For more than 60 years, The Daily Collegian has kept hundred of thousands of readers abreast of student, local and global news. But thanks to filmmaker Aaron Matthews of State College, it appears that for the first time ever people from across the nation will get a glimpse into just how the student newspaper manages to keep churning out its product.

Matthews had fielded the idea of making a documentary about the American news media for a number of years before moving to State College a year and a half ago and becoming aware of the Collegian.

"Right down the block from where I live is one of the greatest laboratories and training grounds for future journalists," Matthews said. He said he was anxious to see "what they're learning, how they're learning, what they do," in hopes that what he saw would shed light on the issue of media on a larger scale.

When Matthews approached the Collegian in spring 2004 about making a film to air on PBS, 2004-05 Editor in Chief Jimmy Young, a May graduate, was receptive.

"We were extremely excited when we first heard about (Matthews)," Young said. "It's basically a reality series based on the Collegian. I don't think anything like this has ever happened to any group at Penn State."

But May graduate Beth Allison, 2004-05 managing editor/design, initially had reservations.

"I wasn't totally comfortable with the idea," Allison said. "I was worried about being myself in front of the camera and being able to say things that needed to be said."

Ultimately, Matthews became a mainstay in the James Building newsroom. And for six weeks, he employed the services of an additional cameraman, funded by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), to help him capture the 300-plus hours of footage he has so far logged for the documentary.

"It really just became a part of the newsroom," Young said. "I can't imagine my senior year without the cameras at this point. You become accustomed to having a camera with you everywhere," including on his way to meet professors and at the gym.

"On really stressful days, I didn't want a camera anywhere near me," Young said.

Although he has amassed a huge amount of footage, Matthews will have to whittle it down to a trailer enticing enough to convince PBS to fund the rest of his project. He plans on continuing to shoot this fall and air the film sometime after.

"The film might come down to three or four stories that illustrate in broader strokes what our media is dealing with, what our media is about today, and what our young journalism students are learning and going through," Matthews said.

"You get a lot of these 'aha' moments where students are having to deal with objectivity, with access, with issues of negotiating. It's been really interesting seeing young people struggling with these questions... I think you learn more about the journalistic process and about our media system by looking at in this way, looking at the roots of our system."

Allison thinks there will be a lot of interesting things viewers will take away from Matthews' documentary.

"I think (viewers) might be particularly impressed at how dedicated and hard-working our staff is and the professional manner that people conduct themselves... In certain ways we're cursing across the newsroom, hugging each other, and being ridiculous, but I think people will be impressed by how seriously we take (publishing the Collegian) and also the friendships, how much people care about each other here."

Matthews agreed his portrayal of the Collegian will ultimately reflect positively on its student staff.

"I know when I was 19 I didn't take anything as seriously as (staff members) take the Collegian," Matthews said. "It's really admirable how much time they put into it and how professional the product is, and I think viewers will see students thinking about really complex issues and putting out an incredible product and that's going to impress a lot of people."

Nicholas Norcia, who graduated in May, served four years on the Collegian Arts Staff, primarily as a film critic and media reporter.