By KIONNA COMER
J Alumni News staff
Matt Buxton
Matt Buxton’s deep interest in telling stories has paid off in a big way for the senior news-editorial major.
Last summer, Buxton learned new ways to tell stories by participating in the Summer Fellowships for Young Journalists — a highly selective program at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. Buxton is now using those techniques as editor-in-chief of the Daily Nebraskan.
“While the skills I was learning focused on multimedia, they were really universal,” Buxton said in an e-mail. “Overall, the experience really showed me the power of a good story.”
Buxton, 21, said the fellowship helped him to see new possibilities in multimedia journalism and also made him curious about the future of journalism.
Originally from Portland, Ore., Buxton came to the J school determined to be a photographer, but he soon discovered an interest in Web development, production and multimedia.
“People want to experience a story in multiple forms,” Buxton said. “You don’t have to be a master at everything. Just understanding helps structure coverage. “
Buxton has had many opportunities to develop his interest in multimedia storytelling. He has been deputy editor-in-chief and assistant photo editor for the DN and has interned on campus at the Center for Applied Rural Innovation. Next summer he’ll be part of the News 21 Fellowship Program, interning at the University of California Berkeley.
Sue Burzynski Bullard, a J school associate professor, suggested Buxton apply for the Poynter Fellowship and recommended him for it.
“In my beat reporting class, he was one of the students who seemed the most interested in multimedia and learning about telling stories over different platforms,” Bullard said.
Buxton said the fellowship was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“I didn’t have an internship at the time,” he said. “It seemed like an awesome experience.”
About 1,000 students applied for the fellowship, and only 39 were chosen to participate. The Poynter Web site describes the fellowship program as “a six-week long program for recent college grads from around the world. As the students fine-tune their skills in design, photography, graphics and reporting, they’re asked to think about new ideas for collaboration and ethical decision-making.”
The program tuition was free but attendees had to provide their own travel and hotel accommodations.
Sara Dickenson Quinn, who coordinates the program for Poynter, said she was happy to have Buxton in the program.
“He came to us with a diverse set of skills — photography, writing, design and so much more. He quickly became a leader within the group, helping others to understand the possibilities with storytelling and the Web.”
The fellowship’s aim is to “broaden the interests of students and new grads — to help prepare them for their first jobs,” Quinn said. “Matt was well on his way from the moment he walked in the doors of Poynter. We loved having him here.”
And Buxton loved it. Each day, he said, was an inspiration.
“There were dynamic professors and students, left and right,” Buxton said.
He learned about ethics, media law and interviewing. He also took part in an intensive story-telling project.
Each student was assigned a specific geographic area and a diverse range of stories and was to produce a two-to-three minute multimedia project.
In the late afternoons and evenings, Buxton was sent out on the streets of St. Petersburg to connect with the people and to find a story to tell. He started off by talking to the homeless. He ended up working on the topic of tattoos and met a man named Evil Don, a tattoo artist. Buxton got to know this artist and took an in-depth look at tattooing and this particular tattoo artist.
Through interviews, stories, observing Evil Don tattooing and through visiting his home and family, Buxton said he discovered that “evil” is just a word. Buxton’s multimedia piece on Evil Don is at inked.mattbuxton.com.
While studying at Poynter, Buxton said he grew as a journalist and made lifelong connections with people who share his passion.
“I learned that you can’t forget the reporting and that it’s not just about the flashy online stuff,” Buxton said. “There are wide ranges of tools available to tell a story. It’s up to you to figure out how to use them. Students need to pick up more than a pen.”
As journalism takes new twists and turns, Buxton said he has high expectations for its future.
“Hopefully, if people get their heads right, there will be more innovation. A time will hopefully come where there’s more than just video and audio slides. We have to think about what people want to see. No one has had to think about that before,” Buxton said. “We have to be more aware in the future.”
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