New Center Will Help Create Journalism of the Future

Professional Journalists, Scholars and Industry Leaders Will Collaborate and Connect With Citizens at Missouri School of Journalism's New $31 Million Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Columbia, Mo. (DATE) - To explore new forms of journalism, whether digital, global or hyperlocal, the world's first school of journalism has created a solution-oriented center for ideas, experimentation and research. With fully modular high tech labs, and experienced staff of journalism professionals and technical support, and testing facilities geared to new technologies, the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Insitiute (RJI) will celebrate its grand opening September 12.

Pods in Technology Testing Center	Futures Lab
Suspended Walkway	RJI Building Front

Housed in 50,000 square feet of new and remodeled space in the three-building RJI complex includes a modern four-story glass-walled structure built inside a carefully preserved 1892 Victorian gothic building on the University of Missouri campus.

"If a place was designed specifically to allow journalists to conjure up new ideas, what would it look like? That's the question we asked," explains Dean Mills, dean of the Missouri School of Journalism. "At RJI journalists will find the tools to launch controversial experiments. The research capability to test new applications. It's a place where journalists, corporate partners and citizens will collaborate to find practical solutions to the solutions to teh challenges that face our industry."

Everette E. Dennis, former executive director of the Gannet Center for Media Studies, Columbia University, consulted closely with Missouri School of Journalism in planning the new Institute.

"This is the most exciting development for the elevation and advancement of journalism and news in decades, a truly unique enterprise that will connect serious research with practical solutions for the news media, education and the public too," says Dennis.

RJI's goal is to partner with established media companies, industry associations and emerging new media innovators, most recently Adobe, Apple and AT&T. Building on the University's tradition of interdisciplinary problem solveing, and its record of entrepreneurial leadership RJI is helping to incubate products and applicatons that will take journalism in to the new century.

Facilities at the new RJI complex include:

• Futures Lab: an experimental newsroom designed from the ground up to encourage collaboration and put the latest tools at journalists' fingertips. Work areas are completely modualr with fixed computer work stations augmented by wireless connectivity allowing journalist to work with video, audio, stills, photos, slide shows, animation - not to mention text. All of this is supervised and controlled by three editing stations appointed with four plasma monitors to allow staff editors as well as visiting professionals to monitor local and national breaking stories. In addition RJI has been assigned two television stations on the University's cable system for teh broadcast of live or taped programs.

• Techology Testing Center: "Pod" work spaces enables users to conduct product testing for new hardware and software, as well as showcase technical innovations. The Technology Testing Center is backed by full time technical support.

• Convergence Editing Room: 20 Mac Pro editing stations reature Avid and Final Cut video software as well as the latest version of Adobe Creative Suite. All are networked to allow professionals and students to collaborate as they experiment in teh creation of Web pages, animation, etc.

• Fred W. Smith Forum: a state-of-the-art forum where people from around the world can interact, complete with translation booth for wireless transmittal of live translation to participants. Designed to accommodate groups of 80-plus, every seat has access to high speed Internet, and three robotic cameras have been installed in order to capture events on video.

• High tech conference spaces: complete with high definition televeions and prjection equipment, smart boards and video conferencing capability, RJI's four conference spaces can accommodate groups from 10 to 80-plus.

• Control Room: television and radio station adjacent to the Futures Lab. Features four video cameras as well as virtual set technology including "green screen" which allows the user to superimpose visual information behind the talent

RJI was launched in 2004 with an itial grand of $31 million from The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, it is one of the largest priviate foundations in the United States. Donald W. Reynolds was a 1927 graduate of Missouri School of Journalism.

Since its inception in 2004 RJI has already engaged in more than 60 journalism initiatives and partnerships including "The Online Credibility Gap," a quantitiative study done in partnership with teh Associated Press Managing Editors, the development of digital newsbooks currently being marketing online at The New York Times Store, and audience research done on behalf of the Newspaper Association of America.

All of this will be showcased at the Sept. 12 dedication of RJI's new complex which will mark the climax of the Missouri School Journalism's three-day Centennial celebration. During this event journalists from around the world will convene to participate in 35 interactive journalism sessions and 27 technology discussions among other activities (LINK).

A highlight of the Dedication ceremony will be the annoucement of teh inaugural class of Donald W. Reynolds Fellows. Over the coming year, six Fellows, leading thinker/practitioners in journalism and communications, will tackle ground-breaking projects aimed at improving the practice or understanding of journalism.

"In order to help journalism establish its footing in these unsettled times," says RJI executive director, Pam Johnson, "RJI has set in motion a program to explore answers through fellowships, experimental technologies, and projects to address the most perplexing problems in journalism."