We say our students “learn by doing” at the School of Journalism at the University of Montana and spring and summer are prime time for many of our students to practice what we teach here. They’ve been out on assignment, finishing capstone projects, traveling abroad and doing big internships.
So, we thought we’d give you a quick recap of some of the stellar student work out there in the world right now:
In late May, the student documentary unit premiered “Montana Jails: Slammed for Solutions,” a deep dive into the overcrowding in Montana’s corrections system. Watch the documentary on Montana PBS here.
And, the Montana Native News Project, which sends teams of journalism students out across the state to cover stories with big impact on the state’s seven Indian reservations, covered the issue of sovereignty this spring. In their words: “With seven vastly different reservations across the state of Montana, each tribe has the tedious task of navigating a relationship with bureaucracy from several levels: federal, state, county, while keeping their culture intact. The 2018 Montana Native News Honors Project takes an in-depth look at those relationships and the meaning of tribal sovereignty.” The team, led by Professors Jason Begay and Keith Graham, publishes their work in print in the Missoulian and online, reaching about 60,000 readers. See their work here and here’s a snippet:
“In Their Hands” – Nearly a century after the Indian Reorganization Act, Montana’s tribes are still molding self-governance from Montana Journalism on Vimeo.
In June, “Business Made in Montana,” a 25-year-old program that looks at businesses in the Big Sky state, aired on Montana PBS. The project is produced by students in Professor Kevin Tompkins’ intermediate videography and editing class, who find and research the businesses, set up shoots, shoot, produce and edit the five pieces that make up this half-hour show. See the show on PBS here.
Across the globe, the Montana Journalism Abroad team, led by Professor Joe Eaton, traveled to Korea to cover urban issues for The Atlantic’s CityLab site. Their work covered the aftermath of the Olympics, Seoul’s “war preppers” and they were there to report on reaction to President Donald Trump cancelling the North Korea summit in late May. See their work here.
Last summer, the Montana Journalism Abroad team covered the aftermath of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan. That project took home a Society of Professional Journalists award for online news reporting this year.
Closer to home, students in Professor Jule Banville’s advanced audio class spent spring semester going back to high school to produce a podcast about and with students at Willard Alternative High School in Missoula. Students dug into stereotypes and stigma, school counselors and vampires. Yes, vampires. You can listen and subscribe on iTunes, or at the student-produced Willard Podcast site. The work also aired on Montana Public Radio this summer.
(Last year’s advanced audio project, “The Meth Effect,” co-led by Professors Jule and Lee Banville won a Society of Professional Journalists award for in-depth reporting.)
Also this summer, the fall UM News team, which produces a weekly television and online news show that airs on Missoula-based KPAX-TV and ABC Montana, took home three Awards of Excellence at the 55th Annual Northwest Regional Emmy® Awards in June. Maria Anderson and Tiffany Folkes won for their piece on the Farm-to-College program at the University of Montana; Sophie Trouw, Maria Anderson and Rene Sanchez won for their piece “Vietnam to Montana: Memories of War,” and the entire UM News team won in the overall newscast category.
Finally, a new team of graduate student fellows in the Crown Reporting Project got out into the field this summer. The Crown project seeks to inform public understanding of landscape-level conservation, conflicting demands for natural resources and community efforts to build climate resilience. Students head into the field backed by a mentor — a veteran journalist familiar with their area of work. The Crown Reporting Project bridges journalism, science, policy and conservation, helping students develop specialized expertise that can lead to careers in science or environmental journalism. This summer, fellow Samantha Weber has been reporting on the vast landscape and history of the Blackfeet Nation and how leaders there are dealing with balancing conservation with record visitation to Glacier National Park and the surrounding area. Meanwhile, fellow Breanna Roy is reporting (by hiking with conservationists into the high alpine terrain of British Columbia) on efforts to save the threatened white bark pine.
Why Student Work Matters
We’re firm believers that one of the best measures of a journalism school is the quality, breadth and reach of the work produced by students while they’re in college. And, the best way to get to know a program is through the eyes, and work, of the students in that program. So, take some time to dive into the stories, videos, photos and audio our students have worked so diligently on this last year and there you’ll find clues as to what’s possible for you too.
We have a great year ahead of us making media that matters here at the J-School. Until then, have a great rest of the summer.
Montana Journalism 