YEREVAN, Armenia — On April 22, students in the first cohort of the Master of Arts in Multiplatform Journalism (MAMJ) program at the American University of Armenia (AUA) officially launched the news website The Brief during an event in AUA’s Media Lab.
From the summer 2025 semester to fall of this year, students worked with MAMJ professors on pioneering the site, developing editorial and ethics guidelines, a visual style guide, along with writing and producing stories.
“The kinds of hands-on learning students get to do as they have been involved in creating and running a news website has been invaluable,” said Dr. Shawn McIntosh, MAMJ program chair and director of the Center for Excellence in Journalism, who is also one of faculty advisors to The Brief, along with Maria Titizian, founder and editor-in-chief of EVN Report.
Dr. McIntosh stressed the importance of The Brief being an independent outlet for credibility and unbiased information, and added that being independent means securing its own funding. As an initiative, a group of students in a class he teaches, called Media Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is creating a sustainable business plan and using strategic communication as their class project to support the outlet.
Some students spoke at the event about what their experiences working on The Brief means to them. “The Brief gave us a newsroom before we even graduated,” said Lori Ishilian (MAMJ ’27), who was the initial editor-in-chief in the first three-week cycle and who oversaw the majority of the behind-the-scenes coordination. “As editor-in-chief, rotating through different roles, I got to apply everything at once: leadership, decision-making, and working under pressure. It’s exactly the kind of experience that prepares you for real journalism.”
The students in the first cohort have laid the groundwork to further develop the website when the second cohort of students start their studies in June, Dr. McIntosh said. “We plan to continue the simulated newsroom environment in the newsroom classes in the fall and spring semesters, as well as further develop more multimedia stories, including podcasts and a weekly online TV newscast,” he said.
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) was awarded USD 2,171,462.49 by the United States (U.S.) Department of State to establish an M.A. Program in Multiplatform Journalism and a Center for Excellence in Journalism within AUA’s CHSS. The Program has also established a partnership between AUA and Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University to collaborate on continuously improving the quality and content of journalism education and practice in Armenia.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
