Bear News is the student-produced newscast for the University of Northern Colorado. The purpose of the newscast is to give Journalism students real-life experience and provide news and information to the UNC community.
Journalism students work each week to create content for the newscast. A show is produced each Monday and Friday.
Students create packages, VO/SOTS, or readers each week to be produced and shown on the broadcast. At the beginning of the semester, students enrolled in the class choose a “job” for the semester. They choose from an anchor, video journalist, reporter, producer, technical director, or management role.
Assistant Professor, Shawn Montano, said, “The overall showcase of what students can do in Bear News is better than any other newscast in Colorado… college newscast.”
Bear News is a required course for students majoring in journalism, but most students think of this class as an internship. Montano says that only some students get this type of experience from other courses. Bear News helps students gain real-life experience with working and simulating a newsroom.
News Director Emma Gollob said Bear News is her favorite class. “I don’t even know if I would call it a class because it feels real, and it is something I can put on my resume and have stuff to show for it.”
Montano uses critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity as a principal for Bear News.
“They are doing all of these with doing projects, the newscast together, being as creative as they can doing the newscast or creating the packages. So, they are learning, even though they do not know they are learning.”
Most students who take the class are Seniors who have learned writing, editing, and design.
“I am a little sad to be leaving in a month, but I am excited to go into the world that this class has prepared me for,” Gollob said.
