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Backpack Journalism
Opportunity Grant Makes News Team Mobile
Students participating in the production of UCM’s student newspaper and associated multimedia are benefiting from a 2024 Opportunity Grant to purchase four Canon T8i professional camera kits.
The Muleskinner is a student-led organization that provides students in any major the opportunity to generate news content. The newsroom previously had only one camera for approximately 75 student journalists to use. While photographers, videographers, podcast creators and members of the promotions team are the primary users, writers and editors occasionally take their own pictures for stories.
“Overall, each story submitted for coverage must have a standard of excellence to include a visual to help the student journalist show and not just tell the story,” says Julie Lewis, ’05, ’15, associate professor of Communication and faculty adviser for the Muleskinner. “The grant’s cameras have the ability to provide both still photography and video images.”
Lewis is excited that the new photography equipment is allowing more students to have real-world experience covering news at the university, in the Warrensburg community and beyond. At the fall 2023 National College Media Convention in Atlanta, the Muleskinner’s 2023–24 multimedia manager, Ellie Whitesell, took home first place in the division for Best Feature Photography. This was one of many awards the Muleskinner staff won last year, including Missouri College Media Association recognition for Best in State, Best Overall Newspaper and Best Overall Website in Division I, competing with the largest institutions in the state.
This fall a team of student journalists relaunched the Backpack Journalism Project. Their first assignment was covering places in Warrensburg, including the Farmer’s Market, Java Junction and Retrograde. Throughout the year they will be covering stories in other locations along Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner route.
The Muleskinner publishes a print issue monthly during the academic year, with ongoing coverage at muleskinnernews.com.
