2012 Washington Media Institute

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Media Ins titute THE WASHINGTON



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A New Media Consortium

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE

The idea behind the Washington Media Institute is to solve a dilemma. How can schools that are

committed to next generation media education offer their students the kind of internship experience thathey need to succeed in today’s media? How can programs afford to have their own Washington center that

guarantees the kind of media training that goes beyond their regular classes? How can the traditional

barriers of set-up fees, maintenance costs and loss of tuition be overcome? How can schools be certain that

communications and journalism students enroll in programs where media is the main focus and up-to-date?

How can schools ensure their students get the quality of instruction and personalized attention they

deserve?

A NEW KIND OF CONSORTIUM

The Washington Media Institute is designed to be the answeris a new kind of educational consortium with the goal of allowing

universities to establish and get the benefit of their own DC

program without many of the costs.

What sets The Washington Media Institute apart is: it does on

one thing. MEDIA . From traditional journalism, to social media, to

content creation, to new generation public relations. The goal is t

build on the values and skills of traditional journalism and media

and enable students to learn how to apply those to today’s and

tomorrow’s media industry.

Armed with state of the art technology, a faculty trained and

ready to empower students, small classes, and a unparalleled

personalized level of student advising, The Washington Media

Institute is a truly unique approach to experiential media educatio

By keeping the number of member schools and enrollment

limited, WMI can guarantee consistent quality of programmatic

teaching and advising.

YOUR WASHINGTON PROGRAMThe Washington Media Institute is designed to be your school’s Washington media program, a beachhead to plant

the flag in the world’s news capital and deliver a program that can be offered to students and used to raise the profile of

your department. Some schools already have affiliations with Washington internship programs, or their own centers, but

none of these programs is a media program. Many programs claim to offer “journalism,” but they are almost always

secondary to other areas of focus.

Being a member of The Washington Media Institute entitles each school not just to enroll its students in the core

program, but also to build other offerings such as inter-sessions, special trips for students, an option for recent

graduates, having attending students file reports for home school media; the options are limited only by imagination.

“Not only is Amos Gelb a masterful and dynamic

eacher, he also carefully matches students with

he best internship for their own individual

nterests. Students return to their home

nstitutions with purpose and a new vitality. I

have seen no other intern program like it.“

Assist. Prof. JAY BLACK, Mercer University



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INTERNSHIPS ARE NO LONGER ENOUGH

For graduating students, internships have gone from

desirable to mandatory. Nor is an internship enough anymEmployers today are looking for significant real world

experience.

UNIQUE APPROACH

The Washington Media Institute is a unique approach

internships. It is an immersive program based on a learnin

process called THE PERSPECTIVE PYRAMID.

• At the base of the pyramid are skills training and

theoretic lectures that make up the foundation for the W

experience.

• Students use that foundation to empower them to

make the most of their internship experience.

• The theory, skills and internship experience are then

put into final perspective through conversations with

leading media practitioners and complementary site visit

The goal is a complete learning process that will leave

students with the skills, knowledge, contacts and experien

to build on and enrich the education they are receiving at

their degree-granting institutions.

Not Just an Internship

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

What makes this experience uniquely available through The

Washington Media Institute is its location in our nation’s capital.

Washington, DC is a living laboratory to study and be a part of the media.

From the unparalleled breadth of internship opportunities that span the

entire media landscape from political journalism to reality television; to

access to the experts, thought leaders and leading practitioners shapingtomorrow’s media; to the locations where it all happens.

The Washington Media Institute seminar simply could not be taught

any place else.

“My time in Washington completely changed my

view of journalism. I arrived expecting a career as

a print reporter and unprepared for today’s

journalism. I left ready to compete and

understanding why I love journalism.”

JENNIFER SWIFT, Quinnipiac University

THEORY SKILLS

INTERNSHIP

SPEAKERS

SITE VISITS



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Amos Gelb - award-winning television

producer-turned-internship guru.

DESIGNED FOR THE FUTURE,

BUILT ON THE PASTWhat makes The Washington

Media Institute different from any other

program is that it is designed to keep

up with the ever-evolving media.

Students learn and hone trans-

media skills, working on state of the

art equipment to ensure their skills are

tuned to the newest technologies and

applicable to the latest media

developments.

