Posts Tagged ‘College Media’

Emerson College Student Group Accuses Berkeley Beacon of Bias Over Unpublished Op-Ed

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on November 9, 2012 | 1 Comment »

An interesting journalism ethics battle is being waged at Boston’s Emerson College over an unpublished op-ed.  Student members of something called Emerson Progressives and Radicals in Defense of Employees (PRIDE) claim editors of The Berkeley Beacon attempted to change the stance of an op-ed submitted to the paper so that it aligned more with their opinions.  Beacon editors deny the charge.

–

The 30-second backstory: The student group PRIDE formed last month at Emerson to “give a voice to security guards, dining hall workers, and maintenance workers at the college.”  Soon after its creation, a pair of security guards were fired for allowing an unauthorized man into a campus dorm– where he went on an attempted stealing spree.  An Emerson student and PRIDE member penned an op-ed supporting the security guards– arguing the current crew overall is underpaid, short-staffed, hastily trained, overly scrutinized, and attempting to keep everyone safe amid “murky rules.”  So, in essence, according to the op-ed draft, the recent intruder was not the guards’ fault as much as the school’s and the system it has put in place.  The student sent the op-ed to the Beacon.  It was not published.  Why?  Speaking of murky. . .

–

PRIDE members are handing out a flier accusing Beacon editors of stepping over their editorial-ethical boundaries and effectively killing the piece prior to publication.  The flier– which also features the unpublished op-ed in full– alleges, “Instead of editing for structure and grammar, most of the comments [from Beacon editors to the student writer] were blatant opinions. . . . The three editors inserted their own bias into this editorial piece, which is not the intention of the editing process for op-eds.”

–

–

In an editor’s note published yesterday acknowledging the flier and accusations, the Beacon fully disputes any “editorial improprieties.”  According to the paper’s editorial board,

–

In the Beacon’s opinion section, we are accustomed to respectfully editing the words of students who disagree with our private views and that of the Beacon’s editorial board.  The diverse opinions we publish are what make that page an arena for students and faculty to exchange ideas.  However, op-eds worth publishing must survive a process of challenge and scrutiny to ensure they hold up against opposing arguments. . . . Shaping a well-reasoned argument requires identifying holes, unfounded accusations, broad generalizations, logical inconsistencies, unidentified sources, and unattributed statistics in its construction.  Working with writers to clear up those issues strengthens their credibility and ours.  It is with the intention of improving the integrity of an op-ed that we give edits.  If a writer is unwilling to revise a piece in such a way that it meets that standard, we reserve the right not to publish it.

–

–

The larger related ethical question pertinent to student press everywhere:

–

What are the proper procedures for editing op-eds– especially ones dealing with controversial topics, written by contributors with obvious agendas or espousing viewpoints you are personally aghast at or against?

–

–

Read Full Post »

Student Newspaper’s Lawsuit Against Oregon State Moving Forward

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on October 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

A years-long newsbin and free press fight has reemerged at Oregon State University.  It involves OSU administrators, a conservative campus newspaper, and what one side sees as censorship and the other as simple enforcement of school rules.

–

The 60-second backstory: In early 2009, OSU officials suddenly removed a set of bins carrying the conservative student newspaper The Liberty from spots around campus.  At the time, admins. said their actions were in accordance with “an existing, unwritten policy that restricts where off-campus newspaper bins could be placed.”  It was also apparently part of a campus clean-up effort.

–

Liberty staff disagreed with those rationales, vehemently.  They pointed out the paper was an on-campus pub, published since 2002 and aligned with a recognized student group.  They claimed the bin removal reeked of nothing more than censorship and double standards, providing the longtime student newspaper The Daily Barometer with “special distribution” privileges.

–

–

A top Liberty editor said at the time: “Basically, we just want to have a couple of square feet on campus where we can place our bins.”  The paper filed a lawsuit.  A district court judge dismissed it, determining that the university had the right to afford its official student publications with certain privileges such as increased distribution that were not offered to alternative, independent or underground outlets.

–

The most memorable quote, post-dismissal, came from OSU’s news and communications director.  He declared the fight more a publicity stunt than an actual free press battle: “This was very much an exercise in increased visibility. The story line: a big, oppressive, liberal university squelches a small, defenseless, conservative magazine. We’re glad this matter has been resolved.”

–

That resolution, however, is now on hold.  Reversing the lower court decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is granting trial clearance for the Liberty to once again pursue their claim of campus distribution discrimination.

–

–

As one of the ruling judges noted, “The policy that OSU enforced against plaintiffs . . . was not merely unwritten. It was also unannounced and had no history of enforcement.  It materialized like a bolt of out of the blue to smite the Liberty’s, but not the Daily Barometer’s, newsbins onto the trash heap.”

