Backpack Journalism
“What Is Backpack Journalism?”
Backpack Journalism is a form of broadcast journalism where the individual is the reporter, camera operator and editor. These individuals have the ability to get into their neighborhoods and communities to get the stories that matter to them. These reporters are vital to getting the word out in Montgomery County!
Here at Montgomery Community Media we are urging more and more backpack journalists to tell their stories. We strive to have a community atmosphere and backpack journalists are important to us.
What Can I Expect?
The program is open to all middle and high school students in Montgomery County. Students will have four (4) four-hour classes teaching them the basics of Backpack Journalism. After the first two classes, students will be ready to go out into their community with a camera to report on the news they find. The last two classes will be spent learning to edit news segments. After the last scheduled class, students may arrange for additional time until the end of the session to finish editing and submitting their news reports.
Cameras will be supplied to students by Montgomery Community Media while they are enrolled in the Academy session.
Students will learn:
- story composition,
- camera work, and
- editing for submission.
Students will be able to broadcast/webcast their segments in Montgomery Community Media’s Backpack Beat program and be a part of other programs that air on The Montgomery Channel and Access.19 .
Students feature news stories may also be seen on demand here on MyMCMedia.org website at Backpack Journalism News Stories
Who Is Eligible?
The program is open to all high school students who reside in Montgomery County. This includes students who will be new to high school in September, as well as students graduating from high school in June.