News Releases: 2007 Calendar Year

December 2007

Dec. 31, 2007: Journalism Students Claim Overall Victory in 2007 Freshman iLife Challenge Several hundred self-made stars of the silver screen, faculty members and campus leaders, including Chancellor Brady Deaton, packed Bush Auditorium in Cornell Hall the night of Nov. 27 to honor the winners of the 2007 Freshman iLife Competition. This year's overall winner was team iLost, comprising first-year journalism students Spencer Ernst, Daniel Posey, Alex Ruppenthal and Fred Trotman. [More]

Dec. 27, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Magazine Students Remake Fundraising Publication for Barnes-Jewish Hospital As part of the final capstone project in Associate Professor John Fennell's magazine publishing class, six students revamped the 40-page glossy magazine distributed by the hospital's fundraising arm, the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation. The students redesigned the publication's layout, reported the stories, compiled the photography and re-conceptualized the magazine to give it a stronger focus on sharing inspiration. [More]

Dec. 27, 2007: School Hosts Videoconference with Global Scholars about International Election News Coverage Journalism researchers from around the world recently discussed international election news coverage via a videoconference hosted by the Missouri School of Journalism. The conversation, made easier by a common fluency in English, allowed the participants to see each other on an overhead display divided into four sections. [More]

Dec. 17, 2007: "Freedom Sings™" Performance to Launch 2008 Centennial-Dedication Activities "Freedom Sings™," a critically acclaimed multimedia experience featuring an all-star cast of musicians, will open the 2008 centennial and dedication celebration of the Missouri School of Journalism and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. The 90-minute event will be held the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008, at the University of Missouri. [More]

Dec. 7, 2007: Journalism School to Recognize 136 Graduates during Fall Commencement The Missouri School of Journalism will recognize its 136 fall graduates during commencement ceremonies at 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14, at Jesse Auditorium in Jesse Hall. Family and friends of the graduates do not need tickets to attend. Seating will be open. [More]

Dec. 7, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Junior Named Runner-Up in Professional Reporting Competition Missouri School of Journalism junior Sean Powers was a runner-up for the Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award, a national award specific to coverage of drug and alcohol issues. Powers, now a junior, is the first student ever to be named a finalist in the awards contest, which typically honors the work of professional journalists. [More]

Dec. 5, 2007: Strategic Communication Students Join Professionals to Set Record Sales With guidance from the professionals at the Columbia Missourian, 16 Missouri School of Journalism strategic communication students sold 28 of 58 total ads in a 28-page Homecoming special section, helping to set a record for ad sales. Understanding the sales side of advertising is an important aspect of the Missouri Method, a teaching philosophy of learning by doing. [More]

Dec. 3, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Shares Grant to Improve Missouri's Health Literacy The Missouri School of Journalism is part of a $726,784 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to build an infrastructure that will become an interactive and comprehensive health literacy resource throughout the state. The award was given in conjuction with the MU Center for Health Policy. The grant is part of $7.1 million in funding approved by the Missouri Foundation for Health to establish its Missouri Health Literacy Enhancement initiative. [More]

November 2007

Nov. 30, 2007: New Center to Preserve and Showcase Historical Photojournalism Collections An unparalleled documentary photojournalism resource at the Missouri School of Journalism will be dedicated next September during the centennial of the School and the dedication of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. The Angus and Betty McDougall Center for Photojournalism Studies, named for the renowned photography innovator and educator and his wife, will preserve collections of photographs by newspaper, magazine and documentary photographers. [More]

Nov. 27, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Launches Brussels Program with Inaugural Class of Seven The Missouri School of Journalism will send students to work as journalists in Brussels, Belgium, headquarters of the EU, through a new study abroad program. Beginning in January, the inaugural class of seven students will spend four days a week in Brussels covering international issues for media organizations and one day a week attending a seminar class. [More]

Nov. 19, 2007: Miami Herald Writers Win Sifford Prize in Journalism Amy Driscoll and Lisa Arthur of The Miami Herald have been awarded the 2007 Darrell Sifford Memorial Prize in Journalism, administered by the Missouri School of Journalism. They won for their series of emotion-packed articles on apartment tenants ousted by the South Florida building boom. [More]

Nov. 15, 2007: KOMU Earns Three Emmy Awards; Missouri Journalism Student-Producer Among Journalists Honored KOMU, mid-Missouri's NBC station and the only University-owned commercial network affiliate in the United States, claimed three Emmy Awards from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Oct. 20 in St. Louis. Among those honored was Thad Kemlage, a Missouri Journalism senior and student producer at KOMU. [More]

Nov. 14, 2007: Two Missouri School of Journalism Students Win Poynter Institute Summer Fellowships Missouri School of Journalism students Darla Cameron and Bryan Wendell received free admission to the six-week Poynter Institute Summer Fellowship for Young Journalists by winning a Society for News Design conference competition in Boston Oct. 11-13. They will be working in teams of four covering a community beat for the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times. [More]

October 2007

Oct. 26, 2007: Celebrated Photojournalist Delivers Two-day Seminar on Fundamentals of Web Video Time-Life photojournalist and 2007 Missouri Honor Medalist Dirck Halstead visited the School Oct. 10-11 to deliver his "Platypus Short Course," a two-day crash tutorial based on his standard nine-day workshop. The workshop surfaced as a result of Halstead's Platypus Papers, a manifesto he wrote in 1997 that compares new-age visual journalists to the platypus, a species that defied established classification systems. [More]

