News Releases: 2008 Calendar Year

September 2008

Sept. 5, 2008: New Center Will Create Journalism of the Future With fully modular high tech labs, an experienced staff of journalism professionals, technical support and testing facilities geared to new technologies, the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) will celebrate its grand opening Sept. 12. [More]

Sept. 4, 2008: Technology Summit Brings Leading Innovators and Entrepreneurs to New Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism Twenty-seven media entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and digital innovators will converge at the new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and the Missouri School of Journalism Sept. 12 for a Technology Summit, an exceptional gathering of technology pioneers with a focus on improving the journalism industry. [More]

Sept. 4, 2008: Nashville Songwriter and Former Advertising Executive Collaborate on Missouri Journalism Centennial Song Memories of Mizzou hangouts such as The Shack and The Stables, as well as tributes to publications such as Showme magazine, will all come alive for alumni Sept. 10 with the premiere of "Coming Home Again," the centennial song of the Missouri School of Journalism. [More]

Sept. 3, 2008: Leading Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing Executives to Lead Roundtable Discussion on Ethics As the promise of social media and other online communication opportunities expands, many companies are asking about an enhanced role for advertising and communications ethics. Several top advertising, public relations and marketing professionals will gather at the Missouri School of Journalism in September to discuss this topic and help set a course of action for the future. [More]

Sept. 3, 2008: Emmy-Nominated PBS Documentary "Walt Whitman" to Be Screened during Upcoming Celebration The event, which is free and open to the public, is part of the celebratory activities that will commemorate the centennial of the Missouri School of Journalism and the dedication of the Reynolds Journalism Institute. The MU Department of English is a co-sponsor of the "Walt Whitman” documentary showing. [More]

Sept. 3, 2008: Nation's Leading Journalists and Communicators to Join Missouri School of Journalism and Reynolds Journalism Institute in Planning for Industry's Future The Futures Forum, to be held Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Missouri School of Journalism and the new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, is a chance for professionals, citizens and students to play an active role in the decisions that will guide journalism in the 21st century. [More]

Sept. 3, 2008: Renowned Russian Poet to Perform "The Lead Honorarium" during Closing Ceremony of the Missouri Journalism Centennial/Dedication Celebration As the world's first school of journalism celebrates its first century on Sept. 12, one of the best known and most widely published poets in the world, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, will commemorate the occasion and the sacrifice of journalists worldwide with the performance of a commissioned poem. [More]

August 2008

Aug. 29, 2008: Top Health Communicators and Journalists to Discuss Industry Issues and Innovation at Missouri School of Journalism Centennial and RJI Dedication Celebration Issues of accuracy, ethics and responsibility in health communication and reporting are integral to planning for the industry's future. Several of the nation's top health communicators and journalists will tackle such issues Sept. 11-12. [More]

Aug. 29, 2008: Founding Dean of World's First School of Journalism to Be Honored with Bronze Bust The man who founded the world's first school of journalism and was instrumental in spreading journalism education across the globe will be memorialized with a bronze bust in Walter Williams Hall, his namesake at the Missouri School of Journalism. [More]

Aug. 27, 2008: Dale R. Spencer, Legendary Missouri Journalism Communication Law Professor, Honored in Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute The legacy of Professor Dale R. Spencer, who was considered a national expert on communication law and libel, will be recognized in the new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. [More]

Aug. 27, 2008: Dr. Edward C. Lambert, Missouri Broadcast Pioneer, Honored in Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute More than a half century after changing the face of broadcast news in mid-Missouri, Dr. Edward C. Lambert is being honored by former students, family and friends with a named endowment and seminar room in the new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. [More]

Aug. 27, 2008: Missouri Photojournalism Faculty and Students Document Life in Historic Arrow Rock, Mo. Photojournalism faculty and students at the Missouri School of Journalism recently released a new book about the village of Arrow Rock at the Arrow Rock State Historic Site Visitor Center. The three-year project was under the direction of faculty members Rita Reed and David Rees with student editors Abigail Pheiffer, MA '08, Leah Gallo, MA '08, and graduate student Shane Epping. [More]

Aug. 22, 2008: Health Journalists Face Translation Challenge, Missouri Journalism Researchers Find Assistant Professors Amanda Hinnant and María Len-Ríos surveyed 396 newspaper and magazine journalists and completed 35 in-depth interviews to offer insight into the role of journalists in reducing the negative effects of limited health literacy. [More]

