Extra! Read All About It

Big news organizations are shrinking, but young people's interest in finding out what's happening is not. During the Spring 2009 semester, 21 Rutgers University students in an extra, add-on section (due to overflow registration) of News Reporting and Writing explored a wide variety of topics on campus and farther out into the world. From describing hopes and dreams and activities of classmates--including a compendium of college survival tips, an inside look at a Big East sports team and student reactions to a fatal shootout just off campus--to sorting out what happened at various municipal meetings. From reporting ways that poets and other accomplished speakers convey the essence of complex experiences to how the economic recession has impacted the fashion industry. And with an eye on the future--from exploring how recent college grads and one of the nation's oldest newspapers are trying to attract readers on the Internet to studying how innovative filmmakers draw audiences to tales of harsh struggles in India and Iraq. These and many other articles provide an array of fascinating stories that student-reporters found as they delved into the realm of journalism.