Date: September 17, 2012
Author: Allison Moder
Contact: Mark Johnson, mejohnso@uga.edu

Football season is upon us and the University of Georgia is making strides both on and off the field. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is developing a sports journalism program and the effects have been incredible.

Not only has the College trained successful sports journalists, but it also has provided students interested in sports an opportunity to gain real life experience within an environment of flourishing athletics. Classes within the program often collaborate with each other to give students an even wider learning environment.

On September 7, students from journalism and photojournalism classes tackled coverage of the Clarke Central High School football game. Journalism students practiced sports writing by recording game statistics and talking with fans and bystanders. Maggie Harney, a student in Dr. Welch Suggs' reporting class, spoke on the experience.

"We have been learning how to set up and frame different types of stories," Harney said. "Learning editing has also been a big part of the class."

The photojournalism students captured moments of the game from the sidelines. With different assignments during each quarter, the students learned how to handle different situations throughout the game.

Students learned in the classroom the best way to capture the action. Photojournalists learn to stay in front of the line of scrimmage when their team has the ball and to remain behind when the other team has the ball. Looking for pressure on the quarterback is only one of the key skills taught.

But the classroom is only the beginning. Mark E. Johnson, the Department of Journalism's Senior Lecturer of Photojournalism, strongly believes that getting students out in the community is the key to success in the field.

"You can teach students all you want in the classroom, but it is not until they bring the camera up to their face that they get it," he said.

Grady students have worked with local high school students in the past, allowing aspiring journalists to learn from the experience of the college students. This is another worthy byproduct of this collaboration.

Yet, the lasting impact of this program on students is what truly sets it apart. Evan Stichler, a senior Sociology major, is one of the students who has benefited from the class.

"It is a chance to get better at shooting news," Stichler said. "Mr. Johnson's personal motto is 'It's your job to provide the news and journalism to the world' so I see it as my responsibility to be the best photojournalist that I can."

Such programs and collaborations are what continue to make Grady the best place to learn applied journalism. Students have been given the opportunity to learn in real situations and they will take that experience with them.