Aug. 22, 2008: MU to Celebrate Centennial of World's First Journalism School and Dedication of Journalism's Advanced Studies Center More than 35 interactive journalism sessions, 27 technology discussions, 11 museum exhibits and displays, five live performances, two unique dining experiences and the grand opening of the premier advanced studies center for journalism will take place Sept. 10-12 as the Missouri School of Journalism celebrates its centennial and dedicates the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. [More]

Aug. 8, 2008: Missouri Journalism Interns at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Blog about Experiences As the 2008 Summer Olympic Games kick off in Beijing, Missouri School of Journalism students are detailing their experiences with blog coverage for news media outlets throughout the United States, as well as being featured on television throughout China. [More]

Aug. 8, 2008: Missouri Journalism Faculty, Graduate Students Present 36 Papers at AEJMC Conference Missouri School of Journalism faculty and students made an impressive showing at the 2008 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention, one of the leading journalism research conferences in the world. A total of 36 papers were accepted to the Aug. 5-9 convention in Chicago. [More]

June 2008

June 23, 2008: Graduate Student Wins Atwater Prize for Writing Graduate student Jake Siegel won the 2008 Atwater Prize for Writing, an award worth $600 that was presented at a luncheon this spring. The Atwater Prize is open to students in all emphasis areas and was founded in memory of James D. Atwater, dean of the School from 1983-1989 and a professor of magazine and editorial writing. [More]

June 18, 2008: Columbia Missourian Celebrates Its 100th Birthday with a "Party of the Century" Billed as "The Party of the Century," the Columbia Missourian will celebrate its 100th birthday with a major concert Thursday, Sept. 11 at The Blue Note, 17 N. Ninth St. Son Venezuela, one of the Midwest's top salsa dance bands, is the headliner for the show. [More]

June 18, 2008: Missouri School of Journalism Places First Overall in 2007-2008 Hearst Competition, Wins $37,900 in Prizes The Missouri School of Journalism placed first overall in the 2007-2008 Hearst Journalism Awards Program, an elite national collegiate journalism competition that culminated with finals held in San Francisco from June 1-6. In total, 16 of the School's students placed in the different writing, photojournalism and broadcast news competitions over the yearlong Hearst awards program, which is often called the "Pulitzers of College Journalism." [More]

June 18, 2008: KOMU Faculty and Students Win 17 Heart of America Awards The Missouri School of Journalism's radio-television journalism faculty, staff and students took home multiple awards from two prestigious competitions this spring: the Kansas City Press Club Heart of America Awards and the Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards. KOMU won 17 Heart of America Awards in the annual Kansas City Press Club competition and was named "Television Station of the Year," beating out two Kansas City stations, WDAF and KMBC, for the title. [More]

June 5, 2008: Strategic Communication Students Create Marketing and Advertising Plans for Missouri Town This summer, Missouri School of Journalism strategic communication students spent a week in Stockton, Mo., conducting research and creating advertising campaigns for several businesses in the small southwest Missouri town, which was nearly destroyed by a tornado in May 2003. [More]

June 5, 2008: $120,577 Donation to MU Honors Journalism Alumnus, Supports Columbia Missourian A gift to the Missouri School of Journalism will provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to gain professional journalism experience at the Columbia Missourian. June Reynolds Miller donated $120,577 in memory of her late husband, MU alumnus George H. Miller, BJ '40, to create the George H. Miller Columbia Missourian Endowment Fund. [More]

May 2008

May 28, 2008: Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Wins $10,000 O.O. McIntyre Professorship Brian S. Brooks, associate dean for undergraduate studies and administration at the Missouri School of Journalism, won the 2008 McIntyre Professorship for excellence in teaching, an award presented by the Missouri School of Journalism. Brooks came to the School in 1974 after working in Vietnam as the information officer for the 1st Cavalry Division, a position in which he earned a Bronze Star. [More]

May 27, 2007: Missouri Journalism Faculty and Students Presented 46 Papers at 2008 ICA Conference Missouri School of Journalism researchers presented 46 scholarly papers at the 2008 conference of the International Communication Association, one of the leading communication-related academic organizations. Twenty-eight current students and faculty participated in the conference program. Twenty-six of the School's alumni also had their papers accepted to the program. [More]

