Claflin University Professor Spends Summer Back in the Newsroom

Michael Fairwell, Instructor of Mass Communications was selected as a 2015 Back in the Newsroom Fellow from the International Center for Journalist (ICFJ). Fairwell spent nine weeks in New York, N.Y. honing his skills at the Wall Street Journal and working in the digital media department.

Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the fellowship selects six faculty members from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The program was designed to improve diversity in the newsroom, share expertise and bolster opportunities for students by implementing pipelines between colleges/ universities and U.S. news organizations.  

Fairwell is grateful for the opportunity to participate in the program.

“During my 18 year tenure as a Claflin University employee, I appreciate that Claflin has allowed me to continue to grow professionally. The fellowship now puts me in a network of more than 87,000 journalists and media managers who have participated in ICFJ’s programs over the past 30 years,” Fairwell said.

“The fellowship provided me with first-hand exposure to the latest thinking on content creation and delivery, information and skills to revise curricula and teaching methods to help students secure internships and jobs with the WSJ,” he said.

Looking forward, Fairwell hopes to implement the skills he learned in the classroom and prepare Claflin University mass communications students for the workforce.

“In an effort to recruit for internship and employment opportunities with the WSJ, I hope to partner with WSJ staff members and schedule a visit with Claflin University Mass Communications students during the spring 2016 semester,” Fairwell said.  

For more information on ICFJ and to learn more about Fairwell’s experience visit http://ijnet.org/en/blog/how-journalism-schools-can-adapt-digital-environment.