–

A portion of a statement from the Liberty’s legal counsel: “Universities should encourage, not shut down, the free exchange of ideas.  Students don’t deserve censorship for having viewpoints that university officials don’t happen to favor. The argument that the independent student paper’s bins were confiscated to ‘clean up’ the campus was simply not believable.”

–

–

Related

Daily Texan Newsstands Not Allowed at Journalism School Due to ‘Environmental Concerns’

Alligator v. University of Florida: Newsstand Fight Now a Lawsuit

–

–

Read Full Post »

Student Newspaper’s $16 Million Investigation Hits $3,000 Wall

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

David Schick spent months on a $16 million story– before hitting a nearly $3,000 wall.  In Schick’s words, “The wall took the form of exorbitant Open Records Act costs.”

–

Since late last spring semester, the editor-in-chief of The Collegian has been investigating a $16 million budget deficit at Georgia Perimeter College and the accompanying controversial removal of the school president.

–

Over the summer, a new number entered– and has continued to partially hold up– Schick’s investigation: $2,963.39.  GPC administrators initially charged the Collegian that amount to fulfill a standard open records request for documents related to the budget turmoil.  The sudden, extreme fee was a gigantic deviation from GPC’s response to three previous Collegian requests.  For those requests, the school supplied more than 1,200 pages of documents, which required 39 hours of staff work to ferret out and compile, for FREE.

–

–

So, to review…

–

First three requests over the summer: handled for free.

Fourth request, very similar to the first three: Close to $3,000.

–

–

In a letter to the school, Student Press Law Center executive director Frank LoMonte called the fourth request charge “excessive.”  After the SPLC intervention, GPC dropped the fee to a still seemingly egregious $1,900.

–

–

Local legal counsel assisting the Collegian– obtained through the SPLC referral network– described the latter amount as “arbitrary, capricious, and deliberately designed to obstruct access to public information of obvious critical concern.”

–

According to the counsel’s separate letter to the school, the paper “is willing to pay $100 . . . to obtain the documents requested.”  Schick is hopeful for a resolution soon.

–

–

–

My Take: GPC officials, a bit of free advice.  You cannot erase a $16 million deficit by over-charging people who are requesting the truth.  Your school’s obviously in trouble.  The student paper simply wants to help, in part by providing answers about how you got into this mess and how you can clean it up.  Obstructing their efforts just seems lame, and out of step with the transparency needed to right your revenue ship.  As anyone who’s followed Wall Street knows, moral and economic deficits often run together.

–

–

Related

A 20-Cent Public Records Fight Pits Cal Poly vs. Student Newspaper

–

–

Read Full Post »

40 More Must-Follow Twitter Feeds for Journalism Students

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Certain sources sporting active Twitter feeds are especially valuable to journalism students.

–

As I mentioned in the first part of this two-part list, some accounts provide resources, advice, and links to help students learn the craft.  Others enable students to keep up with what journalists are debating, enjoying, and attempting to understand on a daily basis.  And still others offer relevant news and blueprints for covering campus life and keeping up with higher education issues.

–

Building off the accounts featured in part one– such as @NiemanLab and @SPLC– here is an additional set of must-follow Twitter feeds.  They are listed in alphabetical order.

–

@acpress: Kept by staff at the Associated Collegiate Press, the largest and oldest U.S. student journalism membership organization.  More than 2,000 followers.

–

–

–

@AEJMC: Kept by staff at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, “the oldest and largest alliance of journalism and mass communication educators and administrators at the college level.”  More than 4,800 followers.

–

–

–

@atompkins: Kept by Al Tompkins, a beloved longtime broadcast journalist and senior faculty member at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies.  More than 7,100 followers.

–

–

–

@bloghighed: Kept by staff at BlogHighEd, a blogger network aiming to “aggregate higher ed blogs from many areas: webmasters, marketers, counselors, vendors, consultants, and more.”  More than 4,900 followers.

–

–

–

@bradwolverton: Kept by Brad Wolverton, a senior writer who covers college sports for The Chronicle of Higher Education, including the blog Players.  More than 2,000 followers.

–

–

–

@carr2n: Kept by David Carr, a top media reporter, blogger, and columnist for The New York Times.  More than 389,000 followers.

–

–

–

@CFashionista: Kept by staff at College Fashionista, “a college fashion site for those passionate about [the] latest fashion styles & trends across campuses worldwide.”  More than 10,000 followers.

–

–

–

@charlesapple: Kept by Charles Apple, a longtime journalist and educator who maintains a popular visual journalism blog aligned with the American Copy Editors Society.  More than 3,500 followers.

