Our Centennial Experience

Text by Brandon Schatsiek. Photos by Alex Goff. Additional photos have been uploaded to the Centennial Flickr group.

Deciding what college to attend is one of the hardest decisions any person will make in their life. For 100 years now, young aspiring journalists have been making the easiest decision possible.

As the Missouri School of Journalism celebrates its 100th birthday hundreds of J-School alums flocked to Columbia to check out the newly renovated Walter Williams Hall and the brand new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Ever since the opening of the J-School it has been considered the best there is and because of this success, has drawn some of the most ambitious young men and women from around the world. The going joke for those at Mizzou is that anyone who is from out of state…is bound to be a journalism major.

The opening ceremonies started on Wednesday night with a BBQ and free concert open to the public at Mizzou Arena. Dean of the J-School, Dean Mills welcomed everyone that was an alum back to town and encouraged all of the journalism undergraduates in the crowd to take notice of the professionals and pioneers of their profession and follow their steps to continue taking journalism to another level for the future.

Then came the entertainment of the evening. With the directing hand of Ken Paulson, BJ ’75, senior vice president and editor of USA TODAY, “Freedom Sings”, a critically acclaimed concert that combines music with a history of the First Amendment and the United States.

Ok, so this sounds like a super boring concert right? I mean it’s about press freedom and the history of the First Amendment for God’s sake. But only after a couple of minutes I realized that this wasn’t just something that PBS would run on a Sunday morning.

The show focused on songs over the past three centuries that faced strong scrutiny, were censored and even banned because of their content. The narration took the audience back in time by playing these songs and giving background information to why the First Amendment was supposed to protect these songs and their writers.

The show expanded on why the First Amendment is so important to every American citizen and why we need to protect it. Songs ranged from gospel to rock to rap and included: “Short People” by Randy Newman, “Annie Had a Baby” by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles, “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” by the Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin, and many others.

The concert was a surprisingly good one; a round of applause goes to the band and the people from the J-School that booked them because I highly doubt there is another concert on tour where the audience will sing along to “This Land is Your Land” and “Puff the Magic Dragon” in the same set.

Thursday night brought the class reunions. Alex Goff and I went to the Wine Cellar and Bistro in downtown Columbia where 14 members of the ’71 Radio and TV class gathered.

Interviewing anyone that you don’t know can be a very intimidating thing and walking into a private room full of prominent journalists and PR advisers while they are eating a very expensive meal is nerve-wracking as well. But graduate Steve Doyal quickly met Alex and I with open arms.

Now the senior vice-president of public affairs and communications of the greeting card giant, Hallmark, Doyal felt that attending the J-School gave him a leg up on his competition. It taught him to deal with urgency, to be decisive and that thinking critically are all important ideas to remember after students have left the school.

“The school was very different then, the broadcast sequence was among the smallest and now it’s among the largest,” he said. “We still believe that the Missouri Method is the way to go and that is why the Missouri School of Journalism continues to be the best in the world.”

Doyal then introduced us to Senate Minority Whip for the state of Nevada, and J-School alum, Valerie Wiener. After graduating with her BS in broadcast she received her second degree in literature and eventually went to law school. Wiener was most proud of her historic run as being a part of the first all women legislative team in United States history.

She has written several books and has held her position in Nevada legislation since 1996. She said it was nice to be back for the first time in 35 years and that the most important thing she learned in her time away was that it is vital to restore political faith in the people because they are the ones who ultimately have the power.

After speaking with several alums, they continued with their dinner and began to go around the table giving a brief account of their lives over the last 35-plus years. After only two people talked about their accomplishments in their business and personal lives another alum interrupted and said, “We’ve gone through two people and they have combined to write six books, this doesn’t bode well for the rest of us.” Then Doyal chimed in bragging that he at least read one book in the last 35 years. Walter Williams would be proud.

