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About IRE Conference News

For the first time, the IRE convention has a daily Web publication offering the top news from the seminars and panels thanks to the efforts of four journalism schools: the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, the University of Missouri School of Journalism and American University's School of Communication.

The schools have created a Web site (www.ire.umd.edu) linked to the IRE home page (www.ire.org) that provides up-to-date coverage of the daily events of the convention as well as several in-depth stories, including a video package on the winners of the IRE awards.

The Web publication will allow not only convention participants but those who could not attend the sessions to have access to many of the discussions, story tips and training information.

Students from the schools are the publication’s reporters and photographers. The editors are faculty from the four schools, including American University SOC Director of Writing Programs Rose Ann Robertson, Medill Assistant Dean Ellen Shearer, Missouri Professor Wes Pippert, and Maryland Associate Dean Chris Callahan, Lecturer Steve Crane and Lecturer Adrianne Flynn. In addition, Medill Associate Professor Mary Coffman will supervise the video section of the site and American Journalism Division Director Wendell Cochran and Shearer will lead a computer-assisted reporting project for the site.

Cristina Chuang of Maryland designed the site, with advice from Medill New Media Chair Rich Gordon. Chuang created templates to ensure a used-friendly site for those putting out the daily stories; the site can be a model for future convention publications.

Shearer, who coordinated the project, said it not only provided useful information about the convention to journalists, but allowed about three dozen journalism students to learn from veteran reporters and editors on the panels and attend conferences.