Trib Total Media, Point Park University partner on program featuring student content

Trib Total Media and Point Park University are partnering to give the university’s journalism students an opportunity to produce original stories for the Trib’s Downtown Pittsburgh news website.

The site is a creation of the Trib and MeSearch, a technology platform that uses artificial intelligence to learn what readers are interested in and delivers a stream of tailored, curated content to them. It’s part of the Trib’s Neighborhood News Network, which includes 35 hyperlocal websites across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“The thing that’s new is the partnership with Point Park joining it and allowing their content to flow into the Neighborhood News Network content system,” said Joe Lawrence, MeSearch CEO and the Trib’s general counsel. “That’s a huge boost for the students because it gives them much more exposure for the content that they’re producing.

“The power of the TribLIVE website will provide a lot of the amplification of the voice for these students. So that’s a huge benefit for them.”

Lawrence said the students will benefit from feedback they receive from Trib editors, while the Trib benefits from direct contact with a younger generation of content consumers.

“It gives direct contact with a different audience of content producers,” Lawrence said. “These students are part of a different generation, and they have their fingers on the pulse of what younger readers are interested in.”

Andy Conte, director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park and a former Trib investigative reporter, sees this new partnership as an integral part of the changing face of journalism.

“Journalism is changing and evolving at an extremely rapid pace right now, and the uncertainty overshadowing daily newspapers is causing a ripple effect that will be felt for years,” Conte said. “It’s critical that we encourage young people interested in journalism and prepare them to navigate that bold, new world. This partnership with the Trib is another way for us to do that.”

Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto said she values the viewpoint that students can provide.

“We are looking forward to the partnership with Point Park students providing content from a fresh perspective and appealing to a wider generational audience,” Bertetto said.

Lawrence identified a host of topics and stories happening Downtown that Point Park students can report on. The main thing, he said, is for students to report on issues that are important to them.

“It may be what’s happening with the homeless population. It may be Light of Life Mission. From the restaurant scene to grocery shopping — whatever it is that’s affecting Downtown and the many students that are living Downtown,” he said. “And they said, ‘That’s great. We’re totally good with that.’”

Lawrence said the partnership will provide an opportunity for students to go into underserved communities.

“For instance, the Hill District doesn’t have a lot of positive information coming out of it that ends up in our newspaper — or others,” he said. “This is a great opportunity for the students to do social engagement, to get into a community and pull out those stories.”

Bernie Ankney, dean of the School of Communication at Point Park, said he believes it’s important for students to cover the broader community.

“This partnership is going to give kids another option for student media. Maybe your story has to deal with a community issue, maybe there is a hyperlocal focus to it. It might not be a great fit for the student newspaper, but for this collaboration it is,” Ankney said. “So the more opportunities kids have, the better, and collaborations like this I think are going to become a model for other publications as well.”

Erin Yudt, a junior majoring in journalism, writes for the Point Park News Service as well as the school’s student-run newspaper, The Globe. She said she’s excited by the partnership and opportunities it will provide.

“We hope this will bring more attention to the amazing work students do and lead to greater involvement,” Yudt said. “It’s a fantastic way to get professional experience, and I can’t wait to see where this takes us.”