Poynter and The American Press Institute Team Up To Offer Digital Storytelling Summit for Washington DC-area College Students

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Poynter, a global leader in journalism education, and the American Press Institute are partnering to host a comprehensive Digital Storytelling Summit to teach college students advanced skills for today's digital news environment and to provide a forum for student journalists and media leaders to network and share ideas.

The two-day training summit kicks off with an evening reception and conversation with Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, managing editor of the Washington Post on Friday, March 27 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Garcia-Ruiz, a D.C. native and graduate of the University of Maryland, oversees all digital initiatives and operations at the Post. He will speak on preparing for changes in the industry and entering today's evolving journalism environment.

Poynter faculty, including former CNN iReport editor Katie Hawkins-Gaar, and industry-leading journalists, including Baltimore Sun crime reporter Justin George, will meet with the students the following day, Saturday, March 28. They will teach the craft of digital storytelling and share practical insights on how to find, tell and share important stories happening in their communities. The daylong workshop will take place at the National Press Club.

Topics covered during the day's sessions include: conducting interviews in today's digital world, the best ways to increase your story's reach, the strengths of different digital platforms and tools, and how to approach news like a startup.

The sessions will be recorded for video replay, available for free on the American Press Institute E-Learning platform powered by Poynter's News University.

"The American Press Institute works in many ways to help journalists and leaders of news organizations do more innovative and financially sustainable work. A significant part of that mission includes helping to enlighten and inspire the next generations learning the craft of journalism today," said Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of the American Press Institute. "We are excited to help bring the outstanding teaching resources of our friends at the Poynter Institute to these student journalists who can benefit greatly from this hands-on experience and e-learning opportunity."

"Poynter has a history of training talented young journalists as they launch their careers," said Kelly McBride, vice president for academic programs at The Poynter Institute. "We are eager to work with and learn from this next generation of professionals, who will likely be the ones to see the industry through this current transformation."

The Digital Storytelling Summit is open to student journalists, student media leaders and students interested in a career in storytelling and journalism. The in-person event is limited to 50 participants, so students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible by applying here.

The deadline to apply is Friday February 27 at noon ET.

About the American Press Institute
The American Press Institute conducts research, training, convenes thought leaders and creates tools to help chart a path ahead for journalism in the 21st century.

The Press Institute is an educational non-advocacy 501(c)3 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Newspaper Association of America. It aims to help the news media, especially local publishers and newspaper media, advance in the digital age.

About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education, and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, www.newsu.org, offers the world's largest online journalism curriculum in 7 languages, with more than 400 interactive courses and 300,000 registered users in more than 200 countries. The Institute's website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world's top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcast producers, and to build public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and protected discourse that serves democracy and the public good.

CONTACT: Kim Tobin, 727-553-4707, [email protected]  

SOURCE The Poynter Institute

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