Senior wins $4K award and Break Time!!
Senior Rachel Wilkerson, also known as the blogger, Spartanette, on the independent MSU website spartanedge.com is this year’s winner of the Walter and Serena Howell Essay contest. The topic of this year’s essay was Examine the racial, gender, religious or other kinds of bias in media coverage of the 2008 presidential race. The essay must be backed up with thoughtful examples, research, analysis and attribution. The Howells were the parents of the late Grant Howell, the longtime editor of The Daily Tribune in Royal Oak, Mi. The goal of the Howell Essay Award Fund is to encourage student analysis of propaganda defined as “the use of unproven and/or unverifiable assumptions in a report or statement of allegations reflecting the view and interests of its advocates.” Wilkerson’s essay was published on the Op-Ed page of The Detroit News today. For her efforts, she won a $3,000 scholarship and a $1,000 cash award.
Congratulations, Rachel!
Wishing students and those traveling over spring break a safe, restful and relaxing week away.
And from yesterday’s blog, a snow storm, icy roads and chilly temperatures didn't dim the enthusiasm one iota for Wednesday's “Steroids, Makeup and Polar Bears: Journalism and the Environment” event and the 200 plus Detroit Public High School students and teachers that showed up at the Detroit Zoo ready to learn.
Among the topics covered were reporting about cosmetics and health, steroids and sports, global warming and wildlife, teen depression and environmental justice in Detroit. Check out the photos of the event posted by Cheryl Pell, J-School faculty member and executive director of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA), one of the co-sponsors of the event.
We even got kudos on the McCormick Tribune Foundation blog this morning.
WXYZ TV anchor Carolyn Clifford (an MSU alum) gave a rip roaring, inspiration speech to start things off. She was joined by WDIV TV weather forecaster Andrew Humphrey who also wowed the students.
Special thanks goes to Jim Detjen, director of the J-School’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Barb Miller, Knight Center administrative assistant extraordinaire and Pell for this third annual event. Great job!!
Zoo Day earns kudos for MIPA and Knight Center
A snow storm, icy roads and chilly temperatures didn't dim the enthusiasm one iota for Wednesday's “Steroids, Makeup and Polar Bears: Journalism and the Environment” event and the 200 plus Detroit Public High School students and teachers that showed up at the Detroit Zoo ready to learn.
Among the topics covered were reporting about cosmetics and health, steroids and sports, global warming and wildlife, teen depression and environmental justice in Detroit. Check out the photos of the event posted by Cheryl Pell, J-School faculty member and executive director of the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA), one of the co-sponsors of the event.
We even got kudos on the McCormick Tribune Foundation blog this morning.
WXYZ TV anchor Carolyn Clifford (an MSU alum) gave a rip roaring, inspiration speech to start things off. She was joined by WDIV TV weather forecaster Andrew Humphrey who also wowed the students.
Special thanks goes to Jim Detjen, director of the J-School’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Barb Miller, Knight Center administrative assistant extraordinaire and Pell for this third annual event. The polar bears agree--great job!!
The J-School heads to the Zoo and other news
The School of Journalism, the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association are holding a day-long conference called “Steroids, Makeup and Polar Bears: Journalism and the Environment” more than 200 high school journalists from Detroit on Wednesday (Feb. 27) at the Detroit Zoo.
Among the topics that will be covered are reporting about cosmetics and health, steroids and sports, global warming and wildlife, teen depression and environmental justice in Detroit.
Students attending the conference will learn about how to report about health and environmental subjects by professors at the Michigan State University School of Journalism and journalists from the Detroit Free Press, Metro Times, WDIV Channel 4 TV, WXYZ-TV Channel 7 and other news media.
Midterm are keeping faculty and students busy this week. Spring break begins on Saturday.
James Carville, the so-called mouth of the south and mastermind of Bill Clinton’s 1992 election to the presidency, provided witty commentary and candor at the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication meeting in New Orleans last weekend. He discussed politics and journalism in his trademark rapid fire style. Among his more pithy quotes was his statement that there will always be a need for journalists and an “absolute need for quality information.” And that “Journalism is one of the most important things you can do. He described the Barack Obama/ Hillary Clinton delegate duel as a “classic match-up between inspiration and preparation.”
This is a conference that attracts journalism deans and directors from around the country. I was particularly interested in seeing New Orleans first hand post-Katrina. I saw little beyond the French Quarter. The hotel was on the edge, and the conference sessions kept us hotel-bound. However, flying in and out, I could see some tarp covered roofs and gaping holes where houses used to be on the ground. The cab driver, an immigrant from Bosnia, said he was working two jobs. That was one difference in what had been the Big Easy from previous pre-Katrina trips. There is more of a gritty resolve now that is bringing this city back. And a lot of jobs formerly held by New Orleans natives are now being staffed by immigrants like my cabbie.
Interns and Alums score hits this snowy week
SO much is happening, it’s hard to keep up.
Got some great news from Kristen Daum, a senior currently starting her internship for Washington Center for Politics & Journalism. She’s one of an exclusive group of just 11 interns. She is also one of the even fewer endowed interns. Kristen from henceforth will be knows as the "The Helen Thomas Endowed Intern." Helen Thomas was the legendary UPI White House correspondent for decades. Thomas, now 87, is a Michigan native and currently continues working as a Hearst columnist. Her assignment this term is to work in the Newsday Washington bureau. She scored her first byline this week with a story on New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s take on the President Bush’s latest budget. Read all about it at http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usbudg0208,0,4862590.story.
Recent alumna Latoya Dennis just got her first National Public Radio story on air. Check it out at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18599126.
These are just two quick hits on some of the terrific jobs students and alums are doing.
This past Friday (Feb 1) and this Friday (Feb 8), we are hosting about two dozen prospective high school seniors who are among the highest achievers in the country. The J-School attracts the largest number of these exceptional students in the College. We sure hope some of them decide to become Spartans. I know, they won’t be disappointed.
Stay warm, and avoid snow drifts!
