University media lab gives journalists time to rethink how news is told

PMN Play News Radio Podcasts Menu LIVE NOW PMN Samoa 531 PI Niu FM Latest bulletin PMN News The University of Canterbury’s new Media Innovation Lab provides two 12-week journalist residencies annually.

A Tuvaluan-Pākehā journalism academic says Pacific storytellers could use the residency to explore new ways of reaching audiences.

A new University of Canterbury (UC) media laboratory is giving journalists something many newsrooms struggle to find: time to step away from daily deadlines and work on ideas that could change how stories are told.

The Media Innovation Lab, officially launching next week, will offer two 12-week journalist residencies annually, with funding and technical support to develop public-interest storytelling projects.

The programme is backed by a NZ$50,000 contribution from the Acland Foundation.

UC says the lab is the first of its kind in New Zealand.