Nine Missouri School of Journalism students selected to contribute to DETOUR, Ron Stodghill’s new multimedia travel magazine

Nine Missouri School of Journalism students selected to contribute to DETOUR, Ron Stodghill’s new multimedia travel magazine

Columbia, Mo. (Jan. 24, 2022) — DETOUR, an innovative publishing startup aimed at a fast-growing market of Black travelers, has selected nine students at the Missouri School of Journalism to work with industry professionals to develop editorial content, social media and brand strategy.    

The multimedia travel magazine — which plans to launch this spring and bills itself as the “world’s best stories in black travel” — was founded by Ron Stodghill, Meredith Endowed Chair for Service Journalism, and a team of veterans in media, technology, education, and business. Stodghill, an acclaimed, veteran travel writer for the New York Times and other publications, said DETOUR represents a new chapter in magazine publishing at the Missouri School of Journalism and an opportunity to identify, train, and nurture future leaders in media.  

“My goal is to connect our students to the diverse mix of journalists, strategic communicators, and thought leaders thriving at the creative edges of our profession,” said Stodghill, who is also an associate professor at the School. “DETOUR’s approach to travel storytelling through an authentic Black lens, and our unique publishing model built around industry partnerships, will train students to report, write, edit, and produce across various media platforms, as well as offer invaluable mentorship opportunities.”  

The nine students will assist with the production of the magazine through independent study as well as in Stodghill’s magazine publishing course at the School, in which students will write and edit stories, develop a social media campaign and otherwise contribute to the production of the magazine, which will feature the work of award-winning journalists, writers, historians, photographers, illustrators, and filmmakers. In fact, the students’ first assignment has already been assigned: over winter break, they produced travel stories based on their hometowns.  

The application process included an interview with Stodghill and an essay questionnaire reviewed by DETOUR’s team. Detour’s cohort of 2022 student correspondents from the School of Journalism are:  

  • Zuleidi de Carvalho
  • Olivia Gyapong
  • Mikayla Higgins
  • Lianna Johnson
  • Wuraola Layiwola
  • Fairriona Magee
  • Chelsi Peter
  • Michael Sapp
  • Elena Wilson  

To learn more about DETOUR, visit the magazine’s website at https://detourxp.com.  

Updated: September 8, 2022

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