Communication Department Hosting Journalism Workshop

Aspiring journalists will have an opportunity to learn about all aspects of journalism during a weeklong workshop at Buffalo State to be held August 12–16.

The Communication Department is hosting the "Summer Workshop for High School Journalists," designed for students who will be juniors or seniors in the fall.

“The main reason for organizing this conference is to introduce budding journalists to the skills they’ll need for effective reporting,” said Annemarie Franczyk, assistant professor of communication, who is coordinating the workshop. “They also get a lot of exposure to professionals.”

Print, television, and multimedia journalists from the Buffalo market will join Buffalo State communication faculty in sharing their expertise on everything from interviewing skills to video production. This year, the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists also will send a member to lead one of the sessions.

“Students will learn various journalistic skills—interviewing, feature writing, photography and video editing—and put those skills to work, interviewing the newsmakers we will bring to campus,” Franczyk said. “They’ll have access to our equipment, including computers that have the kind of editing software used by professional journalists.”

At the end of the week, students will share the results of their interviews and research. They will also publish multimedia reports online.

Franczyk emphasized that the department is accepting applications from students in the city, the suburbs, public, and private schools. In 2011 when Buffalo State hosted the first journalism workshop, a mix of students participated and learned from one another.

Along with learning key skills needed for college journalism programs, attending the summer workshop provides students with connections with professionals, which could lead to internships or jobs in the future. Additionally, the workshop introduces high schoolers to Buffalo State’s stellar Communication Department.

“We would like to show students what we have here, let them become familiar with the campus, and use it as a base of comparison when they start looking for college programs,” Franczyk said.

The cost of the workshop is $150, which includes all supplies and lunch for the five days. To participate, students must apply by May 31. Space is limited and early registration is recommended.