Oct. 19, 2007: Master's Student Named David Kaplan Memorial Fellow at ABC News in D.C. Melissa Chee, a Missouri School of Journalism radio-television master's student, is the recipient of the 2007-2008 David Kaplan Memorial Fellowship. The fellowship, which is awarded each year to one Missouri Journalism student who has an interest in network field producing, includes a paid position at the ABC News Washington Bureau and a $10,000 stipend during the winter semester. Chee will be the School's 15th Kaplan fellow. [More]

Oct. 16, 2007: Distinguished Visiting Scholar Program Welcomes David Paul Nord of Indiana University At noon on Wednesday, Oct. 24, in Tucker Forum, David Paul Nord will deliver the lecture, "What Should a Newspaper Do? Editors, Reporters and Readers Argue about Journalism in Early 20th Century New York." Nord is recognized nationally and internationally as a pre-eminent authority on journalism history and the history of the religious press. He has authored three books, several book chapters and articles in numerous journals, including the Journal of American History, Journal of Communication and Journalism History. The event is free and open to all students and faculty. [More]

Oct. 15, 2007: Visiting Fellows Bring Expertise to the Newsroom and Classroom Three Missouri Journalism alumni are back on campus as fellows this semester to help prepare the next generation of graduates for 21st-century journalism careers. Jeanne Abbott, Keith Claxton and Liz Heitzman are helping transform the newspaper, which serves as a working laboratory for Missouri School of Journalism students, from a print-first to an Internet-first publication. [More]

Oct. 15, 2007: Cameron and Journalism Alumni Colleagues Release New Public Relations Textbook In college classrooms across the country, Missouri School of Journalism professor Glen T. Cameron and a handful of Missouri Journalism alumni are helping to educate America's next generation of public relations professionals. Their new book, Public Relations Today: Managing Competition and Conflict, is an introductory text featuring classic and contemporary cases that illustrate the working world applications of public relations theory. [More]

Oct. 12, 2007: 12 Missouri Journalism Students Spend Semester Working, Learning in Washington, D.C. Now nearly 40 years old, the Missouri School of Journalism's Washington Program continues to bring students into the halls of power for hands-on training in journalism and strategic communication in the nation's capital. This semester, 12 undergraduate and graduate journalism students are working with and learning from political reporters, foreign correspondents and strategic communicators in Washington, D.C. [More]

Oct. 12, 2007: Missouri Journalism Students Earn 30 Awards in Statewide Professional Competition Taking on top professional journalists from across the state, the Columbia Missourian's student writers, designers and photographers claimed 30 awards in this year's Missouri Press Association (MPA) Better Newspaper Contest. [More]

Oct. 4, 2007: New Online Resources for Middle Managers Are Now Available from the Frontline Editors Project The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announced the launch of three new online resources from the Frontline Editors Project - the culmination of a three-year study that analyzed the role of the frontline editor in order to better prepare journalists for the pivotal newsroom role. Jacqui Banaszynski, Knight Chair in Editing at the School, will host a forum on the new Web site. [More]

Oct. 3, 2007: Claude-Jean Bertrand, Creator of the Media Accountability System (M*A*S*) Concept, Dies Officials at the Missouri School of Journalism and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute are saddened to learn of the recent death of Claude-Jean Bertrand. An expert in the fields of global journalism and media ethics, he created the Independent Press Councils Web site to improve media by providing a recognized set of ethical rules respected by journalists around the world. [More]

Oct. 1, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Welcomes New Faculty for Fall 2007; Names Three to Acting Posts Students at the Missouri School of Journalism welcomed several new faculty members this semester, and three long-time professors have assumed acting administrative positions for the year. [More]

September 2007

Sept. 26, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Students Hone Skills at Top Media Institutions For 12 weeks this past summer, going to work meant going to a baseball game for Carolyn Rauen, a senior radio-television journalism major. Dozens of Missouri Journalism students spent the academic off-season involved in prestigious internships across the country. Internships are a key element of the "Missouri Method," a proven style of instruction that emphasizes learning through hands-on experience. [More]

Sept. 25, 2007: Journalistic Principles Can Survive and Thrive in Digital Environment It's the question that is on the minds of many editors and reporters these days: How can we ensure that the most important journalistic principles survive this time of fast-paced change? Some insights into how these values can make the transition will be shared Monday, Oct. 29, at the 2007 Curtis B. Hurley Symposium at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "New Media, Enduring Values" will be held from 9-11 a.m. with a continental breakfast served at 8:30 a.m. [More]

Sept. 25, 2007: Four Journalism School Alumni to Receive Mizzou Alumni Association's 2007 Faculty-Alumni Awards The Mizzou Alumni Association will honor four Missouri School of Journalism alumni with 2007 Faculty-Alumni Awards during a ceremony on campus Oct. 5. [More]

