Despite dire predictions about the decline of traditional news media, tech-savvy School of Journalism graduates are finding unique job opportunities in the new digital landscape.
Following a successful post-graduate internship at The Huffington Post in Washington, D.C., 2011 graduate Paige Lavender recently was named as the associate politics editor for the online publication. This is the School’s first placement at The Huffington Post, one of the most heavily visited news websites in the country, drawing some 25 million visitors every month.
Lavender’s experience with the School’s “West Virginia Uncovered” multimedia reporting
project was instrumental in her landing freelance opportunities with the organization prior to graduation, and ultimately, securing a full-time position.
Another 2011 print journalism graduate, Morgan Young, landed a job as a staff writer at the Public Opinion newspaper in Chambersburg, Pa. After only three short months on the job, Young is now helping to manage content for the newspaper’s hyper-local website, which covers the borough of Shippensburg, Pa.
Katie Griffith, a 2010 news-editorial graduate who served as the School’s VISTA for “West Virginia Uncovered” this past year, is now a community editor for Patch.com, an online community-specific news and information platform. Griffith is based in Potomac, Md.
Graduates of the School’s broadcast news program are also finding ways to put their video and storytelling skills to work. Paul King is working as a public relations coordinator and multimedia specialist at George Mason University in Northern Virginia, and Ashton Pellom is now a news reporter for WALB-TV in Albany, Ga., producing stories for the television broadcast as well as content for the web.
“These are just a few examples of students who are leveraging their multimedia skills to make a mark on a changing industry,” said School of Journalism Dean Maryanne Reed. “This demonstrates the value and relevance of our converged journalism curriculum, as well as the hands-on opportunities provided to our students beyond the classroom.”