summer - Reed College of Media

Perley Isaac Reed SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
SUMMER 2010
EXPLORING
NEW TERRAIN
STUDENT JOURNALIST MERGES
PASSION WITH PROFESSION
SEE STORY ON PAGE 4
CONTENTS
ADMINISTRATION
1 Message from the Dean
James P. Clements
President
West Virginia University
2 Around Martin Hall
Maryanne Reed
Dean
John Temple
Associate Dean
Steve Urbanski
Director of Graduate Studies
Chad Mezera
Director, IMC Master’s
Degree Program
Jensen Moore
Director of Undergraduate
Online Programs
4 Journalism student finds passion
and niche
7 Student journalist hits the high
notes nationwide
8 Motocross journalism drives SOJ
graduates
10 SOJ students promote green efforts
11 Returning veteran’s video goes viral
12 Advertising graduate promotes own
business venture
17 SOJ welcomes new faculty
Kimberly Brown
Editor
18 Students study international media
in West Africa
Angela Lindley
19 The road to becoming a tweet
jockey
Candace Nelson
20 SOJ students tackle blogging and
Web 2.0
Christa Vincent
21 Giving for the future
PHOTOGRAPHY
22 New Shott Chair shares world view
WVU Photography Services
25 Personal advertising takes on a
whole new meaning
Lingbing Hang
DESIGN
WVU Creative Services
JOURNALISM STUDENT FINDS
PASSION AND NICHE
16 New book brings death penalty case
to light
EDITORIAL STAFF
Cynthia McCloud
4
12
ADVERTISING GRADUATE
PROMOTES OWN BUSINESS
VENTURE
26 J-Week 2010: Where the jobs are in
the changing media industry
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
29 Network journalists offer career
advice
Forrest Conroy, Brian
Persinger and Brad
Robertson
30 IMC students develop interactive
campaigns for Red Cross
31 Fulbright Scholar prepares for
career change
32 December Convocation
33 May Commencement
34 About Our Donors
35 About Our Scholarships
22
NEW SHOTT CHAIR SHARES
WORLD VIEW
36 Faculty Briefs
38 Class Notes
West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.
Cover photo of Jonathan Vickers by Gabe DeWitt
West Virginia University is governed by the WVU Board of Governors
and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.
Message from
the Dean
W
Welcome to the SOJ Insider, our magazine for
alumni and friends of the Perley Isaac Reed
School of Journalism.
In addition to highlighting the School’s
accomplishments of the previous year, this
edition of the SOJ Insider underscores the value
of a journalism education during challenging
times.
Working in an industry in constant flux
and transition, our students, faculty and alumni
are finding and creating their own opportunities,
both in journalism and allied fields.
The magazine captures some of these
success stories, including a student who is
climbing to new heights as an outdoor journalist,
an alumnus using his advertising skills to promote
an organic eatery, and a budding Hollywood
actor learning how to market himself in a highly
competitive field.
To ensure our students are equipped
for a dynamic and increasingly global media
marketplace, our faculty are developing
WVU Photo Services
innovative courses and programs.
The new converged Journalism major is preparing our students to
become digital storytellers – capable of writing and producing content across
media platforms. Our advertising and public relations faculty are developing
an integrated curriculum aimed at engaging audiences through digital and
social media.
In the coming year, we will continue to evolve our program and to
reiterate the relevance of a journalism education – one that provides graduates
with the skills and creativity to succeed in whatever field they choose.
We thank you for your continued support and for demonstrating by your
own example the value of a degree from the P.I. Reed School of Journalism.
Sincerely,
Save the Date!
Join us for WVU
Homecoming 2010 on
Saturday, October 23.
Details about the School
of Journalism’s annual
homecoming tent will be
available on the website.
journalism.wvu.edu
Maryanne Reed
Dean
1
Around Martin Hall
SOJ reaccredited by national
council
I n M ay 2 0 1 0 , t h e A c c re d i t i n g C o u n c i l o n E d u c at i o n
in Jour nalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) voted
unanimously to reaccredit the undergraduate programs at the
School of Journalism. ACEJMC is the agency responsible for the
evaluation of professional journalism and mass communications
programs in colleges and universities. It accredits 113 programs
in the United States and one international program. ACEJMC
Council members made the decision to reaccredit the School at a
meeting in Arlington, Va. The decision was based on the Accrediting
Committee’s recommendations and the site team report. A site team
visit is scheduled every six years to repeat the process. The School
is accredited through the 2015-2016 academic year.
Summer blogging provides
additional publication
opportunities for students
SOJ students have been blogging this summer as part of courserelated activities, study abroad programs and extra-curricular work.
Follow their experiences online.
News-editorial senior Candace Nelson
traveled to Paris as part of the School’s
2010 Kearns Fellowship and captured
some of those moments online.
Led by Assistant Professor Steve
Urbanski, a group of students traveled
to West Africa for the special topics
course, International Media: West
Africa. They shot photos and videos and
blogged about their trip.
News-editorial senior Paige Lavender
blogged about her study abroad
experience this summer as part of
WVU’s London Internship Program.
Public relations senior Bailee Morris
and broadcast news senior Corey Preece
traveled this summer collecting video
testimonials of alumni for the SOJ website
and logged their adventures online.
2
Alex Wilson
Dean Reed greets NBC’s Andrea Mitchell at the SOJ alumni reception in
Washington, D.C., in April 2010.
SOJ hosts alumni reception and
Visiting Committee meeting in D.C.
I n A p r i l 2 0 1 0 , t h e S c h o o l o f Jo u r n a l i s m h o s t e d a n
alumni reception for area alumni and friends at the Widmeyer
Communications office in Washington, D.C. The event, which
featured a “State of the School” address by Dean Maryanne Reed,
was highlighted by guest speaker Andrea Mitchell, Chief Foreign
Affairs Correspondent for “NBC News.”
Nearly 80 friends of the School attended the reception for an
opportunity to meet with fellow alumni, Mitchell, Reed and other
SOJ faculty. The following day, the School’s Visiting Committee
convened for its spring meeting, beginning with a tour of The
Washington Post newsroom and then discussions with Executive
Editor Marcus Brauchli and Multimedia Editor Chet Rhodes. The
Committee also learned about the future of the news industry
from Paul Taylor, Executive VP of the Pew Research Center, and
Tom Rosenstiel, Director, Project for Excellence in Journalism.
Student Awards
2009-2010 HEARST JOURNALISM AWARDS PROGRAM
National and regional
media outlets employ
SOJ students following
Montcoal Mine Disaster
SOJ students put their skills to work
reporting for local and national news
organizations following the April 5 explosion
at Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County,
W.Va., in which 29 miners died and two others
were injured.
Visual journalism sophomore Codi Yeager
and news-editorial junior Travis Crum filed
online stories for AOL News, while broadcast
n e w s s e n i o r C h i p Fo n t a n a z z a p r o d u c e d
radio reports and posted Web updates for
West Virginia MetroNews, a statewide media
network.
The students were responsible for covering
press conferences, taking photos, conducting
i n t e r v i e w s, w r i t i n g t h e i r ow n p i e c e s a n d
communicating with producers and editors.
SOJ students establish
first NABJ chapter in
the state
The National Association of Black
Journalists (NABJ) officially accepted WVU’s
application to begin a student chapter. The
new organization, known as West Virginia
University Association of Black Journalists
( W V UA B J ) ,
is the first
NABJ chapter
(student or professional) in the state. SOJ
Visiting Assistant Professor Tori Arthur is the
club’s advisor. News-editorial junior Morgan
Young will be the club’s inaugural president.
Two students are already receiving handson experience. In July 2010, news-editorial
junior Chelsea Fuller and broadcast news senior
Brandon Radcliffe took part in the 2010 NABJ
Convention’s multimedia training project,
working in an onsite newsroom alongside
experienced industry professionals during the
convention in San Diego, Cal.
KARILYNN GALIOTOS
Broadcast news senior
Sixth place
Television Hard News Reporting
KASEY HOTT
December 2009 broadcast news graduate
Eighth place
Television News Features
“WVU NEWS”
Top ten
Intercollegiate Broadcast News Competition
DAVID RYAN
May 2009 news-editorial graduate
19th place
Editorial Writing
2009 SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS
REGION 4 MARK OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS
FIRST PLACE AWARDS
KARILYNN GALIOTOS
Broadcast news senior
Television Breaking News Reporting
GEOFF COYLE
May 2009 broadcast news graduate
Television Feature
BEN ESHENBAUGH
Broadcast news senior
Television Sports Reporting
SECOND PLACE AWARDS
SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO
THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
FIRST PLACE BEST ALLAROUND DAILY NEWSPAPER
DAVID RYAN
May 2009 news-editorial graduate
Editorial Writing
JON OFFREDO, SARAH MOORE
News-editorial senior, MSJ candidate
Online Feature Reporting
CHIP FONTANAZZA
Broadcast news senior
Television Sports Reporting
THIRD PLACE AWARDS
TONY DOBIES
MSJ candidate
Sports Writing
SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO
“WVU NEWS”
SECOND PLACE BEST ALLAROUND TELEVISION NEWSCAST
CLUB AWARDS
WVU PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENT SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Dr. F.H. Teahan Outstanding Community Service Award
Public Relations Student Society of America
2009 PRSSA National Conference
WVU AD CLUB
Second place
American Advertising Federation
District Five Regional Student Advertising Competition
WVU ED ON CAMPUS: ALL THINGS MAGAZINE
Best Established Chapter
Ed2010
The Best of Ed on Campus Awards
3
Journalism student
finds passion and niche
INTERVIEW BY CANDACE NELSON
Pete Clark climbs Scar Tissue (5.12a) in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge.
Jonathan Vickers
2
4
By combining his two
passions, news-editorial
senior Jonathan Vickers
is hoping to make a name
for himself in the climbing
photography world. After
scoring a spot at Rock and
Ice magazine’s photography
camp last summer, Vickers
has secured an internship at
the only climber-owned and
operated climbing magazine
for summer 2010. A
climber himself, Vickers
feels he has an advantage
in this niche market
because of his climbing and
journalism experience.
When did you first become interested in
photography?
I took an introduction to photojournalism
class with instructor Sean Stipp, and he
turned me onto journalism because I like a
lot of subjects. I like learning. And that’s the
idea with journalism, you’re always learning
about something new, and you can always
change your subject matter. So, I started
doing journalism and photojournalism. And,
I’ve been with that ever since.
When did you start climbing?
I first got involved with climbing as an
incoming freshman [at WVU]. I was a
participant in WVU’s Adventure West
Virginia program. It was an “Explore WV”
trip, which does backpacking, climbing,
camping, whitewater rafting, and it’s also the
freshman orientation class. I started climbing
Photo by Chris Hunter/HunterImagery.com
me an email saying I should check into this
Rock and Ice photo camp and that he was
going to be one of the instructors – him and
a guy named Keith Ladzinski. I checked into
it, decided to do it and shuffled some finances
around to pay for it. That was the first time
that I really made such big strides so quickly.
It was amazing.
What did you do at the photography camp?
I went there thinking I might climb, do some
climbing photography and hang out. No!
It was photography all day, every day. We
would wake up in the morning – early, right
after breakfast – and we were out on the site
shooting all day. We had bagged lunches
during the shoot . . . and we’d come back, eat
dinner and start going through all our photos
for the whole day – editing them, processing
them, doing post-production on them, and
then you had to have five for the critiques.
We would, a lot of times, start the critiques
at 11 at night. We would be critiquing until
just gotten so much better. I was amazed at
how much I learned in such a short period
of time . . . There are reasons to break the
rules sometimes, but in most cases, you want
to see all four points of contact. You want
to see where the climber’s left, right, foot and
hand are at. You want to see their face if you
can – you want “face time.” Obviously, you
want everything exposed correctly. These are
things I knew, but they taught me how to
expose everything correctly. How to be out
in a climbing situation, bouncing light with a
reflector, using filters to help adjust and balance
the exposure. When you’re out there, there are a
lot of environmental things to consider.
What do you consider when shooting
climbers?
Every situation is different. It depends on the
type of climbing, and it depends on what’s
around. Generally, you can find an easier
thing to climb nearby than what they’re
climbing. If you’re climbing what they’re
Instructor Keith Ladzinski (right) gives pointers to
Jonathan Vickers (left) at the 2009 Rock and Ice Spring
Photo Camp held outside Redstone, Colo.
then and really enjoyed it. I continued to
climb through my freshman year, but I didn’t
seriously start climbing outside until after
my sophomore year. Sophomore year, I got
the job at the [WVU Recreation Center]
climbing wall. That’s when I really got into it.
How do you learn about climbing?
Basically, you just find mentors. Find
someone who’s willing to go out and teach
you stuff. I’ve had several people throughout
the years who have taken me under their
wing and shown me things. A little bit here
and there, different climbers, stuff like that.
How did you discover the photography
camp hosted by Rock and Ice magazine?
I had advanced photojournalism with
[Associate Professor] Joel Beeson, and
we had to do a project where we picked a
photographer who did what we would like to
do one day. We researched different climbing
photographers, and I emailed a bunch of
them. One of them got back to me, and
that was David Clifford. After interviewing
him and learning about his job and doing a
presentation about him and his work, he sent
Beth Ploger
Portrait of Jonathan Vickers during an advanced photojournalism course at the School of Journalism.
after midnight. So, we’d be sitting there with
photographers, editors … We had Duane
Raleigh [the publisher and editor-in-chief ]
of Rock and Ice magazine. He was there . . .
Then the next day, it was the same thing – for
five days.
How did your photography improve with
the camp experience?
When I had decided to go to the workshop,
I really started shooting climbing. But I
didn’t start shooting [it] well until after the
workshop. I thought some of my pictures
were cool. They were terrible! After going to
the workshop, my climbing photography has
climbing, it’s pretty difficult. You have to set
yourself up somehow. You can maybe get in a
tree, or you can rappel in. Definitely a lot of
technical skills are needed. As far as physical
ability, that helps. The fact that I climb helps
me get into vantage points that others would
not be able to get into. So you have the
opportunity to get a really unique shot that
others may not have.
How did attending the camp lead to your
internship?
I was talking to some of the people working
with Rock and Ice, and a couple of them
had been interns in the past, and I decided
3
5
“Journalism allows me to have a
passion and combine my passion
with my career. Whether my
passion will continue to be climbing
throughout the rest of my life, I don’t
know, but if I find a new passion,
Jonathan Vickers
journalism will still be a part of it.”
—Jonathan Vickers
Submitted photo
to apply. I applied during the fall semester,
and I got the email that said I was in. I was
pretty excited. I was a little unsure because
all it said was, “You’re in.” I was like, “What?”
I didn’t feel comfortable, so I sent an email
back to Alison Osius, one of the editors, for
confirmation. She was like, “Yes, you are the
intern!” So that was pretty rad.
What do you enjoy most about climbing?
I enjoy climbing because when you climb,
you can really push yourself because of the
risks and because of the consequences. You
know that you’re pushing yourself to the
limit because you don’t want to fall. You can
actually find out what you can do.
Jonathan Vickers
What’s the best part about combining
these two passions in your life?
Climbing is my passion. Anything where
I can continue to be around climbing and
climb is good. I really enjoy writing. I have
written a little bit about climbing, and I
hope to write more. I like photography, too,
and I’m getting into a lot of multimedia and
videography.
Jonathan Vickers
Journalism allows me to have a passion
and combine my passion with my career.
Whether my passion will continue to be
climbing throughout the rest of my life,
I don’t know, but if I find a new passion,
journalism will still be a part of it.
LEFT TOP TO BOTTOM
Gabe DeWitt climbs a V3 boulder problem in the Snow
Globe Area at Cooper’s Rock State Forest in West
Virginia.
