Monday, April 23, 2012

Upcoming High School Journalism Workshop featured in Huntington's Herald Dispatch




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Workshop provides real-life experience for journalism students

April 21, 2012 @ 12:00 AM
By LACIE PIERSON

HUNTINGTON -- For the past three years, students have come from near and far to get the chance to spend four days learning about journalism at Marshall University free of tuition and fees, but filled with classes and practice in the field.

It's part of the annual High School Journalism Workshop, which is a collaborative effort among The Herald-Dispatch, the Division of Multicultural Affairs at Marshall and the university's W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

The deadline for the event, which is preparing for its fourth affair June 24 to 27, has been extended to May 18, said Burnis Morris, Carter G. Woodson Professor at Marshall and director of the workshop.

"This is an exciting opportunity that won't cost you anything," Morris said. "It won't cost your parents anything. They'll drop you off and pick you back up four days later."

About 20 students will stay in dorms and receive meals on campus, free of charge, as they participate in activities that allow them to get on-air on WMUL-FM 88.1 and take a tour and shadow employees at The Herald-Dispatch, among a variety of other activities.

The event was the brainchild of Morris, who hosted a similar workshop while he was a professor at the University of Mississippi.

"We basically wanted to improve high school journalism and increase the quality of journalism students going to college," Morris said. "We will give them exercises in everything from photography, writing and layout and design. We hope they use the tools we provide them to improve their high school publications or to get a jump start on their classmates when they go to college in the fall."

Students attending the event aren't required to attend Marshall or even express interest in the school, but Morris said many of the students, who have hailed from as far away as Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Florida, have chosen Marshall for their higher learning experience.

"I think if they see Marshall and meet the students and faculty that they will be interested in eventually attending as well," Morris said. "The more diverse of an atmosphere we create, the more likely we will be successful in obtaining a diverse student body and enriching students' education"

This year, students who participate in the event will be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship, which will be awarded to one student, who "exhibits the best qualities as a prospective journalist" Morris said.

High school students interested in applying for the workshop can do so by visiting www.unitedhighschoolmedia.blogspot.com.

For more information, contact Morris by emailing him at morrisb@marshall.edu.

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