What is the Multicultural Journalism Program?

• Summer Workshop

While still in high school, up to 30 students are recruited to attend an intensive workshop held on the University campus each summer. The workshop emphasizes multimedia reporting, writing, editing, graphics, photography, production and basic communication skills. Nearly 500 students have attended the 24 workshops.

• Recruiting and Follow-Up

Working with high school advisers and local newspapers and broadcasters, UAMJP identifies good writers and recruits them to the workshop and the University. Through partnership with the Alabama Scholastic Press Association, with offices at the University of Alabama, and other high school media organizations, we stay in touch with scholastic publications, advisers and workshop graduates year-round.

• Professional Mentors

The resident workshop faculty is augmented by up to 30 outstanding journalists from around the nation, meaning, on some days, every student has an editor/coach. Some of these mentors stay in touch with their assigned youngsters throughout the year and for several years into their careers.

• Lab Newspaper, Online and Broadcast

The workshop is hands-on from the first day. In modern news laboratories, students publish a newspaper under the direction of the faculty and visiting professionals. They produce news stories, photos, editorials, columns, reviews and feature packages about the workshop, campus, city, state and nation. Students then repurpose their newspaper copy for online and broadcast.

They also study reporting, editing, media economics, new media, and media law, ethics and history. They conduct interviews with newsmakers in Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and other Alabama cities, towns and communities.

• College Scholarships

A few of the best students in the program receive renewable scholarships to attend the University. Some recruits choose to attend other universities, and we work with them on admission and financial aid arrangements.

• Support Group

Those who elect to attend the University become members of the Capstone Association of Black Journalists, a chapter of NABJ, the National Association of Black Journalits. CABJ and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) co-sponsor job fairs and professional seminars for students throughout the year.

• Job Placement

The College offers its own job fair and also in some years we send up to 40 students to other Job Fairs and professional meetings around the country.

• Career Tracking

We track graduates and invite them back to work in the summer workshop and as guest speakers during the academic year. The UAMJP director and department chair assist them in career advancement. Our database contains career information on 270 minority professionals.