Left to Right: Jonathan Vickers, David Mitchell, Thomas
Martin and Pete Clark hike to a local climbing cave
outside of Morgantown, W.Va.
Lauren Lee climbs in the Narrows near Carbondale,
Colo.
Jenn Vennon laces up her climbing shoes before
climbing in Colorado.
Ben Rueck on a V5 boulder problem above Redstone
near Carbondale, Colo.
Jonathan Vickers
6
RIGHT SIDE
Brieanna Genowitz on Plate Tectonics (5.9+) in
Kentucky’s Red River Gorge.
Jonathan Vickers
More on the Web
Watch Hott’s stories produced for ABC
News On Campus
Read more about Hott’s accomplishments
http://journalism.wvu.edu
about the second anniversary of the Virginia
Tech shootings. As a result, she earned an allexpenses-paid trip to New York City to meet
with “ABC News” executives and visit the “Good
Morning America” studios.
At the top of her game in both genres, the
star performer finds similarities between her two
creative pursuits.
“I think music and journalism are alike
Hott on set during her summer 2008 internship
at FOX News Channel in New York City.
in a lot of ways – they’re just different ways of
expressing yourself,” said Hott. “With singing,
Student journalist hits the
high notes nationwide
you’re expressing yourself with music and lyrics,
BY CANDACE NELSON
accomplish after changing her major from music
and with journalism, you’re putting yourself
out there through written words and on-air
delivery.”
She never imagined how much she would
theater to journalism as a sophomore at WVU.
Award-winning vocalist and student journalist
In addition to her ABC News On Campus
Kasey Hott found a way to merge her two
award, Hott has landed a number of internships
greatest passions in life.
at the local level and at national broadcast
Since coming to WVU in 2005, Hott’s
networks, including Fox News and Fox Business
background in music, natural stage presence and
Network.
on-air talent have been paving a path to success
“Every single place I’ve gone, I’ve learned
for the December 2009 graduate.
In 2006, Hott won the West Virginia
University Mountaineer Idol competition,
singing “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from the
musical “Grease,” “The Wizard and I” from
the musical “Wicked” and “Old Time Rock ‘n’
different things that are going to help me in
Hott gets an unexpected opportunity to pose
with “ABC News” anchor Diane Sawyer on the
“Good Morning America” set. Hott was invited
to New York, N.Y., to tour ABC studios and meet
with news executives after winning the ABC
News On Campus “Roving Reporter of the Year.”
Roll” by Bob Seger.
different ways in my career,” Hott said. “I just
think you can never learn too much.”
Hott aspires to be a network anchor but
realizes she will need to start out in small-market
television.
“That’s where you really ‘learn the ropes’
As a broadcast news senior, Hott stole
ABCNews.com or on television. The program is
of broadcasting,” said Hott. “My ultimate career
the show once again – this time as a student
an extension of ABC News On Campus, which
goal is to be an anchor for a large television news
television reporter.
was established in 2008 to showcase student-
market. I know I have a long way to go and a
produced pieces.
lot to learn before I get there, but it’s something
In June 2009, Hott was named the ABC
News On Campus “Roving Reporter of the
Hott was selected as the winner based on
Year.” The Roving Reporter program invites
the quality of two submissions: “Recession-
Hott is currently working as a general
student journalists at accredited colleges to
Proof City,” a story about Morgantown, and
assignment reporter for WVIR-TV, the NBC
submit video, text or photos for potential use on
“Virginia Tech’s Legacy of Safety,” a piece
affiliate in Charlottesville, Va.
that I can aspire to be.”
7
Selling 70,000 paid copies
a month, Racer X Illustrated
provides opportunities for
SOJ graduates in the niche
publication industry.
If you’re a motorcycle racing fan, chances are
you’ve heard of Racer X Illustrated and Road
Racer X, the major publications that cover the
sport, and MX Sports Pro Racing and Racer
Productions, the companies that host and
promote dozens of races each year.
What you may not know is that these
companies are based in Morgantown, W.Va.,
and have been powered in part by several
graduates from the School of Journalism.
Bryan Stealey (BSJ, 1994), David Brozik
(BSJ, 1995), Julie Kramer (BSJ, 1998), Jeff
Kocan (BSJ, 1999), Rachel Fluharty (BSJ, 2009)
and current news-editorial senior Alissa Murphy
have been making good use of their SOJ
degrees within the motocross industry, working
in editorial, management, graphics, production,
circulation and event promotion.
The Racer X magazines, published by
Filter Publications, report motocross news in
America and in exotic locales, including Qatar
and Portugal, and their associated websites
garner millions of visitors from around the
world. Racer Productions’ and MX Sports
produce and promote some of the top off-road
motorcycle races in the world.
Filter Publications editorial director and
founder Davey Coombs, also a WVU graduate,
combined his passions for motocross and writing in
The Racing Paper, first printed in 1991. It gained
popularity and grew into a glossy named Racer X
Illustrated. Filter Publications still produces The
Racing Paper to cover regional races.
“Years ago, Dave Coombs, Davey’s father,
started going to races and racing himself,” said
Filter Publications president Bryan Stealey. “He
thought he could do it better. And he did. He
built bigger and better events, making the best
off-road races in the U.S. That’s the core of the
company and how everything started, which
gave us deep roots in the industry.
“Davey grew up at the races,” Stealey
added. “He’s always loved it.”
Much like many of his employees, Coombs
came up through the ranks and learned the craft
of motojournalism.
While Coombs was growing The Racing
Paper from a newsletter into a tabloid and then
into a glossy, he brought on some employees who
are still with him.
Jeff Kocan, senior editor of Racer X and
co-senior editor of Road Racer X, signed on
in 1998 as a part-time proofreader while still
an undergraduate student at the School of
Journalism. David Brozik, a longtime friend
of the Coombs family, came to work for them
professionally as a graphic designer in 2001. He is
currently the pre-press manager for both glossies.
Stealey, too, has made a long-ter m
commitment. He has worked for Coombs for
almost 14 years, since the early days of shipping
8
Rachel Fluharty began working at Racer Productions as
an intern and later leveraged that position into a fulltime job when she graduated in 2009.
newsletter paste-ups to the printer via FedEx.
“I asked Davey for a job 100 times and the
100th time I got one,” Stealey said. Stealey was
fresh out of WVU and looking for a job.
He started out in the shipping room and
talked his way into the darkroom, thanks to
skills he learned at the School of Journalism.
He made his own opportunities and took on
additional duties. Stealey sought out ways to
move up, becoming a copy editor and writer
and, eventually, managing editor.
“I kept looking for responsibilities,” Stealey
said. “I started doing it, and then I got the job title.”
Stealey also has helped the company
become more efficient in its operations. He led
Filter Publications in integrating technology,
such as desktop publishing and email, to ease
Julie Kramer began writing for the original publication,
The Racing Paper, when she was 17 years old and is
now production director for Filter Publications.
BY CYNTHIA MCCLOUD
& KIMBERLY BROWN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LINGBING HANG
ILLUSTRATION BY FORREST CONROY
Davey Coombs, editorial director and founder of Filter
Publications, found a way to combine his passions
for motocross and writing, building a successful
Morgantown-based business.
work flow and in tackling the Web for social
marketing opportunities.
He says his SOJ training helped him in the
early years when the small staff had to multitask.
“We all had to be part of everything,” Stealey
said. “I learned the anatomy of a press release, and
I probably learned a good bit about crisis control
from Associate Professor Dr. [Ivan] Pinnell.”
Stealey is one of two SOJ grads who have
been with Coombs the longest. The other is Filter
Publications’ production director Julie Kramer.
Kramer finished her degree at WVU in
1998 while already working for the motocross
publications. She met Coombs at a race while
she was still in high school, attending events with
a friend who rode motocross. At 17 years old,
Kramer was already writing stories and shooting
Having started out in the shipping room, Filter
Publications president Bryan Stealey has worked his
way up through various positions during his nearly 14
years with the company.
photography for The Racing Paper.
Kramer transferred to WVU when she was
a sophomore, and the magazine went glossy
when she was a senior. Now, she oversees the
production of Racer X Illustrated, Road Racer
X and the event program books for several
racing series.
She says the School of Journalism taught
her she wanted to stay right where she was.
“I think what the J-school did, to be honest,
was open to me things I didn’t want to do,”
Kramer said, referring to reporting on crimes
and meetings. She prefers to tell the stories about
the people in the motocross industry.
“It pointed me in the direction I wanted to go.”
SOJ student Alissa Murphy also credits
the School with opening doors and providing
her with flexible skills applicable to today’s
evolving industry.
Murphy was an advertising major when she
started her internship at Racer Productions. She
learned of the opportunity when Stealey visited
Martin Hall in 2008 as a panelist for an event
sponsored by the student organization, Ed on
Campus: All Things Magazine. Murphy didn’t know
much about the magazine industry or motocross, but
she was impressed by Stealey’s insight.
“I like being around people that make me
want to learn and that have something to give
back,” said Murphy. “Stealey had so much
knowledge, and I knew he would be the perfect
person to work for. I could tell he was busy, but I
kept emailing him . . . eventually he let me come
in for an interview, and I got the internship.”
Within a year, Murphy was able to leverage
the skills that she learned in both the advertising
and news-editorial programs and during the
internship into a more long-term position
with Racer Productions. In her current job,
she manages online advertising for six of the
company’s websites, uses social media to market
Racer X magazines and oversees more than 500
magazine vendor accounts.
She says working for Racer X reminds her
of why she chose advertising when she started at
the School, but it also allows her the flexibility to
explore her new passion for journalism as well.
“It’s really whatever opportunity presents
itself,” said Murphy. “I’ve designed pages for
the magazine. I’ve done research for programs.
I’ve shot a feature for the magazine. I’ve done
everything. I’ve had the opportunity to flesh out
all avenues and see what I really like.”
In addition to hiring full-time employees,
Filter Publications has offered internships off
and on for 10 years, according to Stealey. Five
interns have been from the School of Journalism.
Editorial director Coombs sees the value in
adding SOJ students and graduates to his team.
“Media is evolving so fast [that] it’s always
a good idea to hire younger people,” Coombs
said. “We challenge each other to stay ahead of
the trends. The vast potential out there changes
every day. Having young WVU-educated people
almost assures that I’ll be at the leading edge of
whatever comes next.”
9
SOJ students use social media skills to
promote green efforts
BY CANDACE NELSON
Linbging Hang
Linbging Hang
Five School of Journalism students are using
their professional skills to contribute to a cleaner
environment.
They are participating in the EcoCAR
Challenge, a national competition that gives
engineering students from across the country the
chance to design and build an eco-friendly car.
However, Nicole Fernandes, Elyse Petroni,
Cate Mihelic, Nicholas Cavender and Marilyn
More on the Web
Watch a video about the EcoCAR outreach team
http://journalism.wvu.edu/projects/ecocar_team
Visit the EcoCAR website
http://ecocar.wvu.edu/
Check out the team blog
http://greengarageblog.org/
McCarthy aren’t using automotive technology
in their efforts. Instead, they’re using their public
relations and social media skills to help promote
the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral
Resources’ EcoCAR team.
“It’s a great experience because it’s like
they’re our client, and we’re trying to get the word
out on a project that they’re doing,” said Petroni,
a public relations senior. “I think that it’s good
experience for what we’re going to be doing when
we graduate.”
The School began its involvement in the
competition last year when Aubrey Mondi (BSJ,
2009) and Cara Slider (MSJ, 2009; BSJ, 2006)
partnered with the engineering team to develop the
8
10
Submitted photo
initial communications plan and project website.
This year, MSJ candidate Nicole Fernandes
was granted a graduate assistantship from the
College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
to recruit an outreach team and lead their efforts.
“We really want to get the message out there
that we’re involved, especially with what’s going
on with the auto industry,” Fernandes said. “It’s
important that WVU is involved with this program
and promoting clean energy and hybrid vehicles.”
To promote the competition, the outreach
team is using a variety of media to get the word
out and has participated in several public events,
including WVU EngineerFEST 2009, WVU’s
Homecoming Parade, WVU’s National Campus
Sustainability Day, the GM vehicle delivery
media event and EcoCAR presentations at seven
middle and high schools in West Virginia and
Pennsylvania.
Each team member has been assigned a
specific area to cover within the outreach strategy.
Fernandes is in charge of promoting the project
through a variety of venues, including social
media.
“We started tweeting about EcoCAR, and
last year they started a Facebook fan page, so we’ve
been updating that,” Fernandes said. “We have
also updated our blog and have been shooting
video and photos.”
Petroni handles state and political outreach,
and Mihelic, a public relations senior, is working
on the K-12 outreach efforts. Cavender focuses
on media relations, and McCarthy works with the
WVU campus and Morgantown community. Both
also are public relations seniors.
“It’s a nationally recognized competition,”
Fernandes said. “WVU is only one of 17
universities across the U.S. and Canada who was
accepted for this competition. So just for them
to put this on their resume is one way they [the
students] can benefit.”
Another perk of the project is the opportunity
to travel with the EcoCAR team. In January 2010,
Mihelic and Fernandes flew to Daytona Beach,
Fla., for the competition’s Year Two Winter
Workshop where preliminary judging took place.
The outreach team was awarded a score of 4.3
out of 5.0 for their website.
Fernandes’ fellow team members also
recognize that this is an experience that will make
them stand out to future employers.
“The classes at the J-school have helped
because we’ve been applying those techniques
we’ve learned,” Mihelic said. “It’s what we would
face in an agency because we have to juggle
multiple priorities between this and class.”
Top Left: WVU mechanical engineering seniors
Alan Kuskil (left) Ryan Mesches (right) exit the
EcoCAR after taking it for the inaugural test
drive in October 2009. Public relations senior
Nick Cavender captures the moment on video.
Bottom Left: Mechanical engineering senior and
EcoCAR team leader Brody Conklin (left) and
engineering graduate assistant Andrew Yablonski
(right) take a look under the hood of the team’s
2009 Saturn Vue.
Right: The EcoCAR team poses for a photo
outside the Daytona International Speedway in
Daytona Beach, Fla., during the competition’s
Year Two Winter Workshop in January 2010.
From left: SOJ students Cate Mihelic and Nicole
Fernandes; engineering students Zhenhua Zhu,
Andrew Blazek, Brody Conklin, Ryan Hanlon;
and faculty advisor Dr. Scott Wayne.
Submitted photo
Returning veteran’s video goes viral
IMC graduate learns the pros and cons of social media
It’s a timeless story – soldier and “man’s best video, protecting it from Internet pirates looking
friend” reunited during wartime. But little did to make a profit.
Schmidt says he relied on his experience in
Captain Andrew Schmidt (MS-IMC, 2009; BSJ,
1994) know that when his Golden Retriever, the IMC master’s degree program, recalling lessons
Gracie, jubilantly leaped into his lap, the video- in social media and how he could apply them to
taped moment would garner more than a million his situation.
“It got so big. People were ripping it down,
hits on YouTube.com.
The video was captured when Schmidt, a saying they were me, then going out there and
public affairs officer for the West Virginia Air selling ads . . . there was a lot of fraud involved,”
National Guard, returned home from Afghanistan said Schmidt. “I learned in the Emerging Media
in 2005. More than a year later, he uploaded the course that my video is intellectual property, and I
video to YouTube.com to share with friends and was able to quickly get control of that. The IMC
program gave me a good understanding of what
family.
On Veteran’s Day 2009, however, he awoke was going on – of what happens when a video
to more than 300 comments from strangers in his goes viral.”
