Presentation at March 2016 College Media Association conference on internationalizing coverage in college media/newspapers, with Jessica Kopp

1. All Around the World:
Internationalizing Your
Staff and Coverage of
International Events and
Students
Jessica Kopp
Bob Bergland
Missouri Western State University

2. Why cover international
stuff?
 TO SERVE YOUR READERS
 More and more past, current and future students are
likely to be international
 You likely have international faculty and staff
 The world is more global, and your “regular” students
need to be aware of international events and issues
 These are often good pieces for your portfolio

3. Internationalize all
sections of your
paper/yearbook
 News—Foreign news and international perspectives
on US news
 Sports—features and sporting events
 Features—students, faculty and staff
 Opinions—columns and spotlights

4. Localizing International
Events
READ international wire and newspapers and magazines,
looking for
 Natural disasters
 Man-made tragedies (terrorism, etc.)
 Political events/news (elections, changes in leaders)
 Economic news
Focus on news that has an impact on your students, as you
would any other coverage

6. International
Perspectives on US
events
 Terrorism
 Elections
 Economic
 Cultural trends/shifts
 Technology
 Education

7. Covering international-
oriented events on
campus
 International Fairs
 International holiday celebrations
 Presentations by international students
 Performances by international students
 Other events put on by International affairs office

11. Covering issues
important to internationals
 International student services office
 Housing
 Busing/transportation
 Visa/immigration issues
 Acclimating to US/university

15. Sports pages
 Look for international students on athletic rosters
 Look for coaches/staff with international backgrounds
 International recruiting?
 Intramural sports or club sports that are more
international (cricket, rugby, etc.)
 Coverage of big international sporting events

17. Features on international
students
 Students coming to campus for visiting trips
 One-semester or one-year exchange students
 Regular full-time international students
 International athletes
 Graduate students

20. Other international
features
 Visiting faculty/Fulbrighters—both those coming from other
countries and those going abroad
 International staff
 International faculty
 International affairs office personnel
 International student organization
 Seasonal—how our holidays are celebrated in other
countries (Christmas, Halloween, etc.)

22. Opinion pages
 Invite faculty and staff to write columns about events
going on in their country (ex: an Iranian professor,
talking about the nuclear deal with Iran)
 Invite students to write similar columns about news
events or about other issues important to them and
their transition
 Invite International Services staff to write columns
about issues affecting students
 Have a weekly spotlight on an international student

25. Finding sources
 International Services/Affairs office—try to get a
directory of students and their countries to have on
hand when international stories break and for features
 International student organizations
 Admissions office
 Faculty/Staff Directories
 Social Media!

26. Tips for Interviewing
Internationals
 Interview them in-person, not over the phone or email,
whenever possible
 Put yourself in their shoes—imagine yourself as an
international student, being in another country and in
another language, being interviewed
 Open up with more small talk to set them at ease and
to get to know them better to help you with asking
questions
 Recognize the cultural differences that may impact
your interview—body language, personal space, etc.

27. Tips for Interviewing
Internationals
If they have language difficulties:
 be patient—they may take longer to respond
 Keep questions more simple—long, rambling questions and
multiple part questions and using a complex vocabulary may
cause misunderstanding
 At the same time, recognize that any language difficulties are not
a sign of a lower intelligence (and don’t speak more loudly,
although do consider speaking a bit more slowly and articulating
a bit more if you mumble)
 Rephrase the question if it seems they aren’t understanding you
 Consider publication policies on correcting grammar/fixing quotes

28. Recruit international
students for your staff
 Networking
 Social media
 Recruit for non-writing positions—web, graphic
design, advertising
 Advertising staff positions

29. Recruit international
students for your staff
 Look for students in your journalism/communication
courses
 Ask International Services staff for recommendations
of students who might be interested
 Attend international fairs
 Go to International orientation week—ask to speak