–

–

–

@chronicle: Kept by staff at The Chronicle of Higher Education, “the leading news source for higher education.”  More than 52,000 followers.

–

–

–

@CJR: Kept by staff at the Columbia Journalism Review, a leading journalism industry magazine which “tracks the ongoing evolution of the media business.”  More than 19,000 followers.

–

–

–

@CollegeFashion: Kept by staff at College Fashion, “the number-one online fashion, style & beauty magazine written by college students, for college students.”  More than 16,000 followers.

–

–

–

@CollegeMag: Kept by staff at College Magazine, “the only uncensored source for everything college.”  More than 4,300 followers.

–

–

–

@collegemedia: Kept by me, a complement to this blog. More than 2,300 followers.

–

–

–

@collegeprobs: Kept by Madeline Huerta, as part of College Problems, a popular blog featuring humorous user-submitted complaints and confessions about college life.  More than 20,000 followers.

–

–

–

@danieldevise: Kept by Washington Post higher education reporter Daniel de Vise, in part a complement to his blog Campus, Inc., which focuses on “campus life from a business perspective.”  More than 2,900 followers.

–

–

–

@DiverseIssues: Kept by staff at the newsmagazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, the “premier news source for higher education and diversity issues.”  More than 2,700 followers.

–

–

–

@Deggans: Kept by Eric Deggans, the television and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times who maintains the popular blog The Feed.  More than 6,900 followers.

-

–

–

@ErikWemple: Kept by Erik Wemple, a Washington Post “editor-turned-blogger who’s obsessed with the media issues of the day.”  More than 4,600 followers.

–

–

–

@FakeAPStylebook: A popular stream of comedic and satirical advice for journalists.  More than 299,000 followers.

–

–

–

@hackcollege: Kept by staff at HackCollege, an acclaimed “student-powered lifehacking site” sporting the motto “Work smarter, not harder.”  More than 4,500 followers.

–

–

–

@HerCampus: Kept by staff at Her Campus, “the #1 national online community for college women, covering style, health, love, life, and career, with chapters at 200+ colleges.”  More than 11,000 followers.

–

–

–

@HuffPostCollege: Kept by staff at HuffPost College, the section of the Huffington Post behemoth focused on “breaking news from U.S. colleges and universities . . . campus life, college costs, collegiate sports, and university scandals.”  More than 39,000 followers.

–

–

–

@insidehighered: Kept by staff at Inside Higher Ed, “the online source for news, opinion, and jobs for all of higher education.”  More than 39,000 followers.

–

–

–

@IRE_NICAR: Kept by staff at Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc., “a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting.”  More than 5,000 followers.

–

–

–

@ivygate: Kept by staff at IvyGate, a leading “news, gossip, and commentary blog that covers the Ivy League.”  More than 4,200 followers.

–

–

–

@jackshafer: Kept by Jack Shafer, a highly-respected Reuters columnist who covers politics and the media.  More than 30,000 followers.

–

–

–

@Journojobs: Regular updates on “the latest, highest paying journalism jobs in the U.S.”  More than 3,700 followers.

–

–

–

@JustinPopeAP: Kept by Justin Pope, a national higher education reporter for The Associated Press.  More than 1,600 followers.

–

–

–

@macloo: Kept by Mindy McAdams, an online journalism professor at the University of Florida respected for “[a]lways doing some kind of journalism training (multimedia, social media, online), somewhere in the world.”  More than 6,800 followers.

–

–

–

@mbmarklein: Kept by Mary Beth Marklein, a veteran higher education reporter at USA TODAY who covers “college admissions, college graduation, and pretty much everything in between.”  More than 3,000 followers.

–

–

–

@NanetteAsimov: Kept by Nanette Asimov, a higher education reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.  More than 3,000 followers.

–

–

–

@nextgenjournal: Kept by staff at NextGen Journal, the only national news and commentary outlet by students for students, branded as “the platform for our generation.”  More than 2,200 followers.

–

–

–

@nytimescollege: Kept by New York Times senior editor and author Jacques Steinberg, affiliated with his top college admissions and financial aid blog The Choice.  More than 7,500 followers.

–

–

–

@RCFP: Kept by staff at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, “a nonprofit association dedicated to providing free legal assistance to journalists.”  More than 2,100 followers.

–

–

–

@robcurley: Kept by Rob Curley, a highly-regarded “new media journalist, manager, and strategist” who serves as an editor at The Orange County Register.  More than 1,800 followers.

