Target group: ages 16 to 18, and 19+

Country: United Arab Emirates

Newspaper Notes

Year: 2006

How they did it

The Student-to-Newsroom program aims to give students a first-hand experience of being part of a live newsroom. The sponsoring newspaper, Notes, created a platform that allows the newsroom to function as an educational tool and to create a better understanding of the media in the country. At the American University of Sharjah, UAE, they sought to help to train students in the journalism program by providing assignments from the Notes Editor. Students then complete the assignment, and the stories are then filed and published in Notes. Students are given a detailed brief on the angle to pursuer, number of respondents, structure of story, word count, purpose and deadline. Their professor then works with the students to complete the assignment as part of their classroom projects. The students are graded on the published articles, and they are then awarded college credit.

Results

Notes saw an increase in the number of student letters from 10 to 20 per week. There was also an increase in the number of students' published works in Notes. There was also an increase in circulation and demand for copies from educational institutions, as well as an increase in request for coverage and in depth stories by institutions. Notes has also successfully sponsored two seminars on higher education.

Website: http://www.gulfnews.com/home/

Contact

NOTES

Gulf News

Anupa Kurian (Editor)

Office: 00971-4-4067489

Mobile: 00971-50-6507950

akurian@gulfnews.com

PO BOX: 6519

Dubai, UAE