The Magazine, News & Digital Journalism Department’s reporting intensive this year went to pot – literally.
We had more than 40 student reporters investigate what New York would look like after the legalization of marijuana, a move that looked almost certain when we started the project in October 2019. But by May, it became clear COVID-19 would derail the legislation, along with much of spring semester. But the students remained engaged with the project nonetheless, worked on it from their hometowns rather than campus, and pivoted to adjust their stories to the new post-COVID reality.
Their efforts, and those of my co-directors – colleagues Jon Glass, Seth Gitner and Shevlia Dancy – resulted in package that has already won awards such as Best News Website — Large School from AEJMC. A piece I edited and helped develop has also won the Best Multimedia News Story award from the Associated Collegiate Press Contest.
Greg Munno 