Dec. 1, 2021
The journalism landscape has changed dramatically in the last two decades, with everything from online news, social media and the rise of “fake news” contributing to tidal shifts in the industry. At the University of Missouri School of Journalism, innovators are looking for ways to get ahead of the curve — to lead the way as the industry and society as a whole continue to evolve.
To that end, the School of Journalism is pioneering a new approach to the concept of a newsroom, one in which elements of a TV station, a newspaper, a magazine, a radio station and a digital news outlet are combined in a single space. The goal is to encourage various news media to share resources, collaborate on stories and help students develop a broad range of skills while serving the community with engaging journalism.
“Journalism is about covering stories that change lives and spark public discourse,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. “By bringing our professional media outlets together in one newsroom, we are not only training resourceful, multi-talented journalists, but we are strengthening an already powerful network of news services to cover our communities.”
This “one newsroom” is centered in Lee Hills Hall, home to the Columbia Missourian since 1995. Formerly filled with offices and workspaces, the walls have come down — literally and figuratively — on the third floor to clear a space for open communication between the Missourian, KOMU-TV, KBIA-FM, Missouri Business Alert and Vox Magazine.
“The way people get their news is changing,” Kurpius said. “We don’t want to simply respond to those changes after the fact. In getting out ahead of them, we are creating thought leaders who will change the game and redefine how great journalism is made.”
