Paper, video, tweet Campus journalists adopt new tools to deliver the news By Jessica Langlois, MFA ’10
T
wo years ago , while pursuing my
By 2003, the Weekly was online, but
As a result, whether in print, on video,
MFA, I agreed to manage the multi-
barely. Laura Cucullu ’05 became online
or by tweet, Campanil staff continue to
media lab for a reporting class taught by
editor that year, bringing with her 10
reflect the core mission of the journal-
Sarah Pollock, professor of English and
years of tech support experience and a
ism program, which emphasizes rigorous,
head of the Mills journalism program.
determination that everything printed
ethical reporting and compelling, well-
She had found it increasingly critical to
in the paper should appear online. “The
structured narratives. These new areas
include digital media analysis in her jour-
people who followed me at the paper
of expression, says Pollock, have “galva-
nalism courses, and was about to launch
grabbed that by the horns and said now
nized a level of engagement that’s critical
a hands-on lab that would support stu-
we need to add in things for online only,”
to the students’ moving on to becoming
dents’ efforts to develop audio and video
says Cucullu, who is now a senior editor
leaders in the world.”
stories.
at CNET.
Journalism graduates have gone to
Editors on the Campanil, the student
Today, the Campanil’s website features
top positions in a variety of media: Taigi
newspaper, had already begun publish-
slideshows, podcasts, and video stories,
Smith ’94 has been a senior producer
ing digital stories on their website, which
and staffers employ social media to keep
of the CBS Evening News and 48 Hours
had won an impressive second place in
up with breaking news. Lauren Soldano
Mystery; Tracy Clark-Flory ’06 is a staff
the statewide California College Media
’11 produced video coverage of the recent
writer about relationships, sex, and cul-
Association awards competition in 2005—
Occupy Oakland protests right up until
ture for Salon magazine; and Ariel Gore
beating out larger schools like Stanford,
the camp was cleared away. Cucullu,
’94 is the founder of the national parent-
Cal, and UCLA. (They would place second
who followed the those protests via the
ing magazine, Hip Mama.
again in 2010.) I didn’t hesitate to sign
Campanil’s live Twitter feed, says video
Soldano, who found camaraderie and a
on. The multimedia add-on was such a
and social media have become essential
sense of purpose in the long hours spent
success that we took the concept to the
forms of expression for journalists. These
producing the paper and website with
Associated Writing Programs conference
make written stories more accessible and
fellow editors, intends to seek work with
in Washington DC a year later, present-
immediate, and can sometimes uncover
an organization that teaches underserved
ing a panel on multimedia expression in
bias in print journalism. “You can write
youth to use video to tell their stories.
the writing classroom.
a story that says one thing, but if some-
Cucullu, too, feels compelled to serve
Pollock recalls how students “used
one’s got a video that says something
the public interest. She was spurred to
photo-sizing wheels, exacto knives, and
else, guess what triumphs? The video,”
study journalism after seeing how little
waxers to lay out the newspaper by hand”
Cucullu says.
coverage the mainstream media provided
when she arrived at Mills in 1987 and the
Pollock applauds the way students are
when George W. Bush appointed a reli-
paper was still called the Weekly. They
“taking intellectual experiences they’re
giously conservative doctor of disputed
soon graduated to using desktop pub-
having in the classroom and translating
qualifications to a reproductive health
lishing software, always keeping up with
them using these technologies.” With her
drugs advisory committee. “Journalists
industry standards to produce the paper’s
experience as a senior editor at the Oakland
are a group of really dedicated people
print edition.
Tribune and Mother Jones magazine, she
who believe that information needs to be
also pushes students to think in complex
out there,” says Cucullu. “And they will
ways about how news is delivered.
fight to the death to do that.” ◆ To read the Campanil online, visit www.thecampanil.com. To receive Campanil news in your email account or on Google Reader, subscribe to its RSS feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/ TheCampanil. sPRING 2012
11