The celebration of journalism will be hosted by Point Park University.

By Nya O’Neal, Mon Valley Independent

Newsapalooza, a first-of-its-kind event for Pittsburgh in celebration and support of journalism, will be held Sept. 26 to 28 at Point Park University and its Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Presented by the university’s Center for Media Innovation, the day will include national and local experts, sessions, discussions and hands-on media-making activities The goal of the event is to engage local citizens into the news and media process, to connect neighbors together and have their stories be told by them. Participants will get a chance to learn how to create a podcast and make their own content. There will even be a live pitch session where the audience chooses which story will be funded and pursued.

Center for Media Innovation Director Dr. Andrew Conte invites the public to come with an open mind, bring their ideas and be ready to have fun.

“Anyone can be content creators now, if you have a phone or a laptop you have the ability to create anything,” Conte said.

High school and college students are encouraged to attend. Duquesne University, University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris University and Chatham University are among the participating event partners.

Newsapalooza also will act as the official launch for the next Center for Media Innovation project — the Next Generation Newsroom, a teaching program that fills gaps in local reporting, creates career pathways for early-career journalists and reaches a combined 6 million people through 29 publishing partners.

The Center has long been a champion and supporter of journalism, and both its Pittsburgh Media Partnership and Downtown Pittsburgh Media Hub serve to provide resources to regional news outlets. Its McKeesport Community Newsroom continues to support citizen journalism and storytelling in the Mon Valley.

The Mon Valley Independent is a member of the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

The Center for Media Innovation is a working space that offers networking opportunities, informative events and discussions. This space is tailored to journalists and offers many resources to engage the community to participate in media.

CMI has also presented the Pittsburgh Downtown Media Hub, a shared newsroom for local journalists. The space is shared by six news outlets: City Cast Pittsburgh, The Incline, Next Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Independent, QBurgh and Storyburgh, as well as the Pittsburgh Women’s Press Club.

Students are invited to use the space, which is within walking distance of Point Park’s downtown campus, for their own projects and network with industry professionals. The space is outfitted with a podcast studio, audio and video equipment. Students are encouraged to reserve the space to bring their ideas to life.

The events will be in downtown Pittsburgh and spread across the region. For more information or to purchase a ticket, visit http://www.nextgenerationnewsroom. org/newsapalooza. Purchases before July 1 will include a 20% early bird discount.

Nya O’Neal is a student at Howard University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns. Nya is interning with the Mon Valley Independent.