Sept. 18, 2007: Global Missouri Journalism to Host Study Abroad Fair Sept. 21 The Missouri School of Journalism will reinforce its reputation as a world-renowned institution at the School's first study abroad fair Friday, Sept. 21, hosted by Global Missouri Journalism, the School's study abroad office. Former study abroad students, advisers and exchange students will answer questions from those interested in studying abroad. [More]

Sept. 17, 2007: Missouri Journalism Faculty Welcomes New Walter Williams Scholars The Missouri School of Journalism welcomed 40 new Walter Williams Scholars at a ceremony Aug. 30, bringing the total number of students enjoying the benefits of the elite program to 155. [More]

Sept. 17, 2007: Master's Student Named Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellow at Washington, D.C., Think Tank Lene Johansen has been named the 2007-2008 Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. As a Brookes Fellow, she will continue to research and write a book on the human cost of plant biotechnology regulation, as well as work on contrarian feature stories on agricultural subsidies, global warming and Food and Drug Administration reforms. [More]

Sept. 17, 2007: Journalism School Makes Headlines in University's Alumni Magazine The Missouri School of Journalism made some headlines of its own recently when MIZZOU, the magazine of the Mizzou Alumni Association, featured it with three separate articles in its fall edition. The reason for the coverage, editor Karen Worley, BJ '73, said, is to feature the School's centennial celebration and dedication of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, scheduled for Sept. 10-12, 2008. [More]

Sept. 10, 2007: Empower MediaMarketing Partnership Establishes Benchmark for Collaboration After attending a Strategic Communication Summit at the Missouri School of Journalism during the fall 2006 semester, Bill and Mary Beth Price started to think about how to give back to their alma mater. One year later, Missouri Journalism students are receiving top-notch instruction in media planning and buying from an industry professional, thanks to Empower's commitment to the School through an innovative partnership. [More]

Sept. 6, 2007: Fall Programs Welcome New Students to Campus, Highlight Opportunities for Involvement Several hundred students, faculty and staff gathered in Peace Park on Aug. 30 for Fall Welcome, an annual event designed to connect new students with representatives of various journalism- and University-related organizations, programs and offices. Fall Welcome shows students the multiple facets of the School and helps faculty members, graduate students and upperclassmen interact with freshmen. [More]

Sept. 6, 2007: Nine Media Leaders to Receive Prestigious Journalism Award Nine outstanding leaders in the field of journalism will receive one of the industry's highest awards, the prestigious Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism, presented annually by the Missouri School of Journalism. The 2007 medalists will be honored Tuesday, Oct. 9, on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia. [More]

Sept. 5, 2007: Senior Wins $5,000 Newhouse Foundation Scholarship from NABJ Jamille Fields, a Missouri School of Journalism senior from St. Louis, was one of five recipients of a $5,000 Newhouse Foundation Scholarship awarded by the National Association of Black Journalists. The Newhouse Foundation Scholarship honors talented African-American students majoring in print journalism. [More]

August 2007

Aug. 30, 2007: Missouri Researchers Present 47 Papers, Panel Discussions at Leading Academic Conference Missouri Journalism graduate students and professors showcased their scholarly work in 47 paper presentations and panel discussions at the 2007 meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, which took place August 8-12 in Washington, D.C. Presenting to 14 of AEJMC's academic divisions and numerous interest groups, the Missouri researchers discussed wide-ranging issues in journalism, mass communication, public relations and advertising. Seven papers from the School received top honors at the conference. [More]

Aug. 30, 2007: Center on Religion & the Professions Debuts New Name A new name will kick off the new school year for the Center on Religion & the Professions, an affiliate of the Missouri School of Journalism and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri. The Center works to improve religious literacy among professionals, including journalists, so that they can better serve, cover and communicate with a diverse public. [More]

Aug. 27, 2007: Missouri Journalism Professor Releases Sixth Edition of Media Ethics Textbook Terrorism. War. Corporate scandal. Media consolidation. These 21st-century headlines have become the subject matter of the newly released sixth edition of Media Ethics: Issues and Cases, authored by Lee Wilkins, a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, and Philip Patterson, of Oklahoma Christian University. [More]

Aug. 24, 2007: University of Missouri-Columbia, Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, Renmin University of China Sign 'Memorandum of Understanding' On Aug. 23, the Missouri School of Journalism, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and Renmin University of China (RUC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning a student volunteer project. As part of this project, MU and RUC will cooperate to select and train journalism students for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. [More]

Aug. 24, 2007: Online Master's Degree Students Visit Campus for Three-Day Seminar A reporter and anchor for ESPN New Media, a manager of communications for MetLife and a public affairs officer in the U.S. Air Force are just a few of the accomplished media professionals enrolled in the Missouri School of Journalism's innovative online master's degree program. The diverse group of reporters, editors, managers and public relations specialists met on campus Aug. 17-19 for a special three-day seminar, "The Chaos Scenario in News and Advertising." [More]

Aug. 13, 2007: Senior Wins $5,000 Murray Foundation Scholarship Elizabeth Manring, a Missouri School of Journalism senior from Stockton, Mo., has been named a Murray Scholar by the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation. As a scholar, Manring receives a $5,000 scholarship and an expenses-paid trip to La Quinta, Calif., for the annual Murray Scholars Award Dinner. [More]

