Reznet scores new partnership with Poynter

photo illustration by David Erickson

Professors Dennis McAuliffe, Reznet Project Director (r), and Michael Downs, display their tangible connection to the World Wide Web.

By Kelley McLandress
J-School Web Reporter

Third time’s a charm for the UM J-School’s Long Distance Learning class. 

In its third year and better than ever, Reznet’s online advanced reporting class has scored a new partnership with the Poynter Institute, bringing it to the forefront of journalism e-learning.

“This gives students visibility and credibility,” said Denny McAuliffe, Reznet director and the J-School’s Native American journalist in residence. “It elevates the status of the entire Native American program because it offers the quality of Poynter.”

Reznet, an online newspaper written by and for American Indian college students from around the country, is a joint venture between the UM School of Journalism and the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.

McAuliffe was instrumental in organizing Reznet’s partnership with Poynter’s News University. He and visiting assistant professor Michael Downs sat down with Steve Chin of the Maynard Institute and Victor Merina, who teaches an online class through Poynter.

“We kicked around some ideas, and came up with a partnership with Poynter,” McAuliffe said. “But really, it’s Michael who does the work. He’s a genius, and it’s been fun to think things up with him.”

Downs has taught the online class since its inception three years ago. “We’ve been fine-tuning the class for three years now, changing the audience and trying to make it successful,” he said.

The News University is Poynter’s new online newsroom that offers training to journalists and journalism students through its interactive online program. Its goal is to provide technology and expertise to journalism associations and educators around the country.

This spring, Downs’ online Reznet class includes 10 American Indian students who are reporting about their schools and their communities, he said. The students log on to Poynter’s NewsU Web site to participate in the class. The site is designed to be an interactive e-learning source, where students can link to an array of journalism education tools and training opportunities.

Downs’ class is one of a half-dozen e-learning classes currently offered on the NewsU Web site.

The goal of Downs’ class this year is a little different from the past two. For one thing, students won’t be graded.

“The purpose is not to be graded, but for students to get more education in journalism,” Downs said. Giving grades in the past two years was counterproductive, he said. Now, students work at their own pace because they want to and with a goal in mind.

“Some are working on the first lesson and some are on the third lesson,” Downs said. The students have various backgrounds and they have other responsibilities outside school. 

In addition, each student will write a final piece to be published on Reznet, and will earn $100 per story instead of the usual $50 per published story — an added incentive, Downs said.

All students taking the online course completed a three-week summer “boot camp” at the American Indian Journalism Institute. In fact, many of the students have already written for Reznet. 

Reznet will join the list of other organizations already working with NewsU, including the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Association of Health Care Journalists and the American Copy Editors Society.

“Part of our charter is to help,” said Howard Finberg, a faculty member of the Interactive Learning Program at the Poynter Institute and director of News University. “That’s why we made our campus available to Reznet.”

McAuliffe and Downs are happy with the changes this year.

“It’s been a great exploration,” said Downs. “We’ve got a really good model here.”

McAuliffe agrees. “I think it’s going to be very successful and far reaching,” he said. “Michael really fine-tuned it, and now I hope it will be something we’ll have for years to come. Not only for Native students, but maybe we can open it up to tribal newspapers, too.”

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