It’s not every day a college student gets to report in a foreign country.
That’s how School of Journalism and Media junior Alexa Durben viewed the opportunity to participate in this summer’s Going on Assignment in Prague study abroad program.
It was also the aspiring newscaster’s first time traveling outside the United States.
“I’ve never been to Europe, so the fact that this was my first experience, it definitely was a treat to be able to go,” Durben said. “I would recommend Prague to anybody, and I would recommend this program to anybody.”
Going on Assignment in Prague provides students the opportunity to do hands-on reporting in a foreign country with assistance from Transitions, a nonprofit organization in Europe that offers journalism and media training programs.
“This year’s group was exceptional,” Professor Mark Harmon said. “They came up with good news story ideas, persisted when obstacles arose to their reporting, and crafted good news stories. They approached every day with enthusiasm, and took full advantage of the experience.”
The top stories from students are published in various outlets such as Prague Morning, an English media outlet in the Czech Republic, on the Transitions’ news site, and the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Senior Catherine Cox was one of the students who had the opportunity to have her work published in the Prague Morning this year. Cox worked on a story about an ongoing airport strike, noting this was her first time covering breaking news. She also got a story on homeless tours in Prague published on the Transitions news site.
She said traveling to Prague helped her grow as a writer and interviewer and feel more confident about approaching strangers for interviews. It was also her first time traveling abroad.
Durben relished the opportunity to report in Prague and, as an outsider, she had a perspective that made her curious and insightful about ideas to pitch that a resident of the city may not notice.
One of her favorite stories was about the “most beautiful garden she has ever seen” where, oddly, there were free-roaming peacocks. Durben said she thought it was strange and became curious about the backstory there. It had the added bonus of interesting visuals, making it a good choice for a multimedia piece.
Junior Alexius Brunson said she wanted to study abroad for a long time and this program was perfect for combining her career and travel goals.
Brunson plans to start her professional career as a multimedia journalist and work her way up to being a political reporter in Washington, D.C. Traveling to Prague as part of this program helped challenge her as an aspiring journalist and pushed her to track down sources, deal with tight deadlines, and pivot on story ideas.
“Being there made me a better reporter, and I walked away with friends and experiences that I don’t think I will be able to forget or get anywhere else,” Brunson said. “It has literally been my favorite experiential opportunity, and I would recommend everyone who can do it, to do it.”
If cost is a hindering factor, Brunson said the school offers a number of scholarships to help students overcome that obstacle and take advantage of the experience.
Beyond reporting, students said it was amazing visiting Prague. Cox said the city is very beautiful, adding some of her most memorable experiences from the trip were exploring the city and taking in its beauty.
As part of the program, students also meet with professional reporters who share their experiences in the field and visit various city sites, including media outlets such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Durben said she enjoyed her visit to the National Czech TV Station. Through the program, she met a Czech news anchor and was invited on a personal tour of the station.
She said it was really interesting to see a national newsroom, adding she has experience working at WVLT News in Knoxville, which broadcasts to a smaller market. She enjoyed how new, yet familiar, it felt as she toured the station, and it gave her confidence that she could work at a national station some day.
“I just feel like I have an entire new perspective on the industry and a new passion for it, too,” Durben said.