July 2007

July 31, 2007: Portrayal of Journalists in Harry Potter Books Doesn't Negatively Affect Young Readers' Perceptions When it comes to how journalists are portrayed in J.K. Rowling's immensely popular Harry Potter book series, doctoral student Daxton R. "Chip" Stewart, MA '04, expected perceptions to meet reality. The negative depiction of Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet, Stewart figured, would push readers' attitudes toward journalists in an adverse direction. A recent study of 657 students at MU, however, proved differently. [More]

July 30, 2007: New Fellowship Announced for Adelante; Fellow to Serve as Editor of Spanish-English Newsmagazine, Earn Master's Degree The Missouri School of Journalism announces a new two-year Adelante! fellowship for an early career journalist who is bilingual in Spanish and English and wishes to pursue a master's degree in journalism. [More]

July 16, 2007: Missouri Journalism Professors Teach Importance of Free Press to Girls State Participants For the third year in a row, professors at the Missouri School of Journalism conducted the media and communications class at Missouri Girls State, a project of the American Legion Auxiliary that brings together more than 700 high-caliber high school students to study American democracy each summer. [More]

July 16, 2007: Professor Emeritus John C. Merrill Honored in New Book for His Six Decades of Service to Journalism Education One of the leading scholars in journalism over the past 60 years has been honored in a new book published by the Northwestern State University Press. Freedom Fighter, A Festschrift Honoring John C. Merrill on His Six Decades of Service to Journalism Education, honors Merrill, a professor emeritus at the Missouri School of Journalism. [More]

July 13, 2007: New Book by Missouri Journalism Faculty Shows the Important Roles that Journalism Plays in Our Country's Democracy Journalism is vital to the health of our democracy, the glue of information that holds this complex nation together, according to a new book by 12 members of the Missouri School of Journalism faculty. What Good Is Journalism? How Reporters and Editors Are Saving America's Way of Life, edited by George Kennedy, professor emeritus, and Daryl Moen, professor, shows that there is much to be praised about the state of American journalism today. [More]

July 12, 2007: "Less is More" Online In a study that examined responses to pictures viewed online, Kevin Wise, assistant professor of strategic communication, and Kimberlee (Belcher) Pepple, BJ '04, MA '05, found that people were able to pay more attention to pictures selected from a small array of choices than from a large array of choices. These findings may have implications for Internet search engines, advertising and news sites. [More]

July 12, 2007: Geneva Overholser Named CPI Board Chair The Center for Public Integrity is pleased to announce the election of Geneva Overholser to lead its board of directors. Overholser, who has served on the Center's board for the past two years, was named during the June board meeting to succeed co-founding board member and chairman Charles Piller, who will step down to join the Center's advisory board. [More]

July 9, 2007: Charter Membership in Walter Williams Society Now Available Through 2008 The work of Walter Williams continues to influence the profession of journalism a century after he founded the world's first school dedicated to the field on Sept. 14, 1908. Now, charter membership is available for a special giving society created to ensure that Williams' vision continues into the School's second century. Society members will be recognized in a permanent display at the Missouri School of Journalism. [More]

July 2, 2007: Dvorkin Steps Down as CCJ Director Jeffrey Dvorkin has stepped down as director of the Committee of Concerned Journalists, the consulting and training organization for the nation's newsrooms. Bill Kovach, CCJ chairman and one of the founders of the organization, will step in as acting director. [More]

June 2007

June 29, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Places Second Overall in 2006-2007 Hearst Competition, Wins $22,750 in Prizes The Missouri School of Journalism placed second overall in the 2006-2007 Hearst Journalism Awards Program, a national collegiate journalism competition that culminated with finals held in San Francisco, Calif., June 4-10. Leading the effort was senior photojournalism major Ben Fredman, who won $4,000 for his second-place finish in the national photojournalism championship. [More]

June 28, 2007: MU Students Develop Plans to Boost Weston Business This summer, Missouri School of Journalism strategic communication students spent a week in Weston, Mo., developing promotional campaigns to increase tourism in the small town just north of Kansas City, Mo. [More]

June 28, 2007: KBIA Wins Second National Edward R. Murrow Award Senior radio-television major August Skamenca and Matt Wynn, BJ '07, won a 2007 national Murrow Award for their month-long collaborative investigation "Dead Voters" that aired on KBIA, the School's NPR-affiliate station that serves as a training lab for students. The award is the second for Skamenca, who worked with KBIA news director Sarah Ashworth and former reporter Kyle Palmer, BJ '05, on a story that won the station's first national Murrow in 2006. The Murrow Awards are highly competitive, and winners regularly include CBS Radio News, ABC News Radio and major stations throughout the country. [More]

June 15, 2007: KOMU Faculty and Students Win 13 Heart of America Awards from the Kansas City Press Club Missouri School of Journalism radio-television journalism faculty and students recently took home 13 Heart of America Awards - including top honors for Best Newscast and second place for Best Web Site - for work produced and aired on KOMU. [More]

June 15, 2007: Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards KOMU, KBIA Top Honors The Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) recently gave KOMU top honors for its newscast, weathercast and feature reporting. MBA encourages the highest standards in broadcasting by recognizing samples of excellence and achievement. Hundreds of entries from across the state are received each year and considered for the awards. [More]

