'A perfect match': The Durham VOICE celebrates 10th anniversary in print

The Durham VOICE — a news publication serving the northeast central Durham community — celebrates its 10th anniversary in print this month. The first print edition of the spring will be published Feb. 21. 

First launched in August 2009 as an online publication, the VOICE is based on the idea of community journalism. It provides local news and features to and about members of this Durham community. 

The publication involves journalism students at UNC and North Carolina Central University, along with high school teens from the area. 

The first print edition was published in February 2010, with support from The Daily Tar Heel for its first year. Since then, the VOICE has been supported financially and logistically from a diverse set of partners, including grants and support from a variety of news organizations.  

The project was conceived by Jock Lauterer, a professor at UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media, as part of his MEJO 459 "Community Journalism" class. Students from his class — along with students from Professor Andy Bechtel's MEJO 557 "Advanced Editing" — contribute to the bi-weekly online and monthly paper editions.

In addition to honing their journalistic or copy-editing skills, students learn how to work with colleagues and how to navigate the writer-editor relationship, Bechtel and Lauterer said. 

"It was a perfect match from the start, and we have been doing it for 10 years," Bechtel said. “It has been a great opportunity for both of us and for the students to really get hands-on experience with real journalism.” 

Lauterer’s students are the reporters, photographers and mentors to the teen reporters, while Bechtel's students serve as the editors. The team is also made up of N.C. Central University  students, high school teens and members of Partners for Youth Opportunity. 

University students cover events and trend pieces, while only community members submit commentary or editorials, he said. 

Lauterer said the VOICE has become a way to serve a marginalized community that is commonly overlooked or misrepresented by the mainstream media. He also said giving his students on-the-ground reporting experience has transformed the way they learn and made in-class discussions of ethical journalism more impactful. 

He said the VOICE is resilient because students cover trends and uncomfortable topics from an optimistic angle, including what is being done to resolve them. 

Lauterer’s class also takes a human-centered approach to all the steps of a news publication. He said the students' first assignment is to write an observation piece of the community, followed by a Durham bus tour, which he says shows students “the good, the bad and the ugly.” 

Students also deliver the 2,000 monthly print copies in-person to about 60 drop spots around Durham. 

Lauterer said a challenge of having his students work on the VOICE is that they report on a community they may not belong to, making them potential "parachute journalists." He said this is an ethical question he and his students grapple with during class. 

Landon Bost, a junior majoring in journalism and Hispanic linguistics, is the chief photographer and photo editor for the VOICE. 

Bost said working for the publication has taught him the importance of being present and persistent. Not only has he learned to photograph different scenarios, but he has also gained experience in showing up in person to better capture a community. 

One of the primary lessons he has learned, he said, is “putting myself out there and not being afraid.”

Lauterer sees different aspects of working on the VOICE as learning experiences.  

“It’s a class that forces you to bring everything you’ve got, as a journalist, together,” Lauterer said. 

university@dailytarheel.com