Journalism opens bureaus in D.C., NYC

The School of Communication + Journalism’s South Florida Media Network (SFMN) launched its new student-run, faculty-led news bureau program in Washington, D.C. and New York City on Sept. 10 and 11, respectively.

“This program enhances the journalism curriculum with additional opportunities for experiential learning, creates more opportunities for FIU students to produce and edit content and works toward building national visibility for our students and graduates,” said Brian Schriner, dean of the College of Communication, Architecture + the Arts, who initiated the new experiential learning curriculum.

The SFMN bureau program offer hands-on academic experiences that reach beyond the traditional classroom structure. Through a combination of theoretical and experiential formats, students will engage in lively academic discussions, traverse each city while conducting investigative fieldwork and participate in professional workshops and events. Individually, each program will have its own unique focus and point of interest.

“FIU needs to understand how important they are to this country, this profession and this city. No other university is doing this,” said Ramon Escobar — vice president of diversity and inclusion  and talent recruitment and development for CNN Worldwide — at the launch.

The SFMN Washington bureau will focus on the intersection between politics and journalism. Student participants will explore the relationship between politics and the media and gain a thorough understanding of the responsibility of the news industry as the “fourth estate.”

SFMN New York bureau students will learn the fundamentals of solutions-based reporting, which aims to not only report the news, but to find potential ways to respond and resolve the pressing social issues it exposes.

This initiative is externally funded and in partnership with ALLEY co-working spaces. Others in attendance included: Teresa Ponte, department chair of Journalism + Media; Lilia Silverio-Minaya, assistant dean of student services at CARTA; Carlos Becerra, assistant vice president of federal relations; and several FIU board members. Faculty, staff, students and alumni were also present at both events.

To learn more about the programs, go to journalism.fiu.edu/bureauexperience.