National Sports Journalism Director Tim Franklin outlined the goals of the IU School of Journalism’s new center during his talk in January.

Franklin explained that sports journalism is one of the few areas of media that is booming, raking in ad dollars and providing jobs. The center is capitalizing on this and the sports focus in Indianapolis, where the center is located on the IUPUI campus.

Launched a year ago, the center aims to prepare young journalists for careers in sports communication as well as train professionals to be ready for new media demands. The center already offers undergraduate and graduate classes in Indianapolis and Bloomington, and the IU Board of Trustees recently approved a master’s degree program.

Franklin described the center’s efforts to connect with the sports community by hosting panel discussions with top-flight sports journalists discussing issues of the day, such as diversity in media.

Franklin said another focus for the center has been arranging internships for students at organizations such as ESPN, The Big Ten Network and MLB.com. Students are working now with more to undertake this experience this summer.

Published by bloomingtonpressclub

A nonprofit group in Bloomington, Ind., with members from many areas of media. We sponsor scholarships for high school and college students