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Radio/TV Class of ’71 Secures Room Dedicated to Beloved Professor

by Katie Prince

The Radio/TV class of 1971 met on Thursday at The Wine Cellar & Bistro, a dimly-lit, charming restaurant on Cherry Street. While there, my group and I managed to talk with some of the alumni about the dedication of the Dr. Edward C. Lambert Seminar Room in the new Reynolds Journalism Institute. Lambert, who pioneered the broadcast movement in the early seventies, was not slotted to receive a room in his name in the new building. When Nan Bauroth discovered that from the Alumni newsletter earlier this year, she wrote a letter to the editor detailing why Dr. Lambert deserved a room. A classmate that she had not kept in touch with, Paul Fiddick, read her letter and agreed – so much so that he began to try to raise money for one. Within fifteen days, he had gathered $300,000 in support of the new room. As Ms. Bauroth says, “it [the speed of the fundraising] speaks to the nature of Dr. Lambert and his legacy.”

As we spoke with the alumni, it became clear just the effect that Dr. Lambert had on the lives of his pupils. Each of them spoke of his lasting legacy and alluded to the parallel between the broadcast of their generation and the burgeoning digital media industry of today. Most had positive things to say about the future of journalism and have in fact stayed up-to-date with the newest technology. Mike Wheeler, in his youth Dr. Lambert’s graduate assistant, helped to launch “Jacked“, a website that allows its viewers to follow the Missouri Tigers by chatting with Missourian reporters at the games.

Overwhelmingly, the Radio/TV class of 1971 had high hopes for the future of journalism, a relatively rare outlook these days. They see the changing industry – the switch to digital – as an opportunity rather than the disintegration of “real” journalism because thirty-seven years ago, they were standing on the same precipice as print shifted into broadcast, which is now one of the foremost journalistic industries.

Newspaper Next 2.0

By Kaleigh Glaza
What is Next for Newspapers?
One of the most important challenges that newspapers face today is the competition from the emerging market of online journalism, according to Steve Buttry, a trainer with the American Press Institute and editor of The Cedar Rapids Gazette. At a presentation on Thursday as a part of the Centennial Celebration, Buttry addressed how rapidly the online sector is outgrowing many of the smaller newspapers in today’s mass media market. API’s project, Newspaper Next 2.0 seeks to bring journalism up to speed with new technology and reporting methods.

Newspaper Next 2.0 is a kind of online tutorial for today’s newspapers on how to survive in an increasingly online world. Though filled with statistics and charts that are in no way encouraging to print journalists, it also offers potential solutions to some of the most basic problems journalists face today, including the most important—the need to adjust to the new online forum.

As Buttry stood in front of a room full of his peers, he laid out in almost brutal terms the decline of the print news arena. He stressed the need for innovation despite the obstacles of training, attitude and costs, and challenged his audience to overcome these barriers, citing journalistic obligation and duty as a motivator.

Buttry claimed it was always the job of journalists to overcome, whether it was as an industry as a whole or just one reporter trying to nail that big story. “It’s part of our DNA as journalists,” he said as he paced the stage animatedly.  “We [can’t] take obstacles as excuses.”

According to Buttry, the ability of print journalism to secure revenue in the future will require focus on what he has dubbed “mega-jobs” that are geared towards connecting with the local community. “We need to become a local information and connection utility,” he stressed. This, he believes, is one of the keys to helping print news maintain relevance in new media.

Yet only time—and experimentation—will tell if Steve Buttry’s help manual will truly help print journalism to stand a better chance of not only survival, but growth.

Posted for Kaleigh by Debra Mason

Rewarding the Enduring Values of Radio-Television Journalism

Walking into this session about broadcast journalism and values, I really didn’t know what to expect.  I am quite positive I don’t want to go into broadcast journalism so I don’t know much about the people and business.  I also wasn’t really sure what they meant by “values”.  I thought maybe that meant like telling the truth, you know, the simple stuff.  So really, I didn’t know what to expect at all.  Surprisingly, I listened to one of the most motivating talks I have ever heard.