May 2007

May 31, 2007: Foundations Support Launch of Midwest Health Journalism Program A consortium of six health foundations in Kansas and Missouri has pledged $724,739 to establish the Midwest Health Journalism Program, an annual fellowship program for reporters and editors from both states. The Association of Health Care Journalists, based at the Missouri School of Journalism, will conduct the training program through its Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. [More]

May 31, 2007: Woelfel Wins $10,000 O.O. McIntyre Professorship Radio-television instructor and KOMU news director Stacey Woelfel recently won the 2007 O.O. McIntyre Professorship for excellence in teaching given by the Missouri School of Journalism. The professorship carries a $10,000 salary supplement for the next academic year. [More]

May 31, 2007: Missouri Journalism Reporters Earn Seven Awards in National Society of Professional Journalists' Competition Five Missouri School of Journalism students and one School-affiliated media outlet recently brought home seven Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists' national competition. [More]

May 25, 2007: Three-Part Series on Media to Be Offered in New York This Summer The Missouri School of Journalism will present in June a three-part series on the changing nature of media as part of its New York Program. The panels will discuss the changing face of broadcast and cable news, the future role of newspapers in disseminating information and a look at how political advertising shapes campaign discussions. [More]

May 25, 2007: Traudes Wins Atwater Prize for Writing Senior newspaper journalism major Cristof Traudes recently won the 2007 Atwater Prize for Writing at the Missouri School of Journalism. The Atwater Prize provides a $500 stipend to one talented writing student each year. Traudes submitted several of his stories from the Missourian for the competition, including "A Brother's Story," a 5,000 word personal report about growing up with a sibling with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's is considered the mildest form of autism. [More]

May 22, 2007: Four Mizzou Seniors Conduct Historic Preservation Survey for Course Final A strong majority of local business professionals say they support historic preservation in Jefferson City. That's according to a survey conducted as part of a Strategic Communications course at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. A team of four Mizzou seniors - Kate Renick, Allison Mang, Heather John and Sarah Hansom - presented the "Strategic Campaign" to the local historic preservation organization and elected officials earlier this month. [More]

May 14, 2007: Missouri Journalism Students Dominate Annual College News Design Contest Students from the Missouri School of Journalism recently swept the 19th-annual College News Design Contest, winning more awards than any other college or university and capturing first place in both the overall newspaper design and redesign competitions. The 2007 competition drew more than 700 submissions from colleges and universities across the United States. [More]

May 14, 2007: 17 Missouri Journalism Students, One Local Media Outlet Claim Mark of Excellence Awards from Regional Society of Professional Journalists Ten stories and one KBIA newscast by Missouri Journalism students are in contention for 2007 national Mark of Excellence Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists after winning this year's regional SPJ competition. [More]

May 14, 2007: Missouri Journalism Professor, Researcher Receives University's 2007 Undergraduate Research Mentor Award The University of Missouri-Columbia Office of Undergraduate Research recently named Paul Bolls one of two recipients of the 2007 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award at the annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum. The award recognizes faculty members who support and promote undergraduate research and creative and scholarly achievements. [More]

May 8, 2007: School of Journalism to Recognize 441 Graduates at Spring Commencement Ceremonies The Missouri School of Journalism will recognize its 441 May and August graduates during commencement ceremonies at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, May 12, at Mizzou Arena. Graduate degrees will be awarded to 57 students, including six doctoral candidates and 51 master's recipients. [More]

May 7, 2007: Newspapers across Missouri, America Join in Education Program for Community Journalism Students One of the venerable traditions of spring at the Missouri School of Journalism is the annual field trip for students enrolled in The Community Newspaper, a course designed to give students hands-on knowledge of the role newspapers play in local communities. [More]

May 1, 2007: Journalism Students Practice Reporting from Field During Spectacular Crane Migration One morning in March, in the pre-dawn glow of central Nebraska, students from the School of Journalism and the Agricultural Journalism Program pointed microphones and jotted into notebooks as the large, gangly Sandhill cranes rose together off the shallow water of the Platte River, where they had spent the night. [More]

May 1, 2007: Journalism Alumni Return to Campus for 2007 Reunion Rally Seven Missouri School of Journalism alumni returned to the University of Missouri-Columbia campus as part of the 2007 MU Alumni Association Reunion Rally activities held April 30. The alumni, from the classes of 1957 and 1967, were celebrating their 40th and 50th graduation anniversaries. [More]

April 2007

April 30, 2007: 31 Missouri Journalism Faculty, Student Papers on Program at 2007 ICA Conference Missouri School of Journalism researchers will present 31 scholarly papers next month at the 2007 conference of the International Communication Association, one of the leading communication-related academic organizations. The 57th annual ICA conference will take place May 24-28 in San Francisco, Calif. [More]

April 27, 2007: Dean Mills to Take a Year's Break from Dean's Responsibilities, Provost Announces Beginning June 4, Dean Mills will "step back" from the dean's job for a year, returning to full-time duty in June of 2008, as the School begins its centennial celebration and looks forward to the opening of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Esther Thorson will serve as acting dean. [More]

April 26, 2007: Colin Kilpatrick Wins 2007 "Pat on the Back" Award Executive Director of Advancement Colin Kilpatrick has received this year's "Pat on the Back" award, which honors outstanding contributions by Missouri School of Journalism staff members. In his position, Kilpatrick oversees the School's fundraising efforts that support faculty, students, facilities and programs. [More]