–

–

–

@SPJGenerationJ: Kept by staff at the Society of Professional Journalists, as part of its initiative Generation J, “the place where future newsroom leaders can collaborate to build newsrooms of the future.”  More than 700 followers.

–

–

–

@TheFIREorg: Kept by staff at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, “the premier organization defending free speech, due process, and academic freedom on college campuses.”  More than 5,500 followers.

–

–

–

@webjournalist: Kept by Robert Hernandez, “one of the few true veterans of web journalism” and an assistant professor within the University of Southern of California’s School of Communication and Journalism.  More than 9,000 followers.

–

–

–

@wiredcampus: Kept by four Chronicle of Higher Education staffers as a complement to the popular blog Wired Campus, which tracks “the latest news on tech and education.”  More than 8,500 followers.

–

–

–

@wpjenna: Kept by Washington Post higher education reporter Jenna Johnson, in part a complement to her Campus Overload blog, which provides “a syllabus for navigating the high-powered campus social scene.”  More than 12,000 followers.

–

–

Related

20 Must-Follow Twitter Feeds for Student Journalists

–

–

Like this post?

Like College Media Matters on Facebook

–

–

Read Full Post »

College Media Podcast #6: Student Press Innovation Efforts, Obstacles

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on September 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Welcome to the sixth episode of the College Media Podcast.  The CMP is a collaborative venture between me and Bryan Murley from the Center for Innovation in College Media.

–

The podcast’s aim: spotlighting big college media news, standout student press work, and array of helpful and innovative sites, programs, and tech tools.

–

In our most recent episode, recorded Sunday afternoon, we discussed the recent exchange between digital news guru Steve Buttry and I regarding the advantages and challenges embedded within student press innovation efforts.

–

–

–

Related

Advantages, Disadvantages to Student Media Digital Experimentation: My Response to Steve Buttry Report

College Media Podcast #5: USA TODAY Redesign & the American University Breastfeeding Controversy

College Media Podcast #4: The Harvard Crimson Quote Review Reversal & More Gaming the News

College Media Podcast #3: RNC, Student Newspaper Presidential Endorsements & Gaming the News

College Media Podcast #2: RNC, Princeton Review Rankings, Oklahoma Daily Autopsy Report

College Media Podcast #1: A Red & Black Breakdown

Read Full Post »

College Media Podcast #1: A Red & Black Breakdown

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on August 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Welcome to the first edition of the College Media Podcast.  The CMP is a new collaborative venture between me and the Center for Innovation in College Media‘s Bryan Murley.

–

In upcoming episodes, we plan to spotlight big college media news, standout student press work, and array of helpful and innovative sites, programs, and tech tools.

–

In our premiere podcast, recorded Friday afternoon, we discussed the Red & Black drama at the University of Georgia.  (Click the gray play button at the very bottom next to the volume icon to listen right here on CMM or click on the screenshot to check it out on SoundCloud.)

–

–

–

–

–

Related

College Media Podcast – Episode 1

Red & Black Becomes Red & Dead: Student Staff Quits, Protesting Loss of Editorial Control

Open Letter to Red & Black Board of Directors: What the Heck Are You Thinking?!

–

–

Read Full Post »

The $25,000 Question: Was Daily Helmsman Funding Cut at Memphis Due to Content Concerns?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 30, 2012 | 1 Comment »

The University of Memphis has slashed funding for The Daily Helmsman by $25,000 for the upcoming academic year, a full third of the usual financial assistance the paper receives from student activities fees.  Some current and former staffers of the campus newspaper view the dramatic cutback as possible retaliation for controversial editorial content.

–

According to a Commercial Appeal story earlier today, Memphis administrators and members of the student government have publicly and privately expressed their unhappiness at the paper’s recent coverage and a perceived lack of focus on UM.  UM’s dean of students: “I can’t begin to tell you the examples that came up in [a recent meeting with the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee] about things that the paper did print that seem to have very little relevance or that seemed to touch very, very few students on the campus.”

–

–

Hmm.  Those concerns seem strange, nay ridonkulously wrong, given the amount of high-profile stories the Helmsman broke and reported upon over the past year alone.  Staffers spotlit serious campus issues involving everything from retention rates, athletics revenue (or lack of it), and potential crime reporting violations to student-athlete misconduct oversights, student ID card theft, and a rape in an on-campus apartment carried out by an individual living there under the guise of being a UM student.  The list goes on…

–

So, what’s really going on here?  Helmsman general manager Candy Justice says censorship: “It’s a First Amendment violation.  It’s just one more example of what the Helmsman has to put up with.”

–

The university says editorial concerns were not part of the fee allocation committee’s funding decision, pointing out there was an overall drop in available funding for all campus groups.

