NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – When eight Westminster College students signed up for the “Broadcast Journalism II” course they were challenged to grow as broadcast journalists with intense hands-on projects and opportunities to network with area journalism professionals.

"I wanted them to hit the road running as journalists and learn by doing," instructor Bradley Weaver said. "I wanted them to work as staffers for our television station and web site, but I also wanted them to freelance for an off-campus news outlet as well.  The work they produce would become part of their demo reels and online portfolios."

The course was offered during the spring semester and students studied online journalism as it related to television news, including practical, ethical and legal considerations involved in news gathering, writing, shooting, editing and reporting. Students also generated story ideas, made contacts with sources, conducted interviews, shot, wrote and edited local news stories for the Westminster Cable Network (WCN), Titan Radio and the WCN website (wcn247.com).

WKBN-TV News Director Gary Course met with WCN staffers to review their video reporting efforts.

In addition, they completed freelance reporting projects for New Castle News working with Editor Tim Kolodziej, and reviewed work with Gary Coursen, news director of WKBN-TV; and WPXI-TV reporter Amy Marcinkiewicz and her videographer Tom Racette. It is the practical, hands-on experience, coupled with mentoring and assignment opportunities from the local journalism community, that students said taught them what they could never learn solely from a textbook.

“Gary Coursen reinforced the idea that for a graduate to get hired as a reporter or videographer, they must be able to shoot, perform, write, and edit at the professional level. Content is king,” said Joe Ligo, a junior broadcast communications major from Mercer.

“It was helpful in driving home the seriousness of meeting deadlines in the professional setting,” said Courtney Crown, a senior broadcast communications major from Coshocton, Ohio. “We of course have pressures from our professors to make deadlines, but when you’re working for the actual news, it’s a pressure that aids in preparing us for life after college. Having outside opportunities takes students to the next level.”

“Amy Marcinkiewicz was exactly what my work needed,” according to Ashley Durham, a senior broadcast communications major from Aliquippa. “Having someone sit down with you and tell you how to work as a reporter and where to improve is crucial to the learning process and we really got that with her.”

The freelance project with New Castle News was one of the major assignments for the class and led to many exciting opportunities for the students. Instead of the students being paid for their work, they received a positive grade if New Castle News carried their stories online, which added to their portfolio. Many of the students were also hired for additional paid freelance work at New Castle News and freelance work at TV stations that participated.

“I was impressed with the students’ work. Several of the stories were among the best I have seen from college video journalists,” Coursen said. He has visited the class in the past and has hired Westminster graduates to work at WKBN.

The students and their instructor also participated in the spring break work trips organized by Campus Ministries.  They teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and other groups where they volunteer on construction sites.  They also shot and reported stories for a 60 minute documentary they created for WCN called Spring Break with a Purpose.

WCN's Corey Benedict puts down his camera & picks up a sledge hammer while on a Habitat for Humanity job site in North Carolina.

WCN staffers participating in the Broadcast Journalism II course & freelancing for the NC News include:  Joe Ligo, Connor Kobis, Courtney Crown, Ashley Durham, Ryan Johnston, Joshua Dunn, Corey Benedict & Hannah Paczkowski.

The course was taught by communication studies lecturer Bradley Weaver. He has been teaching broadcast & digital communications at Westminster since 2000 and has worked in broadcast journalism since 1985.   Weaver earned his undergraduate degree from Alderson-Broaddus College and his master's from the University of Kansas. He is currently a doctoral student in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh.