U of MN Announces Partnership with Minnesota Newspapers
U of M partners with Minnesota Newspapers to help revitalize industry
Minnesota Job Skills Program grant will be used to retrain newspaper staff
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL ( 2/24/2009 ) — The University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication (SJMC), in partnership with the Duluth News Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, has received a $238,000 Minnesota Job Skills Program Grant to help newspapers revolutionize their business model and to thrive in an increasingly Internet-based industry. In addition, the university and the newspapers will contribute $469,330 in-kind funds, bringing the total project budget to approximately $700,000.
The project will offer a series of training programs for staff in the advertising and editorial operations of the newspapers, both of which have undergone considerable downsizing in the past year. It is believed to be the first job training grant to help the news industry with the assistance of a journalism school. The goal of the partnership is not only to train employees with new technical, computer-based skills, but also to reassess the way in which news and advertising is delivered.
Those involved with the grant believe that these two facets of training will help the newspapers adapt and ensure their ability to successfully evolve into a new type of operation. The project will support the recent Newspaper Guild contract stipulation that called for a commitment to paid time for staff training — a first in the Guild’s history.
The project will also benefit students at the university, since the curriculum being developed for the training program has direct relevance for and transferability to the SJMC, as it continues to grapple with how to best prepare the next generation of news, information professionals and advertising staffs.
Kathleen Hansen, director of the university’s Minnesota Journalism Center, said that the program is meant to be transformational and not a “quick-fix” for ailing newsrooms. “We believe this type of training that combines both new technology skills and new conceptual mindsets is essential in these changing times,” said Hansen. “In order to have real, substantial change in the newspaper industry, we have to really understand people’s news and information consumption habits and change the approach to address these new realities.”
Contacts:
Jen Keavy, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, (612) 625-8095, jkeavy@umn.edu
Ryan Maus, University News Service, (612) 624-1690, maus@umn.edu
Tags: Duluth News-Tribune, Journalism Training, Pioneer Press, SJMC, U of MN