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NewsChallenge.org
MTV's Ian Rowe will be finding 51 youth citizen journalists to cover the 2008 election and more. |
For the upcoming presidential election, MTV plans to "rock the vote" in a whole new way -- with the help of a
$700,000 Knight News Challenge grant.
Guest contributor Anthony Wojtkowiak recently interviewed Ian Rowe vice president of strategic partnerships and public affairs for MTV. Rowe oversees MTV's new platform, think MTV, which engages viewers to take action on domestic and global issues affecting their lives.
Wojtkowiak:What is MTV's new project?
Rowe: We'll be launching a national competition to recruit 51 mobile youth journalists ("MyJos") -- one in each state and Washington, D.C. They will cover issues that are important to young people. These stories covered may or may not be covered at all by the main press, but we'll offer the youth perspective.
We'll put content online first. Based on popularity, it will move to mobile devices like cell phones. The best projects might even air on MTV in their entirety. In the end, young people will have their voice elevated in a way it hasn't been before.
Wojtkowiak: How does someone become a MyJo?
Our contest criteria will be released in the next few months. We'll likely be looking for people 18 to 24 to write news stories relevant to their local communities. Based on the quality of their written stories, we'll send MyJo candidates video editing software. Then, based on the video submissions, we'll select the final MyJos.
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Wojtkowiak: I want to be one already! If I were a MyJo, would I only get to cover the election? Or could I also cover other stories in my area?Rowe: Not every issue will be tied to national or local elections. They might be tied to local zoning or something else. And yes, MyJos will get to travel and cover all the topics in their state. Hopefully other young people will see these stories and say, "Wow, that's something I could do."
Wojtkowiak: Will MTV be branding these stories with a "MyJo style?"
Rowe: No, not really. We will only "brand" MyJo stories to show they are representing youth issues. Editorial guidelines and fact checking will be used to uphold journalistic ethics. In the end, though, MyJos will bring their own angle. MTV will not give them the angle.
Wojtkowiak: What made this a winning News Challenge project?
Rowe: We will learn a lot about what is important to young people. Should mobile devices be the primary way to target media for young people? Does the integration of different media change the way young people absorb the message? How do young people develop a sense of trust around news sources? Will it be through other young people?
Wojtkowiak: Do you have anything to say to the journalism community at large?
Rowe: Journalists should stick to their guns, stick to integrity and fact checking and not fall prey to elements of the blogosphere were something becomes perceived as fact due to popularity. There are so many outlets where a story can take on its own life without journalistic ethics. Journalists should have a suspicious eye.
Wojtkowiak: Does that mean social networking and blogging are bad? Don't you want there to be a response to the MyJo stories from the community?
Rowe: I think that's one of the lessons to be learned. The MyJo stories will be true. They'll be checked for accuracy and edited. But when the story is in the universe and people are responding, we'll learn a lot about how people react.
Wojtkowiak: Last question. Since you're at MTV, I have to know: the Stones or the Beatles?
Rowe: (Laughs) Do I have to choose? I can't. No, man, they both are cool.
Guest contributor Anthony Wojtkowiak is a journalism intern with John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. He is a senior in the School of Communication at University of Miami.
That's a fair question, Leigh. In part, this came down...
