Exploring a culture related but different
In the mid-summer of 2009, students from universities across the United States gathered in Northern Ireland to study the techniques of multimedia journalism. Working with five American educators and an Irish cultural historian from County Tyrone, the 14 students quickly discovered common language and shared heritage do not always make reporting easy.
As a land recovering from decades of conflict, Northern Ireland and its people still bear scars – physical and emotional. The "Troubles" as the most recent conflict is known, became an ever-present element of the students' experience. Barbed wire and political graffitti were as common as the new buildings and public spaces funded by international money to support the peace agreement. But like the weather that varied from sunny to rain with each passing breeze, every discussion about stories to report was inevitably clouded by the need for political and religious awareness.
The peace the people of Ireland now work to maintain is built on the faith of individuals willing to work toward a common goal. The story packages in this site reflect the best efforts of students who learned as much about cooperation as they did about journalism.