During my three short weeks as a journalism student, I have heard over and over again of the uncertainty of the future of journalism.  Bob Priddy, the mediator of the panel, compared the future to “playing with a deck where all 52 cards are wild.  [Journalists] are still trying to learn the game.  We don’t even know what the game is.”  The dilemma; how to keep up with the changing audience but still hold true to the values on which Walter Williams founded the Missouri School of Journalism.

Journalism, contrary to popular belief, is supposed to be a public service.  It’s not about being flashy; it’s about finding stories that mean something.  John Ferrugia, a member of the panel, showed a video that his team had spent months researching.  It was about rape within the Air Force Academy.  This particular investigation brought about changes worldwide.  That is what it means to provide for the public.  That is why people should get into journalism.  It’s not about the fame and glory because really, the fame and glory are nonexistent.  It’s not being on TV and gaining recognition.  Journalism is about bringing problems into light so they can be resolved.

As I listened, I silently let out a sigh of relief.  I don’t want to spend my life writing about kittens in trees and the dangers of doorknobs.  I want to write about things that matter.  I thought I was just crazy for thinking I could do this within the journalism world but, apparently, this is what journalists are suppose to do! I am so excited!

But as I said before, the world of journalism is changing as the audience looks for a more convenient and digital form of media.  At first, media came in the form of a weekly newspaper.  Then it upgraded to the daily news and then news channels, such as CNN, were created to put on a constant stream of news.  But even this is not enough.  The Internet is now becoming a main source of constantly up to date news.  Newspapers and television are being thrown by the way side because of their inconvenience.  Marketing is now taking a larger role in the world of journalism.  Sadly, this means that those stories that can change the world are not being sought after.  They require lots of time and money, money newsrooms don’t have to spend.  The easy stories about kitty cats and doorknobs are much easier to fund but that is not journalism.  Those stories do nothing for the good of the public.  Keeping to the journalism creed, we journalists need to suck it up, put in those 14 hour work days, get those stories that mean the most and try not worry about the money.

At the end of this session, I looked at my partner, Becky, and said, “Wow, lets go write!”  It took such a load off my shoulders to know that, yes, I am doing the right thing with my life.  I can help people with my words.  All I have to do now is work my butt off!

International Applications of Convergence Education

At 12:15 p.m. September 11, 2008 several attendees of the Missouri School of Journalism Centennial gathered in the Fred W. Smith Forum in the Reynolds Journalism Institute. The topic of discussion was the International applications of convergence education. Lynda Kraxberger, Convergence Journalism Faculty-Missouri School of Journalism, moderated the discussion. The discussion leaders included: Yuen-Ying Chan, Director and Professor at The University of Hong Kong and Dean of the Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication-Shantou University, China; Martin Hirst, Associate Professor, Curriculum Leader-Journalism Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand; Mike McKean, Director, Futures Lab, Associate Professor, Convergence Journalism-Missouri School of Journalism, Olga Missiri, Video Editor-Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute; Ernest Yuyan Zhang, China Program Coordinator, International Programs-Missouri School of Journalism.

Dr. Chan began the discussion by describing how she started her program in China. There is more difficulty in developing the program in China versus the U.S., but the University of Missouri Journalism School has been a great help. During the first year in the program in China students are taught to embrace technology and learn the basics right away.

Ernie Juang discussed the process of setting up professional programs in China. Media convergence (the fusion of innovations) is on the rise, and the Chinese see it changing in the U.S. They have asked the U.S. to share theses ideas with them and help with the intersection between websites and TV stations, websites and print, etc. Journalists are still adapting to having a 24-hour newsroom, and for some, the idea of posting on the internet. In the past, some saw posting on the internet as a chance for others to steal their work.

Martin Hirst then discussed the Auckland University of Technology, which is the biggest journalism program in New Zealand (consisting of only seventy students). He is in the process of trying to change the program there to include more technology instruction and to allow the students to have a broader education of all areas of journalism.

The problems with teaching technology and journalism are universal. There are constantly new forms of communication being used and everyone seems to be chasing them to try and teach them in their courses. The trouble also, is to teach all of these new forms of media and technology while still covering the basic principles of journalism. There is only so much that can be taught in four years.

