NABJ student newsroom gives aspiring journalists real-world experience in Atlanta

As thousands of Black journalists and media professionals gather in Atlanta, a select group of students is gaining experience beyond the convention floor.

The National Association of Black Journalists' Student Projects program operates as a working newsroom during NABJ's annual Convention and Career Fair. Students cover the convention and the host city while receiving guidance from professional journalists.

For Cameron Smith, a rising senior at North Carolina A&T State University, the assignment also represents a homecoming.

Smith, an Atlanta native, spent part of the week reporting at Walter's Clothing, a downtown store he has known since childhood.

"Walter's for me is just, it's always been here," Smith said. "I grew up wearing larger shoe sizes as I got older. And Walter's was one of the only places where I could find shoes."

Smith shot video, conducted interviews and gathered the details needed to tell the store's story. He then returned to the student newsroom at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis to write and edit his package under a daily deadline.

"It's fast. It's very fast," Smith said. "And it's a bit nerve-wracking when you're moving so much, but the deadline is necessary because at the end of the day, we're going to work in places that require a deadline."

Students in the program work in broadcast, print, digital journalism and photography.

Anthony Wilson, a mentor with NABJ Student Projects, said many participants arrive without experience producing stories under daily deadlines. Mentors help students organize their reporting, strengthen their storytelling and understand the importance of accuracy and attention to detail.

"These students, many of whom have never had to do a daily deadline story, are getting an immersive experience here covering not just the convention, but the city of Atlanta," Wilson said.

Wilson said the relationships formed during the program can last well beyond convention week.

"They come here as strangers to each other, and they leave as family," Wilson said. "They learn from the mentors, and they get the connection with their fellow students, which actually goes on for years, decades."

Those relationships and the work students produce can also lead to professional opportunities.

"Several of them have gotten jobs as a result of the work they do here," Wilson said. "And it's not just television. We have digital, we have print, we have photographers."

Smith said he entered the program nervous and unsure how his experience compared with that of other student journalists. Support from mentors, participants and convention attendees has helped him develop confidence.

"I've been around a lot of uplifting people mentors, other students, random strangers I haven't met before," Smith said. "It's been very uplifting to see people who believe in the craft and believe in the integrity of journalism."

For Smith, improving his craft is ultimately about serving the people whose stories he is trusted to tell.

"If I do better with handling information and distributing it and telling my stories, I can tell other people's stories better," Smith said. "And that just changes the community for the better overall."

The NABJ Convention and Career Fair continues through Sunday at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Its career fair, which NABJ describes as the country's largest for Black journalists and media professionals, runs through Friday.