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!!