This wasn’t the
email inbox. It was then
first time Schmidt
that Schmidt realized
had used his IMC
the video had gone
More on the Web
coursework to navigate
viral, garnering him
Watch the video and interviews
real-life situations. He
and Gracie international
http://journalism.wvu.edu/
says the knowledge he
fame.
(see “Success Stories”)
gained from his online
“I wasn’t sure what
Learn more about the IMC program
courses helped him to
was happening,” said
www.imc.wvu.edu
establish a brand for the
Schmidt. “What I found
global risk mitigation
out was that a website
called mentalfloss.com had posted a thing for firm he helped to start up, iSight Partners, Inc.
Schmidt says he’s thankful for both the
Veteran’s Day, and it said ‘top ten homecoming
videos.’ Then my video got picked up at some other innovative content and the flexibility of the IMC
places . . . The Huffington Post, National Review program. That flexibility allowed him to complete
his coursework while working a full-time job,
Online, CNN, the Today Show.”
His brush with viral media proved to be completing his military officer training, starting a
an invaluable lesson for the 2009 Integrated new business and caring for a newborn.
“Without the flexibility of the IMC program,
Marketing Communications (IMC) program
graduate. Schmidt was bombarded with media there is no way I could have earned a master’s
requests, engaged in conversations with strangers degree,” said Schmidt. “I simply would not be able
on his YouTube.com page and busy policing his to achieve what I’m achieving now if I would have
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
Submitted photo
TOP
Captain Andrew Schmidt reunites in 2005 with
his dog, Gracie, after a five-month tour of duty
in Afghanistan.
INSET
Schmidt snaps a photo of himself with Gracie
during a game of fetch.
been stuck with a traditional classroom schedule.”
Schmidt believes his proverbial “15 minutes
of fame” is over for now. Not only did he get
control of his video, but he also sold ads on his
Youtube.com page and parlayed the revenue into
money for the Alexandria, Va., animal shelter –
the same shelter from which he adopted Gracie.
Schmidt is currently on his second tour of
duty in Afghanistan. He says he looks forward to
returning home, using his IMC skills on the job
and making another reunion video with Gracie.
11
The Perfect Niche
Advertising graduate finds perfect market for independent business venture
Three years after graduating with a degree from
the advertising program, the only account Jason
Coffman (BSJ, 2000) was managing was for a
restaurant – his own.
Though he hasn’t followed the typical career path
he might have envisioned as a young School of
Journalism student, Coffman’s entrepreneurial
spirit is paying off.
Using his degree on a daily basis to market Black
Bear Burritos, the Morgantown-based eatery he cofounded in 2003, Coffman has helped build more
than a brand – he’s found his niche.
BY CYNTHIA MCCLOUD & KIMBERLY BROWN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN PERSINGER, WVU PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES
12
Inset: Jason Coffman (BSJ, 2000) is using his advertising skills to promote and build the restaurant he co-founded in 2003, Black Bear Burritos, in Morgantown, W.Va.
13
demographic of customers
from the University and
Morgantown communities.
Coffman says he and
Showalter have succeeded
by adhering to the original
concept they had for the
business – one that perhaps has
its roots in their college days.
Originally from
Parkersburg, W.Va., Coffman
and Showalter became friends
while attending WVU. They
traveled during breaks and
enjoyed cuisine and venues that
were nothing like what was in
Morgantown at the time.
Both graduated in 2000
and went about pursuing
traditional careers.
While his wife Jessica
was busy with graduate
studies at Appalachian State
Black Bear Burritos serves up a variety of local brews and organic menu items, popular among the WVU and Morgantown communities.
University, Coffman worked
in advertising for an outdoors
The regular music acts – always free of store in Boone, N.C. He spent his evenings,
Mountain State pride. Healthy food. Family
however, capitalizing on the time he spent working
atmosphere. Coffman and co-owner Matt charge – enhance that “good time” feeling.
“Our love of live music and art and West in restaurants in West Virginia. He started rolling
Showalter, also a WVU graduate, had what they
thought were the perfect ingredients for a new kind Virginia in general was going to be at the forefront burritos, jotting down ideas and making plans.
Coffman remembered dishes he and
of our concept,” said Coffman. “We were going
of Morgantown business.
“What we wanted to do somewhat defied the to be adamant about using local products . . . and Showalter had eaten at hip restaurants in cities
norms of the restaurant industry,” Coffman said. supporting local artists by giving them a venue to such as Portland, Ore., and food they had cooked
“We were two guys with no culinary school training hang and sell their art, taking no commission, and together on a Coleman camping stove and served
pursuing a restaurant venture catering to both supporting local musicians by putting them on our to hungry passers-by in concert parking lots.
Soon he called Showalter, asking him to leave
families and university students in a predominantly stage during the dinner hour.”
his desk job and begin their next adventure.
college community.”
A return to West Virginia was inevitable.
Referred to locally as just “Black Bear,” the
Coffman and Showalter have strong family ties
small, innovative business serves a variety of ethnic
to the state and the University. Coffman’s wife,
and vegetarian cuisines, using local and organic
mother, father, brother, uncle, grandfather and
products whenever possible.
great-grandfather all have degrees from WVU.
Though flavors range from Thai to Greek,
Even the location of their restaurant has a
Coffman and Showalter like to keep things “local,”
family connection. Located at 132 Pleasant Street,
paying tribute to the Morgantown and West
Black Bear Burritos is in the same building in which
Virginia influence.
Coffman’s mother lived as a WVU undergraduate
Several of the “Special Guest” menu items
student in the 1970s.
have been named for local fixtures, such as “The
Planning the menu and finding the perfect
Rail Trail” quesadilla, coined for the popular
location were the first hurdles. Developing an
walking and biking trail connecting Marion,
identity and gaining a loyal customer base were
Monongalia and Preston Counties. “The Gym’s
separate challenges. That’s where Coffman’s
Jim” quesadilla, which features a spicy salsa, pays Employees hand out toys to guests with each order
advertising skills kicked in.
tribute to the owner of a boxing gym located to help servers identify tables.
Coffman says branding was one of the most
behind the restaurant. And, of course, “The
Building a family-friendly environment into important things he learned in his advertising
Motown Philly” cheesesteak wrap is a local
their business also was important to Coffman, classes at the School of Journalism. He believes
favorite.
But the menu selection isn’t the only reason who now has two small children of his own. The that having his business recognized by a lot of
restaurant features a “Little Cubs” menu with free people has been a key to their success.
Black Bear has become a Morgantown staple.
One of the ways Coffman has solidified
“Matt and I love to have fun, and we want dishes for kids, fast service and a casual setting in
the business’ brand is through the logo design.
to incorporate as much fun in everything we do,” which children are clearly welcome.
The cozy atmosphere, green business practices Coffman and Showalter’s love of Appalachian
Coffman said. “We want the experience of dining
here to be fun. All of this plays into our brand image.” and free Wi-Fi have aided in attracting a wide heritage and music are represented by the logo’s
26
14
black bear – West Virginia’s official state animal
– playing a banjo.
Designed to be a stamp on everything, the logo
appears on the labels of bottled West Virginia spring
water, takeout containers and bumper stickers.
“We try to find opportunities to carry our
brand, our image, as far from the front door as
possible,” he said.
That approach has served them well.
The logo has been spotted more than 2,000
miles from Black Bear’s door – on the Caribbean
island of Saint Martin and in Montana’s Glacier
National Park.
“That has proven to be some of the best
advertising dollars spent,” Coffman said. “Is that
going to gain us business in
Saint Martin? No, but it’s
pleasing to hear how well
traveled these stickers are and
that we have such a branding
Coffman often serves guests himself and encourages
of this establishment.”
group and family celebrations in his restaurant.
Such traditional
advertising efforts have
“We send the messages we want to send and
helped the business gain
represent ourselves the way we want to,” said Coffman.
a loyal following. At the
Whatever the strategy, Coffman is doing it right.
same time, that dedicated
“We have experienced continuous growth in
customer base is providing
the seven years that we’ve been open, and our sales
significant word-of-mouth
nearly tripled in 2009 compared to 2003,” he said.
marketing for the restaurant
With such steady growth, Coffman and
as well.
Showalter are looking to expand to a second
West Virginia musicians Mike Morningstar and Rick Roberts perform in
In October 2007,
March 2010 at Black Bear Burritos.
location in Morgantown.
a National Geog raphic
“We hope to offer Black Bear in the Evansdale
Adventure magazine writer
urged readers to “rock out with the guitar singers descriptions of the restaurant’s weekly specials [campus] area in the near future,” he said.
As for advice to current SOJ students or
at Black Bear Burritos over a home-brew stout and gain comments from fans and well-wishers from
recent
graduates embarking on their professional
an organic tofu wrap.”
across the country.
future,
Coffman encourages them to find value
As far as Coffman knows, the author was in
Within the first two weeks of launching the
the area exploring outdoor recreation and was official Facebook page, Black Bear reached 1,200 in all of their experiences – even those that don’t
encouraged to stop by Black Bear for a bite
fans. Today, more than 1,800 people appear to directly relate to their career path.
“I would say never to underestimate or
to eat.
follow the restaurant’s posts.
discredit
any life experiences,” said Coffman. “No
“From what I understand,”
Coffman utilizes the tool
matter
how
menial a job may seem while you’re in
said Coffman, “they came in
for more than just getting the
college
or
during
the summer months, you never
and just really enjoyed their
word out. It goes beyond free
know
where
that
experience
could apply later on,
experience here. They
advertising, he says. It’s also
or
you
never
know
what
value
it might be to you
thought it was a really
about controlling their
later
in
life.”
unique and cool place
brand and messaging.
to come and worthy of a
mention.”
Other advertising
efforts have been more
proactive, such as the
More on the Web
company’s fan page on
Watch a photo slideshow
http://journalism.wvu.edu
the social networking site
(see “Success Stories”)
Facebook. Colorful photos and
Visit Black Bear Burritos on the Web
The Black Bear image appears on a
variety of items – including stickers,
shirts, glasses and beer taps – to
market the restaurant.
http://www.blackbearburritos.com/
Read the National Geographic article
http://www.active.com/outdoors/Articles/Mountain_Mindset.htm
27
15
Andy Smith
New book brings
death penalty
case to light
BY CYNTHIA MCCLOUD
Main Photo: Associate Professor John Temple answers
questions from C-SPAN producers about his book, The
Last Lawyer: The Fight to Save Death Row Inmates.
Left Inset: The Last Lawyer: The Fight to Save Death Row
Inmates, published by University Press of Mississippi in 2009.
Right Inset: Levon “Bo” Jones in 2008 just minutes
after being released from North Carolina’s death row.
WVU Photo Services
John Temple had no axe to grind when he chose a controversial subject
– the death penalty – for his second book.
Temple, associate professor and associate dean of the School of
Journalism, published his latest nonfiction thriller, The Last Lawyer:
The Fight to Save Death Row Inmates,
in November 2009.
“It was never ideological,” Temple
said. “I never set out to write a book
against capital punishment. That’s not
really what was driving me.”
Pure journalistic curiosity is what
interested him in the lawyers who fight
for reduced sentences, new trials and
overturned convictions for people on
death row.
“I found there have been a lot of
books about people on death row and
capital punishment cases, but there
weren’t any other journalistic books
about the lawyers who do this work,” said Temple. “There’s a very
small number of lawyers out there who devote themselves exclusively to
death penalty litigation. What kind of person is drawn to do this work?
I wondered what their relationship would be like with the defendant.
All those things drew me to it.”
Ken Rose, the central figure in the book, has almost exclusively
defended death row inmates for his entire career. He was the director
of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation (CDPL) during the fourand-a-half years that Temple followed Rose’s representation of Levon
“Bo” Jones.
Jones was convicted in 1993 and sentenced to death for a 1987
killing in North Carolina. The CDPL fought to have Jones’ sentence
overturned, citing inadequate legal counsel, mental illness and mental
16
retardation. Rose worked for 10 years on the case,
which resulted in Jones’ release from prison in 2008.
As part of a book launch event, the School of
Journalism and the College of Law co-sponsored
a panel discussion in November featuring Temple,
Rose, West Virginia appellate lawyer Lonnie
Simmons and sentencing mitigation expert Jay T.
McCamic.
During the discussion, Temple spoke about the
journalistic process of reporting the story during 17 trips to the South
spanning nearly five years.
“I pushed myself to get to know these people on a deeper level
than I have before as a journalist,” he said.
By immersing himself in his subject, Temple was able to tell a true
story that reads more like fiction.
While the book may be a compelling read, Rose says it also sheds
light on the important work being done by death penalty litigators.
“I think it’s an interesting and well-rounded perspective of our
work, not just through our eyes but also through the eyes of those who
support the death penalty,” said Rose.
Since its publication, The Last Lawyer has garnered positive
reviews and recently received the Scribes 2010 Book Award from the
American Society of Legal Writers.
More on the Web
Watch the panel discussion webcast
http://law.wvu.edu/lastlawyer
Watch Temple’s interview with C-SPAN
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/218130&start=0&end=392
Learn more about Temple’s work
http://johntemplebooks.com/
9
5
SOJ welcomes new faculty
BY CANDACE NELSON
Jensen Moore
Dana Coester
Assistant Professor, Journalism
Director of Undergraduate Online Programs
Assistant Professor, Advertising
As Director of Undergraduate Online Programs, Dr. Jensen Moore
is helping to re-envision the School of Journalism’s growing minors
program.
In addition to online courses for its majors, the School currently
offers online minors in advertising and public relations, as well as a
blended minor in sport communication with WVU’s College of Physical
Activity and Sport Sciences. Last year, the School filled nearly 1,000
“seats” in its summer online courses and has more than doubled its online
enrollment since 2004.
As an academic scholar
and researcher, Moore
brings a strong academic
presence to the online
programs.
Beginning in July 2009,
she conducted a complete
audit of all the School’s
undergraduate online
courses to strengthen the
curriculum, update content
and standardize how courses
are being taught. She also
worked with faculty and
students at WVU’s College
of Creative Arts to redesign
the graphic identity of the
online courses.
Jensen Moore
Tasked with developing
new minors, Moore has proposed a strategic health communications
minor, which will prepare students for communications careers in the
health care industry.
In addition, she’s engaged in promoting the School’s minors and
other online offerings across campus and to other nationally accredited
journalism programs.
“Students from other departments want journalism minors to
enhance their degrees,” Moore said. “Business students might want a
PR minor and others might want an advertising minor.”
Moore received her doctorate degree in journalism from the
University of Missouri School of Journalism. Before earning her Ph.D.,
she worked in strategic communications as a public and community
relations director and advertising executive for professional baseball and
basketball teams and as a research consultant on a book examining the
future of journalism.
Since returning to the School of Journalism in fall 2009, Assistant
Professor Dana Coester is helping students define themselves in the
ever-changing field of journalism.
“They are interested in and motivated to define themselves as new
media professionals,” Coester said. “My goal is to ignite the passion for
the future innovators.”
Coester is no stranger to the evolution of journalism. A
former art director for Time Inc. publications, she most recently
served as the assistant vice
president for branding
and creative direction
with WVU’s University
Relations division, where
she helped direct several
award-winning interactive
social media campaigns.
Coester hopes to bring
her experience and insights
to students in the advertising
program through projects
that utilize digital media and
graphic design.
In fall 2009, students in
her Advertising Campaigns
course researched and
developed a campaign to
rebrand journalism as an
Dana Coester
exciting, evolving major for
millennial college students.
In the spring semester, Coester worked with students in her Direct
Marketing class and through the “West Virginia Uncovered: Multimedia
Journalism from the Mountains” project to help rural newspapers
develop strategies to monetize their websites. As part of that effort,
Coester is leading an initiative to develop a mobile application for the
project.
