Borderzine, a bilingual online magazine launched by the University of Texas at El Paso, has initiated a program that will train Latino student journalists. The program was launched with the aid of a grant by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The goal of the program is to prepare student journalists for media careers after college, with an emphasis on digital media.
Directed by Zita Arocha, Borderzine began as an El Paso student publication at the University in 2007. Now with its national reach, the online magazine will expand to develop a pipeline of student contributors from other universities that serve large Hispanic communities. Imperial Valley College in Southern California, which has an 80 percent Hispanic student body, is Borderzine’s first official partner.
The grant also will support hiring a Web master, purchasing digital recording tools and expanding the network of media outlets that recruit Borderzine writers for internships and full-time positions.
Borderzine was started with a seed grant from Ford Foundation. Through the online publication and the support to its writers, the University is helping address the national challenge of recruiting and retaining Latino journalists prepared to work in English and Spanish media.
Hispanics make up just 4.4% of the nation’s news workforce, compared to comprising 15 percent of its population. Borderzine is a project of the university, with participation by the UTEP Department of Communication.