Staff members of the Fort Lewis College Independent are going to take their experience in video production to the national stage.
Four students and practicum director Leslie Blood will travel to the Associated Collegiate Press Midwinter National College Journalism Convention in Los Angeles at the end of February.
The Independent started producing news videos about three years ago without much financial backing, and it is still a focus for the staff, Blood said.
The presentation will focus on how to start to produce videos at college papers on a shoestring budget.
The idea was inspired by their experience at past conventions where the students noticed that some student papers were using videos to promote the paper rather than to deliver the news, said Trevor Ogborn, editor-in-chief.
“We want to implore them to take the next step,” he said.
Video helps capture the attention of college students who consume news online, he said.
Starting a video department, known as Fort Fuel, also helped draw in new staff members that wanted to tell stories with cameras rather than pens.
This is the seventh time that Blood has taken students to the convention. She finds it helps inspire Independent staff members.
The college plans to cover travel costs for four students to attend the convention this year.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