In addition, Coester has co-authored a grant with Associate
Professor Joel Beeson to collect multimedia oral histories about race
perceptions in West Virginia.
She also recently finished producing her own experimental
multimedia documentary, “Pretty,” which she is currently submitting
to film festivals.
Coester is also an active blogger on media issues and the future
of journalism.
Portraits by WVU Photo Services
17
Nine-year-old Veronica carries
her two-year-old sister Patricia
on her back. The sisters live in
Do Boro Village, Ghana. SOJ
students visited the village as
part of their travels to West
Africa in summer 2010.
Submitted photo
Lessons from West Africa
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
Students study international media practices while traveling abroad
While newspaper readership has declined in the
United States, print journalism is thriving alongside
new media in emerging democracies. A group
of School of Journalism students learned that
lesson firsthand during a spring semester course,
International Media: West Africa.
The course, taught by Assistant Professor Steve
Urbanski focused on West African culture, history
and media and culminated in a three-week study
abroad trip to Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso.
According to Urbanski, the trip was significant
on several levels.
“Obviously, it was important for the students to
see how media outlets operate on an international
scope. But embedded within that notion are arguably
more vital sub-issues, such as culture, politics, power
and economics,” Urbanski said.
Reading about and discussing these issues in
class is one thing, says Urbanski, but experiencing
them in person can have a stronger impact on
18
student journalists.
“When they walk within different political
systems and experience the economic inequity that
is often present in sub-Saharan Africa, they have
an excellent opportunity to build upon textbook
readings and arguably become more empowered
as individuals,” he said.
While in West Africa, students toured radio
and television stations, as well as several newspapers
in Accra, Ghana, and Cotonou, Benin. They also
visited joyonline.com, a successful dot-com company
in Accra that packages news and feature stories for
radio stations, and attended a journalism ethics
conference at the Ghana International Press Centre.
Heather Sager, an MSJ candidate, was one of
the eight students who went on the trip. She says
she and her peers discussed in class how politics
and economics can influence journalism in other
cultures. It was the conference, however, that
solidified those ideas.
“In Ghana, many of the newspapers focus
on a certain political party or person in power, and
they are very open about that,” said Sager. “They
[Ghanaian journalists] think that it is best to take
someone’s side, as long as it’s morally sound and best
for society. That’s very different from how the U.S.
Public relations senior Erin
Graziani stands high above
a tropical rainforest on the
canopy walkway at Kakum
National Park, Ghana.
Submitted photo
The road to becoming
a tweet jockey
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
Submitted photo
Villagers pause and smile for photos during the
students’ visit to Do Boro Village, Ghana.
media tries to be objective and give both sides.”
While on the trip, students also blogged
about their experiences. Several of the students
examined the differences between print and
online journalism in their blog posts, noting that
the two platforms seem to co-exist better in West
Africa than in the United States. Despite the
success of online media, people of Africa still
value the printed word.
“There were at least 20 new newspapers
in Ghana in the past year, which seems pretty
fascinating when you think about it,” MSJ
candidate Brittany Cole wrote in one of her
entries.
Public relations senior Erin Graziani found
that geography and access also affect how West
Africans consume their news. Even with the
proliferation of online media, print journalism
continues to thrive.
“We visited an African village where locals
said they didn’t have access to computers, but
they used them when they visited the Internet
cafes in the city of Accra,” said Graziani. “So
in their village, it was easier for them to get their
hands on a newspaper.”
Although the media study was the focus of
the trip, Urbanksi said students also got a lesson
in humility.
“I’m confident that the trip made the
students think,” said Urbanski. “When students
visited the village of Do Boro, they were visibly
moved. The village is so poor, yet the children
were happy just to have visitors from the U.S. It
was a superb example of how a trip such as this
can go beyond the study of media.”
More on the Web
Read the class blog
http://westafricasoj.wvu.edu/
Submitted photo
Elizabethany Ploger, a 2009 broadcast news graduate, competed this summer for MTV’s new
TJ (tweet jockey) position.
When MTV launched its first music video
on August 1, 1981, the term VJ (video jockey)
became a buzzword in households across the
country. Elizabethany Ploger (BSJ, 2009)
wasn’t even born yet, but MTV icons like Nina
Blackwood, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn
would later become her idols.
“I’ve always said that my dream job was
to be an MTV VJ, but they don’t really exist
anymore,” said Ploger. “I guess a TJ (tweet
jockey) is the modern day version.”
The broadcast news graduate, currently
a disc jockey at Candy 95.1 FM in College
Station, Texas, was one of 20 people nationwide
who competed to be MTV’s first TJ.
MTV hand-picked Ploger based on her
entertainment blog, “love, elizabethany,” which
she started during her senior year at the School
of Journalism.
“I knew that I needed something more
than just internships – everyone had those,” said
Ploger. “I wanted to make myself stand out.”
Ploger said it took about nine months of
hard work before she developed a fan base.
It was the summer after graduation, and she
was living in Washington, D.C. With no luck
in the job search, she began to follow the cast
of the MTV reality show, “The Real World:
Washington, D.C.,” with a video camera.
The self-proclaimed “Real World” stalker
posted a new video to her site each week and
blogged about her attempts to find the cast
members out on the town. She called the
episodes “Finding the Real World Cast.”
More established entertainment websites like
Metblogs.com and Washingtonian.com began
to notice her work.
“All of the sudden, I realized I was being
mentioned in articles, and the hits on my
blog went from 200 a day to 1,500 a day,”
said Ploger.
Metromix.com, a network of
entertainment-based websites in more than 60
U.S. cities, offered to pay Ploger as a freelancer
for their Washington, D.C., site.
“It didn’t pay much, probably enough to
buy gas to get around the city,” said Ploger, “but
it gave me more credibility on my resume.”
By March 2010, “The Real World” had
wrapped up, and Ploger found herself once
again searching for a job. With the added
boost to her resume, it didn’t take long for her
to find one.
Her current employer, Candy 95.1 FM,
responded quickly to her application. They told
Ploger it was her blog that caught their eye. By
May, she had settled in Texas, ready to begin
her new life. But two days later, her career took
another exciting turn – MTV called.
“I had no idea that this contest was going
on, and I had no idea they were looking at me,”
said Ploger. “They said they saw my tweets
and my blog and they liked my commentary
on pop culture.”
During MTV’s TJ contest, Ploger
competed against the other contestants in a
series of Twitter-based challenges. Though
she didn’t win the competition, Ploger gained
valuable experience and has begun to build her
portfolio as a pop culture journalist and critic.
“So many people have asked me, ‘Did
you need to go to school for four years to do
what you do?’” said Ploger. “The answer is yes!
My experience at the SOJ started this whole
process. I’m really excited to show everyone
that you can get a great education at WVU and
make big things happen from it.”
Ploger still hopes to someday work for a
major network like MTV but feels she’s in a
good place right now to further develop her
professional skills.
19
“There aren’t many
journalism schools that
are teaching blogging.
Colleagues tell me part of
the reason is that some
believe blogging and social
media aren’t journalism.
These students are proving
it can be.”
—Bob Britten
SOJ students
tackle blogging
and Web 2.0
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
Assistant Professor Bob Britten works with public relations
senior Cambria Stubelt during the spring blogging course.
Students and faculty at the School of Journalism
aren’t just talking about the future of their
profession – they’re helping to redefine it.
A new class, “Blogging and Interactive
Journalism,” offered students the opportunity
to explore and experience the impact of Web
2.0 and user-generated content on journalism.
Using a variety of social media tools and webbased applications, students are learning to
become effective online journalists, facilitating
news as a two-way conversation rather than
one-way transmission.
“Once you write a blog post, it doesn’t
end there,” said Assistant Professor Bob Britten.
“Others respond, you respond to them and
information grows. Students realize the work
they are doing is just a starting point for that
conversation. They’re learning just what it
means to participate in that larger community
today, both as savvy Internet users and as
journalists.”
During the pilot of the course in spring
2010, students tweeted during Journalism Week
presentations, developed interactive maps and
wikis and created personal and group blogs.
Public relations senior Cambria Stubelt
believes that what she learned in Britten’s
class will take her public relations skills to the
next level.
“These lessons are so invaluable,” said
Stubelt. “It’s not a class where you read out
of a textbook and discuss what-ifs and how-tos.
This is what people are doing in real life, and
we will need to know how to do this when we
get a job.”
20
Lingbing Hang
Britten agrees. He says blogs have become
much more mainstream now that traditional
media are using them to gather and share
information with their audiences. As a result,
blogging is a skill that students will likely need
in the newsrooms of the future.
“There aren’t many journalism schools
that are teaching blogging,” said Britten.
“Colleagues tell me part of the reason is that
some believe blogging and social media aren’t
journalism. These students are proving it can
be.”
During the course, students participated
in multiple hands-on activities, including
serving as “mini-newsrooms” to manage and
maintain Morgantown-based blogs of local
interest. In addition to planning these blogs
and providing content, students used social
networking tools, like Twitter, and created
Facebook fan pages to promote their work.
News-editorial senior Paden Wyatt
believes the student-produced reporting for
sites like “Masticate Morgantown,” a food
blog, and “Move-in Morgantown,” a source
for student housing, can be of real service to
the community.
“We are bringing valid news to
Morgantown,” said Wyatt. “I think this class
is where journalism is going. This technology
is growing, and if you can stay on top of it, you
can pretty much go wherever you want to.”
As a final project, students produced
proposals for the 2011 John S. and James
L. Knight Foundation’s News Challenge
competition. Part of the Knight Foundation’s
Media Innovation Initiative, the competition
is providing $25 million in funding over five
years to select innovative projects that help to
inform and transform community news and
social media experiments. Next year will be
the fifth year of the competition.
More on the Web
Visit the course website and student blogs
http://interactivejournalismwvu.wordpress.com/
17
“Our gift combined
with others will
protect the future of
WVU.”
—Louise Seals
About the Irvin Stewart Society
Formed in 1992, the Irvin Stewart
Society honors those who contribute
gifts in their wills, create gifts that
provide retirement income, designate
retirement assets for after-death gifts,
donate life insurance policies, make
certain amounts “payable on death”
or contribute real estate while retaining
all lifetime rights to the property. The
School of Journalism wishes to honor
those individuals who have provided for
the future of the School.
Enjoying retirement, Louise and Harry Seals visit Southeast Asia in 2009, taking
a week-long cruise up the Malay Peninsula from Singapore to Thailand.
Submitted photo
Giving for the future
In a recent interview, 1966 School of
Journalism graduate Louise Crumrine
Seals shared the reasons why she
decided to include the School in her
estate plans.
Seals ended her career at the Richmond
Times-Dispatch, where she was
managing editor from 1994–2006.
She served as president of the Virginia
Professional Chapter of the Society of
Professional Journalists, director of
the Associated Press Managing Editors
Association, director of Virginia Press
Women, director of Virginia Press
Association and a Pulitzer juror.
Seals has been inducted into the Virginia
Communications Hall of Fame and has
received the National Communicator of
Achievement Award from the National
Federation of Press Women. She also
has served as an active member of
the School of Journalism’s Visiting
Committee since 2002.
Why did you want to give back to the
School of Journalism?
The University and the School of Journalism
were a life-changing experience for me. With
instructors like Paul Atkins, you form a
life-long friendship with your professors and,
ultimately, the School.
With whom did you consult to make your
gift and why?
My husband and I had a feeling that we needed
to get our financial affairs in order. In our
late 40s, we decided to visit with a legal firm
specializing in wills to make sure that upon
our deaths, our wishes would be followed. We
wanted to make sure that what money was left
was divided correctly.
Paul A. Atkins ’49
Katharine Ann Stephen Campbell ’69
William Robert Campbell III ’69
Smoot Fahlgren
Edward G. Galligan ’57
Julia A. Halstead ’76
Norman S. Julian ’68
Maryanne Reed
Gruine Robinson ’48
James J. Roop ’71
Louise Crumrine Seals ’66
Chaplain Martha G. Smith ’70
William K. Stevens ’57, ’58
Susan Tewalt ’73, ’77
Tim Tewalt ’73
Nancy Watson
As a member of the Irvin Stewart Society,
has your relationship with the School been
enhanced?
Most definitely. I like the idea that we are
thanked now for our gift while we are living.
I get more information from the School and
contact from the University. Everybody likes to
feel special.
Is there any advice that you would give to
someone who is thinking of including the
School of Journalism in their estate plans?
A gift to the School is something I wish
everyone would look into as part of planning
their estate. Only a small portion of the
University’s budget comes from the state. Our
gift combined with others will protect the
future of WVU. We are not only planning
for our personal future but helping the deans,
professors and students for years to come.
How Do I Give?
To explore gift options yourself, the
www.wvuf.org website can open many doors.
The sample language needed to assure that
a gift included in a will yields the result
you want is available there. Click on “Ways
to Give,” then “Planned Giving” and then
“Sample Bequest Language.” You can print
the wording and take it with you when you
meet with your attorney.
To learn more about becoming a member
of the Irvin Stewart Society or for more
information on the types of estate planning
WVU offers, please contact:
Luella Gunter
Director of Development
WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism
Luella.Gunter@mail.wvu.edu
304.293.3505 x5428
21
WORLD
NEW SHOTT CHAIR SHARES
VIEW
BY KIMBERLY BROWN & CYNTHIA MCCLOUD
Portrait by WVU Photo Services
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LOIS RAIMONDO
Lois Raimondo’s journalism – both pictures
and words – has received national and
international recognition.
Though her entrée into the industry did
not follow a traditional path, her work has
appeared in National Geographic, Time,
Life, Newsweek and The New York Times, as
well as publications in Hong Kong, France
and Italy.
Raimondo’s subjects have spanned the globe
and taken her from the small villages of Asia
to the Hamptons of New York. Curiosity has
always been her guide – leading her through
more than 20 years of international study
and travel, reporting and writing, experience
and learning.
Now, as the new Shott Chair of Journalism,
she brings that sensibility to the classroom,
teaching her students to challenge their
perceptions of the world and to find the
common human experience.
22
TOP LEFT TO RIGHT
• Young Tibetan monks in Dharamsala, India, join
students at the Tibetan Children’s Village for play on a
Buddhist Festival Day for which classes – sectarian and
religious – were cancelled.
• An Iraqi bride on her wedding day. The ceremony,
which took place on a sunshine-filled winter day in
Baghdad, was punctuated by multiple rounds of rocket
blasts going off in nearby neighborhoods.
• Vietnamese bodybuilders flex and strut their stuff
before a panel of judges in Hanoi, Vietnam.
BOTTOM LEFT TO RIGHT
• Iraqi schoolchildren race across the schoolyard during
recess at a Baghdad school, which was one of the first
to open after the American bombs struck the city.
• A 16-year-old Northern Alliance fighter, accidentally
shot by his own comrades while retreating from a
Taliban ambush during the Ramadan Offensive, was
taken and left in a hospital in Taloqan, Afghanistan.
• Residents of Southeast Washington, D.C., cool off in
a spray of water after the local fire department made
the decision to open fire hydrants to combat a week of
excessive heat in 2007.
• U.S. military personnel stand watch as hundreds
of Iraqi men, all identified as members of Saddam
Hussein’s Bathist Party, line up outside a U.S. military
base waiting to take part in a U.S-sponsored ceremony
in which the Bathists would disavow their allegiance to
Hussein and pledge loyalty to the new government.
Raimondo always wanted to be a writer but not necessarily a journalist.
She began her journey into storytelling through cultural studies,
earning her bachelor’s degree in English literature and East Asian
studies from Wittenberg University in Ohio.
