Innovative newsroom gives ACU students real world experience

Students from Abilene Christian University's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication are hard at work in the newly dedicated JMC Network Student Media News Lab, a converged media newsroom housing print, online and broadcast news media.

The department prides itself on being an early adopter of technology for media fields and in developing convergence curriculum, said Dr. Cheryl Bacon, chair of the department. The Student Media News Lab allows students to experience convergence firsthand.

"It used to be enough for students to enter the job market with a good education and a good set of clips, or a good photo portfolio, or a great audition tape to illustrate some practical, real-world experience. That won't cut it anymore," Bacon said. "Today's media want fresh, young talent that can write, shoot video, get their story online and talk about it on the 6 o'clock news, or on YouTube. The JMC Network assures that while our graduates may specialize in one area of media they are competent in multiple platforms. They are prepared for today's converging media environment."

According to Bacon, several universities have converged newsrooms, but few have student media working in them daily. "In part that's because at many universities student media are not overseen by the academic program," Bacon said. "Our integration of curricular and co-curricular makes this possible."

Bacon said the new facility makes converged media a reality for ACU students.

"In a single venue, students are producing a twice weekly newspaper, an online newspaper, a twice weekly online newscast, news podcasts and video news stories for our website."

Accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the list of distinguished alumni of ACU's JMC program includes Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist David Leeson, Emmy-winning CBS producer Lance Barrow, and nationally acclaimed author and minister Max Lucado.

"Our students have risen to the challenge from the first day they walked into the Network." said Bacon. "I can hardly wait to see what they will do next, not only here but in their first jobs, their second jobs, and over the life of their careers."

For more information about the JMC Network, visit jmcnetwork.com.

If you are a member of the media who would like more information about this release, please contact ACU's Public Relations Office or call (325) 674-2692.