Amie Sites | Dec. 12, 2011
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| Photo by Nick Demille |
| Phil Rees of UPI visits with students via Skype from his London post with the news service. He has been serving as mentor to the class. |
“I’ve really enjoyed going through your papers,” Rees said to the students Wednesday. “Not all journalists touch on these issues, and it’s impressive to see students tackle the subjects.”
Students had been working with Rees all semester on their stories, which covered topics such as the coverage of missing IU student Lauren Spierer; the trials of Casey Anthony and Amanda Knox; the mob attack on CBS newswoman Lara Logan; the debate on the release of photos of the body Osama bin Ladin; and coverage of Steve Jobs’ death.
Some student work already is published at the UPIU website, which posts stories from students in participating universities around the world. Ibold learned about the UPUI program last summer and contacted Krista Kapralos, UPIU’s regional director for the Americas, Africa and Europe, to discuss how his class could get involved.
In a phone interview, Kapralos said the program is designed to create opportunities to mentor journalism students worldwide as well as give them a website to publish their work. Mentors such as Rees offer to guide the students in story generation as well as review their drafts as their stories evolve.
Rees, a first-time mentor, is a reporter and television director who has created shows that have appeared on Al Jazeera network as well as BBC. He is based in London and used Skype each week to talk to students, who also emailed with him as they had questions or drafts to show him.
This final session Wednesday afternoon concluded the semester-long collaboration. Rees complimented the students on their stages of improvement throughout numerous drafts. He noted the goal of the class wasn’t a matter of pleasing him, but writing and publishing something a student could be proud of.
Rees said UPIU gives students the opportunity to talk to “slightly eccentric people across the pond” who can give an outlook and advice from the real world.
One of the first things Rees talked about was how practical it is to learn journalistic skills and be able to defend an argument.
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| Photo by Nick Demille |
| Students used Skype to collaborate with Rees. They also used email to talk with him about their individual stories. |
Rees said he has has enjoyed being a mentor.
“You get a sense of pleasure when you are able to help students out,” he said.
Senior Lauren Sedam said she’s enjoyed the class and Rees’ input. The Indianapolis native noted that the class is required, but it is also a good capstone for her journalism education.
Although she said she's been overwhelmed at times, Sedam has valued the experience. The class tackled a lot of complex issues throughout the semester.
“All of the thinking and learning we did this semester paid off in the end because of the amount of effort we all put in,” Sedam said, whose story appears on the UPIU site. “Getting published was just the cherry on top.”
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