April 25, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Senior Wins $12,000 O.O. McIntyre Fellowship to Document "Lost Boys of Sudan" Reunion in Africa Jennifer Price has won the O.O. McIntyre Postgraduate Writing Fellowship, which will allow her to travel with Abraham Lueth, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," back to Kenya and the Sudan as he reunites with his family, two decades after the terror that forced him to leave. Established in 1986, the annual McIntyre Fellowship helps aspiring writers further their careers. [More]

April 25, 2007: Convergence Journalism Professor Earns 2007 Excellence in Education Award for Extracurricular Work with Students Mike McKean, associate professor and chair of convergence journalism, recently received a top award from the University's Division of Student Affairs for his extensive work with students outside the classroom. [More]

April 19, 2007: KOMU Earns Regional Edward R. Murrow Award The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) recently awarded KOMU-TV a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Series, the station's fourth Murrow in five years. KOMU, an NBC affiliate, is the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for students. [More]

April 19, 2007: Student Reporters at KBIA Radio Win Four Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards Four Missouri School Journalism students working at KBIA radio competed with professionals and brought home top honors. Seniors Ryan Famuliner and August Skamenca, along with recent graduates Hayley Salvo, BJ '06, and Bente Birkeland, MA '06, each won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). [More]

April 19, 2007: Three Missouri Students Receive Health Journalism Fellowships Master's student Traci Angel, senior Jamie Greber and junior Tara Ballenger were among 18 professionals and students from the state who received an expenses-paid trip to Health Journalism 2007, AHCJ's national conference. Headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism, AHCJ is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. [More]

April 19, 2007: Missouri Journalism Students Top List of Recent Hearst Journalism Award-Winners Seniors Ryan Famuliner and Ryan Kruger placed third and 11th in the Television Broadcast II Competition, respectively. Meanwhile, senior Matthew Jarzemsky earned fourth in the Personality/Profile Writing Competition, and sophomore Sean Powers took 14th in the Radio II Competition. [More]

April 18, 2007: Undergraduate Researcher to Present Original Scholarly Work at Premiere International Academic Meeting Senior Rachel Bailey, a strategic communication and psychology double major from Iberia, Mo., and her faculty mentor, Paul Bolls, assistant professor of strategic communication, will present their original scholarly research to the annual meeting of the International Communication Association in San Francisco, Calif. - a rare achievement for an undergraduate student. [More]

April 18, 2007: Missouri School of Journalism Receives $590,000 Grant to Host Reynolds High School Journalism Institutes The American Society of Newspaper Editors and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has awarded the Missouri School of Journalism $590,000 over the next three years to host an innovative training program for high school journalism advisers nationwide. From July 8-20, the School will offer its first Reynolds High School Journalism Institute, an intensive training program for 35 high school advisers recruited by ASNE. [More]

April 16, 2007: Journalism Master's Student Wins Prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to Germany Robin Hoecker, a master's student at the Missouri School of Journalism, has received one of five Fulbright Beginning Professional Journalism Awards to Germany, the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently. During her 10-month Fulbright program, Hoecker, from Monroeville, Pa., will study how photojournalism and citizen journalism can be used to promote dialogue among ethnic groups in Germany. [More]

April 6, 2007: Kraxberger Earns 2007 Kemper Fellowship, University's Top Honor for Teaching Excellence For Lynda Kraxberger, associate professor of convergence journalism, even the toughest days at the Missouri School of Journalism are a reminder that teaching is what she loves. On April 3, 2007, Kraxberger was honored with one of five 2007 William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence. [More]

April 4, 2007: Overholser to Headline Mizzou Dinner in Washington, D.C., April 21 As the evening's featured speaker, Overholser will address the crisis facing journalism in the public interest - and what citizens can do about it. MU Chancellor Brady J. Deaton will host the event with his wife, Anne Deaton, and Heather Starek, BJ '97, president of the Washington, D.C., Mizzou Alumni Association (MAA) chapter. [More]

April 3, 2007: Convergence Journalism Project Offers Media Outlet for Columbia Schools One of the latest trends in media technology is giving community members an unprecedented insiders' view of Columbia's public schools, thanks to the work of a group of radio-television journalism and convergence journalism students at the Missouri School of Journalism, several faculty members, an alumnus, teams of high school students and their advisers. [More]

April 2, 2007: Missouri Journalism Senior Wins National American Advertising Federation Internship Senior Katie Roehrick, a strategic communication major from Kansas City, Mo., received a 2007 Vance and Betty Lee Stickell Internship in advertising. Roehrick will spend 10 weeks working in the advertising department of The Los Angeles Times. In addition, she will receive $1,500 in May to help cover moving and living expenses and a $4,000 salary over the course of the internship. [More]

March 2007

March 29, 2007: Record Number of Missouri Journalism Students Win Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Editing Internships A record 17 Missouri School of Journalism students have been selected for the prestigious 2007 Dow Jones Newspaper Fund summer internships in news, sports and online copy editing. This year, the Missouri Journalism recipients were among 105 students selected from an applicant pool of more than 600. Each will receive pre-internship training and a weekly minimum salary of $350 for 10 weeks. Interns who return to college full-time the following fall will receive $1,000 scholarships from the Newspaper Fund. [More]

