Note to Editors:
This semester, WVU, in cooperation with the WVPA, has again agreed to make a number of multi-platform news and feature packages available to member newspapers of the WVPA. These are outstanding student-generated news packages for your print and online editions. A budget of stories and videos will be made available every couple of weeks. Several story links are included with this email.
These packages are great for front page news, weekend features and that hard-to-attract student/young adult audience. Take a look. This is good work and it’s yours to use as long as you agree to the simple terms of use.
We think these stories can supplement your features staff work and build your online offerings.
Take a look and try the features. If you have questions or problems, call me or Associate Professor John Temple at[email protected] or MaryKay McFarland, assistant professor at the P.I. Reed School of Journalism at WVU, at[email protected]
This is a real benefit and shows the value and quality of work coming from the P.I. Reed School of Journalism at WVU. I greatly appreciate the efforts of Alison in making this happen.
Remember the names of these student journalists. They will be looking to start careers or serve internships very soon.
At the very bottom of this email, there are instructions on downloading and using the articles, photos and video.
Thanks for your interest and your support,
Don
Don Smith
Executive Director
West Virginia Press Association
3422 Pennsylvania Ave.,
Charleston, W.Va., 25302
304-342-1011, ext. 160
Fax: 304-343-5879
www.wvpress.org
[email protected]
Newspapers are good business in West Virginia
MOUNTAINEER NEWS SERVICE STORY BUDGET Oct. 13, 2013
The Mountaineer News Service is produced by journalism students at West Virginia University. Students from the P.I. Reed School of Journalism report, write and produce multi-platform news and feature packages about newsworthy subjects in West Virginia. News outlets that have registered with the news service or belong to the West Virginia Press Association may publish this content. Users must observe the following terms of use:
· Published packages must include the students’ bylines, followed by “Mountaineer News Service, West Virginia University.” (Also feel free to add a link to our blog at: http://mountaineernewsservice.com/)
· Editors must let students and faculty know via email when any element of a package has been published and provide a link to the publication’s website.
· Please do not make significant editing changes without contacting the student journalists.
For information about a specific package or story, contact the student journalists listed beneath the budget line. If you have questions about the news service as a whole, contact Associate Professor John Temple at[email protected].
The following packages are available as of today:
VH1’s Save the Music supports musical education in West Virginia Schools:
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5678
VH1’s Save the Music Foundation donates instruments to students in under-funded school music programs nation-wide, but in the last four years, the foundation has donated over $600,000 in instruments to 43 middle and elementary schools in 33 of West Virginia’s counties. It is the first, and only, statewide VH1 Save the Music Program, and it has put brand new Yamaha instruments in the hands of thousands of deserving students in many areas of West Virginia.
Our multimedia package includes a 1,000-word story, two photos with captions, and a two-minute audio slideshow sidebar.
Our audio slideshow sidebar focuses on Keith Lee, the band director of Suncrest Middle School in Morgantown. In the slideshow, Lee talks about the importance of music in education.
-Brandon Hite, [email protected], Fredonia, N.Y.
-Laken Vita, [email protected], Clarksburg, W.Va.
-Michelle Deehan, [email protected], Yaphank, N.Y.
WVU researcher finds links between asthma and exposure to secondhand smoke:
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5755
Dr. Zhong-xin Wu of West Virginia University received a $100,000 grant in December of 2010 to study the connections between secondhand smoke and asthma. He has found links between susceptibility to the disease and exposure to secondhand smoke at pre- and early post-natal stages of life. West Virginia has one of the highest tobacco usage rates. The state also has an exceptionally high rate of asthma, especially in children.
Our multimedia package includes a 1,300 word story, two photographs with captions and an audio slideshow about Rachel Moffitt, a WVU freshman and member of the club dance team. She was diagnosed with asthma at an early age but always had a passion for dance. Moffitt talks about life as a student athlete, managing asthma and the effect of the campus tobacco ban, three months after it was initiated.
Morgan Farr, [email protected] Virginia Beach, VA
Doug Walp [email protected] Charlestown, WV
Brandon Bates [email protected], Parkersburg, WV
Morgantown fire department and WVU students to promote fire safety in community:
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5835
The Morgantown Fire Department recently received a grant to help educate and promote fire prevention and fire safety. Thanks to this grant, West Virginia University students will be assisting the Morgantown Fire Department by handing out smoke detectors and batteries, as well as educating the public on proper placement of alarms. According to the United States Fire Administration, West Virginia is ranked second for relative risk of fire death. Programs like this one, funded by the Minger Foundation, are key to increasing fire safety on WVU’s campus and in the community.