Olga Missiri spoke about the fact that in schools in Russia and other countries in Eastern and Western Europe it takes a lot of time and effort to change curriculum and programs. Another big factor in trying to teach new technology and media is that most of Russia only has dial-up access to the internet.

Mike McKean went on to give a few definitions of convergence journalism. One definition or slogan used by the Missouri Convergence Journalism program is “Telling compelling stories no matter what it takes.”  This entails the use of any type of media outlet to convey a story. Convergence is also a team-based effort.

The discussion went on to talk about the many problems and challenges of convergence and technology education. Hirst mentioned one of the toughest steps is to be able to convince colleagues that change in the education program is needed. Chan has started a cadet program at her school, the only issue is the university hiring method. Another issue Missiri came across while teaching at Stephens College, a womens school, was that many of the women in her class are not used to being the ones in control and using all aspects of the cameras and computers. Hirst also mentioned the need to get away from the traditional classroom teaching model. He believes that the classrooom should consist of learning, not teaching.

With convergence education, the culture of journalism is changing. There are constantly new media outlets, and journalists are being asked to perform skills in several different aspects of journalism. Young journalists are beginning to come into jobs as managers over veteran journalists as a result of their ability to use new technology. Almost every newspaper now has a website with video media and other forms of journalism rather than strictly print. Another issue that arises with this change in journalism is the need for speed and accuracy. There are going to be a lot more mistakes made and less thorough stories because the newsroom is now twenty-four hours.

The discussion wrapped up with each leader giving their view of the future of journalism. Hirst believes that in twenty years we will no longer be teaching journalism, but training digital gate keeping. Instead of searching for the news, we will just be fact checking citizen journalists. Everyone will need to be taught basic journalism skills. Missiri talked about the issue of being a jack of all trades, but a master at nothing. We need to find a balance in the education and knowledge of different focuses in journalism. Zhang followed up with the idea that we need to still have a set focus in journalism education, but be able to cultivate that focus with everything else. McKean referred back to the idea that convergence journalism is team based. No one has all of the answers, but globally we can combine and learn from each other.

The discussion then ended with a short question and answer session.

Watchdog Reporting

Though the room may have been a bit stuffy, it put no damper on the fruitful discussion led by Manny Garcia of the Miami Herald, James Grimaldi of the Washington Post and an MU grad, Lea Thompson of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Cheryl Phillips of the Seattle Times, and Allison Young of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the watchdog reporting panel Thursday afternoon.

The panelists spoke to a packed house about the changing frontiers of investigative journalism and recounted personal anecdotes about how their own jobs have changed in the digital age. Grimaldi, a Pulitzer winner and 1984 Missouri graduate, quipped that the news desk wants “footage now, too.”

Phillips sought to explain how website design will be critical to maintaining a profitable business for newspapers as more and more traffic comes from the internet. She related how “people click on some blog and go to your story, so the key is to find interesting things to surround the story, so people stay on your site, so you can sell more advertising and have more resources for writers and editors.”

All of the panelists pointed out something that the audience may not have known, that most web hits on any given article do not come from a media outlet’s home page but from links from other sites. Further, they emphasized that the internet is the junction point for all forms of media. Thompson, formerly of NBC News and now of the Columbia based IRE explained that “TV and print converge on the net,” describing how she was asked as an NBC reporter to team with the Washington Post for some web-based political coverage.

The IRE is an organization which seeks to equip investigative journalists with the best technology for finding data and the ability to write most effectively on the numbers they collect. In the new age of data availability, Thompson elaborated, “data collecting is critical.”

Once again, it was pretty astonishing to be standing no more than 10 feet from a panel of highly distinguished journalists off-handedly discussing the intricacies and details of how they produce their highly revealing stories as though it were the weather.

“Technology and New Media: Reshaping the Future of Sports, Journalism, and Advocacy”

I don’t think for a single second in my 18 years of life I have ever considered myself athletic. It’s not even that I was not physically inclined or talented; I simply am not a sports fan of any nature. I can hold my own in conversation about football and I even know a fair amount about baseball, since I grew up in the hometown of the one of the greatest teams of all time, the Red Sox. I just don’t particularly care to spend my time getting sweaty or spending hours pouring over stats on the ESPN website for my fantasy team. I am, as some would say, a girly girl.

