UF students to report for national ABC News

May 8, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — ABC News will open a mini-bureau in the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications in September.

UF is among five U.S. universities chosen for the ABC News On Campus program. Students will work as staffers in each of the bureaus, contributing story ideas and using equipment provided by ABC. The program will allow ABC to expand its news-gathering resources while training future journalists.

“This is a great opportunity for these students to learn about the news industry and for us at ABC News to help nurture these bright young journalists,” ABC News President David Westin stated in an e-mail.

The students will be paid and receive extensive training from ABC News starting in August. Their work will be seen on both broadcast and digital platforms.

“We also will be doing our very best to create a successful learning environment, by providing state-of-the-art digital technology including video cameras, computers and edit software,” Westin stated.

Other universities chosen for the program are Arizona State University, Syracuse University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Texas at Austin.

John Wright, dean of UF’s college, said ABC News representatives told him they wanted bureaus in the top five journalism programs in the nation.

“This national recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects very highly on our faculty and students,” Wright said. “This also moves the college forward as a leader in digital communications education.”