The College of Journalism and Mass Communications has been selected by Google News Lab to be a part of an international cohort of 49 journalism schools that will receive the same level of training and support that Google has provided to journalists in newsrooms. This cohort will be called the Google News Lab University Network.

The network will provide in-person training when possible and online training materials to professors and students on topics ranging from trust and verification, immersive storytelling, data journalism and Google Trends. The news lab will also promote academic journalism projects that use Google tools.

“Having access to these materials – and the input of all the other members of the network – will help us bring meaningful examples and exercises from the field into the classroom,” said Matt Waite, professor of practice.

Google News Lab was first drawn to Nebraska due to a recent interaction with the college while putting on the Drone Journalism Boot Camp. The camp was Aug. 12-14. Waite and college alumnus Ben Kreimer led the three-day workshop to help journalists prepare for the Federal Aviation Administration’s knowledge test through a mix of practice tests, hands-on flight practice and discussions on the journalism ethics involved in drone use.

“The college is working very hard to be on the forefront of the digital revolution in storytelling, and this is another way for our faculty and students to have the latest tools and processes in journalism available to them,” Waite said. “To be chosen as part of the News Lab University Network is a statement on where we are and the trajectory we’re on.”