When I was assigned to cover the “ Technology and New Media: Reshaping the Future of Sports, Journalism, and Advocacy” seminar, I was less than excited. I knew, however, that it was a huge opportunity that so many kids wanted; to be able to rub elbows with some of the most renowned sports anchors in the industry, and that desire was something I could relate to.

I know that these are the kinds of journalists have the kind of passion, drive, and success I want for my own career. But what then is one with little sports background to do? Google it. And Google I did. I researched the backgrounds of all the speakers on the panel, dying to see what paths they took to get where they were. Some, like John Anderson, took a path I am well on my way to, a degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Excited finally, I was ready to see what knowledge the pros had to offer.

 The hall was absolutely packed with eager audience members, awaiting the beginning of the second half of the discussion. I swooped into one of the only open seats left in the room, with dozens of people lining the walls and sitting on the floor already. The excited buzz of the crowd was contagious; even if I had no idea what the guy next me was talking about when he mentioned something about a “safety blitz”. (For the record this is when an offensive football player tries to breakthrough the offensive line. Thanks again, Google.)

The caliber of the speakers was impressive. The panel was made up of Mike Alden, the Director of Athletics at Mizzou, Phil Bradley, former MLB outfielder and Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Major League Baseball Player’s Association, Myles Brand of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Jamie Butcher, Vice President of Sponsorship and Employee Communications for AT&T, T.J. Quinn, investigative reporter for ESPN, Sonja Steptoe of O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Wright Thompson a reporter for ESPN.

 The group discussed many topics, ranging from how they’ve adapted to new technology to why baseball is fighting technology to how the Internet has expanded the scope of their audiences. They did an excellent job too, of making the discussion enjoyable and funny, even for the non-jocks in the audience. However, the most interesting part, I felt, was the advice at the end that each panel member gave to future journalists both about how to be successful and the ever-changing technology of the industry.

Here’s a list of the most helpful tips they gave:

1.     Learn to have a thick skin. It’s not related to you or what you are doing; only what you wrote.

2.     Stay contemporary, not full of contempt.

3.     Every journalist needs to be written about to better understand the other side.

4.     Using technology inappropriately or wrongly is worse than not using it at all.

5.     Be cautious: the missing human element can make journalists more callus.

6.     Know your mission. You are a journalist.

7.     Utilize what you’ve got.

8.     Help improve standards in the industry, starting with your own writing.

9.     Make good judgment calls.

10.  And most importantly,  “If it feels icky, it’s probably wrong. The [Journalist’s] Creed actually says that,” Wright Thompson said with a chuckle.

When the session time was up, I have to admit, I was disappointed. It felt as if the speakers were just beginning to open up and give advice that had universal application. However, what they shared in the time was very valuable and I definitely took it all to heart. After all, they are the professionals.

Video From the Governor’s Debate

Below is video of the opening statements of Democratic nominee Jay Nixon and Republican nominee Kenny Hulshof.

The Front Page, Revived

Jordan and I walked into the renovated Missouri Theater Center for the Arts for the matinee showing of the classic play, The Front Page, with a sense of wonder and curiosity. The play, adapted for the big screen by Hollywood four times already, is considered by many to be the best American play of its era. The theater, tucked away between Shakespeare’s and The Blue Note on South 9^th, fashioned an intricately constructed interior, ornate designs covering ever inch of the walls. We had big expectations for the reproduction of one of the great American plays of the early 20^th century.

