Journalism students partner with ICT News for real-life experience

“There is only so much journalism that can be taught in a classroom—the rest comes from writing stories and doing projects outside the classroom. It’s cool to have your work show up in real publications. And it looks really good on my portfolio, which is an extra bonus!” says Taylor Hanson ’25, an organizational communication major and journalism minor. Her upper-level journalism course Writing for Social Change partnered with ICT News, an independent nonprofit news organization that covers the stories of Indigenous people. Over the course of the semester, students worked one-on-one with three professional Indigenous editors from ICT to write and publish more than a dozen stories—most of them profiles of Native women making a difference in their communities.

“It was a really cool opportunity that pushed me out of my comfort zone. Before the class I didn't know a lot about Indigenous culture, so it was a good experience to write about things that I had never been exposed to,” says Hanson, who is also editor of The Clarion, Bethel’s award-winning, student-produced newspaper. “It was nice to get edits from other perspectives. It felt in a unique way like a newsroom almost.” Through the partnership, Hanson wrote a story about Leya Hale, a producer for Twin Cities PBS.

“We believe in giving student journalists authentic and hands-on experiences, such as working with editors at ICT or the Racket or the Pioneer Press,” says Journalism Professor Scott Winter. “It’s a pathway to not just internships and jobs, but success in those jobs. Students will either get very excited about the work or they'll find out, early, if it’s not for them.”

For Devanie Andre ’25, the experience was both professional and personal—she is of Sicangu Lakota descent and from Mission, South Dakota. “I have struggled with my cultural identity, and it was important for me to hear from these Native women who all had different childhoods and connections to their cultural identity,” says Andre, a graphic design major with a photojournalism minor. “Getting to photograph these Native women, sit in on interviews, and talk to them about their stories was very uplifting. They have accomplished some big things, given back to their communities, and strongly represented Native women.”

Andre took photos and videos and created graphics for her classmates’ stories. She met and photographed Minnesota Senator Mary Kunesh of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; Lucie Skjefte, Red Lake Nation Anishinaabe artist and designer; and Delina White, a Native apparel designer and jewelry maker of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. She also took photos at the American Indian Day on the Hill at the Capitol in St. Paul and created a graphic for a story about basketball player Lakota Beatty of the Caddo Nation.

“Indigenous women aren't voiceless,” says Winter. “They’re the leaders of their families and tribes, but they are undercovered in media. We wanted to do something about that.”

To get inspired to write and produce this kind of “big-idea journalism,” as Winter calls it, the class read “The Girl in the Window,” which was written by Lane DeGregory, a Pulitzer Prize-winning feature writer for the Tampa Tribune. Then, students got to meet her and ask questions via Zoom. “It was cool to get to ask her questions after we had spent so much time on her work,” says Andre. “I learned a lot of insightful tips on story observation and reporting.”

Hanson says her biggest takeaway from DeGregory’s writing is the relationship she creates with her sources: “When you read her writing you can just tell that her source trusted her, and she really cared about telling their story in a kind and gracious way.”

Hanson, Andre, and their classmates then practiced these journalistic values in their work with ICT and interactions with Indigenous women. See all of the stories from this partnership published here.

Study literature, writing, and journalism

In Bethel’s Department of English and Journalism, you’ll discern what it means to be a Christian reader and writer in a world searching for strong, wise voices. And you’ll have chances to work alongside experienced faculty, study abroad, contribute to in-house publications, and intern through local media outlets. 

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