“I wanted to be the best storyteller that I could,” said Raimondo,
“so I went about equipping myself with what I thought were the
necessary ingredients. I wanted to work internationally – was drawn to
Asia – so I focused on East Asian languages,
literature and culture.” Raimondo intensified
the learning process by spending summers
at Middlebury College’s Chinese summer
language institute.
After graduating from Wittenberg,
Raimondo enrolled as an East-West Fellow
in the comparative literature program at
Indiana University. She continued her
Chinese and Japanese studies, while also
delving into Indiana University’s literary
theory and creative writing programs.
In the second year of her program, Raimondo moved to Jinan,
Shandong Province, China, to study folklore at Shandong University.
As part of that study, she conducted folklore research in the city and
surrounding villages. It was during this time that Raimondo took her
first formal foray into journalism, working as a translator and sound
technician for “CBS News” in Beijing, China.
Working on the streets of China inspired Raimondo to pursue the
path, and she returned to school the following year to begin work on a
second master’s degree, enrolling this time at the University of Missouri
School of Journalism to study news editorial and photojournalism.
Even as a student, Raimondo was an exceptionally talented journalist.
While interning on New York Newsday’s investigative team,
Raimondo worked on an investigative series about corruption in a New
York City public housing project. In 1989,
the series was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
But her experience with the renowned
Missouri Photo Workshop piqued a new
hunger in Raimondo’s insatiable appetite
for learning and ways of seeing.
“I was a writer for the longest time and
shifted to photography rather late in my
career when I saw some pictures at Missouri
that just blew away all the words that I
had,” said Raimondo. “I thought, ‘That’s a
language I don’t speak. I need to know it.’”
By the early 1990s, Raimondo was spending one week every
fall teaching at the Missouri Photo Workshop and working abroad to
uncover intimate stories of distant people and cultures.
In 1991, she was awarded the O.O. McIntyre Writers Grant
administered through the University of Missouri to produce text
and photos for the “Tibetan Cultural Survival Project.” Raimondo
“I wanted to be the best
storyteller that I could, so I
went about equipping myself
with what I thought were the
necessary ingredients.”
—Lois Raimondo
23
the Shott Chair of Journalism.
Raimondo is not
only teaching hands-on
photography skills but also
educating students to be
adaptable, observant and open
to new experiences.
“I think one of the
best ways to learn quickly,
especially in journalism, is to
have a comparative learning
experience,” she said. “You
learn quickly studying in a
place that is foreign.”
In addition to teaching
introductory and advanced
visual jour nalism courses,
Raimondo is leading efforts to
develop an exchange program
in China.
But, she says, “foreign”
doesn’t always mean another
country – just an environment
that is unfamiliar.
“If you just keep looking
at what’s familiar to you, you
His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, speaks to a crowd gathered to hear his message at a cultural center in Washington, D.C.
never realize how familiar
that view is,” said Raimondo.
“If you are surrounded by people whose
worked with Tibetan refugees throughout India,
“Having that cultural
thoughts, perspectives and ways of living
photographed the Dalai Lama and wrote about
are very different from what you know, you
the Tibetan struggle against Chinese rule.
understanding of who people realize your own experience is just one piece
From her experience, Raimondo produced
of the world puzzle.”
a book, The Little Lama of Tibet (Scholastic,
are goes hand-in-hand with
And in addition to seeing the
1994), which documents the training of the
differences, students begin to identify
six-year-old Tibetan Buddhist high lama
being a journalist.”
experiences that are the same.
Ling Rinpoche.
“You’re sur prised by how much
From 1994-1997, Raimondo worked as
—Lois Raimondo
commonality there is,” said Raimondo. “It’s
chief photographer of The Associated Press
when you find that commonality with the things that are very different
Bureau in Hanoi, Vietnam. She covered major news and cultural events,
from you that you can begin to build bridges of understanding.”
producing photo essays about migrant workers, rural development and
“Having that cultural understanding of who people are goes
Vietnamese youth culture.
hand-in-hand with being a journalist.”
By 1999, Raimondo had returned to the U.S. and was hired as
a full-time staff photographer for The Washington Post where she
About the Shott Chair of Journalism
covered both domestic and international stories.
The Shott Chair of Journalism was created by an endowment
On assignment as a photojournalist for The Post, Raimondo was
from
the Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation in honor of the Shott family for
among hundreds of foreign journalists who converged on the Northern
its
more
than 100-year history of leadership in West Virginia’s news
Alliance headquarters in northern Afghanistan anticipating U.S. action
media.
The
Chair is a faculty position in journalism – print, broadcast
just weeks after the Sept.11, 2001, attacks on the New York City World
or
new
media
– designed to enhance the quality of journalism education
Trade Center.
in
the
state.
Her work from the front lines of the war in Afghanistan was
featured in both The Post and National Geographic and earned her
More on the Web
the Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic and Foreign Reporting.
An Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship in 2005 led Raimondo
Watch Raimondo’s presentation at the fall 2009 Shott Chair reception
to Pakistan to report on the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the
http://journalism.wvu.edu/people/lois_raimondo/webcast
Southeast Asian country.
The Long Road Home: A story of war and revelation in
To become fully immersed in a study of honor killing, Raimondo
Afghanistan, by Lois Raimondo
locked herself in a Pakistani government shelter with women who had sought
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0206/feature4/
refuge from attacks and potential killing committed in the name of “honor.”
After 10 years with The Washington Post, Raimondo decided to
embark on a new journey. In fall 2009, she joined the SOJ faculty as
24
Personal advertising
takes on a whole
new meaning
BY CANDACE NELSON
“Go after what you love. Just go out and
give it a shot because you never know.”
—Robby Chan
Robby Chan always knew he wanted to be an
actor, but the December 2009 graduate has taken
an unusual route to follow his dream.
Chan started on a traditional path. In
elementary school in Martinsburg, W.Va., he
participated in more than 10 church plays. In high
school, Chan had a role in “The Music Man” at
a local music theater. During his senior year, he
was scouted in Philadelphia for modeling and
acting. Then, he traveled to Washington, D.C.,
to appear in a commercial for Under Armour
sports apparel.
After high school, Chan considered pursuing
acting full-time. However, he changed course
when he was offered a West Virginia PROMISE
scholarship for college. Chan decided to attend
WVU and delay his acting career. But instead
of majoring in theater, he chose to major in
advertising at the School of Journalism.
The advertising degree, Chan thought,
would be versatile enough to make him
marketable on multiple levels.
“I chose advertising because I wanted
something that would aid me in working in the
entertainment industry,” said Chan. “I want to
have that creative edge. If I’m not going to be
in front of the camera, I want to be behind it.”
His advertising courses have given him a
competitive edge. Rather than just pitching a
client’s product, Chan has learned to pitch himself.
“I have to say that after taking my advertising
classes, I think it’s helped me market myself a little
better,” said Chan. “I have an idea of what it’s like
on both sides of the table. I learned client needs
and expectations. Advertising has given me the
skills to do something that I want to do.”
While maintaining a full-time course load,
Chan continued to pursue his childhood dream.
During the summer breaks, he traveled around
the country looking for acting opportunities.
Chan attended casting calls, scouting
searches and acting gigs in Philadelphia,
Los Angeles, Orlando and New York.
He landed spots on ABC’s “Greek,”
“Bones,” “Lincoln Heights” and “Make
It or Break It” during the summer of
2009. He also played small roles in
FOX’s “Dollhouse” and NBC’s “Heroes.”
Chan says that developing
campaign pitches in Assistant Professor
Sang Lee’s advertising capstone course
helped him learn how to market himself.
“When you’re giving a campaign
pitch for your boss or a potential client,
you have to be really confident and sell
that idea,” said Chan. “You have to
make them believe that what you have is going
to work. I gained confidence from that and am
better able to sell, not my product, but myself,”
Chan said.
Lee says Chan’s talent and confidence will
take him far.
“Robby was certainly one of the best
presenters,” said Lee. “He was not shy or afraid of
speaking in front of people at all. It was not only
because he had natural talent in public speaking
but also because he was always well prepared and
knew what he was talking about.”
At WVU, Chan not only learned skills that
will help in his acting career, but he also learned
to believe in his own ability to succeed.
“One of the things that has resonated with
me is ‘don’t aim your sights too low because if you
have a passion for doing something, you can find
a way of doing it,’” said Chan. “Go after what
you love. Just go out and give it a shot because
you never know.”
Chan is currently living in Los Angeles and
pursuing his acting career.
25
2010
JOURNALISM WEEK_
Where the Jobs Are in the Changing Media Industry
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
Millennial journalists may be more
comfortable with digital technology
and social media, but veterans of
the craft are giving them insight on
how to utilize those skills to best
position themselves in the changing
media marketplace.
In March, the School of Journalism invited national and regional journalists and strategic communicators to campus to help determine “Where the
Jobs Are in the Changing Media Industry.”
During Journalism Week 2010, media professionals like National
Geographic freelance photojournalist Melissa Farlow and POLITICO
editor-in-chief John Harris engaged students in conversation about current
and future trends in the changing media industry.
In addition to attending the various presentations, students tweeted,
blogged and followed the conversation via live webcasts. Having students
engaged in dialogue about the events further reinforced the importance
of developing these skills as part of their professional portfolios. As the
dialogue flowed, themes emerged.
Thriving in an entrepreneurial age
Since 2007, POLITICO, a niche publication specializing in national
politics and the workings of the federal government, has become one of the
country’s most trafficked news sites. Co-founder and editor-in-chief John
Harris and his colleagues have drawn widespread attention for their efforts
to create a new business model for newspapers in an era of radical change.
According to Harris, the industry is moving away from traditional
journalism to become more profitable in today’s market.
“In an institutional age, a small number of news organizations had
enormous power to set the agenda,” said Harris. “No one sets the filter
for news anymore. In this new age of the Internet, everybody is his or
her own editor.”
Harris said that to be successful today, journalists have to be their
own brand, to create relationships with readers and to add distinctive
value to their work.
“It’s not easy to succeed in the entrepreneurial age,” said Harris.
“It takes a lot of ambition and a purposeful approach to your career.
But, for those who are thriving, the entrepreneurial age is better than the
institutional age. People can have more impact. They can have more
fun as journalists – at a younger age. And, tell this to your parents when
they ask, they can make more money.”
26
Finding your niche
Many speakers emphasized that finding a niche is crucial to succeeding in today’s dynamic media industry. Just as John Harris found his niche
in political journalism, Larry Powell, VP Account Director at Sanders\
Wingo Advertising, found his career path in multicultural messaging.
While some ad agencies try to appeal to the general market culture with
their campaigns, Powell’s agency caters to urban, African American and
Hispanic markets.
“Advertising is very segmented, and it’s going to become more and
more segmented,” said Powell. “The reason that’s important, especially
these days, is because there are so many mediums that you want to communicate efficient messages to different audiences.”
Powell said technology has created a global marketplace and that
employers are looking for employees who can speak multiple languages
“Advertising is very
segmented, and it’s
going to become
more and more
segmented.”
—Larry Powell
WVU Photo Services
and who have insight on customs, practices and social behaviors in other
cultures. Powell suggested that students use the Internet and social media
to market those skills.
“It’s not good these days, particularly if you’ve worked for awhile, if
somebody Googles you and can’t find anything about you. That’s a red
flag for employers,” said Powell. “So if you do a speaking engagement
or if you volunteer, it’s good to somehow get those things listed online.”
Creating your own opportunities
Melissa Farlow found her niche as a documentary freelance photographer. For the past 19 years she has “made pictures,” as she prefers to
say, for National Geographic magazine. While some of her colleagues
were off taking photographs in exotic locations, Farlow created her own
opportunities closer to home – taking domestic assignments, such as
“Emerging media and
social media have made
everybody audience,
source, writer, editor and
aggregator.”—Chris Martin
STUDENT AND ALUMNI PANEL
DISCUSSION
“Getting Started: Making the Most of
Your Internship and First Job”
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2010
MELISSA FARLOW
FREELANCE PHOTOJOURNALIST
“Picture This: A Career as a
Freelance Photojournalist”
WVU Photo Services
mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia
and the wild mustangs of the American West.
“A lot of the assignments that I’ve been given
or proposed [to editors] have taken me to very
distant lands like West Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey,
North Dakota and places like that,” Farlow joked.
“The truth is, my subjects are so commonplace
that the challenge is to make the ordinary seem
interesting to people.”
But students don’t have to be seasoned
professionals to create their own opportunities.
When Lindsey Helfer, a 2009 SOJ alumna and
current IMC student, couldn’t find an internship
in her hometown of Wheeling, W.Va., she created her own.
A member of the Journalism Week student
and alumni panel, “Getting Started: Making the
Most of Your Internship and First Job,” Helfer
told students she approached the owners of a
local ice cream chain to inquire about a possible
summer advertising internship. Not only did she
get the job, but the owners asked her for advice.
“This was a brand new franchise. They had
never done advertising before,” said Helfer. “In
fact, they didn’t know anything about advertising – they didn’t even have a budget. So, when I
showed up asking for a job, they were more than
happy to have me help them for the summer.”
Fellow panelist and 2009 SOJ alumna Elaine
McMillion agreed. “You have to convince people
that they need you,” said McMillion.
McMillion capitalized on her summer
internship as a documentary video intern at
washingtonpost.com to land a full-time, paid
internship as a multimedia journalist at the
Charleston Daily Mail in Charleston, W.Va. McMillion, who is also an independent filmmaker,
will attend Emerson College in Boston, Mass.,
this fall to study documentary filmmaking – a
move she would not have considered had it not
been for her experience at washingtonpost.com.
“I’m really glad I took the year off,” said
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010
JOHN HARRIS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CO-FOUNDER OF POLITICO
“POLITICO: Revolutionizing Political
Coverage and Journalism”
TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010
*Sponsored by the Ogden Newspapers Seminar Series
LARRY POWELL
VP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR AT SANDERS\WINGO
ADVERTISING
“Multicultural Messaging: Applying
Your Skills in Today’s Diverse Market”
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2010
SARA GOO
DAY EDITOR FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
“Newsroom 2.0: New Skills for New
Careers”
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2010
CHRIS MARTIN
VICE PRESIDENT FOR WVU UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
“Public Relations 3.0: It’s About
Relationships . . . With the Public.
Finally. Really.”
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010
27
WVU Photo Services
“It’s not easy to succeed in the
entrepreneurial age. It takes a lot of
ambition and a purposeful approach
to your career.”—John Harris
McMillion. “Had I gone to grad school when I graduated last May,
I probably would have gone for print journalism or photojournalism – which is perfectly fine – but I found a new passion at The
Washington Post.”
Redefining the future
When Sara Goo joined The Washington Post in 2001, her
current position, day editor of the Universal desk, didn’t exist. She
began as a technology reporter, and she knew the Web was changing
the media industry in fundamental ways. She pushed her editor to
try new things like blogging and podcasting. It wasn’t long before
social media and technology created new demands in the newsroom
– and soon, new jobs followed.
“As a journalism student, I never thought I would work for
something called the Universal desk,” said Goo. “But I also never
imagined that we’d be hiring new positions at The Post with new
titles like ‘search engine editor,’ ‘multiplatform editor’ and ‘interactivity editor.’ I think that is a sign of all the changes that are going
on in this industry.”
WVU’s vice president for University Relations Chris Martin
pointed out that, in the modern history of American news gathering,
there has always been a clear divide between journalism and public
relations, between source development and market development
and between focusing a story and targeting a story – but not in the
new era of journalism.
“That divide, both useful and meaningless, is being bridged
every day,” Martin said. “Emerging media and social media have
made everybody audience, source, writer, editor and aggregator.”
Using public relations to illustrate her point, Martin said that
public relations professionals have become storytellers who no longer
solely rely on the media to disseminate their messages. She encouraged students to stay on the cutting-edge of such changes and to
create the blueprint for the future.
