New Voices: 2007 Grantees: Saint Paul City Newsdesk

2007 Grantees

Saint Paul City Newsdesk

Mike Wassenaar, Executive Director, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network
St. Paul, MN

CONTACT INFO

Saint Paul Neighborhood Network
375 Jackson St.
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 298-8900
E-mail

Web site

To create and pay for a network of citizen journalists to cover neighborhood and municipal news for use by media outlets throughout the Twin Cities. Network stories, videos and radio pieces will be published on the St. Paul Neighborhood Network cable-access television web site and on the Twin Cities Daily Planet site.

Check back for future news and updates.

• March 2008
• November 2007

SPNNing into Control

March 2008

The St. Paul Neighborhood Network held a competitive application process and enrolled 14 participants in News Desk, a citizen journalism initiative which aims to bring more voices from diverse communities to the cable channel’s programming. Those selected for the project went through an orientation and training program on video, lighting and editing.

The diverse group of participants includes people who’ve worked at local TV stations, an activist deep into the independent music scene, a local rap artist, a retired theater stage manager, a community activist, a youth media maker, a print reporter, a public radio producer, and more.

At the orientation, citizen journalist Robin Hickman said, “I’ve worked in media for years, but I feel like I’m missing that technology piece and this is my chance to step my game up another notch. This is what it’s about, us telling our own stories.”

Half of the participants were already proficient in video production, while the other half brought some journalism, communication or media skills to the table. SPNN launched a blog to help News Deskers communicate with each other and pair up on productions, for technical assistance. As with all volunteer efforts, life can get in the way. Two trainees have dropped out, so project coordinator Sherine Crooms says SPNN is back in recruiting mode, hoping to enroll a few more local community producers for a total of 19.

In the meantime, they’ve identified a host for their four-part series which includes interesting features on “colorism” among young African American women, a toy store owner’s obsession with marbles, a piece about a local Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, and a profile of the pagan community in St. Paul. Other segments in post-production include coverage of community opposition to an incinerator and a new light rail train route. Features will soon be available for viewing online and the series has been slotted to begin airing on SPNN’s channels in May.

The project is developing a Web page to post preview snippets of upcoming programs, and will hold a community screening ceremony for the final productions. Stories will also be posted on Twin Cities Daily Planet, a 2005 New Voices grantee.

Some Static on this Set

November 2007

Saint Paul Neighborhood Network is seeking to improve coverage of St. Paul neighborhoods by recruiting, training, assigning publishing and producing the work of citizen journalists working in print, radio, online and video. SPNN is working with several collaborators to create a Saint Paul Newsdesk, including the Twin Cities Daily Planet, an online community news site.

Saint Paul Newsdesk began commissioning stories on neighborhood issues, some of which were posted on the TC Daily Planet in July and August, including a piece on AIDS prevention work, a children’s march against deportation, and community opposition to proposed tunneling under a congested intersection.

SPNN staffer Sherine Crooms, a public TV producer, developed a formal training program for Newsdesk contributors and SPNN has been recruiting St. Paul residents to apply to participate in its series of workshops on journalism, camera work and video editing. “This is an opportunity for community folk to produce short news stories in written and visual form, about issues that are important to them and their communities,” the home page reads.   “To encourage citizen journalism and promote democratized television these news shorts may appear on Twin Cities Daily Planet and SPNN Web sites as well as SPNN broadcasts. Each participant will receive a stipend in exchange for their 3-5 minute video submission.”

“Our goal for the training is to sustain a group of 15 citizen journalists producing video stories of Saint Paul through April 2008, “ says SPNN Executive Director Mike Wassenaar. “Citizen journalists will be recruited from the broad community of Saint Paul residents, and may or may not have technical training ahead of time. We believe this will increase the diversity of voices featured in the project.” First video posts are expected at the end of November.

SPNN continued promotion of the project on its own channels, and through materials distributed to community based producers, youth groups and schools, civic leaders through Saint Paul e-Democracy, the Community Technology Empowerment Project, and the Twin Cities Youth Media Network.

