Lesson 6. It is not a a waste of energy to try developing an informal, collaborative relationship with student news media at Hunter so as to try to encourage them to consider publishing articles and disseminating information about ethnic-immigrant issues. This is especially true considering the richness of Hunter’s culturally and ethnically diverse student body. But …… the shortcomings of student news media need to be kept in mind. As long as the purpose of the relationship is to further student learning, though in a milieu outside of the classroom, the shortcomings can be minimized. However, this writes believes  it is a waste of time trying to network with student news organizations at other CUNY campuses as originally proposed and attempted. The lack of proximity can greatly hinder student-instructor rapport.
The first semester of the project showed modest successes and was deceptively encouraging. The effort failed in subsequent semesters. However, the WORD has become an affiliate of UWIRE.com and that relationship shows promise. Founded in 1994, UWIRE is a community-driven service devoted to the needs of student journalists. It provides a free wire service, comprised of content aggregated from other student-run media outlets, 800 in the United States and 16 other countries.
Tags: College Student News Media, Ford Foundation, journalism education