Capital News Service Bureaus

Capital News Service operates four bureaus: Annapolis, Washington, College Park Studio C (online) and College Park Studio B (broadcast). All four bureaus are directed by a professional journalist and educator and operated as working, professional newsrooms.

Annapolis Bureau

Located blocks from the Statehouse, the CNS Annapolis bureau has more reporters dedicated to covering Maryland politics and policy than any other news organization in Maryland. Bureau Director Rafael Lorente, a former Washington correspondent for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, can be reached at rlorente@jmail.umd.edu or 410-626-1008.

Masters students and undergrads work as multimedia reporters. The bureau operates Tuesday – Friday. Masters students work all four days. Undergrads have the option of working part-time (two days a week) or full-time (four days a week).

Annapolis Bureau Multimedia Reporter Duties

Each student covers a beat on a core CNS topic and provides deadline-driven, continuous coverage of issues on that beat. Students also cover a legislative delegation.
Students develop enterprise, investigative and data-driven computer-assisted reporting (CAR) stories on their beat.
Students tell stories using text, audio, video, photos, audio slideshows, interactive graphics, maps, data visualization and other multimedia methods.
Students make extensive use of social media as part of their reporting and storytelling.
Students engage in basic Web production (code their text stories and multimedia elements and upload them to CNS Web site, write SEO friendly headlines and promote their stories on social media channels).
Students rotate (at the discretion of the bureau chiefs) through the Studio C bureau to assist with advanced Web production, audience engagement, social media production, and to obtain advanced instruction in multimedia production.
Students will cooperate with students in other bureaus on individual assignments as directed by the bureau chiefs.

Washington Bureau

Located in the National Press Building between the White House and the Capitol, the CNS Washington bureau has more reporters dedicated to covering the federal government’s impact on Maryland than any other news organization in the state. Bureau Director Adrianne Flynn, a former Washington correspondent for the Arizona Republic, can be reached at aflynn@jmail.umd.edu or 202-628-1677.

Washington Bureau Multimedia Reporter Duties

Each student covers a beat on a core CNS topic and provides deadline-driven, continuous coverage of issues on that beat. Students also cover a member of Congress from Maryland.
Students develop enterprise, investigative and data-driven computer-assisted reporting (CAR) stories on their beat.
Students tell stories using text, audio, video, photos, audio slideshows, interactive graphics, maps, data visualization and other multimedia methods.
Students make extensive use of social media as part of their reporting and storytelling.
Students engage in basic Web production (code their text stories and multimedia elements and upload them to CNS Web site, write SEO friendly headlines and promote their stories on social media channels).
Students rotate (at the discretion of the bureau chiefs) through the Studio C bureau to assist with advanced Web production, audience engagement, social media production, and to obtain advanced instruction in multimedia production.
Students will cooperate with students in other bureaus on individual assignments as directed by the bureau chiefs.

College Park Studio C (Online Hub)

Located on the third floor of Knight Hall, Studio C (formerly called the online bureau) is the digital nerve center of the CNS operation. Students in this bureau develop deeply reported, innovative multimedia packages. They serve as lead producers for CNS’ destination Web site, social media channels and help test innovative new ideas to advance the practice of journalism. Bureau Director Sean Mussenden, a former statehouse and Washington correspondent and Web editor for the Orlando Sentinel and Media General News Service, can be reached at 301-405-2530 or smussend@jmail.umd.edu.

Masters students and undergrads work as multimedia reporters and/or Web producers. The bureau operates Tuesday – Friday. Masters students work all four days, splitting their time between advanced Web production and multimedia reporting. Undergrads have the option of working part-time (one or two days a week) as Web producers; part-time (one or two days a week) as multimedia reporters; or full-time (four days a week), splitting their time between Web production and multimedia reporting.

Studio C Multimedia Reporter/Web Producer Duties (Masters and full-time undergrads)

Students will develop a deeply reported, enterprise/investigative multimedia package on one of the core CNS topics. As part of this package, students will conceptualize and test innovative storytelling methods.
Students will produce daily coverage on core CNS topics as warranted.
Students will conceptualize and build new, innovative features to extend the functionality of the CNS Web site.
Students will serve as frontline editors and producers of the CNS Website, filling two key roles on a rotating basis:
News Editor: Works with bureau chiefs to determine positioning of stories uploaded to Merrill site. Rewrites headlines based on SEO best practices. Monitors Web traffic metrics and runs daily/weekly reports. Works with students in other bureaus to develop advanced multimedia/interactive/graphic content to accompany deadline stories.
Social Media Editor: Monitors and coordinates CNS social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, et cetera). Monitors and edits comments posted to CNS Web site. Coordinates aggregation of content from CNS partners.
Students will rotate (at the discretion of the bureau chiefs) through the Annapolis and Washington bureaus to assist with deadline-driven coverage and/or report for enterprise/investigative multimedia package.
Students will cooperate with students in other bureaus on individual assignments as directed by the bureau chiefs.

Studio C Multimedia Reporter Duties (Part-time undergrads)

Students will develop a deeply reported, enterprise/investigative multimedia package on one of the core CNS topics. As part of this package, students will conceptualize and test innovative storytelling methods.
Students will produce daily coverage on core CNS topics as warranted.
Students will rotate (at the discretion of the bureau chiefs) through the Annapolis and Washington bureaus to assist with deadline-driven coverage and/or report for enterprise/investigative multimedia package.
Students will cooperate with students in other bureaus on individual assignments as directed by the bureau chiefs.

Studio C Web Producer Duties (Part-time undergrads)

Students will serve as frontline editors and producers of the CNS Website, filling two key roles on a rotating basis:
News Editor: Works with bureau chiefs to determine positioning of stories uploaded to Merrill site. Rewrites headlines based on SEO best practices. Monitors Web traffic metrics and runs daily/weekly reports. Works with students in other bureaus to develop advanced multimedia/interactive/graphic content to accompany deadline stories.
Social Media Editor: Monitors and coordinates CNS social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, et cetera). Monitors and edits comments posted to CNS Web site. Coordinates aggregation of content from CNS partners.
Students will conceptualize and help build new, innovative features to extend the functionality of the CNS Web site.

College Park Studio B (Broadcast)

Located in the Richard Eaton Broadcast Center in Tawes Hall, Studio B houses the broadcast arm of Capital News Service. Students produce video packages (Watch on YouTube) for our student-produced nightly news program, Maryland Newsline, which airs on the Web and UMTV, where it is broadcast to more than 400,000 households in suburban Washington. They also help produce Web video, text and multimedia packages. Director Sue Kopen Katcef, a former reporter and anchor for WBAL Radio, WJZ-TV and Maryland Public Television, can be reached at 301-405-7526 or susiekk@aol.com.

Masters students and undergrads work as broadcast/multimedia reporters. The bureau operates Tuesday-Friday. Masters and undergrads work all four days.

Studio B Broadcast/Multimedia Reporter Duties

Students will cover a beat on a core CNS topic and produce breaking news, investigative and enterprise video packages for the Web and Maryland Newsline, a nightly student-produced newscast.
Students will serve in a variety of behind-the-scenes and on-air roles to help produce Maryland Newsline.
Students will do basic Web production (uploading their video packages to the CNS Web site; writing text versions and SEO friendly headlines of their Web packages).
Students will make extensive use of social media as part of their reporting and storytelling.
Students will rotate through the Studio C bureau (at the discretion of the bureau chiefs) to assist with advanced Web production and to develop multimedia components to accompany their video stories.
Students will cooperate with students in other bureaus on individual assignments as directed by the bureau chiefs.

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