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• • Mission Contact Info J-Lab site Staff Links • Guidelines How to Apply FAQs Advisory Board • List of Grantees Project Updates • Citizens Media Spotlights Good Ideas Glossary • News Releases News about Citizens Media Speeches • • Blog Ask Questions Share Your Story • Sign up for New Voices e-mail updates!	2007 Grantees Saint Paul City Newsdesk Mike Wassenaar, Executive Director, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network St. Paul, MN CONTACT INFO Saint Paul Neighborhood Network 375 Jackson St. St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 298-8900 E-mail Web site To create and pay for a network of citizen journalists to cover neighborhood and municipal news for use by media outlets throughout the Twin Cities. Network stories, videos and radio pieces will be published on the St. Paul Neighborhood Network cable-access television web site and on the Twin Cities Daily Planet site. Check back for future news and updates. • March 2008 • November 2007 SPNNing into Control March 2008 The St. Paul Neighborhood Network held a competitive application process and enrolled 14 participants in News Desk, a citizen journalism initiative which aims to bring more voices from diverse communities to the cable channel’s programming. Those selected for the project went through an orientation and training program on video, lighting and editing. The diverse group of participants includes people who’ve worked at local TV stations, an activist deep into the independent music scene, a local rap artist, a retired theater stage manager, a community activist, a youth media maker, a print reporter, a public radio producer, and more. At the orientation, citizen journalist Robin Hickman said, “I’ve worked in media for years, but I feel like I’m missing that technology piece and this is my chance to step my game up another notch. This is what it’s about, us telling our own stories.” Half of the participants were already proficient in video production, while the other half brought some journalism, communication or media skills to the table. SPNN launched a blog to help News Deskers communicate with each other and pair up on productions, for technical assistance. As with all volunteer efforts, life can get in the way. Two trainees have dropped out, so project coordinator Sherine Crooms says SPNN is back in recruiting mode, hoping to enroll a few more local community producers for a total of 19. In the meantime, they’ve identified a host for their four-part series which includes interesting features on “colorism” among young African American women, a toy store owner’s obsession with marbles, a piece about a local Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, and a profile of the pagan community in St. Paul. Other segments in post-production include coverage of community opposition to an incinerator and a new light rail train route. Features will soon be available for viewing online and the series has been slotted to begin airing on SPNN’s channels in May. The project is developing a Web page to post preview snippets of upcoming programs, and will hold a community screening ceremony for the final productions. Stories will also be posted on Twin Cities Daily Planet, a 2005 New Voices grantee. Some Static on this Set November 2007 Saint Paul Neighborhood Network is seeking to improve coverage of St. Paul neighborhoods by recruiting, training, assigning publishing and producing the work of citizen journalists working in print, radio, online and video. SPNN is working with several collaborators to create a Saint Paul Newsdesk, including the Twin Cities Daily Planet, an online community news site. Saint Paul Newsdesk began commissioning stories on neighborhood issues, some of which were posted on the TC Daily Planet in July and August, including a piece on AIDS prevention work, a children’s march against deportation, and community opposition to proposed tunneling under a congested intersection. SPNN staffer Sherine Crooms, a public TV producer, developed a formal training program for Newsdesk contributors and SPNN has been recruiting St. Paul residents to apply to participate in its series of workshops on journalism, camera work and video editing. “This is an opportunity for community folk to produce short news stories in written and visual form, about issues that are important to them and their communities,” the home page reads.   “To encourage citizen journalism and promote democratized television these news shorts may appear on Twin Cities Daily Planet and SPNN Web sites as well as SPNN broadcasts. Each participant will receive a stipend in exchange for their 3-5 minute video submission.” “Our goal for the training is to sustain a group of 15 citizen journalists producing video stories of Saint Paul through April 2008, “ says SPNN Executive Director Mike Wassenaar. “Citizen journalists will be recruited from the broad community of Saint Paul residents, and may or may not have technical training ahead of time. We believe this will increase the diversity of voices featured in the project.” First video posts are expected at the end of November. SPNN continued promotion of the project on its own channels, and through materials distributed to community based producers, youth groups and schools, civic leaders through Saint Paul e-Democracy, the Community Technology Empowerment Project, and the Twin Cities Youth Media Network. Back to 2007 Grantees \| Back to Home Page \| E-mail This \| Print This


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