Yet, all the while these skillsremain underpinned by the core

competencies and values of traditional

journalism and media.

The goal is that, rather than being

handcuffed by the past, students

should use the lessons of previous

generations as a springboard to their

future, with activities and innovations

that relate directly to what they will

experience in the professional world.

For example, recent course

innovations included incorporatingeportfolios and introducing students

to wordpress - rapidly becoming the

industry standard for blogging.

PAST PEDIGREE

The name and form of The

Washington Media Institute might be

new, but the program itself is not.

The Washington Media Institute

was founded and is directed by Amos

Gelb, the award-winning television

producer-turned-internship mentor

who created The George Washington

University Semester in Washington

Journalism Program, the gold

standard in experiential media

education and the only experiential

media program to have won an Emmy.

The only difference today is that

the program is no longer housed at

GW, shedding the associated

prohibitive costs and bureaucratic

limitations.

CARPE DIEM

It is the latest evolution of a

program that has proven itself during

the past decade.

With each evolution the program

has grown and adapted. This latest

change is designed to ensure the

ability to adapt to match the needs of

the every changing media industry for

which we are preparing our students,

and do it in way that is affordable for

our students.

The most recent changes have

entailed incorporating an approach

that reflects the move to mobile, and

the rapid maturation of the social

media.

Building the Future

A class trip to the White House Press Room



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How It WorksCREDIT

Classes offered by WMI

are pre-approved for credit

by member schools.

ENROLLMENT

Students may enroll

either through their home

departments or directly

according to departmental

preference. Rather than an

external program, WMI is

designed to be integrated as

just another course offered

by the student’s degree-granting university.

SELECTION

Students are selected

by the home department in

conjunction with the WMI

director. Each school sets

its own criteria, but it is

encouraged that students

be at least rising juniors,

although exceptions

sophomores have excelled.

COURSE

The core course entails

a four-day-a-week

internship, with a seminar

during both summer and

semester sessions. An extra

course can be offered for

the semester to ensure a fullcourse load.

Other courses will be

offered as needed.

TUITION

Students pay normal

tuition to their home

schools. Member schools

will pay the agreed base

amount directly to The

Washington Media Institute,

plus any overages for extra

students or extra programs.

STUDY ABROAD

The traditional

university model would view

The Washington Media

Institute as a “study abroad”

program.

But study abroad

programs are designed to

take students away from

their university, and are

managed as such, often

with increased costs.


Institute is a different

concept.

It is a media program

that is designed to be

integrated into journalism/

communications

department offerings,

allowing the department tointegrate and shape the DC

experience, and, in many

cases, retain tuition.

HOUSING


Institute is responsible for

securing suitable housing

for students, who will sign

housing agreements directly

with WMI.

COST CONTAINMENT

A core premise of The

Washington Media Institute

is to make the Washington

experience affordable for

your students and your

departments.

What there are not:

•There are no start-up

fees

•There are no additional

maintenance or overhead

costs and budget lines

beyond direct student

tuition

•There are no faculty

lines taken up or faculty

hiring or maintenance

•There is no on-goingadministrative burden


Institute provides all

teaching facilities and

course management at no

extra cost.

ALTERNATE

PROGRAMMING

As noted previously, a

goal of The Washington

Media Institute is to offer

schools the ability to design

and offer additional

programming in

Washington. The cost of

each of these will vary

depending on the details

but will be offered at close

to cost.The goal is to allow

schools to consider

programs that otherwise

would be too cumbersome

to organize.

ADVISING

Coming to Washington,

let alone engaging in a

premium internship, can be

challenging for students. A

key aspect of The

Washington Media Institute

experience is the quality ofadvising that is offered by

the director and other senior

staff.

SUSTAINABILITY

While the general trend

is towards tuition inflation,


Institute is trying to invert

that process: offering

greater value for each

educational dollar.

But to do that requires a

commitment from your

school in the form of a

specified number of

students each year for five

years.

That number

commitment is set

according to each school’s

situation, and is designed as

a base number. Students

beyond the base number

who want to take advantage

of the Washington

experience and are

approved could do so at the

schools’s same per-capita

tuition rates.

