As part of the Village Voice's education supplement, the alt-weekly talks to several 2009 graduates from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism about what it feels like to enter an industry that many are proclaiming to be near death. Surprisingly, they remain upbeat about the future and feel prepared to take part in the rebirth of the news industry. "If you look at it differently, it's an exciting time in journalism," one recent grad says. "People are trying to come up with solutions to find out what the future is going to be."

Continue ReadingColumbia J-School Grads Remain ‘Excited and Hopeful’

"We're grateful to the alt-weekly media for its fearless journalism, and we remain as committed as ever to training the kinds of journalists you're looking for," says Columbia J-School in a press release issued this morning. The AAN associate-member organization continues: "The current class is dominated by aspiring long-form narrative writers who have their sights set on alternative weekly journalism and are eager to step into entry-level jobs and internships."

Continue ReadingColumbia Journalism School’s Career Expo is March 28 in NYC

Ling Ma, a 2008 graduate of the Academy for Alternative Journalism, wrote this week's Chicago Reader cover story about the city's Museum of Holography and a controversial bank loan that may spell the museum's demise. The yearly academy trains young journalists in long-form feature writing with the aim of recruiting them into the alternative press. MORE: Read Ma's blog about reporting the story here.

Continue ReadingAAN Diversity-Program Alum Pens Cover Story