EL PASO — An online, bilingual magazine will expand to train Latino journalism students nationally, giving them the experience needed to land jobs after graduation. Borderzine, founded by the University of Texas at El Paso and launched with a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also strives to increase the number of Hispanics working in bilingual news media.
“Borderzine reinforces the university’s commitment to providing the experience, knowledge and skills Latino students need to become journalists in the new digital media environment,” said University President Diana Natalicio. “The University is proud to distinguish itself as a national leader in efforts to develop student talent that will lead to a more diverse news workforce.”
José Zamora & Gary Kebbel
The $412,200 grant was announced during a Dec. 5 press conference.
“Very few Hispanics are in leadership positions in the nation’s news organizations,” said Gary Kebbel, Knight Foundation’s Journalism Program director. “We hope this grant creates training opportunities that help make news organizations look more like their audience.”
Directed by Zita Arocha, Borderzine began as an El Paso student publication at the University in 2007. Now with its national reach, the online magazine will expand to develop a pipeline of student contributors from other universities that serve large Hispanic communities. Imperial Valley College in Southern California, which has an 80 percent Hispanic student body, is Borderzine’s first official partner.
The magazine will focus on issues affecting border communities, be they geographical or cultural.
The grant also will support hiring a Web master, purchasing digital recording tools and expanding the network of media outlets that recruit Borderzine writers for internships and full-time positions.
Borderzine was started with a seed grant from Ford Foundation. Through the online publication and support to its writers, the University is helping address the national challenge of recruiting and retaining Latino journalists prepared to work in English and Spanish media. Hispanics make up 4.4 percent of the nation’s news workforce, compared to comprising 15 percent of its population. Borderzine is a project of the University, with participation by the University’s Department of Communication.
For more information about Borderzine visit www.borderzine.com or contact Senior Lecturer and Borderzine Director Zita Arocha at [email protected].
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a major research university at the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border committed to the ideals of access and excellence. A leader among Hispanic-serving institutions, UTEP enrolls more than 20,000 students – about 73.5 percent of them Hispanic – and is the only doctoral research university in the nation with a student body that is a majority Mexican American. UTEP ranks among the top three universities in the nation in awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics; No. 2 in awarding bachelor’s degrees in engineering to Hispanics; and three times has been ranked as the No. 1 in graduate engineering school for Hispanics.
About The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of communities in the United States where the Knight brothers once owned newspapers. Since 1950, the foundation has made more than $1 billion in grants, including more than $400 million to support journalism excellence and free speech. Knight Foundation invests in ideas and projects that can lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.