News Releases
Election guides from Columbia Missourian and KOMU help local community prepare for April 8 elections
By Austin Fitzgerald COLUMBIA, Mo. (April 4, 2025) — The Columbia Missourian and KOMU-TV have published comprehensive election guides on their websites, allowing community members to read about the candidates and issues in the upcoming municipal elections. The guides each offer different emphases, in keeping with the collaborative, community-focused ethic that guides the Missouri News … Continued
Local coverage, national recognition: Missouri School of Journalism students win Hearst Awards for multimedia and audio content
By Emily Early COLUMBIA, Mo. (April 4, 2025) — Three Missouri School of Journalism students — all seniors — have been honored by the 2024-2025 Hearst Journalism Awards Program for their community reporting, joining a select group of journalism students honored by the program this year. The national competition honors undergraduate students who practice and … Continued
KBIA once again brings home multiple national Gracie Awards
By Austin Fitzgerald COLUMBIA, Mo. (April 3, 2025) — Two prestigious national Gracie Awards have gone to a staff member and student at KBIA-FM, the Missouri School of Journalism’s NPR-member station. Presented by the Alliance for Women in Media, Gracies honor media by, for and about women. Recent graduate Gillian Koptik, BJ ’24, won in … Continued
Leah Becerra joins RJI as product director for Digital On-Demand Services initiative
By Austin Fitzgerald Under Becerra’s stewardship, the Digital On-Demand Services Learning Center will make digital training resources more accessible to publishers Leah Becerra, formerly the senior digital editor at the Boston Globe, has joined the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) as the product director for the Digital On-Demand Services (DODS) startup. In this role, Becerra will … Continued
Mizzou alumna and former television reporter to appear on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’
Tomorrow, March 21, Paige Hansen will pitch her plant-based milk startup to the “sharks” during an episode of the business-themed reality television show By Sara Diedrich Contact: Sara Diedrich, 573-882-6217, diedrichs@missouri.edu Paige Hansen, BJ ’10, has always had an entrepreneurial spirit — even if she didn’t call it that at first. From running lemonade stands … Continued
Statehouse Reporting Project, led by Missouri School of Journalism, launches with $250,000+ grant from Arnold Ventures
By Austin FitzgeraldPhotos by Nate Brown COLUMBIA, Mo. (March 10, 2025) — The Missouri School of Journalism is leading an effort with newsrooms at colleges and universities all over the country to create more informed, collaborative coverage of state governments. Launched with the help of a grant for more than $250,000 from philanthropic organization Arnold … Continued
Dennis Dodd, BJ ’80, retires after four decades of sports reporting
(L-R) Dennis Dodd, Jane Gordon, Greg Henry and Tom Shatel at graduation, May 10, 1980. By Austin Fitzgerald Dennis Dodd, BJ ’80, who has covered college and professional sports at CBS Sports for decades, announced his retirement today. Dodd’s remarkably consistent career has seen him cover sports for more than 40 years, and he has … Continued
Potter Challenge Fund aims to triple impact of Mizzou Giving Day for Missouri School of Journalism
By Austin Fitzgerald COLUMBIA, Mo. (March 10, 2025) — In partnership with Walt Potter, MA ’81, the Missouri School of Journalism is launching the Potter Challenge Fund on Mizzou Giving Day, which runs March 12-13 from noon to noon. Potter has pledged to triple the impact of $25,000 in Giving Day donations, meaning the Challenge … Continued
Missouri Method paves way for Mizzou senior Piper Molins, named AAF Top Multicultural Student
By Caleb McDairmant Missouri School of Journalism senior Piper Molins has been named one of the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) Top 50 Most Promising Multicultural Students. She will travel to New York City for a week-long professional development seminar featuring a student pitch competition, agency visits and networking with top advertisers, media companies and agencies. … Continued
Mizzou study finds ‘volunteer journalism’ filling local news gap
Research from the Missouri School of Journalism suggests volunteer journalists could bridge the gap created by declining news outlets By Sara Diedrich March 4, 2025Contact: Sara Diedrich, diedrichs@missouri.edu A new study from the University of Missouri School of Journalism introduces “volunteer journalism” as a promising solution to bridge the news and information gap in communities. … Continued