networking.
“We got great feedback on the enthusiasm that all the students showed,” Overholser said. “President Nikias made it clear how much he values having a great journalism school as part of USC.”