After a short presentation by co-director Byron Scott and producer Lee Wilkins Black, the highly anticipated comedy began. We got to know a group of fun-loving newspaper reporters trying to earn a decent wage in a 1920 Chicago newsroom. The main character, Hildy Johnson, was portrayed by Charlie Wilkerson. Hildy plans to get away from the newspaper business and move to New York with his wife-to-be, when he is stopped by the jailbreak of wanted red Earl Williams. The fugitive sneaks into the newsroom and provides a chaotic second half to the play. Johnson’s scheming boss, Walter Burns, was played by Weldon Durham. He continually cracked outdated jokes for the most part, but still managed to entertain the crowd. The entire team of reporters had great chemistry together amid the few line hick-ups.

Mild jokes and chaotic situations throughout the entire play entertained us and the surrounding audience. Although the humor was more suited for an older audience, we still managed to enjoy the production. The setting of the play never drifted from the Chicago newsroom, but the cast managed to utilize the stage and made it work. For a small theatrical group in downtown Columbia, the play was a great success.

Missouri Photo Workshop

Thursday morning started off a little crazy after my group sighted our first celebrity walking the Mizzou campus, John Anderson from ESPN. After basking in the glory of seeing our idol roaming in our habitat, we quickly ran over to the Missouri Photo Workshop. When we entered the room, there were people packed in rows and sitting on the floors. Many people might have thought that Britney Spears was hosting a seminar because it seems the paparazzi decided to come to the workshop. There were cameras everywhere–in front of me, behind me and to every side. After settling down in the front, I realized I was sitting right next to Kim Komenich in the front row. I was immersed in the action.

Bill Kuykendall started the seminar with a historic and informational slide show on the history of the Photo Workshop. I learned about how much this seminar has grown from a small gathering in Aurora, Missouri to reaching the J-School in Columbia, Missouri. He showed us slides of “Small Town America” pictures that were heartwarming and touching. Kuykendall discussed how these pictures show the fundamental values of Americans and our mythology. These pictures conveyed stories–stories that the photographers wanted to show us. The photographers acted as teachers showing us the importance of these values through pictures. The audience is cooing with oohs and aahs as he flips through the pictures. Everyone in the room was able to connect with the raw essence of human life captured in each photograph.

Next, Kim Komenich stood up to speak to the group. He started off by saying, “There has not been a year where I have not learned something about photography.” Komenich continued by saying that his favorite aspect of photography is the intimacy in photographs. Photographers truly get to live in the world and know the people within it. Then he talked a little bit about Bill Eppridge, who was not present at the seminar. You can view his blog at http://www.billeppridge.com/ . We listened to an audio clip as he reflected on MPW (Missouri Photo Workshop). It is evident how much these great photographers care about pictures as narrative stories. Komenich talked about how Missouri makes the MPW so important. He said, “It’s something about the Midwest. Homecookin’. People have a way of making time for you.” Missouri is the real world and the people make this great state what it is. I glanced at Kim’s notes sitting next to me (being the nosy journalism student that I am) and at the top of his yellow legal pad in doctor’s handwriting is, “Real pictures happen on their time, not yours.” I think that is very relevant to many things in life. However, pictures that truly capture the moment can capture the viewer’s heart. Komenich emphasized that statement multiple times throughout the seminar.

During the question and answer section, my attention was drawn to an older man sitting in the back row. He has been attending MPW since the second one many years ago. His grin fills his entire face. He has lived the “picture perfect” life, recording moments and memories with photographs. He is an inspiration to students, and I had a wonderful time hearing him speak.

Next, a sweet lady in the front row commented on the beginning of MPW. She said, “Show truth with the camera. Early workshops were a bootcamp.” This woman is precious with her light blonde hair and blush pink pants. Her nike shoes are pure as snow white with tiny light baby pink Nike checks. She has the cutest smile plastered on her face. You can tell she is so happy to be a part of this. Her pink cheeks and lips are truly picturesque. She should be in front of the camera instead of behind. Her name is Mimi Smith, and after the seminar, I had the chance of talking to this delightful woman. I will always look up to her.

Overall, even though I am not a photojournalism student, I enjoyed this seminar. Everyone relates to people in pictures because at one point or another, we are those people in the photogrphs. It is a lovely way to capture time and cherish it always. Props to the photo workshop!

More information here!

To contact me, e-mail hmczbd@mizzou.edu.