–

Justice told the Commercial Appeal the Helmsman may be forced to cut publishing days or staff pay due to the budget chop.

–

–

Read Full Post »

Weird College News: Turtle Racing, Duck Killing & Laundry Room Chicken

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

A University of New Mexico staffer apparently beat a duck to death earlier this summer with a metal trash grabber– and tossed eggs from its nest in a pond.  When confronted by an eyewitness– who wrote a letter this week to The Daily Lobo– the assailant said she was simply following school policy and cleaning up the nest’s mess.

–

Every Friday night at a bar near the University of Texas at Austin, raucous drinkers gather to watch turtles race.  Apparently, the shelled creatures move faster than some spectators expect.  Why is the event held?  In a new Daily Texan video, “The Slow and the Furious,” one young woman said about a recent race, “I didn’t get what the purpose of it was, but I thought it was really cool.” :)

–

Columbia Daily Spectator online editor Jake Davidson recently walked into his homestay in Morocco– where he is living and studying this summer– to find a chicken in the laundry room.  At first, he thought his homestay family was planning to eat it.  Now, he’s not so sure.  As he tells the Spectator, “It’s been a week and the chicken is still there.  I don’t know if we’re keeping it as a pet or what.”

–

–

–

–

–

Read Full Post »

Colorado State’s Rocky Mountain Collegian Quickly Mobilizes, Provides Coverage of Theater Massacre

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Student staffers at The Rocky Mountain Collegian deserve kudos this weekend for quickly and impressively mobilizing to cover and reflect upon various newsworthy components of the Colorado movie shooting.

–

Along with a basic recounting of the known facts related to the massacre itself, the Colorado State University campus newspaper has posted stories online focused on CSU student reactions, state gun laws, and the legal gauntlet shooter James Holmes will soon face– the latter based on an interview with a law professor.

–

The most powerful– truly chilling– part of the Collegian’s coverage, put together by its summer edition editor-in-chief Michael Elizabeth Sakas: a photo slideshow displaying the bullet wounds suffered in the attack by a CSU football recruit.

–

–

One especially eye-opening detail revealed within the slideshow is that the young man was not even in the theater where the shooting took place.  In his words, “The gunman was in the other room, so he shot and he missed and it went through the wall and then hit me. It went through my neck and ended up going through the back.”

–

A separate commentary by a CSU student who previously worked at a movie theater confirms a reality all of us moviegoers have long suspected: cinema security is mostly lax or entirely absent.

–

As Emily Kribs writes, “I worked in a Thornton, Colo., movie theater for one summer, during which we weren’t faced with anything close to the shooting at Aurora’s Century 16 complex.  However, I think we were similarly prepared for one, which is to say not at all.  In terms of security, we had a box around the ticket sellers designed to prevent theft, rather than violence. We relied on peoples’ social graces when we told them they couldn’t enter without a ticket or told them to stop talking. And we never performed pat-downs or examined peoples’ costumes for potential threats.”

–

–

–

Read Full Post »

Collegiate Times Editor at Virginia Tech: Paper Does Not Support Anti-Muslim Advertisement

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 19, 2012 | 2 Comments »

The Collegiate Times at Virginia Tech reached out to readers last night, explaining the paper does not support the content of a controversial advertisement published in its current summer print edition.

–

The so-called FLAME ad, created and distributed by the non-profit organization Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME), is a wordy treatise pushing what many agree is an anti-Muslim agenda.  Among other “facts” and perspectives, it purports there is rampant anti-Semitism and holocaust denial within the Muslim-Arab community and chides the news media for failing to properly report upon the “outright ethnic cleansing” of Christians by Islamic radicals.

–

In an online letter, CT editor-in-chief Michelle Sutherland confirmed that while staffers don’t agree with the ad’s “underlying message of cultural hatred,” the paper needs the money.

–

Sutherland: “[T]he CT is totally dependent on advertising revenue.  We receive no financial support from the university.  It is not as simple as saying, ‘We do not support this message, and we will not collect your money.’  We exist solely because people pay us to get their message out– especially in these economic times. . . . We fully understand the abusive nature of these ads. However, refusing to publish them does not solve the larger problem of cultural prejudices that exist in our country.”

–

–

The FLAME ad has spurred controversy for a number of other student newspapers in recent semesters, including The Diamondback at the University of Maryland and The Badger Herald at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

–

In an editorial last fall, Diamondback editors shared their rationale for running the ad: “[T]he advertising department reviewed FLAME’s submission and determined it contained a subjective opinion– as does a page 5 advertisement for University Club Apartments, which claims the complex offers ‘The perfect fit for your college lifestyle.’”

