Over the course of one week in early January, the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute once again sent students to community newsrooms all over Missouri as part of the Potter Digital Ambassadors Program.
Nine students from the Missouri School of Journalism participated in the sixth year of the program, in which they spent their winter break helping newsrooms establish or improve digital efforts by introducing new digital tools, training staff and developing guides for continued success — particularly around the topic of search engine optimization.
“Addressing the digital divide between rural and urban newspapers is key to ensuring that local news is relevant and accessible,” said Randy Picht, executive director of RJI. “That’s why it’s so important that journalism students not only learn how to do great community reporting, but that they actively take part in bridging that gap. This program perfectly unites those educational and public service missions.”