“People have never needed to know so much and share so much,
and they’ve never had so many ways to do it,” said Martin. “You
can’t just sit in class and take notes and have people tell you, ‘This
is how journalism works and this is how PR works’ . . . You have to
reinvent it in here [the SOJ] everyday. You redefine what it means
to tell the story and share the news.”
28
What folks are
saying about
Journalism Week
Mareedy
@mareedy Key Jweek takeaways: find your niche,
be your own brand, know thy audience and help
redefine the future #jweek 2:13 PM MAR 25TH VIA
TWEETDECK IN REPLY TO MAREEDY
Brittanylnelson
Define a niche and dominate it - JH #jweek
#politico 4:25 PM MAR 23RD VIA TXT
ChipFontanazza
Harris says optimism is a journalistic value you
needed to have with the way things are today.
Noted! #jweek 4:28 PM MAR 23RD VIA WEB
CambriaStubelt
“Optimism is a core journalistic value.”-John
Harris. I agree, it’s completely necessary! #jweek
3:51 PM MAR 23RD VIA TXT
Brittanylnelson
Politico - proudly a niche site that strictly covers
politics based on impact and efficiency #jweek
#politico 4:16 PM MAR 23RD VIA TXT
P4d3n
Value of stories isn’t derived from the publication
themselves, but the writer’s work. #jweek 4:04 PM
MAR 23RD VIA TXT
KimberlyWalkerB
#jweek Farlow: With any story, trust is vital. 4:13
PM MAR 22ND VIA MOBILE WEB
More on the Web
Watch the J-Week webcasts and read more tweets
http://journalism.wvu.edu/jweek2010
Network journalists offer
advice to SOJ students
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
WVU Photo Services
CBS’s Byron Pitts says set
goals and persevere
Assistant Professor Tori Arthur’s television news
students weren’t sure what to expect when they
heard that CBS’ Byron Pitts was visiting their
class. They Googled him and viewed his Twitter
account, and nowhere in cyberspace did it say
“down-to-earth guy.” But that’s exactly what they
encountered when they met Pitts.
The chief national correspondent for
“CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” and
a contributing correspondent to “60 Minutes”
talked to SOJ students in Martin Hall in early
February. Pitts was on campus as part of WVU’s
David C. Hardesty, Jr. Festival of Ideas. The
public event, “Step Out on Nothing,” was
Ashton Pellom introduces Byron Pitts at the WVU
Festival of Ideas event.
road to take back to one’s dormitory, choosing a
career path takes the same certainty. You can’t get
to where you want to go unless you know where
you’re trying to get to.”
Pitts said that, as a young man, his goal was
to be on “60 Minutes” by the time he was 45. He
joked with students that he had “failed” because
he missed that deadline by two years.
In addition to sharing his personal anecdotes,
Pitts gave students career advice, critiqued their
class assignments and offered himself as a resource.
“I love the enthusiasm I see in the eyes
of young journalism students,” said Pitts.
“Our world is a dangerous place, and it’s fast
Lingbing Hang
WVU Photo Services
CBS’ Byron Pitts talks with a television news class in Martin Hall in February 2010.
co-sponsored by the School of Journalism’s
Gruine Robinson Speaker Series and the WVU
Center for Black Culture and Research.
During his class visit prior to the evening
lecture, Pitts inspired students with his life story.
Growing up in a low-income neighborhood
in Baltimore, Pitts faced many obstacles. He
was functionally illiterate until the age of 12
and a chronic stutterer until the age of 20. In
grade school, Pitts was diagnosed as “mentally
retarded” and placed in remedial classes.
Pitts claims it was a combination of his
own persistence, personal goals, family support
and faith that helped him achieve his dream of
becoming a reporter. He encouraged students to
set realistic goals but also to aim high.
“My advice to journalism students and all
students is to dream big but plan small,” said Pitts.
“Every dream has an address. Just like picking a
out what it takes to break into network news,
McWilliams asked O’Brien for advice.
“There is no substitute for being sharp and
hard-working,” O’Brien said. “When I was at
MSNBC, there was a plane crash, and I was
anchoring solo. I told the intern, ‘Every time
there is an update on the wire, highlight the
change.’ It wasn’t brain surgery, but she did a
brilliant job. At the end of the 11 hours that I
anchored, we hired her on the spot.”
O’Brien shared stories from the field and
talked to students about the reality of covering
disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the
recent earthquake in Chile.
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien visits with SOJ students during a small-group session in March 2010.
approaching time for the next generation of
journalists to go out and explain it to the rest of
us. The students I met at WVU seemed willing
and just about ready to do that.”
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien
shares practical advice
CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad
O’Brien says to be a top journalist, you have to
continuously work at it.
In March, O’Brien spoke with a group of
SOJ students before her public presentation as
part of WVU’s David C. Hardesty, Jr. Festival
of Ideas.
Broadcast news junior Amina McWilliams
introduced O’Brien at the public event, “Diversity:
On TV, Behind the Scenes and in Our Lives,”
and attended the student session. Eager to find
But what students seemed to desire most
was O’Brien’s practical advice, such as how to
conduct a good interview.
“It’s a learnable skill . . . I wasn’t naturally
good at it,” O’Brien confessed. “It’s about
watching it [the interview] with someone you
trust and seeing where you got off track. It’s easy
to say someone is a bad interview. I think when
you become a good interviewer, you realize that
everybody has a story.”
More on the Web
Watch the Festival of Ideas webcasts
http://festivalofideas.wvu.edu/pitts
http://festivalofideas.wvu.edu/soledad_obrien
11
29
IMC students use innovative tactics
to attract Millennial generation
BY ANGELA LINDLEY
Campaign poster and iPhone app designs by IMC student Jamie Pachomski.
Submitted artwork
Understanding your audience: It’s one of the first
lessons students learn in the School of Journalism’s
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)
master’s degree program. It’s also the foundation
of any integrated campaign, as the American Red
Cross knows all too well.
That’s why the Red Cross asked WVU’s
IMC students to spend their final capstone course
researching and developing campaigns to encourage
blood donation among 18 to 24 year olds. Each
IMC student was given a fictional budget of $20
million to develop an integrated campaign using
unique tactics to reach their audience. As part of
their efforts, they were asked to identify any barriers
to communicating and to create messages that
resonated with this generation.
According to Peggy Dyer, chief marketing
officer of the Red Cross, the “Millennial” generation
is an important audience. And, although these
young people are sometimes active with the Red
Cross in high school, their volunteerism tends to
drop off during college years. Understanding the
motivations of this audience gives the Red Cross
important insights into how they might reengage
this group.
“This market is an important one,” Dyer said.
“The marketing research the IMC students gave
us is terrific to inform us about what’s important
with this group. They used new mediums and were
16
30
thinking in a holistic way.”
For example, recent IMC graduate Kevin
Beatty conducted focus groups and found that many
18 to 24 year olds are anxious to volunteer but don’t
consider blood donation a form of volunteerism.
“This presented an opportunity for the
American Red Cross to harness the energy of its
target and build a message that would create an
emotional connection between volunteering and
blood donation,” Beatty said.
Beatty’s campaign, titled “America Needs My
Type,” proposed using websites, online advertising,
targeted ads on Facebook and a partnership with
FOX’s “American Idol” to deliver his message. In
addition, he suggested distributing vehicle magnets,
putting posters in fitness centers and creating a
30-second public service announcement to be
shown on television and in theaters.
Ray Gillette, instructor for the capstone
course and former president of the advertising
agency DDB Chicago, praised the outcomes
and unique tactics his
students developed.
“The students’
research produced some
interesting insights into
the young adult target
and their media habits,”
said Gillette. “They used
the information to create
very targeted, innovative
ideas. The students also
developed media plans
that took advantage of
XBOX, Facebook, YouTube, email and blogs to
effectively and efficiently reach the Millennial
generation.”
Recent graduate Jen Wood found that
although Millennials are anxious to give back to
society, they are particularly averse to standing in
line and doing tasks on a prescribed schedule. In
addition, many of them perceive the process of
blood donation as a major time investment.
Wood addressed these factors by integrating
her message into the XBOX Live gaming platform.
Popular among the Millennial audience, XBOX
Live generates 20 million new “friends” each month.
Wood proposed organizing XBOX
tournaments in conjunction with blood drives on
college campuses. The lure of the tournaments
would bring students to the event, where they would
donate blood or perform other volunteer tasks while
waiting their turn to play in the tournament.
Dyer said she appreciated the IMC students’
unique outlooks on the target market.
“It was wonderful to get a fresh perspective
on this market and possible tactics,” she said.
“The IMC students’ passion came through in
their campaigns, and their work exceeded our
expectations.”
Chad Mezera, IMC program director, said the
American Red Cross partnership presents a great
opportunity for students to work with a respected,
prominent organization.
“The capstone course is designed to allow
IMC students to create top-quality professional
portfolios,” said Mezera. “Our partnership with
the American Red Cross enabled the IMC program
to offer a unique opportunity for our students to
expand their skills and
gain valuable career
experience, while working
with a high-profile client.”
The students agreed.
“It was amazing to
be able to work for the
American Red Cross as
a client,” said Shalane
Tharp. “The experience
gave me the ability to put
everything I learned in the
IMC program into action
for an excellent cause.”
Wood credits her work for the Red Cross —
along with her entire IMC education — for her
career growth.
“It amazed me that I could learn about a topic
one evening and apply it at work the next day,” she
said. “This program is the epitome of real-world
knowledge and application.”
More on the Web
View student projects online
www.imc.wvu.edu
Former Iraqi doctor learning new
ways to heal his country – with words
SOJ’s Fulbright Scholar prepares for career change
BY CYNTHIA MCCLOUD
Yassin Ismaeel found his bride and his calling
because of the Iraq War.
In fall 2009, Ismaeel, an Iraq native and Fulbright
Scholar at the School of Journalism, enrolled in
the Master of Science in Journalism program.
Ismaeel wants to use his journalism degree
to help create a free press in Iraq and rebuild his
country. It’s a career switch for the medical doctor
that grew out of his war-time experiences.
In 1993, Ismaeel graduated from medical
school in Iraq and went to work for the Iraqi
National Olympic Committee. But he found he
spent less time practicing sports medicine and more
time translating for the athletes.
He studied English from 1996-2000 and
began teaching English part-time in private schools
in Baghdad to supplement his income. Even as a
physician, his government job – under Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein’s son Uday – paid a low salary
and was like part-time work.
Then, in 2003, the United States invaded
Iraq, launching the second Gulf War. The events
that followed ultimately changed Ismaeel’s destiny
– both professionally and personally.
His future wife, Saba, married to another
man and mother to then-3-year-old Daniah, was
in her kitchen when an explosion ignited her
gas stove, severely burning her face and hands.
Saba’s husband later divorced her because of
her disfigurement.
Saba sought a translator to help her write
a letter to Oprah Winfrey about her experience,
which is how she met Ismaeel. The story he helped
to translate for Saba never made it to American
television, but it brought the couple closer together.
They married in 2007 and a daughter, Dimah,
was born in early 2009. Saba is pregnant again
and due in August.
The war also impacted Ismaeel’s career when
he was hired as a translator for Japanese media
correspondents covering the occupation. As the
war escalated in late 2004 and 2005, the reporters
began asking him to do more.
“It became risky for foreigners to move freely
in Iraq,” Ismaeel said. “They began to send us to
write articles about certain events because we were
Iraqi and could move freely.”
Ismaeel’s reporting helped the journalists
craft news stories. More profoundly, it helped
Ismaeel understand what was going on
in his own war-torn country. He saw
the power of information and mass
communication.
“This job as a translator and
sometimes writer gave me contact with
events, and the picture became clear for
me what the situation in Iraq was socially
and culturally,” he said. “The work in
journalism made me able to move around
[the country] and know the stories.”
The work also inspired him to train
as a journalist so he could help to inform
his people through the media.
“Mass communication is
communication for the masses,” said
Ismaeel. “This is important because
someone can do something even for a
simple problem. You can write a good
article to get people information.”
After Ismaeel applied for studyabroad opportunities for four years, the
U.S. State Department finally awarded
him a Fulbright Scholarship to study
journalism at WVU.
“Over the years, we’ve had many international
students in the MSJ program,” said Dr. Steve
Urbanski, the School’s director of graduate studies.
“But Yassin has added an extra dimension because
About the Fulbright Program
Established in 1946 under legislation
introduced by then-Senator J. William
Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright
Program is designed to “increase mutual
understanding between the people of the
United States and the people of other
countries.”
Since its inception, nearly 300,000
“Fulbrighters” have participated in the
program to study, teach, conduct research,
exchange ideas and find solutions to
shared international concerns.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of
State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, the program currently operates in
155 countries worldwide.
Learn more about the Fulbright Program
at http://fulbright.state.gov/.
WVU News and Information Services
Iraq native and Fulbright Scholar Yassin Ismaael is working
toward his master’s degree in journalism.
his home country of Iraq has been in the news for
so many years. One of the vital components of the
educational process is creating an environment
where students can learn about cultures other than
their own and discuss unseen forces, such as power,
religion and politics. Yassin has helped to create
this positive learning environment.”
During his first year at WVU, Ismaeel studied
U.S. history and political science in addition to
his journalism courses. Once grounded in the
fundamentals of journalism, he plans to move on
to more advanced classes. Though he anticipates
he will be here for at least three years, Ismaeel is
already thinking of his thesis topic. He’s interested
in learning about how the news media covers
corruption.
When he returns to Iraq, Ismaeel wants to
work with the Integrity Commission media offices
to fight corruption using investigative journalism.
“Media can be very supportive to the
government,” he said. “This is my aim.”
Ultimately, Ismaeel hopes the work he does –
ensuring the public is receiving consistent, accurate
information – will help reunite his country.
23
31
DECEMBER
CONVOCATION
1991 PR alumna connects with current graduates
WVU Photo Services
Top graduating senior Robert Chan (left) and top broadcast news graduate Kasey Hott
(right) congratulate one another on their achievements and convocation awards.
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
WVU Photo Services
Jennifer (Rupinsky) Manton (BSJ, 1991) delivers the keynote address at the School’s
December 2009 Convocation ceremony.
The launch to Jennifer (Rupinsky) Manton’s but a shake-up in management would set her on for the professional development organization’s
successful marketing communications career a different journey. Manton took a job as the first more than 3,000 members.
marketing manager at a law firm across town.
wasn’t exactly as she envisioned.
December graduates found Manton’s career
Similar to the December 2009 graduating Soon, she recognized the value of a marketing achievements and her message encouraging.
class, Manton faced a tough economy and career in the legal industry.
“It is comforting to hear about how
“I realized I was on to something here,” successful she’s become, despite the economic
challenging job market when she graduated
from the School of Journalism’s public relations said Manton. “This was more than just a job. environment that she went into,” said Robert
The more I read, networked and got involved Chan, advertising major and the School’s top
program in 1991.
Now the chief marketing officer at the with the Legal Marketing Association, the more graduating senior for December 2009. “We
national law firm Loeb & Loeb and president I realized I was developing a career path.”
are faced with the same situation, so it’s an
Manton has since made her mark at two inspiration to see that we can turn that negative
of the Legal Marketing Association, Manton
returned to her alma mater to share her story and different law firms in New York City. Today, into a positive.”
offer words of encouragement at the School’s 17 years after leaving WVU, Manton says
In her speech, Manton talked about her
she’s exactly where she dreamed she would “life conductors” – people who mentored her
December 2009 Convocation.
“There weren’t any entry-level jobs for PR be – living in Manhattan and enjoying her and guided her throughout her life and career.
people in Pittsburgh. Graduate school wasn’t professional success.