–

The ad has also apparently appeared at least once in a past CT issue– a fall 2011 letter to the editor denounces the false impressions it presents about Muslims.

–

A screenshot of a sample FLAME ad.

–

At present, at Virginia Tech, not all readers are buying the financial excuse.  As one commenter asked Sutherland beneath her note, “So you’re saying that you essentially whore out ad space to anyone who wants it?  Glad to know you’re that desperate.”  Another commenter: “So you essentially admit to taking ANY advertising money that comes your way – regardless of what it says or implies?  That’s a good way to go about things for sure.  Can we get a new school paper please?”

–

–

Related

Virginia Student Newspapers’ Alcohol Advertising Fight Now in Year 5

Quinnipiac Student Newspaper Told to Drop Housing Ads

Northern Kentucky Student Newspaper Drops Resistance Ad

Holocaust Denial Ad in Harvard Crimson Causes Criticism

–

–

Read Full Post »

College Media Memes: Pinterest, the Inverted Pyramid, Campus Paper Adviser of the Year & the 3-Source Rule

Posted in College Media, New Media, tagged , , , , , on February 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

In the midst of academia’s continued overwhelming meme madness, I have been putting together a growing list of memes focused specifically on collegemediatopia– its student staffers, faculty advisers, digital tools (and distractions), and style rules.  Below is a glimpse at what will hopefully soon be a gargantuan list featured on College Media Memes.

–

To check them out in real time– and get all other CMM posts in your Facebook stream– click here and press Like.

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

College Media Memes

Like College Media Memes!

–

–

Read Full Post »

College Media Hall of Fame, Class of 2011: Connor Toohill, NextGen Journal Editor-in-Chief

Posted in CMM Hall of Fame, College Media, Journalism, New Media, tagged , , , , , on August 15, 2011 | 3 Comments »

The College Media Hall of Fame is a digital enshrinement of individuals, news outlets, and organizations who have made a lasting impact on collegemediatopia or greatly contributed to it over the past year.  Much like last year’s inaugural batch (known as the CMM 10), this year’s inductees include standout student journalists, innovative student media entrepreneurs, and impassioned advocates of campus press 2.0.  With a hat tip to the annual Time 100, many of the posts announcing each honoree include a few words of adoration penned by a close friend or colleague. Next up…

–

Connor Toohill

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, NextGen Journal

–

Connor Toohill is the student media mogul of the moment.  The Notre Dame University sophomore is responsible for the launch and oversight of NextGen Journal, the only national news and views outlet by students, for students.  The site is a college media revelation– proof that the student press can think and act BIG without outside ‘adult’ help (with all respect to News21, UPIU, Local East Village, and others).

–

Toohill is a San Diego native who enjoys playing guitar and watching "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."

–

Toohill is one of a growing number of students creating personal media brands that make past generations’ internship-heavy résumés and student newspaper clips look like road kill.

–

According to Mitt Romney, corporations are people.  Whether you agree with the clunky sentiment’s larger meaning, it does ring true here.  NextGen Journal is Connor Toohill.  I am honored to name Toohill and his Journal to the College Media Hall of Fame.

–

–

–

“Getting Our Generation Into the Discussion”

By Heather Regen

–

Working with Connor on NextGen, I wouldn’t be surprised if I turned on my TV and found him sitting casually across from Jon Stewart or Wolf Blitzer.  When Connor talks about bringing our generation’s voices to the national conversation, he does so with a solid plan.

–

Getting students’ voices heard isn’t a passing whim or an idealistic vision for him. He sees it as a necessity.  While the policies being debated on Capitol Hill will likely impact us more than any other group, Connor is set on getting our generation into the discussion.  He’s doing that through NextGen, and he’s doing an incredible job.

–

Regen, a Georgetown University student, is a NextGen Journal editor.

–

–

Other Class of 2011 CMM Hall of Fame inductees:

–

Michael Koretzky

Frank LoMonte

–

Read Full Post »

College Media Hall of Fame, Class of 2011: Michael Koretzky, Educator and Journo Terrorist At-Large

Posted in CMM Hall of Fame, College Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper, tagged , , , , , , on August 2, 2011 | 5 Comments »

The College Media Hall of Fame is a digital enshrinement of individuals, news outlets, and organizations who have made a lasting impact on collegemediatopia or greatly contributed to it over the past year.  Much like last year’s inaugural batch (known as the CMM 10), this year’s inductees include standout student journalists, innovative student media entrepreneurs, and impassioned advocates of campus press 2.0.  With a hat tip to the annual Time 100, many of the posts announcing each honoree include a few words of adoration penned by a close friend or colleague. First up…

–

Michael Koretzky

Journalism educator and adviser with ties to SPJ, CMA, and the UP at FAU

–

Michael Koretzky is an inspiration, an admirable rabble-rouser, and an admitted journoterrorist.  The Florida Atlantic University students who have worked with Koretzky at The University Press speak of him in reverential terms as a mix between Cronkite and Don King– trustworthy, with an intoxicating side of flash.

