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The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative.

Building Bridges: A Collaborative Approach for Creating Equitable Civic News in HBCU Communities

HBCU student newsrooms, spread across Southern, Southeastern, Midwestern, and Mid-Atlantic states, have the potential to serve both urban and rural communities struggling with unequal access to information. However, these newsrooms often lack resources. The HBCU Digital Media Collaborative steps in to bridge this gap. We aim to connect them with industry experts, cutting-edge technology, and essential training, while also fostering collaboration between student newsrooms and local news outlets. Our mission is to build a sustainable future for both campus and local journalism, ensuring a strong voice for communities most vulnerable to information inequity.

"This is a long time coming, but it is really exciting to see you pull this together. I am blown away with you have built here and the potential is astounding."

Mira Lowe
Dean
School of Journalism & Graphic Communication
Florida A&M University

"This will really engage our students and help them understand what the environment is like now because it's changed so much."

Jackie Jones
Dean
School of Global Journalism & Communication
Morgan State University

Become a Member of the HBCU Collaborative

Join the First Cohort of the Online Publishing Lab

  • Migrate to Newspack, an industry-leading CMS platform
  • Improve performance and display of student journalism
  • Hands-on training for faculty and students
  • Participate in revenue-generating opportunities

Hone your craft with support from the pros

The benefits of the HBCU Collaborative are many:

  • Access to our private Slack community
  • Guidance from platform, editorial, and engagement experts
  • Virtual and on-site training for essential reporting and emerging online and community reporting trends
  • Collaborate on ambitious, local reporting projects

HBCU Digital Media Initiative

HBCU Digital Media Initiative

HBCU Digital Media Initiative

HBCU Digital Media Initiative

HBCU Digital Media Initiative

HBCU Digital Media Collaborative

HBCU Digital Media Collaborative

HBCU Digital Media Collaborative

HBCU Digital Media Collaborative

HBCU Digital Media Collaborative

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a journalism collaborative?

The Center for Collaborative Journalism at Montclair State University describes collaborative journalism as a journalistic practice where “individuals and organizations work together to create, publish, and disseminate news stories.”

The Collaborative will offer labs to transform student news websites, live and on-demand virtual learning opportunities, internship and digital media fellowship opportunities, digital journalism conferences, editorial guidance, and a platform for publishing student reporting.

Is membership free?

Yes! And it comes with benefits.

Who can join the collaborative?

Student media at the nation’s HBCUs are encouraged to register for membership. Member benefits are designed to extend to HBCU departments and faculty, student journalists, and campus media advisors.

The Online Publishing Lab sounds great. When does it start?

The Online Publishing Lab will assemble HBCU student newsrooms every three months to participate in lab programming on a rolling basis.

I have questions. Who can I contact?

We’d love to answer them. Please direct your questions to info@hbcucollaborative. Are you a department administrator, professor, or student newsroom advisor? Schedule a time to speak with us.

News
July 22, 2024

Unveiling the HBCU Collaborative: Transforming the landscape of journalism at HBCUs

Through innovative initiatives and strategic partnerships, the Collaborative aims to empower HBCU journalism programs and students, ensuring that they have the tools and support needed to excel in journalism.
Labs
July 22, 2024

Developing the next generation of online journalists, web producers, and product managers at HBCUs

The Online Publishing Lab equips HBCU student newsrooms with Newspack — a performant, feature-rich, well-supported publishing platform — and training.
Elections
July 22, 2024

How we’re helping HBCU student newsrooms harness the power of Knight Election Hub resources

The guides should effectively present vital information that helps people make informed voting decisions and motivates them to participate in civic activities.