March 27, 2007: Strategic Communication Summit Highlights Evolving Media, Technology and Research Today's successful strategic communicator must be able to navigate as many platforms as possible, from print, radio and television media options to Web and online venues to viral marketing efforts. A group of Missouri School of Journalism alumni, faculty and other industry professionals recently addressed how this conclusion and other media challenges affect student training at the School's second Strategic Communication Summit held Feb. 27-28. [More]

March 26, 2007: Master's Student Wins Society of American Business Editors and Writers Contest Isabel Ordóñez, a second-year master's student at the Missouri School of Journalism, has won first place in the student category of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers' (SABEW) annual Best in Business contest. Ordóñez won $250 for her story on how poor Latin American men are being recruited to fill dangerous jobs as security guards for contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. She wrote the story as a correspondent for Reuters while interning in Lima, Peru, and Mexico City, Mexico, during the summer of 2006. [More]

March 22, 2007: Missouri Journalism Students Share Experience, Advice at St. Louis High School Journalism Conference Ten Missouri Journalism students and one professor recently set off for St. Louis, Mo., as ambassadors of the world's first school of journalism. The students, taught by Holly Edgell, accepted an invitation to participate in the 2007 Sponsors of School Publications of Greater St. Louis Conference at Webster University. [More]

March 20, 2007: Negative Newspaper Articles about Clinical Trials Decrease Public Willingness to Participate, Study Finds A new study by Missouri Journalism Assistant Professor María Len-Ríos and graduate student Qi Qiu has found that newspapers' front page and section stories about clinical trials are overwhelmingly negative and that exposure to these stories may decrease people's willingness to participate in medical trials. [More]

March 20, 2007: Centennial Directory Project Launched for Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Students This spring, the Missouri School of Journalism is launching the Centennial Directory project, where alumni, faculty, staff and students can be recognized as part of the Missouri Journalism legacy. The directory, the result of several upcoming months of data collection, will be an 8.5 x 11 hardbound volume containing profiles, career information and achievements of those affiliated with the School. [More]

March 20, 2007: Missouri Student-Athletes Honor Strategic Communication Professor as Most Inspiring Teacher Cynthia Frisby, associate professor of strategic communication, has been named one of the four Most Inspiring Professors on campus by the University of Missouri-Columbia Student-Athlete Advisory Council. Student-athletes nominate professors for the annual award to recognize their outstanding work in teaching and advising. [More]

March 14, 2007: Journalism Doctoral Student Wins Competitive $15,000 International Scholarship Tayo Oyedeji has been named a prestigious Harvey Fellow by the Mustard Seed Foundation based in Arlington, Va. The Foundation is a Christian organization that encourages graduate students in premier educational and research programs to pursue leadership positions in strategic fields where Christians tend to be under-represented. [More]

March 14, 2007: European Media Study Tour 2007: An Insider's View of an Unparalleled International Experience Twenty-five undergraduates and three faculty members from the School of Journalism took planes, trains, buses and cars to visit Belgium, France, Austria and Germany. The annual tour offers students a chance to visit top international media outlets while absorbing the culture of life abroad. [More]

March 8, 2007: Convergence Journalism Students Use Cutting-Edge Skills to Promote Film Festival Since 2004, Columbia's own True/False Film Festival has been challenging the notion that all documentaries are "stuffy and dry" by bringing together some of the world's best filmmakers and interested movie-goers in downtown Columbia. The annual festival, which ran March 1 to 4 this year, showcased more than 40 documentaries on subjects as lighthearted as an air guitar championship and as hard-hitting as genocide in Darfur. [More]

March 8, 2007: New Harte Teaching Fellow Shares Information Graphics Expertise with Missouri Journalism Students John Duchneskie, the graphics editor of the Philadelphia (Penn.) Inquirer, has taken a leave of absence from the nation's 11th-largest paper to become the first Harte Information Graphics Teaching Fellow at the Missouri School of Journalism. The Harte Teaching Fellowship was established to give information graphics professionals a taste of teaching while still working in a busy newsroom. [More]

March 5, 2007: Columbia Missourian Sports Section Wins National Award The Columbia Missourian sports staff scored a national award from the Associated Press Sports Editors' (APSE) annual contest, which took place Feb. 26-28 in Long Beach, Calif. APSE named the Columbia Missourian one of the top 20 Sunday sports sections in the country among papers with a circulation of less than 40,000. [More]

March 2, 2007: Journalism Students, Local News Outlets Provide Multimedia Coverage of Community Conflict A new collaborative effort between the Center for the Study of Conflict, Law and the Media and Vox magazine recently challenged Missouri convergence students to publish two special issues devoted entirely to community conflicts. Vox is produced by the School's magazine journalism students and faculty. [More]

March 2, 2007: Seven Learning, Networking Sessions in Two Days: Fast-Paced Trip to New York Inspires, Motivates Strategic Communication Students 16 Missouri Journalism students recently took part in an intensive two-day trip to Manhattan and were exposed to some of the top advertising and public relations agencies, media companies and corporations in the world. [More]

