Media College News

Five journalists from across the country were awarded NewStart fellowships to study Media Solutions and Innovation at the West Virginia University Reed College of Media. NewStart and the new one-year online master’s program were created in partnership with the West Virginia Press Association (WVPA) to train the next generation of community media owners and publishers.

Funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports the five fellowships, and although the fellowships are no longer available, applications for the master’s degree program are still being accepted.

Stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures are in place all over the United States in an effort to protect the physical health of millions of Americans, but the COVID-19 pandemic is also taking its toll on mental health.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five Americans live with a mental health condition, and with the current global crisis, they face additional challenges, making communicating about mental health more important than ever.

Shortly after spring break in March, students at West Virginia University were notified that they would not return to campus and would finish the semester online. Amid this chaos, The Daily Athenaeum and U92, WVU’s student-run newspaper and radio station, have continued to provide valuable content for their audiences.

While this might be surprising for some, journalists are considered essential employees because of their role in providing crucial information to the public, particularly during major world events like the current Coronavirus pandemic. While most of the student journalists have returned to their homes around the country, they’re still reporting on issues affecting WVU.

Life-altering events, including the current global pandemic, often give people new perspectives that change their relationships, careers and hobbies. For Pamela Holstein-Wallace (M.S. IMC, 2007), the 9/11 terrorist attack was that event.

Holstein-Wallace began her career as the community relations and development director at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Ranson, West Virginia, where she was working during 9/11. She acted as the official spokesperson for the hospital, communicating with local, state and national news organizations, in addition to managing the advertising and marketing efforts.

As the COVID-19 global pandemic settles into the United States, people are relying even more heavily on news and the media for information. Faculty in the WVU Reed College of Media are not only using this unprecedented circumstance to teach important lessons in the classroom, but they are also sharing their expertise with the public.

Dana Coester, an associate professor and the executive editor for the collaborative media outlet 100 Days in Appalachia, and Bob Britten, a teaching associate professor whose class partners with PolitiFact to fact-check the accuracy of claims by elected officials, have shared tips on how to differentiate fact from fiction online.