In Their Own Words: Students discuss their reporting with WKNO news director Christopher Blank
A team of 12 Ithaca College students traveled to Memphis March 31-April 4 to report on events commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
The students produced radio reports that aired on WKNO-FM, Memphis’s NPR member station, and multimedia articles that were published on its website.
Along with my colleagues James Rada, Chrissy Guest and Rhonda Vanover, I accompanied the students and coordinated coverage with WKNO.
This was a rare moment for journalism students to put what they learn in the classroom into practice. Among those they interviewed were Dr. King’s children and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. The stories of those everyday people who fought during the height of the Civil Rights movement were at the heart of the reporting.
This is the fifth time in recent years that our journalism department has teamed up with news outlets to cover stories of international significance. Other reporting collaborations included the inauguration of Donald Trump for PBS NewsHour and the South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary for NBC News.
View Their Stories
MLK50: A Week of Commemoration Begins
At 6:01, The Bells Toll for a King
A New History for an Old Confederate
MLK50: A Multi-Generational Movement
Mason Temple Invites Unions to Amplify King’s Message
NAACP Explores Future of Dr. King’s Dream
In Art and Song, A Legacy Remembered
MLK Recap: A Platform for Activism
More About Their Reporting
MLK50 Draws Activists, Organizers, and Future of American Media
Students cover MLK assassination anniversary in Memphis
Past Deadline Podcast: Student journalists travel to cover anniversary of King’s assassination