May 23, 2008: Missouri School of Journalism Graduate Wins $12,000 O.O. McIntyre Fellowship Doug Meigs won the 2008 O.O. McIntyre Fellowship, a $12,000 award that will allow him to write a book on Bob O'Brien, the orphaned great-grandson of the last recognized Mandan chief. The annual fellowship was established in 1986 to help aspiring writers further their careers. It will allow Meigs to travel to the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota to write the book. [More]

May 22, 2008: The Impact of a Changing Media Environment on Advertising Ethics to Be Explored in National Discussion An upcoming yearlong discussion about advertising ethics in a digital global environment will help the industry uphold its high standards. Wallace S. Snyder, retiring president and CEO of the American Advertising Federation, has been selected to serve as the program's distinguished visiting professor. [More]

May 19, 2008: First Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Fellow Selected Paula Hunt, a veteran health reporter from the San Antonio (Texas) News Express, will become the first Smith/Patterson Fellow this fall when she begins her master's program in convergence journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism. Hunt has written for numerous publications including Fitness, Healthy Living, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Oxygen.com. [More]

May 16, 2008: Missouri School of Journalism Featured in New Newseum The Newseum, billed as the world's most interactive news museum, features 14 major galleries, 15 theaters, two broadcast studios and a 4-D time-travel experience. The 250,000-square-foot complex cost $450 million and mixes up-to-the-minute news with centuries of journalism history. The Missouri School of Journalism is one of the few universities mentioned in the complex. [More]

May 9, 2008: School of Journalism to Recognize 499 Graduates at Spring Commencement Ceremonies The Missouri School of Journalism will recognize its 499 May and August graduates during commencement ceremonies at 2 p.m., Friday, May 16, at Mizzou Arena. Family and friends of the graduates do not need tickets to attend. Seating will be open. [More]

April 2008

April 25, 2008: Gift Creates Opportunities for Science Journalism Students, Honors Former Journalism Professor A recent gift to the Missouri School of Journalism will give students the opportunity to gain experience and explore career options in science, health and technology journalism. Named for his J-School mentor, the $100,000 gift from Russell G. Smith II and his wife, Gail, establishes the Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Fellowship and Lecture Series. [More]

April 25, 2008: Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available for the 2008 Centennial/Dedication Celebration Founding dean Walter Williams opened the world's first school of journalism on Sept. 14, 1908. One hundred years later, as the Missouri School of Journalism celebrates its centennial, the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute will open its doors. Sponsorship opportunities are now available to allow companies and organizations to congratulate the School and the Institute on these milestones and to help fund important conversations about the future of journalism. [More]

April 24, 2008: Ten Graduate Students to Be Selected for Prestigious WHCA-Missouri Fellowship in Government Affairs Reporting The White House Correspondents' Association will announce at its annual dinner on Saturday, April 26, a new WHCA-Missouri Fellowship Program in government affairs reporting. The Missouri School of Journalism was one of three schools selected by the WHCA for their innovative new scholarships at the graduate level. [More]

April 23, 2008: Centennial/Dedication Registration Now Open Registration for the Sept. 10-12 Missouri School of Journalism Centennial and Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute Dedication is now open, and alumni and friends will begin receiving packets within the next few weeks that include an event guide, the registration form and other informational pieces. [More]

April 23, 2008: Woelfel Selected as Chairman-elect for RTNDA Stacey Woelfel was elected national chairman-elect of the Radio-Television News Directors Association at its recent meeting in Las Vegas. He will produce the 2009 RTNDA convention. An associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, Woelfel also serves as news director for KOMU-TV, the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for students. [More]

April 18, 2008: President and CEO of Fleishman-Hillard to Deliver Raymond M. Solomon Memorial Lecture Dave Senay, president and CEO of Fleishman-Hillard, will deliver the 2008 Raymond M. Solomon Memorial Lecture at 10 a.m., Monday, April 21, in Fisher Auditorium at the Missouri School of Journalism. Headquartered in St. Louis, Fleishman-Hillard is part of Omnicom Group Inc., a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. [More]

April 14, 2008: MU Journalism Professor to Direct USC Journalism School Geneva Overholser, currently an endowed chair for the MU School of Journalism at its Washington, D.C. bureau, has been named the director of the journalism school at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Overholser said that although she will miss her MU colleagues and her students in Washington, D.C., she is ready to embrace the administrative responsibilities of her new position. [More]

April 9, 2008: J-School Alumnus Steve Fainaru Awarded Pulitzer Prize Six Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to The Washington Post on Monday, one of which went to a Missouri School of Journalism alumnus. Steve Fainaru's 10-part series on how private security contractors in Iraq operate outside many of the laws governing U.S. Forces won the award for International Reporting. Fainaru, 46, graduated from the School of Journalism in 1984. [More]