March 1, 2007: Missouri Journalism Researcher Helps in Former Communist Countries Wayne Wanta has helped develop research methods and journalism education in Albania and plans to work in Poland and Slovakia this year to assist news organizations and universities in developing methods that could improve understanding of public opinion related to politics, the media and more. [More]

February 2007

Feb. 27, 2007: Four Missouri Journalism Students Win Scholarships in Hearst Foundation Journalism Competition Four Missouri Journalism students recently received top honors from two Hearst Journalism Awards competitions. Seniors Ben Fredman and John Tully won first and ninth places, respectively, in the news/sports photojournalism competition. Senior Jenifer Langosch took first place in the sportswriting competition while senior Doug Meigs earned seventh. [More]

Feb. 26, 2007: 13 Journalism Seniors Inducted into Elite Mizzou '39 The Mizzou Alumni Association Student Board recently named 13 Missouri School of Journalism seniors to the 2007 class of Mizzou '39. Mizzou '39 honorees must be seniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Mizzou '39 honors outstanding seniors for their academic achievements, leadership and service. Created by the AASB in 2005, the name pays tribute to the spirit of service modeled by the families that supported the founding of the University in 1839. A committee of alumni, faculty and staff review the applications and select the winners. [More]

Feb. 15, 2007: Nine Missouri Journalism Students Participate in Washington Program during Winter 2007 Semester Nine Missouri Journalism students have gone "inside the beltway" this semester to work side by side with experienced reporters, graphic designers and strategic communicators in the nation's capital. The J-School's Washington Program gives students a chance to earn academic credit as they experience Washington's fast-paced professional environment first hand. [More]

Feb. 15, 2007: Newspaper Study: Investing in the Newsroom is Good for Business Murali Mantrala and Esther Thorson, director of research for the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and associate dean for graduate studies in the Missouri School of Journalism, recently examined the profitability of newspapers. Their research revealed that news quality most directly affects the bottom line. [More]

Feb. 14, 2007: Watergate Editor to Speak About Experience, Legacy of Landmark Story Harry M. Rosenfeld, the Washington Post city editor who oversaw the history-making Watergate investigation, will speak about his experience with the legendary story at 4 p.m., Thursday, March 8, in Fisher Auditorium at the Missouri School of Journalism. Rosenfeld teamed Bob Woodward with reporter Carl Bernstein to cover the Watergate break-in. As the story grew in scope and importance, Rosenfeld fought hard to keep the story in Woodward and Bernstein's hands and under his supervision at the city desk. [More]

Feb. 14, 2007: New Partnership with Meredith Corporation Creates Professional Opportunity for Magazine Journalism Students The Meredith Corporation of Des Moines, Iowa, is putting the design and planning skills of 36 Missouri magazine journalism students to the test. The assignment is to develop prototypes for four new publications the company hopes to launch. Students will unveil their design concepts and business plans on May 1 during formal presentations to Meredith executives at the School. [More]

Feb. 14, 2007: Wal-Mart Corporate Affairs Director to Deliver Raymond M. Solomon Memorial Lecture Beth Keck, BJ '76, senior director of international corporate affairs for Wal-Mart, will deliver the 2007 Raymond M. Solomon Memorial Lecture at 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 3, in Fisher Auditorium at the Missouri School of Journalism. Keck, who joined Wal-Mart in 2004, has titled her address "Telling Wal-Mart's Story." [More]

Feb. 12, 2007: Missouri Journalism Announces Big Plans for Twin Celebration in 2008 The Missouri School of Journalism today announced plans to celebrate the centennial of the School and the dedication of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. The festivities on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus are scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 10-12, 2008. It was on Sept. 14, 1908, that the world's first school of journalism held its first day of classes, and the faculty-run, student-staffed Columbia Missourian published its first issue. [More]

Feb. 8, 2007: Woodward Joins Photojournalism Faculty at Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism welcomed one new faculty member to campus at the beginning of the winter 2007 semester. Rie Woodward, MA '99, has joined the School's photojournalism faculty as an assistant professor and will serve as director of photography for the Columbia Missourian, a community newspaper that also functions a working laboratory for Missouri Journalism students. [More]

Feb. 6, 2007: Publishing Summit to Offer Professional and Educational Opportunities From grammar reviews, to photography sessions, to the announcement of the Ranly Award winners of MAP's first-ever competition, the Missouri Association of Publications (MAP) Summit on March 1-2, 2007, offers an information-packed schedule with sessions on writing and editing, design and visuals, and publishing and management. [More]

January 2007

Jan. 31, 2007: Spirituality Plays Important Role in Breast Cancer Information Processing for African-American Women, Study Finds The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 178,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. A new study from the Missouri School of Journalism has found that spirituality might play an important role in battling breast cancer through increased information sharing and use of early detection methods, particularly for African-American women. [More]

Jan. 31, 2007: Ace Copy Editor Wins National Scholarship The American Copy Editors Society recently named Missouri School of Journalism senior Krysten Chambrot a winner in the organization's annual national scholarship competition. Chambrot, a newspaper journalism major from Miramar, Fla., is one of four students in the United States to receive a $1,000 scholarship from ACES this year. A panel of professional copy editors selected the winners based on commitment to copy editing as a career, work experience in copy editing and copy-editing ability. [More]