REPORTSThe Washington Media

Institute will provide

program reports on each

student including internship

evaluations to member

schools, or other paperwork

as required.



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Internships

NTERNSHIP PARTNERS

Among the internshippartners WMI has worked

with:

ABC

CNN

NBC

CBS

Sirius-XM

The Washington Post

Congressional OfficesChief Administrative

Officer of the Capitol

Smithsonian Magazine

Market News International

Sirius XM Radio

WJLA/News Channel 8

The Georgetowner

newspaper

NBC Universal

FOX 5 C-SPAN

DC Magazine

New Media Strategies

The Salt Lake Tribune

The Associated Press

The Smithsonian National

Zoo

Campaigns and Elections

Magazine

Levick Strategic

Communications

Washington Times Photo

Department

Capitol News Connection

Hispanic Link news

service

Edelman Public Relations

Island Press

BBC

NPR

The Washington Monthly

GMMB PR

The East West Center

First Book

US Department of

Education

US Department of Interior

National Geographic

JWM Productions

Story House Productions

WMI INTERNSHIP PROCESS

What makes the Washington Media Institute different is the

attention students are given. Internship placements are not ma

on a “whac-a-mole” basis of any free internship for any freestudent. Rather, every student works directly with WMI Directo

find not just a great internship but the right internship.

WMI Internship Process:

✤ Admission

✤Internship questionnaire

✤Internship interview (may be as many as a 6 calls)

✤Several internships are proposed

✤Internship selected in discussion with WMI Director

✤Students resume and cover letter are developed with Directo

✤Information is submitted by Director

✤Interview scheduled

✤Practice interviews conducted

✤ Actual interview

✤Placement secured

✤Student arrival in DC

The Washington Media Institute prides itself on not

ust the internship partnerships it has developed over

he year, but also its unique internship placement

process.



THE WASHINGTON MEDIA INSTITUTE 7

Faculty/Advisory Board/Speakers ADVISORY BOARD

Tom Bettag - NBC Rock Center; former executive producer, ABC News Nightline

Jim Brady - Editor-in-Chief Journal-Register papers, former editor WashingtonPost.com

Tucker Carlson - founder, The Daily CallerJoie Chen - former CBS correspondent, Exec VP - Branded Networks

Brittany Cooper - Director of Global Recruiting and Corporate Culture - New Media Strategies

Mark Feldstein - Professor of Journalism, University of Maryland

Leon Harris - chief anchor, WJLA-ABC TV

Ross Herosian - Manager, College Outreach - Sirius/XM radio

Bill Regardie - founder, Regardies Magazine

Melinda Whitstock - founder NewIT.com

CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Georgia State University

Loyola University of ChicagoMarquette University

St Norbert’s University

University of Colorado - Boulder

Cathy Renna - Renna Communication

Wolf Blitzer -CNN

John Donvan - ABC News

Kojo Nandje - WAMU

Joe Lockhardt - former presidential pres

secretary

Adam Burton - deputy White House pres

Secretary

Lanny Davis - former assistant to the

PresidentSteve Buttry - Journal Register Papers

Bob Schieffer - CBS

Riz Kahn - Al-Jazeera English

Rupert Murdoch - News Corp

Dana Perino former White House Press

Secretary

Candy Crowley - CNN - Chief Political

Correspondent

PAST SPEAKERS AND SITES INCLUDE

Bill Lord - General Manager, WJLA

Dallas Lawrence - Director, Digital Media,

Burson-Marsteller

David Gregory - NBC, Meet the Press

Scott Waltherman - founding editor XM

Radio news division

Bob Simon - Sirius XM

Ari Shapiro - NPR

Jake Schlesinger - Deputy Bureau Chief -Wall Street Journal

US Congressman Steny Hoyer

US Congressman Mike Pence

White House

Pentagon

Supreme Court

Keith Blackman - Blackman Media Solution

Kim Hart - Politico

FACULTY

Amos Gelb - Director - Northwestern University

Andrea Seabrook - Correspondent - NPR

Kim Hart - Columnist/Reporter/Blogger - Politico

Bob Levey - former columnist/Washington Post

Steven Springer - Senior Executive Producer - Voice of

America

David WIlliams - former Congressional chief of staff

Michael Zuckerman - founding writer USAToday

“I learned more about myself, my

major, and my career in 9 weeks

than in 2 years at my University.

