Two J-school projects named finalists in SXSW Interactive Awards

Two UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media projects have been selected as finalists in the student category of the SXSW Interactive Awards presented by Adobe. Reesenews.org and "Now What Argentina?" are each one of five projects in the category "devoted exclusively to the student designers who are refreshing this industry with new talent and new ideas."

Reesenews.org, an experimental digital news and audience research initiative that launched in November 2010, helps industries, companies and entrepreneurs create innovative solutions for content, advertising and marketing through student-based research and experimentation. Among many multi-platform stories, students have created and edited news packages of text, photo and video with iPhones; streamed live video with the use of mobile phones; and produced an interactive game that allows users to navigate NCAA guidelines for athletes. The project is made possible by the largest single gift by an individual to the school.

A month-long collaboration during summer 2010 between photojournalism students from the school and Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, “Now What Argentina?” documents life in Buenos Aires nearly a decade after the most devastating economic crisis in Argentina’s history. The project explores the history of the 2001 collapse, the adaptations of the resilient Argentine people and the enduring culture.

The winners will be announced at the 14th Annual SXSW Interactive Awards Ceremony in Austin on March 15.