McClatchy-Tribune News Service, a news service that distributes media to 1,200 clients worldwide, has made an agreement with ASU to distribute Cronkite News Service content, a partnership that is adding national exposure for students working for the school’s wire service.
The partnership has already resulted in publication of stories written by students working in the Washington, D.C., bureau of CNS this summer. Nick Newman’s story on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ surprise return to Washington to cast a vote on the debt-limit bill was picked up by the Seattle Times.
“There’s something different when you see your byline in the Seattle Times and you’ve got your clips in better-recognized news organizations,” said Newman, who worked at the D.C. bureau and just earned his master’s degree from the Walter Cronkite School. “People have clicked on my LinkedIn (profile) a little more.”
Newman said the added exposure of his work is something that will help him during his job search.
“I think it’s a great opportunity because before you expected your articles would be distributed to mostly Arizona clients,” he said. “Now the reach is bigger, and that just changes a lot of things.”
Cronkite School Dean Christopher Callahan said the partnership demonstrates the respect Cronkite News Service has within the journalism industry.
“(It’s) a high-quality journalistic product. It’s a known product,” Callahan said. “It speaks so incredibly well of our talented students.”
Callahan said the partnership with McClatchy-Tribune is one of many being taken to advance CNS distribution.
“We’ve actually started a relationship with the Associated Press and the next step is partnerships with more platforms, possibly television,” he said.
Steve Crane, director of the D.C. bureau of CNS, said that partnerships with distribution services like McClatchy-Tribune are mutually beneficial because the student-produced work often goes through more rigorous editing than what a lot of professional work is given these days.
“They know one of the advantages of working with a news service like Cronkite is (the stories) have been edited like you can’t guarantee with any old stringer,” Crane said, “It’s a win-win.”
Crane added that the new distribution partnership is only a taste of things to come for CNS.
“What it’s going to be in 5 or 10 years, it’s impossible to know … (that is) the beauty of a program like this.”
Contact the reporter at Jamie.Killin@asu.edu