It was the most enlightening,

exciting and fast-paced summer

of my life.”

JILLIAN ROGERS,

University of Florida




ACADEMIC SEMINAR

The core Washington Media Institute curriculum is built on the belief that internships are often wasted experiences

unless simultaneously put into academic perspective. At the same time, there would be little point for students to

attend if there were only replicating courses offered at degree-granting home institutions.

The Washington Media Institute has developed a unique curriculum built on four components:

SKILLS TRAINING

THEORY

APPLICATION

SPEAKERS/SITE VISITS.

Contextually the seminar is divided into three broad areas:

Old Media – explores the values, skills, and characteristics of the legacy media as they exist today and how they

evolved.

New Media – explores those elements of the new and social media as they relate to journalism and communication

in practice today and, more importantly, how the foundations of old media translate – or don’t - to the new age. Th

issues range from legal and ethical issues, to business and content forms.

Everything Beyond – explores those elements of the media that may not fit cleanly into the rubric of earlier elemen

Included but not limited to issues ranging from documentary and reality television, to branded networks and issues

arising from global journalism and “content” creation.

CALENDAR 2012

SPRING 2012

JANUARY 16 - MAY 7

SUMMER 2012

MAY 21 - JULY 27

FALL 2012

AUGUST 27 - DECEMBER 7

SAMPLE WEEK SEMINAR SCHEDULE

MONDAYEVENT 8pm KALBREPORT InterviewwithDianeSawyer NationalPress

Club,1400FStreet

TUESDAYLECTURE 7-8PM STORYTELLING–

OldandNews

Readings:

PostedreadingsSPEAKER 8-9PM JohnDonvan–ABCNews

Nightline

Donvanisrespectedasthe

beststorytelleratABC

FRIDAY ASSIGNMENT REVIEW

9.00-10AMSCREENLATESTVIDEOS

REVIEWWEBPAGESLECTURE 10-12.30pm THENEWBUSINESSOF

JOURNALISMANDMEDIA

Readings:

StateoftheNewsMedia

PostedreadingsSITE VISIT

2.30-5.00pmWJLA/POLITICO

BillLord-StationManager

JohnHarris–EditorPolitico

Theoldandnewjournalism

businessescoexistinthisone

newsroom.

WJLAStudios-

1501WilsonBlvd

Rossyln,Va




HousingTUDENT HOUSING

The Washington

edia Institute willrrange housing for

nrolled

udents.

During

emester

essions,

udents will

e housed in

ewly-built

partments in

e

shionable

nd rapidly

eveloping

OMA district

f DC, along

assachusetts

venue,

inutes from

e US Capitol.

Duringummer

essions, the

expected larger

numbers of students

will be accommodated

in George Washington

University housing,

located four blocks

from the White House.

All housing is in

safe areas of

the city and

located in

security

buildings.

Students will

live within easy

reach of DC’s

publictransportation

system and

within minutes

of DC’s central

areas.

New apartments constructed in

the NOMA district of DC

“ I am yet to meet someone who shares the

same passion for students’ success and

professional growth as Amos Gelb. He is

constantly working to make his internship

program topical, relevant, and impactful. His

interns are some of the brightest and most

gifted interns I’ve ever had.”

ROSS HEROSIAN, Manager, College

Programs and HR Projects, XM-SIRIUS Radio

“Amos’ program is an incredibly valuable

resource for any student who wants to learn

about the intersection of government,

journalism, public relations and new media. It shows them how traditional journalism and

new media can work in harmony, not at odds

with each other.”

ve known and worked closely with Amos for

veral years and positively LOVE the

perience he has given our students. They all

me back singing his praises.”

Dr EILEEN WIRTH, Creighton University

“SIWJ was a game changer for me

it showed me who I really was and

taught me who I could be. The

program opened doors to

opportunities I never knew existed

and it gave me the confidence to

walk through them to pursue my

dreams.”

STEVEN SPRINGER, senior executive editor,

VOICE OF AMERICA

ADAM LOCKWOOD,

Missouri State University

Documents

2012 Washington Media Institute