–

As this post goes live, he also continues to be lauded (and criticized?!) as the second coming of Gutenberg and green eye shades for his put-out-a-paper-without-computers project.  In the self-portrait on his website homepage, he dons regular shades, a military cap, a Jesus beard, and an intimidatingly large cigar.

–

–

Koretzky operates outside the system– with many of his approaches to engaging and educating students and literally with his advising work (continuing to help the UP as a volunteer adviser after being abruptly fired from his paid supervisory post in spring 2010).

–

I’ve seen the very mention of his last name bring about huge smiles, eye rolls, belly laughs, and breathless stories that begin I-was-there-when-he….  Perhaps the highest compliment is not the kind words people speak of him, but the speed at which I saw a number of them move toward a room in which he was presenting at CMA’s spring convention.  ”Seats fill up fast,” one adviser gushed.  ”This is one I don’t want to miss.”

–

I am honored to name Michael Koretzky as the first class of 2011 inductee to CMM’s College Media Hall of Fame.

–

A screenshot of the latest post on his blog, journoterrorist.

–

“He’d Probably Be Offended to Be Called an ‘Academic Figure’”

By Michele Boyet

–

I have worked closely with Michael Koretzky for six years. Our relationship has transformed from a student-adviser role at the college newspaper to professional business partners in an array of journalism organizations and special projects. But above all, I consider him one of my closest friends.

–

Putting into words how much Koretzky’s advice and teachings has helped shape my life (and the lives of so many students) is nearly impossible. Since the first day I walked into the University Press newsroom as a freshman at Florida Atlantic University in 2005, he has showed me the ropes and supported my goals more than any other academic figure I’ve ever known. In fact, he’d probably be offended to be called an ‘academic figure.’

–

More importantly than his guidance and support, I am eternally grateful to Koretzky for letting me screw up — which he watched me do many times. But each time, he was there to help me pick of the pieces, learn from my mistakes and choose a better path. To this day, he has never told me what to do but has always helped me figure out my options and offer advice on what he’s done. He’s real, honest, creative and always thinking outside the box.

–

I often joked that during my time as editor in chief of the UP I talked to Koretzky more than my parents. That was no a joke. No matter how silly or tough the question (and at any hour), he was — and still is — always there. His true passion to help young journalists always went far beyond his 20-hour a week FAU paychecks. It goes so far now, he does it all for free.

–

Koretzky has touched so many lives — at FAU and around the country — and despite all the antics FAU has pulled to try to get rid of him, if the students want him there, he’s always there. I have always found his dedication to helping others admirable and inspiring.

–

Koretzky is well deserving of this spotlight and much more. But he hates the spotlight, so the best way to say thanks is to buy him a black-and-white cookie.

–

Boyet is the social media coordinator at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. She is also the executive vice president of the South Florida Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the vice president of the Florida College Press Association, and the assistant director for the College Media Advisers’ national journalism convention in New York City.

–

–

“A Scruffy Exterior, a Renegade Attitude, and a Walnut-Sized Bladder”

By Karla Bowsher

–

Every time I talk to Koretzky, he says “thank you” before hanging up. It’s really annoying.

–

Koretzky’s the one who has earned the thanks. Thanks from those of us who have a job in media because he guided us. Thanks from those of us who’ve won national awards– beating out j-students from schools like Harvard and the University of Alabama– because he inspired us. Thanks from those of us who’ve made it through breakups and breakdowns because he was more than an adviser to us.

–

I’m pretty sure the students past and present of the University Press even owe Koretzky’s wife a thank you or twelve. We’ve called him at 4 a.m. with phallic j-emergencies. We’ve called him while he’s out to dinner on his wedding anniversary. We’ve called him when he wasn’t even getting paid to be our adviser. He always picks up the phone, yet his wife somehow refrains from beating us like the ingrates we can be.

 –

He tries to hide it behind a scruffy exterior, a renegade attitude, and a walnut-sized bladder, but Michael Ross Koretzky is perhaps the most humbly and selflessly caring person I know. He maintains a job board that has helped who knows how many people find work in the South Florida media market (no one pays him to do it, and he eats the hosting cost). He volunteers his time with journalism organizations and homeless shelters alike. In the last year alone, he’s given the University Press $25,000 worth of advising for free because, unlike the Division of Student Affairs at Florida Atlantic University, he cares too much to let eager j-students run their student newspaper without a qualified adviser.

