'Foca EPronto': EP Group launches unprecedented university journalism competition

Foca EPronto will give R$5,000 and writing experience to Journalism students Ricardo Custódio/EPTV The EP Group launched, this Wednesday (19), "Foca EPronto", an unprecedented university journalism competition. The project, in partnership with PUC-Campinas, offers students the opportunity to develop reports accompanied by professionals from EPTV, g1 and CBN. The best project will receive prizes - see details below. CHECK OUT THE REGULATIONS HERE For the launch, journalists from Globo and g1 were invited to teach a master class at PUC-Campinas with the theme "Journalism, AI and new formats: what remains while everything changes?". See the participants below: Luiza Tenente, education reporter at g1 since 2015 and presenter of “g1 em 1 Minuto”. She directed the documentary “Tô aqui, meu brother” and received journalism awards in the area of ??Education; Ben-Hur Correia, coordinator of Globo's Journalism Strategy Center, specialist in the adoption of artificial intelligence in newsrooms and professor at PUC-Rio and PUC-MG; Pedro Bassan, journalist for 34 years and 29 at TV Globo. He was a correspondent in China and Portugal and covered eight Olympics, eight World Cups and five Formula 1 seasons. The proposal of "Foca EPronto" is to bring university students closer to professional practice. Throughout the project, participants will attend workshops, agenda meetings and mentoring, in addition to producing reports and having contact with the editorial staff of EP Group outlets. For Arthur Menicucci, web content supervisor at g1 Campinas and g1 Piracicaba, this approach allows for an exchange between professionals who are already in the market and those who are still preparing to enter it. "This profession is a daily learning process and, to this day, I still learn a lot. Experience brings a little more repertoire, and I think that's a little of what we also want to bring with this project. We felt the need to bring the vehicles of our group closer to the academy, so that this exchange is fruitful for both sides", he highlighted. The director of the Faculty of Journalism at PUC-Campinas, Rogério Bazi, highlighted that the project also increases students' contact with the routine of a newsroom. “This project that we signed with the EP Group is outstanding, because it works with students on multimedia reports and increasingly favors what we understand as a necessary experience for the student who is here, with the approach to the market and the newsroom”, said Bazi. To participate, students must form groups of three to five members and present a report proposal designed for television, radio and the internet. ? How to participate Registration began this Wednesday (19th) and continues until September 7th. Each group will be able to present an agenda proposal necessarily linked to the Campinas region. When registering, you will need to inform: the topic and a brief justification; the agendas and hooks provided for each platform; possible sources; how the report will be worked on a multiplatform basis; the group members. Menicucci instructed students to offer topics of interest to local journalism. "The reporter who is on the street is recognized because he does the work of community journalism, of looking at the city, finding the problems and giving a voice to those who need to be heard through journalism. I think the main thing is this: finding ways to tell stories that have not yet been told", he said. Bazi also highlighted that, even in the face of technological transformations in the profession, investigation remains at the center of the training of future journalists. "We prepare the student who arrives here at the university to do journalism with great rigor in investigation. So, we understand that, in addition to being a journalist who works in a multimedia market, he must always keep in mind that investigation is fundamental", he highlighted. The best proposals will be selected for an agenda meeting with EP Group professionals. At this stage, students will be able to defend their ideas, receive guidance and improve their projects. Afterwards, a new selection will define the groups that will proceed to the production phase. ?? It is worth highlighting that the project does not include, in this edition, topics related to sports journalism. ? Different platforms Director of the Faculty of Journalism at PUC-Campinas, Rogério Bazi Ricardo Custódio/EPTV The groups that advance will have to develop a report with content in different formats: video; audio, for radio or podcast; multimedia content, with text and at least two other resources, such as photo, video, infographic, audio, gif or interactivity. During this phase, students will be able to receive online mentoring from journalists from CBN, g1 and EPTV. The finished work will be presented to a panel made up of professors from PUC-Campinas and professionals nominated by the EP Group vehicles. Among the criteria will be: relevance and public interest; creativity; quality of the investigation; diversity of sources; integration between platforms; and language innovation. Foca EPronto's proposal is to bring university students closer to professional practice Ricardo Custódio/EPTV ? Prize: experience in newsrooms and funding The group that presents the best multiplatform content will receive R$5,000 in prizes to invest in their own professional development, in addition to a first place certificate. The award also seeks recognition for good work: the winning report will be complemented, re-edited and finalized by EP Group outlets for publication on g1, CBN, EPTV and the outlets' social networks. Members will also be able to follow part of this process in the newsrooms. The winners may also have the opportunity to spend up to two months in the EP Group's newsrooms, according to availability and the organization's rules. 3rd year students may also be sent to the final stage of selection