She ended her remarks with a touching thank
As chief marketing you to her most prized conductor – her mother,
an option for me financially
officer, she manages all who died of cancer in 2008.
and neither was taking any old
aspects of Loeb & Loeb’s
job,” said Manton. “So settling
Manton encouraged students to find their
branding and marketing own conductors and to embrace life’s challenges.
back into my mom’s house and
Top Graduating Senior
strategy, including media
being faced with student loans,
“Believe in yourself, have confidence, find
Robert Kane Chan
relations, advertising and your champion and surround yourself with those
I turned to temping.”
online marketing efforts, as who support and care for you,” she said. “Pay
Shortly after graduating,
Advertising
well as internal and external your dues, have courage and take risks. Have
Manton began temping at
Robert Kane Chan
communications. Manton integrity, have a sense of humor and roll with
a small accounting firm in
also oversees the Legal change – it is a constant. Get connected . . .
Broadcast News
downtown Pittsburgh, Pa.,
Kasey Jaye Hott
Marketing Association’s efforts and get involved.”
which eventually led to a fullto serve as a collective voice
time position.
News-Editorial
Manton quickly moved
Lindsay Caitlin Anderson
on to become a marketing
More on the Web
coordinator at a large regional
Public Relations
Watch the webcast of the ceremony and Manton’s address
Brittany June Duperre
accounting firm in Pittsburgh,
http://journalism.wvu.edu/events/december_convocation_2009
TOP GRADUATES
32
MAY
COMMENCEMENT
Harrison challenges graduates to identify and embrace their “punctuation points”
BY CHRISTA VINCENT
WVU Photo Services
Thomas L. Harrison delivers the keynote address at the School’s May 2010
Commencement ceremony at the WVU Creative Arts Center.
WVU Photo Services
Top graduating senior Jonathan Vickers receives a
Mountaineer statue as his award, as well as a plaque
for being named the top news-editorial graduate of the
May 2010 class.
Sometimes it’s the advice that people don’t want
to hear that inspires them to greatness.
WVU alumnus Thomas L. Harrison told
School of Journalism graduates that he was
“emotionally stunned” in the early 1970s when
his graduate advisor said he’d be better suited for
the business world than research and academia.
At the time, Harrison was working toward his
Ph.D. in cell biology.
Harrison, who delivered the keynote
address at the School of Journalism’s 2010 May
Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16,
told students that this revelation “punctuated”
his life and allowed him to capitalize on new
opportunities.
Harrison is now the chairman and chief
executive officer of Diversified Agency Services
(DAS), the world’s largest group of marketing
services companies. A division of the Omnicom
Group, DAS has more than 5,000 worldwide
clients and annual revenues of almost $5 billion.
More on the Web
“I’m certainly not the only person who can wasn’t sure if I could do it or not. But I went out
attest to the life-changing powers of ‘punctuation there and made connections and really found a
points,’” Harrison said.
[career] focus. That was a big turning point in
He shared stories of people like Debbie my journalism career and shaped who I am now.”
Fields, who launched the dessert empire Mrs.
Vickers turned the opportunity into a postFields, and Steve Jobs, the original founder of graduate internship with Rock and Ice magazine
Apple – men and women who turned humiliation in Carbondale, Colo.
and disappointment into success.
Building on the importance of life-changing
“Why do I share these stories?” asked moments, Harrison urged students to take
Harrison. “Because I want each of you to be advantage of the change that is happening in
open to the probability that a ‘punctuation point’ the media industry.
or ‘punctuation person’ may present to you at any
“Technology and innovation are changing
time . . . When you are confronted with one of the discipline of journalism,” said Harrison.
your ‘punctuation points,’ look at it as potentially “Not its foundation of fair, unbiased reporting
a positive sign – one that you open your eyes to, of information and dialogue, but by giving us
listen to, embrace, wrestle with and accept as a new avenues for its expression . . . You have a
career-leading beacon or reject
great opportunity to create
as genuinely not for you.”
your mark on your industry
T he School’s top
– to differentiate yourself
graduate, Jonathan Vickers,
by expressing yourself and
Top Graduating Senior
said Harrison’s words were
altering older paradigms.”
Jonathan Andrew Vickers
“amazingly relevant to him”
Harrison concluded his
during this time of transition.
message by asking students
Advertising
“I had an opportunity
to envision their role in a
Ashlynd Marie Bright
that I recently took advantage
global conversation – asking
Broadcast News
of,” said Vickers. “I went to a
them to make things happen,
Gabrielle Elizabeth Ash
photo workshop in Colorado.
not to watch things happen
It was a little pricey, and I
or to “wonder what has
News-Editorial
happened.”
Jonathan Andrew Vickers
Watch the webcast of the ceremony and Harrison’s address
http://journalism.wvu.edu/events/may_commencement_2010/
TOP GRADUATES
Public Relations
Kristen Alexandria Wishon
33
ABOUT OUR DONORS
SOJ Giving Societies
In recognition of the growing importance
of private giving, the School of Journalism
honors its friends and supporters through a
tiered system of giving levels. The School
will induct new members into the giving
societies each fall. Below are the current
society members.
MARTIN HALL SOCIETY ($250,000 +)
•The Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation
•The Nutting Foundation
•Scott Widmeyer and Widmeyer Communications
•Thomas L. Harrison, LH.D.
FRIENDS OF MARTIN HALL ($100,000 - $249,999)
•Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
•John C. and Bonnie Shott
•Ogden Newspapers, Inc.
•Jim and Marsha Blair
•Douglas and Ruth Ann Widmeyer
•The Dominion Post
•Catharine P. Clark
•Linda E. Yost
•Bonnie J. Bolden
•Family and Friends of Matt Hassen
•James A. Byrum, Jr.
•Frances S. Grove
•Elmer Moksay
•J. Kinney Shulte
•Hugh Ike Shott, Jr.
•Roberta Clark Umstott
•William E. Bambrick
•John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
•Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation
•Wheeling Hospital, Inc.
•James J. Roop
•Louise Crumrine Seals
•WVU School of Journalism Alumni Association
•The Arnold Agency
•The Bell Law Firm, PLLC
•Emery L. Sasser
•Family of John H.S. Martin and Helen H. Martin
•H. Smoot and Judith A. Fahlgren
•Edward Gilbertson Galligan
SOJ Donor Honor Roll
P.I. REED CIRCLE OF FRIENDS ($25,000 - $99,999)
•Gilbert and Margaret Love
•Elizabeth and Susan Chilton
•George Gianodis
•Cary Foundation, Inc.
•Martha E. Shott
•GolinHarris
•Charleston Newspapers, Inc.
•Clinical and Pharm Research, Inc.
•Michael and Janette Heitz
•Susan Elaine Lambert
•Paul A. and Mildred Atkins
•Mary R. Tolbert and William F. Tolbert
•Ryan-McGinn, Inc.
The School of Journalism would like to
thank our donors who have given to the
2009-2010 annual fund. The annual
giving list below represents cash and pledge
payments received before May 31, 2010.
P.I. REED SOCIETY ($10,000 - $24,999)
•Harry J. Bryan
•Gruine Robinson
•Interstate Advertising Managers’ Association
•Albert Bray Cary, Jr.
•Dr. Tom and Jean Clark Family
•George W. Hodel
•Charles Ryan Associates
•Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
•Christine and Gregory Martin
•Ray Gillette
•John C. Hodel
•Reader’s Digest Foundation
•Elizabeth H. W. Smith
•United Way of the Midlands
•Johnna G. Barto, John Wiley & Sons
•J. Ford Huffman
•Gloria Reed Byrum
•West Virginia Press Association Foundation
•Williamson Daily News
•William Randolph Hearst Foundation
•David Knox Cummings
•Guy and Pat Stewart
•Pamela D. and R. Karl Yagle
•Charleston Gazette
$5,000 – $14,999
•GolinHarris
•The Nutting Foundation
34
$50,000 OR MORE
•Ford Foundation
•Mr. Scott D. Widmeyer, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas
Widmeyer and Widmeyer Communications
$15,000 – $49,999
•Mr. and Mrs. Jim Blair
•McCormick Foundation
$1,000 – $4,999
•Mr. Paul A. Atkins
•Ms. Rosalie M. Earle
•Mr. and Mrs. C. Michael Fulton
•Ms. Samme L. Gee
•Mr. and Mrs. Raymond G. Gillette, Jr.
•Mrs. Luella T. Gunter
•Mr. Marcus Hassen
•Mr. and Mrs. Ralph S. Izard
•Ms. Jane M. McNeer
•Ms. Maryanne Reed
•Mr. James J. Roop
•Mrs. Louise C. Seals
•United Way of the Midlands
•William Randolph Hearst Foundation
$500 – $999
•Mr. and Mrs. Raymond L. Betzner
•Ms. Bonnie J. Bolden
•Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Cochran
•Mrs. Pamela M. Larrick
•Mrs. J. Janet Shaffron
•Dr. and Mrs. Guy H. Stewart
•Mr. Michael J. Tomasky
•West Virginia Press Association Foundation
•Mr. and Mrs. R. Karl Yagle
$100 – $499
•Ms. Johnna G. Barto
•Mr. Paul A. Binkowski
•Mr. and Mrs. Walter C. Bird
•Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Bowles
•Col. Thomas J. Boyd
•Mrs. Jacqueline K. Breeden
•Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
•Mr. and Mrs. Edward O. Buckbee
•Ms. Cheri H. Callaghan
•Chubb & Son, Inc.
•Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Clark, Jr.
•Mr. David F. Cline
•Mr. Giles C. Davidson II
•Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Davis
•Mr. Bob Dubill
•Ms. Jane E. Duffy
•Mr. and Mrs. Maurice R. Fliess
•Mr. and Mrs. David Foreman
•Ms. Susan E. Fox
•General Dynamics Corporation
•General Electric Company
•Grant County Press
•Rev. and Mrs. Leonard S. Gross
•Mr. Roger C. Hardway
•The Herald-Mail
•Mrs. Phyllis R. Hoffmann
•Mr. and Mrs. Donald K. Hubbard
•Mr. and Mrs. R. Douglas Huff
•Mr. Noah C. Kady
•Mrs. Virginia G. Kavage
•Mr. and Mrs. Michael B. Kelley
•Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Kelly
•Mr. Harvey H. Kercheval
•Mr. and Mrs. A Nicholas Komanecky
•Mrs. Rebecca B. Lofstead
•Mrs. Dorothy H. MacQueen
•Mrs. Jacqueline Miller
•Mr. and Mrs. Gary J. Mondello
•Mr. Henry C. Nagel II
•Mr. Jason W. Neal
•Mr. and Mrs. William J. Nevin
•Mr. Phillip D. Page
•Mr. Thomas D. Perry
•Ms. Joanne A. Robinson
•Mr. Archie A. Sader
•SAIC, Inc.
•Mrs. Charles H. Scott
•Mr. and Mrs. Craig L. Selby
•Mr. and Mrs. Preston L. Shimer
•Mrs. Linda Spencer
•Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Steranka
•Ms. Margery A. Swanson
•Ms. Stephanie D. Taylor
•Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Tewalt
•Ms. Susan W. Tice
•Mr. and Mrs. J. Richard Toren
•Verizon West Virginia, Inc.
•Ms. Deborah Harmison White
•Mr. Glenn Witherspoon, Jr.
ABOUT OUR SCHOLARSHIPS
2009-2010 SOJ
Scholarship Recipients
“My family has gone through some
hard times these past couple of
PEGGY PRESTON TIERNEY SCHOLARSHIP
•Stacie Aliff
•Chelsey Hathaway
•Shay Maunz
Scholarship donations are the School’s
top priority. More students than ever are in
need due to the economic climate. Private
contributions for student academic support
have helped ease the financial burden many
students face.
years. And it’s wonderful knowing
GEORGE GIANODIS JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP
•Robby Chan
•Chelsey Corroto
•Tiffany Doolittle
•Adrienne Hendon
•Paige Lavender
•Jon Offredo
•Lynne Perry
•Elyse Petroni
•Lauren Sobon
•Rachel Taylor
•Whitney Wetzel
make it through college.”
DOUGLAS AND RUTH ANN WIDMEYER ENDOWED
JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP
•Samantha Cossick
GOLINHARRIS MOUNTAINEER IN DC
•Nicole Fernandes
•Jessica Hammond
LINDA E. YOST SCHOLARSHIP
•Robert Chan
that there are people out there
who can donate their funds just to
help students like me who are a
little less fortunate to succeed and
GILBERT AND MARGARET LOVE JOURNALISM
SCHOLARSHIP
•Rachel Borowski
DON S. MARSH SCHOLARSHIP
•Leann Arthur
•Evan Moore
OGDEN NEWSPAPERS AND NUTTING FAMILY
JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP
•Candace Nelson
•Logan Venderlic
THOMAS PICARSIC SCHOLARSHIP IN JOURNALISM
•Ben Hancock
PERLEY ISAAC REED SCHOLARSHIP
•Whitney Godwin
•Jon Vickers
EDITH WATSON SASSER SCHOLARSHIP
Katie Griffith
MARTHA E. SHOTT ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
•Hilari Barton
•Lacey Beattie
•Hayley Boso
•Lindsay Cobb
•Logan Venderlic
A Message from Professor
Emeritus Paul Atkins
“There are many young people –
especially West Virginians – who cannot
attend college without scholarship aid,”
said Atkins. “There are many students
who start but will never finish because
each year tuition, textbooks and living
expenses increase. As I think back on
the stellar careers that began at the
journalism school, many of those alumni
would not have had the opportunities
afforded them without the support of
private donations for scholarships.”
SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP
•Jill Adamson
•Samantha Cossick
•Thomas Cullen
•Paul Espinosa
•Stacey Herron
•Alex McPherson
•Sarah Michael
•Amanda Moreau
•Justine O’Grady
•Matthew Peaslee
•Tabitha Porterfield
•Tim Reid
•Katlin Stinespring
•Whitney Wetzel
•Kristen Wishon
•Morgan Young
SCOTT D. WIDMEYER FIRST GENERATION
SCHOLARSHIP
•Caitlyn Kish
SCOTT D. WIDMEYER AFRICAN AMERICAN
SCHOLARSHIP
•Brandon Radcliffe
WEST VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION - GUY H.
STEWART SCHOLARSHIP
•Leann Arthur
WEST VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION - ADAM
A. KELLY PREMIER JOURNALIST MEMORIAL
SCHOLARSHIP
•Brittany Bolyard
WEST VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION - ROY OWENS
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
•Candace Nelson
WEST VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION - CECIL B.
HYLAND JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
•Morgan Unger
“It’s wonderful knowing that the
School of Journalism is more than just
a school. It seems to be a family. And
no matter what age or situation they’re
in, as a family they stick together and
help each other and are able to give
back. Hopefully, when I succeed in the
journalism world, I can give back and
keep the cycle going.”
How Do I Give?
