Technology Summit Brings Leading Innovators and Entrepreneurs to New Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism
Technology Pioneers Share Vision for Improving Journalism in the 21st Century
Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 3, 2008) — Twenty-seven media entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and digital innovators will converge at the new Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) 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.
A keynote event of the School’s centennial celebration and RJI dedication, the Technology Summit is an action-packed exhibition of the ideas, trends, tools, technologies and companies that are leading the way into 21st-century journalism. Innovations such as those presented at the Summit will be the focus of RJI, a world-class center for researching and testing new models of journalism. This 50,000 square-foot facility, created with an initial $31 million gift from the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, will house state-of-the-art resources to test and demonstrate new technologies, experiment with convergence news production and delivery systems, and conduct real-time and virtual seminars and conferences. RJI will be dedicated Sept. 12 following the Tech Summit. Those participating in the summit will offer solutions to critical industry issues, such as engaging Generation Y youth in news, surfacing news bias, increasing advertising revenues and creating multi-perspective news stories. Among the 27 entrepreneurs and industry pioneers are:
- A representative from Current TV, an Emmy Award-winning young adult news channel and Web site founded by former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore;
- The founding vice president of Ask Jeeves, Jim Spencer, MA ’91, who will present Newsy.com, a Web site that monitors, synthesizes and presents the world’s news coverage;
- A founder of the creation studio CORE, who will give a sneak preview of a new personal-expression form of media, Ambient Content, set to launch this holiday season;
- The director of digital communications for The Coca-Cola Company, who will share what the brand is doing in social media space; and,
- Todd Herman, founder of SpinSpotter, who will discuss whether software has the ability to track objectivity in news.
While other technology-focused programming often looks at innovation from a sales standpoint, the School’s Technology Summit is rare in the fact that all the companies featured have a direct interest in creating a new future for journalism. Divided into three topical tracks, Digital Storytelling, Disruptive Innovation and Economics of the Future, the 27 entrepreneurs of the Technology Summit will each have 10-12 minutes to demonstrate the capabilities of their technology innovations to guests of the joint centennial/dedication celebration. The Technology Summit is just one event of many to be held during the centennial/dedication celebration. Alumni, citizens, journalists, communicators and academics from all over the world have registered for the three-day event, which also will feature more than 35 Futures Forum sessions, 11 exhibits and displays, four musical and theatrical performances, two evening meal events, book signings, tours and numerous networking opportunities with public relations practitioners, advertising professionals and journalists worldwide.
About the Missouri School of Journalism and Reynolds Journalism Institute:
Since publishing the student-staffed University Missourian on Sept. 14, 1908, the Missouri School of Journalism has been the international leader in hands-on journalism education, also known as the “Missouri Method.” The first to offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the field, the School is also the distinguished home of several national journalism organizations, mid-career professional programs and a thriving research agenda. Its advanced curriculum takes advantage of new technologies and practices, a tradition of innovation that will be intensified with the opening of the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI). This 50,000 square-foot facility, created with an initial $31 million gift from the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, will house state-of-the-art resources to test and demonstrate new technologies, experiment with convergence news production and delivery systems, and conduct real-time and virtual seminars and conferences.
Updated: April 29, 2020