Grandparents U and more J-School students win awards

Had great fun today as the unexpected sub for a Grandparents University Session on online news. Eighteen grandparents and grandkids from Ohio and Michigan got hands on experience interviewing each other using J-School Flip Video cameras and then posting the interviews up on YouTube.

We ran out of time due to slow uploads, but everyone left with a big smile and a cd-rom with their video interviews. Great fun, great afternoon. Special thanks from me goes to the fabulous Karl Gude on the J-School faculty and Juan Ramirez, one of the College’s terrific IT staff members.

In other J-School news, EJ magazine and The State News brought home more honors and wards from the Detroit Press Club Foundation’s 2008 Michigan Excellence in Journalism Competition. The winners are (drum roll, please!):

Student Newspaper Feature Writing
2. Colleen Maxwell, The State News, “A Safe Place”
3. Laura Misjak, The State News, “Still Missing’

Student Magazine Feature Writing
1. Marc Erbisch, EJ Magazine (Michigan State University), “The
Original American Marvel”
Judge’s comments: An examination of the National Park Service’s balancing
act of keeping the public parks public while protecting them for future
generations, this story focuses on Denali National Park in Alaska. Descriptive
writing and solid reporting make this one a winner.
2. James Crugnale, EJ Magazine, “Taking it to the Streets”
3. Molly Tranberg, EJ Magazine, “Mountaintop Lobotomy”

Student Magazine Reporting
1. Katie Coleman, EJ Magazine, “Armed Conflict”
Judge’s comments: There are 227 FUDS (Formerly Used Defense Sites) in
Michigan, and each one is a potential environmental hazard, because of
unexploded bombs, leaking underground tanks and other military leave-
behinds – and this story smartly examines the issue. Good, solid reporting –
this one could be a winner in the professional category.
2. Sarah Crespi, EJ Magazine, “Can local go the distance?”
3. Lissy Goralnik, EJ Magazine, “Bag-Free Nation”

Student Web site reporting
1. Andrew Balaskovitz, John Allison and Ian Walker, Great Lakes Wiki
(Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism),
“Pine River Superfund Site”
Judge’s comments: The Great Lakes Wiki is an experimental citizen
journalism project and here we see the stories of the people of St. Louis,
Mich., who water and soil are polluted – in spite of a Superfund attention
decades ago. An interesting, futuristic approach to journalism that tells a
story that otherwise might have gone untold.

Student Magazine Editorial/Commentary
1. Jessica A. Knoblauch, EJ Magazine, “Climate change is big, little
steps help”
Judge’s comments: The media have been instrumental in spreading the
news about global warming and other environmental issues, but more
education is needed if the citizenry is to make sacrifices and embrace the
changes needed, and this column argues that persuasively.

For the full list of winners check out: http://michiganexcellence.com/.

J-School's D'Aria wins an Emmy

The MSU J-School scored a Michigan Emmy Award for lighting for adjunct faculty member Louis A. D'Aria, executive producer of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism's television program "Environment."

D’Aria received his 2008 Emmy award from the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Saturday, June 7 for "Dying to be Heard."

"Dying to be Heard" tells the story of Michigan State University professor Dr. George J. Wallace, who discovered a link between DDT and dying birds on the MSU campus. His work was highlighted in Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring," which helped launch the modern environmental movement.

The 30-minute film, produced by students and faculty in the J-School’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism was aired on WKAR-TV in June 2007 and was picked up by all six Public Broadcasting Service stations in Michigan.

The documentary was nominated for a Michigan Emmy in two categories -- for original music composed by MSU doctoral student Kevin Wilt and for lighting by Lou D'Aria. The documentary also won first place in the category of college-level, long-length video at the Great Lakes Environmental Film Festival in Bay City, Michigan in January and first place in the television in-depth reporting category of region 4 of the Society of Professional Journalists in March. It was also named one of the top three student-made television documentaries in the nation by the Society of Professional Journalists in May.

Lou and his students new documentary, “Meltdown,” will be broadcast on WKAR on June 17.

Congratulations to Lou and his students for a terrific job.