–

Koretzky’s so selfless that he won’t even tell us which day in February of 1965 he was born on, that he wouldn’t even accept the cash prize that accompanied his 2011 Freedom of Expression Award from the Society for Collegiate Journalists.

–

But don’t get me wrong. Koretzky’s not perfect. Just ask him about the Dr. Seuss dictionary.

–

Bowsher is the national award-winning former editor-in-chief of The University Press, a freelance journalist, and a CMM 10 honoree.

–

–

Read Full Post »

Harry Potter and the Special Issue: Tips for Launching a Themed Edition of Any Sort

Posted in College Media, Free Press Fights, Journalism, Student Newspaper, Teachable Moment, tagged , , , , , on July 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

In the most recent issue of College Media Review, I profile last year’s transformation of The Ball State Daily News at Ball State University into The Daily Prophet– in honor of all-things-Potter.

–

Pages 16-18

–

I also provide a few tips for editors and advisers looking into launching a special issue of their own on areas far beyond the HP craze:

–

1) Make the special, well, special. It’s time to start fresh, and think beyond an annual holiday or traditional campus event. Special issues generally have grown stale, delivering satire on April Fools’ Day, guides to college life during freshmen orientation, and glimpses into a school’s past on homecoming weekend.  Piggyback instead atop a cultural trend, an in-the-moment school scandal– or even a mega-movie premiere.

–

2) Timing is everything, in planning and execution.  The Daily Prophet issue worked because it fed off the excitement of the latest “Potter” movie premiere.  It also worked because Daily News staff gave itself enough time to conceptualize and carry out the vision– even without a grand plan behind it all.  The lesson: Brainstorm early– even a semester in advance– about events, calendar dates or passion projects that you want to turn into full-blown issues. Put a team in place to make it happen, and establish deadlines for the development of the section.

–

Page 19

–

3) Content is just the start.  Along with running related stories, you must ensure a special issue’s overall aura embodies the topic or event serving as its inspiration.  The issue’s layout, fonts, photos, masthead, and more must pitch in.  Utilize multimedia extras and your website as additional core parts of the issue.

–

4) Go all in.  Not everyone is a “Harry Potter” fan or will understand all the Quidditch references, but the Daily News staff rightfully decided that if it was going to commit to the concept, it would commit fully.  Don’t worry about a special issue being too niche or geeky.  Readers in the know will appreciate the 100-percent effort.  The clueless readers will ask their friends what it all means.

–

5) Just do it.  Even with the most talented, impassioned staff, a special issue will never be perfect.  There will never be enough time to flesh out all ideas.  And breaking news inevitably will interfere at the wrong moment.  Embrace the flaws and chaos and simply soldier on.  As former Daily News chief designer Jen Minutillo said, “Go big or go home.”

–

–

Separately, check out my cover story on college media censorship.

–

Pages 4-8

Read Full Post »

Young Journalist: ‘If I Was at a College Newspaper Today, I’d Quit’

Posted in College Media, Journalism, New Media, Student Newspaper, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 16, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Antiquated.  Curmudgeonly.  Doomed. Lauren Rabaino uses a number of words to describe student journalism circa 2011– innovative, awesome, and digitally aware are not among them.

–

In a recent blog post/rant, the standout young journalist and designer extraordinaire waxes pessimistic about the current state of college media.  Her ire originated in Hollywood.  While attending and speaking at the recent ACP National College Journalism Convention, Rabaino ran into the general manager of her former student newspaper, The Mustang Daily at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  Rabaino ended her stint as the paper’s web editor in December 2009.

–

–

The eye-opening news the GM broke to her: Now 15 months after her departure, the Daily is still searching for a replacement.  As the GM told her, “We just can’t find anyone who wants to be a web editor in journalism!”

–

The position-filling #epicfail underscored a theme Rabaino could not escape throughout her convention travails: Too many j-students today are not itching to innovate or even learn the basics of Journalism 2.0.

–

In Rabaino’s words: “Why don’t students WANT to learn this stuff? College media confuses me.  At least five different people at the conference (usually the lone web champion or the point-of-desperation advisor) told me that they just can’t get students motivated about the web.  They just can’t get them to care about posting stories online or engaging with the audience through social media or excited about learning video.  What the hell?”

–

The exchanges and whole experience reminded her “how doomed college media is.” As she concluded her post, “If I was . . . at a college newspaper today, I’d quit. I’d start my own competitor news site on campus and leave the antiquated, curmudgeonly, long-established college media in the dust.”

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 4,021 other followers

%d bloggers like this: