VCU’s Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a flagship program of the School of Mass Communications. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginia ’s community newspapers, under the direction of Associate Professor Jeff South. The free news service operates during spring semesters, when the General Assembly is in session.

Associate Professor Wilma Wirt established CNS in 1994 to give VCU’s journalism students an opportunity to actively cover and write about the Virginia General Assembly and to give the state’s non-daily newspapers better access to the legislature. Wirt deemed this as important in the everyday lives of all Virginians.

Note to editors:

Want localized coverage of the General Assembly during the next legislative session? Virginia Commonwealth University ’s journalism program can provide it.

VCU’s School of Mass Communications operates Capital News Service (CNS). This free service delivers customized state government news for Virginia’s community newspapers.

Under CNS, a senior-level student will serve as your correspondent in Richmond, handling assignments that you’ve requested. CNS will follow the legislators, bills and issues that affect your readers the most.

At your request, students will do stories on bill filings, committee meetings and floor action; they will get your legislators’ reactions to developments at the Capitol; they will profile local residents involved in state government; and they will file a weekly roundup of legislative news, with localized quotes and other information.

Associate Professor Jeff South will edit the stories. He has 20 years’ experience as a reporter and editor in Norfolk, Phoenix, Dallas and Austin. South was the state editor of the Austin American-Statesman before coming to VCU.

He will confirm story assignments with you, supervise the reporting, edit students’ stories and deliver them to you by e-mail or fax to meet your deadlines. CNS can update stories for your Web site between editions. Students also can act as photographers.

There is no charge for CNS. Client newspapers are asked only to send students clippings of their published stories. Since the program’s inception, CNS students have amassed thousands of clippings for their portfolios.

To sign up as a CNS client, contact Jeff South at (804) 827-0253 or e-mail jcsouth@vcu.edu.

VCU’s Capital News Service

Note to editors:

Sampling of CNS client newspapers

Northern Virginia

Northwest Virginia

Richmond suburbs

Western Virginia

East-Central Virginia

Other