New Media Project Serving Alhambra

JOYCE LAM
Editor in Chief
As brilliant minds come up with new inventions, advancements are also being made in fields of media. Recently, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism launched a multilingual broadcasting website that focuses exclusively on our city of Alhambra.
This new website, dubbed Alhambra Source, aims to cover news stories happening around the city through a collaborative effort of local contributors, professional journalists, Annenberg college students and high school reporters. The content on the site is posted in Chinese, English and Spanish and has a variety of active contributors from a diverse group of people. The Alhambra Source functions as a local news magazine, covering broad topics from politics to education and even food and art. Through news stories, photos, and videos, the public can see what is happening around Alhambra.
“It’s been very rewarding to watch Alhambra residents from diverse backgrounds interact with the site and use it to address public issues, such as [the] high-speed rail, development on Main Street and emerging local artists,” said managing editor Daniela Gerson.
As for high school students, the Alhambra Source currently offers a program called Youth Feed. Its purpose is to train young high school journalists to learn fundamental skills, while exploring media storytelling about events in Alhambra. So far students have experimented with writing, photography and video as a different form of news reporting.
“The Youth Feed program really gives high school students the opportunity to explore journalism, and teaches them a variety of important [topics]. [Some of these] include writing techniques, photo composition, working on a deadline, and [vital speaking] skills,” said junior Elizabeth Gutierrez. “For me, photography is something I love, and being a part of the Youth Feed presented me with the opportunity to meet with a professional photographer and get plenty of tips.”
The program encourages students to take on their ambitions in learning article composition and interviewing skills.
“The Youth Feed encourages and nourishes all of the aspects of journalism, photography, and filming. Some people think that journalism is all writing, but it’s not; there are stories out there to be told with film and pictures as well,” said Gutierrez.
The Alhambra Source is close to home, with people in the community contributing to stories for the residents in the city and it’s only one click away.