April 8, 2008: Global News Professionals Offer Open-minded Alternatives for American Journalism Concerns about the future of the press are not just American; they're global. Some of the solutions emerging from other countries were discussed recently during the joint centennial celebration of the Missouri School of Journalism and the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. [More]

April 7, 2008: Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Awards 11 Missouri Journalism Students with Summer Internships The prestigious Dow Jones Newspaper Fund has awarded 11 Missouri School of Journalism students summer internships in news, sports and news wire copy editing. Each student will receive pre-internship training and a weekly salary for the 10-week internship. Interns who return to college full time the following fall will receive $1,000 scholarships from the Newspaper Fund. [More]

March 2008

March 20, 2008: Mojo Ad Pitches Mobile Platform Strategies to Television Bureau of Advertising Executives The Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB), a New York-based trade association that promotes local broadcast advertising platforms, recently employed Mojo Ad to develop mobile advertising campaigns targeted to an 18-to-24-year-old audience. Mojo Ad is the School's student-staffed strategic communication agency, specializing in creating solutions to reach the ultra-savvy youth and young adult (YAYA©) market. [More]

March 18, 2008: 12 Missouri Journalism Seniors Named to Elite Mizzou '39 The Mizzou Alumni Association Student Board (AASB) recently named 12 Missouri School of Journalism seniors to the 2008 class of Mizzou '39. 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. Each year, only 39 of the more than 3,000 graduating seniors at the University of Missouri earn this distinction. [More]

March 17, 2008: Mark Carter Named CCJ Executive Director and Goldenson Chair at the Missouri School of Journalism Mark Carter, a 20-year veteran media executive, strategist, reporter and executive producer, is the new executive director of the Committee of Concerned Journalists and the Goldenson Chair in Community Broadcasting at the Missouri School of Journalism, effective today. [More]

March 14, 2008: Missouri School of Journalism Welcomes Two New Faculty Members The Missouri School of Journalism welcomed two new faculty members for the winter 2008 semester. Mark Horvit joined the journalism studies faculty as an associate professor and executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, and Karen Mitchell joined the convergence journalism faculty as an assistant professor. [More]

March 7, 2008: Columbia Missourian Sports Section, Two Students Score Big at APSE For the second year in a row, the Columbia Missourian sports desk brought home top awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) contest. This year, the paper also added two individual awards to its collection. Missouri Journalism senior Jeff Birnbaum's story "Willy-Mo" was named as one of the top 10 features, and junior Andrew Astleford's story "A Question of Acceptance" was named as one of the top 10 explanatory pieces. [More]

March 6, 2008: Missouri Journalism Professor Studies Influence of 19th Century Journalism in Shaping the Nation's History A new study by Betty Winfield, an MU Curators' professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, entitled "The Continuous Past: Historical Referents in Nineteenth-Century American Journalism," revealed that 19th century American journalism was significantly influential in shaping the nation's early history in an era when there were little or no published history records. [More]

March 6, 2008: Broadway Play "The Front Page" to be Performed at Centennial/Dedication Celebration As part of the Sept. 10-12 centennial/dedication events at the Missouri School of Journalism, the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre, mid-Missouri's historic outdoor theatre company, will host a performance of "The Front Page," the award-winning Broadway comedic play about journalists, the afternoon of Sept. 11. [More]

March 6, 2008: Missouri School of Journalism Senior Makes Worldwide Impact with 14-part Autism Series on KOMU Missouri School of Journalism radio-television journalism senior Ashley Reynolds will enter the job market after graduating this December with an impressive resume credential under her belt - a 14-part series on autism that not only reached an estimated 150,000 viewers in the mid-Missouri area, but also received worldwide attention for the depth of the reporting. [More]

March 4, 2008: Missouri Association of Publications to Host Annual Conference Best-selling author and award-winning journalist Mike Sager heads a list of publication professionals speaking at the Missouri Association of Publications' Fourth Annual Publications Summit, March 6-7, at the University of Missouri's Memorial Union. About 175 writers, editors, designers, graphic artists and publishers from consumer, business, educational and governmental print and electronic publications will participate. [More]

February 2008

Feb. 28, 2008: Around the World with Movie Director Tim Burton Missouri School of Journalism photojournalism graduate student Leah Gallo used skills she learned during her master's program to get a job photographing on the set of the movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Photojournalism students have many avenues to use their skills, other than traditional jobs. [More]

