Student Media welcomed 13 middle and high school students from northern Virginia for the 28th annual Podcast & Radio Summer Camp earlier this month. Taught by current Mason students and Student Media alumni, the camp provides aspiring young broadcasters a chance to learn basic podcasting and radio production skills in our practice and on-air audio studios.

Held every summer since 1996, the Podcast & Radio Summer Camp is open to students in grades 6-12. Click here to learn more >

Photos by Rodger Smith

Student Media would like to thank and congratulate each of our 30+ involved students graduating in 2024!

Your hard work, creativity, and leadership helped our groups continue to inform, enrich, and entertain the Mason community.

Click here to meet our outstanding 2024 graduates! >

While we are sad to see our grads move on, we know that each of them has a bright future ahead. Our work is inherently collaborative, but the individual contributions made over the years by the Class of 2024 have made a tremendous impact on the Mason community. Your shared commitment to excellence will not be forgotten.

Congratulations to everyone graduating in 2024 and best of luck with your new careers in media and beyond!

Student Media was proud to host the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2024 Region 2 Conference this April in Merten Hall on Mason’s Fairfax campus. Over 75 people attended, including students and advisors from across Region 2 (Virginia, Maryland, D.C., Delaware, and North Carolina).

Student Media Director Kathryn Mangus and Assistant Director Jason Hartsel served as conference co-chairs, working alongside SPJ Region 2 Coordinator Stephenie Overman.

25 media professionals (including several Student Media alumni and Mason faculty members) from print, online, television, and radio outlets served as guest speakers and/or mentors, helping educate the next generation of journalists during a busy day of learning and networking.

Click here to view the event program with speaker bios/photos >

Click here to view the “Meet Your Mentors” handout >

After breakfast and registration, attendees could choose from four themed breakout sessions (sports, climate, elections, and public reporting), each featuring a panel of experts. Keynote speaker, Evan Lambert (NewsNation), offered remarks and answered questions during lunch, followed by a presentation of the annual SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards. Google/RTDNA trainer Benét Wilson then facilitated a Google News Initiative training that showed students how to utilize free online tools meant to assist with reporting the 2024 presidential election back home on their respective campuses. The day concluded with a round of “speed mentoring” featuring 12 industry professionals offering career advice to attendees.

Special thanks to all the organizers, guest speakers, and mentors who shared their time and expertise with attendees!

Photos by: Wyatt Jones

Video by: Ava Jack

 

Student Media’s mission is empowering students to exercise their First Amendment rights and creativity through the creation of works that inform, enrich, and entertain the Mason community.

With 10+ unique publications and media groups to choose from, we offer a wide variety of opportunities to apply academic concepts beyond the classroom and build practical skills that can open up new career pathways. We meet students where they are and offer hands-on training to help them find success.

But don’t take our word for it…

Watch this video featuring our students sharing their own Student Media experiences: youtube.com/watch?v=AYl2kfrFTIA

Student Media was proud to host six in-person office tours and information sessions this fall, welcoming over 130 students from CHSS 101 (First Year Learning Community) and COMM 203 (Intro to Journalism) to learn more about getting involved and meet our team.

Each class watched a short introductory video, took an interactive tour of the Student Media newsroom, and participated in Q&A sessions with student leaders and professional staff.

If you would like to schedule a tour for your class, please email [email protected] indicating your preferred date(s) and we will get back to you with more details.

Special thanks to Eleana Velasco, Erin McSherry, and Brenna Maloney for coordinating the visits, and to all the instructors who used valuable class time to introduce their students to the many opportunities available through our office.

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created.

Today, we celebrate this achievement and reflect on what the United States Constitution means to each of us.

To help the Mason community observe Constitution Day 2023, Student Media hosted an event in the Corner Pocket as part of #Welcome2Mason. The event featured free pizza and game play, a prize wheel, trivia questions, a chance to sign the Constitution, and the Preamble Scramble where students solved a giant puzzle by recounting our founding document’s preamble that begins with three important words: “We the People…” Photos by: Wyatt Jones and Josh Rose

Constitution Day Video: youtube.com/watch?v=cnp8eqmNVOU
Resource Page: studentmedia.gmu.edu/constitutionday

Student Media would like to thank and congratulate each of our 30+ involved students graduating in 2023!

Despite a few challenges along the way, your resilience and leadership helped our groups continue to inform, enrich, and entertain the Mason community.

Click here to meet our outstanding 2023 graduates!

While we are sad to see our grads move on, we know that each of them has a bright future ahead. Our work is inherently collaborative, but the individual contributions made over the years by the Class of 2023 have made a tremendous impact on the Mason community. Their leadership, creativity, and commitment to excellence will not be forgotten.

Congratulations to everyone graduating in 2023 and best of luck with your new careers in media and beyond!

Student Media sent 9 students to the annual National College Media Convention in New York City this March.

2023 conference highlights included keynote talks by Marc Lacey (managing editor of The New York Times), Ramon Escobar (senior VP of talent development at CNN), and Dana Roberson (executive producer for PBS Newshour).

In addition to the everyday experiential learning opportunities provided on campus by Student Media, attending this conference offered students a chance meet other college journalists from around the country and hear from media industry leaders about current trends, challenges, and preparing for a job in media.

One student who attended summed up their experience like this: “Attending the CMA conference was truly a phenomenal and beneficial experience! From attending, I was able to gather new information in ways to not only build my own journalistic skills, but also the skills of those around me in the student-run media organizations that I am a part of.”

Special thanks to Mason’s Parent & Family Fund for supporting this initiative!

Watch the video below to hear what our students learned in their own words:

Students from Mason Cable Network, Fourth Estate, and Mason Votes collaborated on a nearly three-hour LIVE election night broadcast that included interviews with Mason faculty and students, exit poll results from the on-campus polling place at Merten Hall, and an interview with Catherine Read, Fairfax City Mayor-Elect.

Read more about how Mason voted in 2022: masonvotes.gmu.edu/2022/11/09/how-did-mason-vote-in-2022/

Watch the 2022 election night broadcast on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=BGOJaBLzwsI

Student Media, Mason Votes, and Mason’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists teamed up to host an election-themed cookie decorating contest one week before Election Day 2022.

40+ students stopped by the event to decorate a cookie and share their creation via social media as a way to encourage the Mason community to vote on Tuesday, November 8th.

And the winners are…

Click here to read more and view a gallery of contest entries >