A documentary on the global traffic in e-waste produced by students at the UBC Graduate School of Journalism airs on Frontline/World’s season finale on June 23.
Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground investigates the growing problems caused by the global trade in electronic waste.
Among the headline-grabbing findings, the students bought hard drive in Ghana which contained sensitive US Homeland data about military contracts.
The work was produced as part of an new course in International Reporting run by my colleague, Peter Klein.
But it was only possible due to an innovative funding approach that combines social entrepreneurship, journalism education and professional partnerships.
Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground came about thanks to a $1 million donation by Vancouver venture philanthropist Alison Lawton of Mindset Foundation to UBC’s Graduate School of Journalism.
The gift launched Canada’s first International Reporting course that sends students abroad to report on untold global stories.
Over the course of 10 years, the donation will enable 10 students to travel and produce international journalism for major media outlets focusing on broadcast and online.
But the donation is more than filling the gap left by news organisations as they close down foreign bureaus and cut back on spending.
A key part of the project is to prepare the next generation of journalists to report on an increasingly interconnected and complex world, examining existing practices and considering new ways to reflect on the world beyond our borders.
In the words of venture philanthropist Alison Lawton, who set up the Mindset Foundation:
My core philosophy has always been working with people, investing in human capital. This course will challenge students to look beyond the constraints of conventional mainstream media and examine the definition of conscientious reporting.
This is one potential model to consider as we seek to find ways of funding journalism. It invests in the journalists of tomorrow, while at the same time seeking to address under-reported stories and work in partnership with a major media outlet.
Filed under: academics, education, innovation, journalism , Alison Lawton, Frontline, Mindset Foundation



The challenge for the Obama administration will be maintaining a policy of communication, transparency and participation not just during the good times, but also when the new president comes under fire for difficult decisions.
Susan Mernit was in Vancouver on Monday for a 
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=5d8d15e9-7e52-4e93-a305-186dd7e05c63)

Recent Comments