High school students will have an opportunity to learn journalism hands-on from award-winning reporters, editors and photographers at the Illinois Press Foundation workshop at Eastern Illinois University on June 15-27.

Applications for the 13-day workshop, which is funded by the IPF, Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Robert R. McCormick Foundation and EIU, will be accepted through May 10. Eighteen students will be selected to participate in this free journalism experience. Go to IPFworkshop.wordpress.com or contact director Joe Gisondi at jjgisondi@eiu.edu for further information.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.

Held in Charleston on the campus of Eastern Illinois University, this workshop is a two-week residential program that provides students an intimate look at journalism as a career.

The workshop introduces students to the complete process of publishing news: gathering information, writing news, editing it, designing, capturing video and audio, and producing print and online newspapers.

The best candidates are not necessarily current high school journalists. Rather, they are simply young people who are curious, diligent, and interested in news media.

The first week is devoted to instruction and related exercises, including news-gathering field trips. Professional journalists provide most of the instruction. Dozens of reporters, editors, publishers, photographers and other journalists have taught in the program since 1991, representing more than 30 newspapers and news organizations throughout Illinois and across the country.

Students then practice what they have learned. For three days, students are driven to daily newspapers, where they work with reporters and other journalists on assignments. The remainder of the second week is devoted to producing a newspaper and news website.

Students also participate in several field trips and attend events that they cover, such a professional play and local government meetings. On the weekend, students typically travel to historical sites in Illinois and/or to a state park.

The Illinois Press Foundation has sponsored this event at Eastern Illinois University since its inception more than 20 years ago, as has the Dow Jones News Fund. The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is also a significant contributor to the program.

All expenses, including housing, meals and tuition, are paid from these funds.

To be considered, students must complete an application form, which is also available online at the department of journalism at www.eiu.edu/~journal.

For more information call Joe Gisondi, workshop director, at (217) 581-6003 or email him at jjgisondi@eiu.edu.