JCU Students Participate in International Journalism Festival in Ferrara
Six JCU students participated in the annual Internazionale a Ferrara, an international journalism festival held in Ferrara, Italy from September 29 to October 1.
This is the first time that a JCU delegation has attended the festival, which kicked off in 2007 to promote world journalism. Students Amber Alexander, Annalucia Scotto di Clemente, Eleonora Prior, Gea Villa, Michela Noris, and Vishwa Parmar are all members of The Matthew (JCU’s student-led newspaper). They were chaperoned by Assistant Director of Student Services Federica Bocco.
This year’s edition of the festival celebrated the 30th anniversary of Internazionale, an independent weekly news magazine founded in 1993 that selects articles from the international press and translates them into Italian. The festival featured 115 meetings and 12 workshops, with speakers and guests from Italy, Libya, Ukraine, the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries. It largely focused on artificial intelligence and its impact on journalism, particularly on the process of researching and writing articles. The presentations ranged from politics and culture in Italy and abroad, to ecological transition through technological innovation, giving guests the opportunity to express their ideas and engage with experts in the field.
The wide range of topics covered at the conferences allowed participants to follow what they were most interested in and to learn more about the behind-the-scenes process of producing a newspaper. “Being surrounded by so many like-minded individuals who all share a love for journalism really strengthened my passion for the profession and encouraged me to pursue my dreams in this field,” said Michela Noris, Vice President of STAND and new staff writer of The Matthew.
“Internazionale a Ferrara was an amazing experience,” said Amber Alexander, editor of The Matthew and English Literature student representative. Amber had also participated in the International Journalism Festival in Perugia in April with other student journalists from The Matthew. “I greatly appreciate John Cabot University for giving me the opportunity to listen to professional journalists talk about the pressing global issues that affect us,” she added.
The next edition of Internazionale a Ferrara is scheduled for October 4, 2024. The Student Services team hopes to make this a recurring opportunity for JCU students.