Our multimedia piece on this subject consists of an 800-word story, a minute and a half audio slideshow and two photos with captions.
Kristen Basham, [email protected], Summersville, West Virginia
Tiet Tran, [email protected], Sterling, Virginia
Education reform and state budget cuts will affect West Virginia University:
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5688
In August, President Obama announced his new education policy aimed at keeping college affordable by, in part, offering financial aid incentives for keeping tuition low. At the same time, West Virginia colleges are facing state budget cuts that amount to millions of dollars, which could mean tuition increases. Currently West Virginia’s state schools are among the most affordable in the country. Our package discusses Obama’s education reform plan and what that could mean for public institutions in West Virginia, but it also discusses the budget cut our state is facing and what that could mean for parents and students that attend school here.
Our multimedia package includes a 1,000-word story, two photos with captions, and an interactive Google map that includes pictures and interviews with in-state and out-of-state students, who attend West Virginia University, explaining why they came to school at WVU.
· Taylor Eaton, [email protected], Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia
· Amit Batra, [email protected], North Plainfield, New Jersey
· Will Hirsch, [email protected], Chevy Chase, Maryland
Adolescent drug addiction treatment a challenge in Monongalia County
Adolescent drug addiction treatment a challenge in Monongalia County:
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5713
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Sub-State Surveys on Drug Use & Health 2012, Monongalia County is the number one area in the state for illicit drug use by youth. The County has three substance abuse treatment facilities, but only two offer services for adolescents, and only one offers inpatient treatment for adolescents. Professionals in the addiction treatment field have varied opinions as to whether or not there is adequate treatment available to adolescents, but all agree on the repercussions for individuals and the state of West Virginia when young people fail to receive treatment for addiction.
Our multimedia package includes a 906-word article and two photos with captions.
· Branford Marks, [email protected], Beckley, W.Va.
· Caroline Szwed, [email protected], Ontario, Canada
· Joe Nelson, [email protected], Baltimore, Md.
Campus Going Cold Turkey
On July 1, the campus of West Virginia University became a completely tobacco free site. Tobacco use is prohibited on all WVU-owned property, as well as any streets next to or passing through the campus. This multimedia package explores various issues and viewpoints related to the smoking ban.
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5856
Ian Moore – [email protected]
Jeremy Jenkins – [email protected]
William Posey – [email protected]
Living a Secret Life
Derek Kuykendall is a drag queen performer in Morgantown, W. Va. Although he is openly gay, his family still has no idea he is a drag queen.
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5949
Brittany Furbee – [email protected]
Megu Kolanko – [email protected]
Anjelica Trinone – [email protected]
Welcome to Touchdown City
Every weekend that holds a Mountaineer home football game brings the city of Morgantown to life. Hotels are booked, bars and restaurants are packed, and fans fill the parking lots in their RVs.
http://mountaineernewsservice.com/?p=5867
Dan Ingham – [email protected]
Joe Mitchin – [email protected]
Ryan Fadus – [email protected]
– instructions on downloading –
To assist your staff in using stories, photos and videos from WVU’s mountaineernewsservice stories, the WVPA ask WVU’s John Temple for download instructions. They are below:
From John (John Temple [email protected])
It should be easy for them to embed the video on their websites. They should follow these steps to embed video:
— On the top right corner of the video is a SHARE button. If they click on that, they should see another button pop up that says EMBED.
— Click on EMBED and some code will pop up in a box. There are some settings they can choose here: size, etc.
— Cut and paste the code into their website and they will have embedded the video.
For photos, they can just click on the photos to get a bigger version of it and then right-click and SAVE VERSION AS… And then they have a copy of the photo and they can resize it as needed.
For text, they should be able to just cut and paste.
—
Again, I think this is a great service for our member newspapers. It’s sounds easy and it’s free. If you’re wanting West Virginia stories and videos, this is for you. We appreciate Alison Bass and WVU’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism efforts.
If you are using the stories, videos and photos, be sure to let the students know. If possible, let the WVPA know.