Feb. 26, 2008: School Alumnus and Cartoonist for The New Yorker to Contribute to Centennial/Dedication As a tribute to the School that helped him launch his successful career in advertising and cartooning, Michael Shaw, MA '92, will serve as the contributing cartoonist for the centennial of the Missouri School of Journalism and dedication of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Shaw's cartoons will be on display at the Sept. 10-12 centennial/dedication celebration, a three-day extravaganza featuring a variety of social, professional and educational activities. [More]

Feb. 21, 2008: New Book Offers Insider's View of the World's First School of Journalism A Journalism of Humanity: A Candid History of the World's First Journalism School, a new book by Missouri School of Journalism Professor Steve Weinberg, highlights 100 years of behind-the-scenes decisions, conflicts and turning points as leaders at the School carried on Williams' precedent of improving the profession through innovation in training for journalism. [More]

Feb. 21, 2008: Scholarly Symposium to Highlight 1908 as a Pivotal Year in American Journalism A group of nationally renowned scholars and writers will help launch the centennial/dedication celebration by taking a look back at the year 1908 and its role in the history of American journalism. The symposium, "From Whence We Came to Where We're Going," will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the Donald W. Reynolds Alumni Center on the MU campus. [More]

Feb. 12, 2008: Sarah Copeland, BJ '99, of the Food Network to Serve as Centennial/Dedication Consulting Chef Sarah Copeland, BJ '99, has been named the consulting chef for the Sept. 10-12, 2008, celebration of the Missouri School of Journalism Centennial and Reynolds Journalism Institute Dedication. She will help design the opening meal event on Sept. 10 and the closing meal event on Sept. 12, both to be held at Mizzou Arena. [More]

Feb. 8, 2008: Strategic Communication Senior Selected to Most Promising Minority Students Program Brandon C. Byrd, a Missouri School of Journalism senior majoring in strategic communication, is one of 50 students in the nation selected by the American Advertising Federation to join the Most Promising Minority Students Program (MPMS). The prestigious award allowed him to travel to New York City with fellow students from Feb. 5-7 to meet with representatives from successful advertising agencies and media companies at the New York Athletic Club. [More]

Feb. 7, 2008: New Innocence Project Gives Students Investigative Reporting Experience and Legal Knowledge The Missouri School of Journalism launched a new Innocence Project, created in conjunction with law schools at MU and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, in January 2008. Innocence projects around the country perform research and advocacy related to awareness and overturning wrongful convictions. Professor Steve Weinberg is teaching an introductory Innocence Project course, which will be a collaborative effort between students at both campuses, and a second-semester fieldwork course. [More]

Feb. 6, 2008: Missouri School of Journalism to Celebrate Centennial Anniversary with National Press Club March 28 On March 28, the Missouri School of Journalism and the National Press Club will honor their intersecting histories with a joint centennial celebration at the NPC headquarters in Washington, D.C. The program, The Next Century: Journalism for a Digital Globe, features media professionals from around the world who will talk about the bright future of journalism in the public interest. [More]

January 2008

Jan. 31, 2008: Strategic Communication Students to Benefit from $100,000 Scholarship Endowment Louise Black Jadel, BJ '46, recently gave $100,000 to create an endowed scholarship for future Missouri Journalism students studying strategic communication, an emphasis area focused on advertising and public relations training. The gift supports 100 by 100: The Centennial Campaign for the Missouri School of Journalism, an effort to increase financial commitments to the School's endowment to $100 million by 2008. [More]

Jan. 14, 2008: Missouri Press Association Announces Centennial Golf Classic Golf enthusiasts will have a chance to tee-off the social side of the Missouri School of Journalism Centennial and Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute Dedication with the Missouri Press Association's Centennial Golf Classic. The golf outing will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the University of Missouri's A.L. Gustin Golf Course. The early registration fee, due by May 1, is $50 and includes a cart, greens fees, lunch and give-a-ways. [More]

Jan. 11, 2008: Informal Reunions and Group Gatherings Night Available at Centennial-Dedication On Sept. 10-12, 2008, the Missouri School of Journalism will celebrate its centennial and the dedication of the new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute with a three-day extravaganza of events. The evening of Sept. 11 is being left open to allow alumni and guests to enjoy their own social time and the Tiger Twilight Festival, an annual celebration of Mizzou pride in downtown Columbia. [More]