To learn more about providing scholarship
funding, visit our website at
http://journalism.wvu.edu/about_us/contribute
or contact:
Luella Gunter
Director of Development
WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism
Luella.Gunter@mail.wvu.edu
304.293.3505 x5428
35
FACULTY BRIEFS
n TORI ARTHUR
Visiting Assistant Professor Tori Arthur’s poetry
and prose, “Reflections,” was published in the
anthology, Mourning Katrina: A Poetic Response
to Tragedy, in summer 2009. The national writing
project is aimed at helping survivors deal with the
Graham Nash and the Evolution of the Photog-
raphy Collection,” was accepted for publication in
the spring 2010 issue of Visual Communication
Quarterly.
emotional trauma of their experience through writ-
n DANA COESTER
21st Century African American Woman’s Guide
selection of essays in the literary journal Ocho #26
the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., West Virginia
art are excerpted from Coester’s documentary film
town, W.Va. In spring 2010, she participated in a
an Award of Excellence in Narrative in the Faculty
News?” with local news professionals at the West
Arts in February 2010. In April 2010, Coester
shop held at the WVU Mountainlair. In addition,
Narrative,” as part of the “Defining Multimedia”
ing poetry. In January 2010, Arthur presented “The
Assistant Professor Dana Coester published a
to Public Relations and Social Media Savvy” at
in September 2009. The essays and featured cover
State Leadership Conference held in Morgan-
project, “Pretty.” The film also was recognized with
panel discussion, “Do Journalists Create or Report
Video Competition of the BEA Festival of Media
Virginia Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership work-
presented her paper, “Visual Forms in Nonlinear
Arthur and Assistant Professor Jensen Moore
panel at the BEA conference in Las Vegas, Nev.
Grant for their research project, “What Gets Them
n DR. RITA COLISTRA
ical vs. Religious Messages Encouraging African
research, “TV Reporters’ Perceptions of Organiza-
were awarded a $14,630 Faculty Senate Research
WVU Photo Services
authored by C. Zoe Smith), “Acquiring Taste:
Through the Pain: Processing Differences for Med-
Assistant Professor Rita Colistra presented her
Dr. Sang Lee
American Women to Obtain Mammograms.”
tional Influences on News Content and Cover-
Dr. Sang (Sammy) Lee, who chairs the School
of Journalism’s advertising program, was
awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of
associate professor this spring. Lee brings more
than 10 years of professional experience to the
program. He has worked as a senior account
manager at Cheir Communications in South
Korea, one of the world’s 15 biggest advertising
agencies, and as an advertising manager at
Samsung Electronics America and the New
Jersey-based advertising agency CCIA. Lee’s
research includes Internet advertising effects
and framing related theories. His work has
appeared in several publications, including
Journal of Promotion Management, Journal of
Marketing Communications and International
Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing.
He also co-wrote the book, To Vary or Not? The
Effects of Ad Variation on the Web, published
by Cambria Press in 2006. Lee, who joined
the faculty in fall 2004, is a member of the
American Academy of Advertising. He earned
his doctorate degree in mass communication
from Pennsylvania State University in 2004
and his master’s degree in advertising from
Michigan State University in 1986. Lee
received his bachelor’s degree in advertising and
public relations from Chung Ang University,
Seoul, South Korea, in 1984.
n JOEL BEESON
Economics (MME) Division at the August 2009
Associate Professor Joel Beeson received a first
national AEJMC convention in Boston, Mass. She
of Diversity by the Association for Education in
Research Vice Chair for 2009-2010. In September
He received the award and presented his winning
workshop for Travel Beautiful Appalachia, Inc.,
nalism: A Template for the Organic Incorporation
preneurs learn techniques to better promote their
at the organization’s annual meeting in Boston,
relations and social media. The workshop, held in
presented his paper, “Multimedia Darwinism, Evo-
Community Development Hub, the Benedum
Multimedia” panel at the Broadcast Education
November 2009, WVU’s Public Relations Student
In addition, he is serving as national chair for
Colistra is faculty adviser, was awarded a National
Dr. Sang Lee
place national award for Best Practices in Teaching
also was appointed to serve as the MME Division’s
Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).
2009, she led a public relations and marketing
entry, “Civic Engagement, New Media and Jour-
to help area nonprofit organizations and entre-
of Diversity into a New Journalism Curriculum,”
issues and ventures through effective use of public
Mass., in August 2009. In April 2010, Beeson
Ashland, W.Va, was funded by the West Virginia
lution of Narrative Form,” as part of the “Defining
Foundation and the WV Development Office. In
Association (BEA) conference in Las Vegas, Nev.
Society of America (PRSSA) chapter, for which
the Interactive Media and Emerging Technology
Teahan Chapter Award for Community Service.
awarded a $9,800 WVU Faculty Senate Public
n GINA MARTINO DAHLIA
American War Memorial project in McDowell
Gina Martino Dahlia’s award-winning documen-
preparing a permanent exhibit for the memorial
film at WVU’s annual Miner’s Day Celebra-
and an exhibit of stereoscopic views from WWI.
workshop, “New Year, New Virtual You: Resume
n DR. BOB BRITTEN
at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston,
division of BEA. Also in spring 2010, Beeson was
Service Grant for his Kimball WWI African
In December 2009, Teaching Assistant Professor
County, W.Va. He and a group of students are
tary, “The Monongah Heroine,” was the featured
that will include photographs, interactive media
tion. Dahlia developed, wrote and presented a
Assistant Professor Bob Britten’s article (co-
36
age Decisions,” in the Media Management &
Development On-Line and Off,” in February 2010
W.Va, for Women’s Day at the Legislature. In
FACULTY BRIEFS
n DR. SANG LEE
People Who Use Tobacco More Likely to Be Per-
Associate Professor Sang Lee’s paper, “Do Web
suaded by Anti-tobacco Ads That Make Them the
Effects of Frequency and Clutter in Web Adver-
tive Processing of Traditional vs. Counter Anti-
Management. His paper, “Culture and Processing
Assistant Professor Tori Arthur were awarded a
proceedings of the June 2009 International Con-
research project, “What Gets Them Through The
Users Care About Banner Ads Anymore? The
Victim?” and “Does Tobacco Use Influence Cogni-
tising,” is in print at the Journal of Promotion
tobacco Ads?” In spring 2010, Moore and Visiting
of Advertising Information,” was published in the
$14,630 Faculty Senate Research Grant for their
ference on Research in Advertising.
Pain: Processing Differences for Medical vs. Re-
n DR. SARA MAGEE
Women to Obtain Mammograms.”
In April 2010, Assistant Professor Sara Magee
ligious Messages Encouraging African American
presented her first place award-winning paper,
n MARYANNE REED
Distribution Process of ‘Entertainment Tonight’
“Fighting to Hear and Be Heard: The Founding of
the BEA conference in Las Vegas, Nev. In March
publication in the spring 2011 issue of West Vir-
Entertainment News: ‘Entertainment Tonight’s’
of only 11 nationally elected members to serve on
News,” at The National Popular Culture & Ameri-
Communications (ASJMC) Executive Committee.
Mary Kay
McFarland
Louis, Mo.
Resources and Revenue: The Four Rs of an Online
n DR. DIANA MARTINELLI
ter meeting in Atlanta, Ga., in February 2010.
“West Virginia Uncovered” project coordinator
Mary Kay McFarland came to the School
of Journalism in summer 2009. She teaches
a multimedia storytelling class, coordinates
the “West Virginia Uncovered” project’s
partnerships with 12 West Virginia newspapers
and collaborates on the design and production
of the project’s website. Before coming to WVU,
McFarland worked at The Charleston (W.Va.)
Gazette. During her eight years there, she was
a staff photographer and multimedia editor.
McFarland also worked as a photographer at
the Clarksburg (W.Va.) Exponent and for the
Coalition for Christian Outreach in Pittsburgh,
Pa. She has a bachelor’s degree in English
from Bethany College in Bethany, W.Va.,
and a master’s degree in journalism from the
University of Missouri-Columbia.
Public Relations Work of Journalism Trailblazer
Assistant Professor Bonnie Stewart and Associate
1945,” was published in the fall 2009 issue of
“Ethics During Crisis: Applying Ethical Values
Big Idea and Public Relations: Reflections on the
ter,” which was presented at the 13th International
in the winter 2010 edition of Public Relations
Fla. In August 2009, Stewart conducted a career
co-authored with Assistant Professor Bonnie
a Professor Without a Ph.D.,” at the Society of
Values and the Symbolic Approach to a Coal Mine
napolis, Ind.
WVU Photo Services
Mary Kay McFarland
“Making History: The Creation of the Sales and
Dean and Professor Maryanne Reed’s paper,
That Revolutionized the Syndication Industry,” at
West Virginia Mountain Radio,” was accepted for
2010, she presented her paper, “The Evolution of
ginia History. In June 2009, Reed was named one
Legacy on National, Cable, and Local Television
the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass
can Culture Associations Annual Conference in St.
Reed also served on the panel, “Rigor, Relevance,
Widmeyer Professor in Public Relations and As-
Journalism Curriculum,” at the ASJMC 2010 win-
sociate Professor Diana Martinelli’s article, “The
n BONNIE STEWART
and First Lady Confidante Lorena Hickok, 1937-
Professor Diana Martinelli co-authored the paper,
Journalism History. Her article, “Lessons on the
and the Symbolic Approach to a Coal Mine Disas-
50-Year Career of Charlotte Klein,” was published
Public Relations Research Conference in Miami,
Journal. In March 2010, she presented the paper
development session, “Experience Counts: Become
Stewart, “Ethics During Crisis: Applying Ethical
Professional Journalists annual meetings in India-
Disaster,” at the 13th International Public Rela-
tions Research Conference in Miami, Fla. In June
2010, Martinelli was one of 60 professors nationwide to attend the New Media Summit in New
York, N.Y., sponsored by Edelman and PR Week.
n DR. STEVE URBANSKI
Director of Graduate Studies and Assistant
Professor Steve Urbanski presented his paper,
“Forging Journalistic Otherness in Benin West
Africa Through Educational Praxis,” as part of
the “Cultural and Critical Studies” panel at the
fall 2009, Dahlia served on the “Politics and the
n DR. JENSEN MOORE
tion graduate conference held in the Mountainlair.
Assistant Professor Jensen Moore presented three
2009. His review of the academic book, Between
in Boston, Mass.: “Understanding High Sensation
German Immigrants in Pittsburgh – 1843-1873,
Response to Blame and Attack Anti-tobacco Ads
September 2009.
Media” panel at WVU’s first public administra-
Director of Undergraduate Online Programs and
AEJMC convention in Boston, Mass., in August
The conference, “Status of America: Changing
papers in August 2009 at the AEJMC Conference
Cultures: Cultural and Social Integration of
Seekers: Perceived Persuasiveness and Emotional
was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in
Priorities,” was held in conjunction with the West
Virginia Political Science Association and the
West Virginia Chapter of the American Society
for Public Administration’s annual conference.
With Differing Message Sensation Values,” “Are
37
CLASS NOTES
1950s
n JOHN VEASEY (BSJ, 1959) was one of five people
inducted into the Fairmont State University Athletic
Association Hall of Fame in October 2009. Veasey
has served as editor of the Times West Virginian
since 1976.
1960s
n TOM BURGER (BSJ, 1968), the first graduate in
broadcast journalism, retired last year after 28 years
as director of communications with the WV Annual
Conference of the United Methodist Church.
n BILL CAMPBELL (BSJ, 1969) is a reporter for The
Intermountain News in Burney, Calif. He is one
of three reporters whose breaking news coverage
of six simultaneous forest fires threatening private
structures received the California Newspaper
Publishers Association’s 2010 first place award for
weekly newspapers with less than 4,300 circulation.
n MARY KUYKENDALL (BSJ, 1960) is the author of a
collection of short stories, River Roots (Texas Review
Press, 2009), which won the 2008 George Garrett
Fiction Prize awarded annually by the Texas Review
Press and Sam Houston University.
n JOHN ROSOL (BSJ, 1969) is the editor of Golf
Divas Magazine.
1970s
FULTON RECEIVES TOP LOBBYIST RECOGNITION
In July 2009, Michael Fulton (BSJ, 1979) was named one of The Hill’s “Top
Lobbyists” of 2009, a program sponsored by The Hill newspaper. Selected as
a result of interviews conducted with members of Congress, key Hill staff
and his peers in the lobby community, Fulton was recognized at a reception
on Capitol Hill. Others to be recognized included Vic Fazio, Tony Podesta,
Heather Podesta, Steve McBee, Marty Russo and Gerry Cassidy. Fulton,
executive vice president and head of the government relations practice at
GolinHarris, joined the firm in 1988 after nearly 10 years on Capitol Hill.
He has assisted local governments, companies, associations and academic
Michael Fulton
institutions in achieving their government relations and communications goals. In his more than 22 years at GolinHarris, Fulton has utilized
congressional and federal agency meetings, grassroots campaigns, creative events, videos, survey
research and media relations to enhance his lobbying activities and achieve government relations
results for his clients.
n KEVIN SMITH (BSJ, 1979) was
named president of the Society
of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
in August 2009 and will serve
until October 2010. As assistant
professor at Fairmont State
University, Smith is the first SPJ
president from West Virginia and
only the fourth president from
Kevin Smith
academia in SPJ’s 100 years. In
May 2009, Smith was named outstanding professor
of the year at Pierpont Community and Technical
College and received the Outstanding Faculty
Achievement Award from Fairmont State University.
n GEORGE BOSSO (BSJ, 1974) owns Asset Building
Consultants, LLC, a home inspection company in
Westmont, Ill.
n JOHN WALLS (BSJ, 1978) is
vice president of public affairs for
CTIA-The Wireless Association.
n DARYL COCHRAN (BSJ, 1976) was awarded the
State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award for
his assistance to the U.S. Embassy staff in Tbilisi,
Georgia, during the 2008 Russian incursion.
n DAWN WARFIELD (BSJ, 1978)
is Deputy Attorney General
for the West Virginia Attorney
General’s Office.
n TOM HEATHERMAN (BSJ, 1972) is the corporate
communications director for Michael Saunders &
Company in Sarasota, Fla.
n JIM LAISE (BSJ, 1976) is the senior writer for
WVsports.com.
n RICHARD (DICK) MCGRAW (BSJ, 1973) recently
retired from a 45-year broadcasting career. He and
his wife, Karen, owned radio and television stations in
West Virginia and Ohio. They are the parents of two
sons and have five grandchildren. The couple resides
in Elkins, W.Va., and in the Smoky Mountains of
East Tennessee.
n HARRY MITCHELL (BSJ, 1979) is the director
of media relations at Verizon Communications in
Charleston, W.Va.
38
1980s
restaurants was named Best of the Best at the annual
awards presentation. Earlier in the year, that same
campaign was recognized by the League of American
Communication Professionals as the Most Creative
Communications Campaign of 2009. Derek Farley
Public Relations is based in Charlotte, N.C.
n LYNN (LEWELLEN) HOBBS (BSJ, 1985) is the
product manager for TANDBERG Television
in Duluth, Ga. TANDBERG is a member of
the Ericsson group, a world-leading provider of
telecommunications equipment and related services
to mobile and fixed network operators globally.
n PAUL B. JOHNSON (BSJ, 1985) was reappointed
as a media industry advisory board member to the
Media Advisory Board for the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro for the 2009-2010 academic
year. Johnson is a staff writer for The High Point
(N.C.) Enterprise.
n LARRY SHAUGHNESSY (BSJ, 1984) is the
Pentagon producer at CNN in Washington, D.C.
John Walls
n GARY CLITES (BSJ, 1982) had
his first novel, Seneca Wood,
published in summer 2009 by
Casperian Books. Clites is also
a journalism teacher at Calvert
County Public Schools in
Owings, Md.
n DEREK FARLEY (BSJ, 1988) is
Gary Clites
president of Derek Farley Public
Relations, which was recently named the grand prize
winner at the 2010 Bulldog Awards for Excellence
in Media Relations and Publicity, as well as a winner
in the categories of Best Response to Breaking
News and Best PR Stunt. In addition, the agency’s
“Punt Challenge” campaign for client T.G.I. Friday’s
n BRUCE WAYLAND (BSJ, 1986) is a production
manager for Credit One Bank.
n DAVID WILKISON (BSJ, 1988) is director of major
accounts at The Associated Press in New York, N.Y.
n MOLLY (MARY ANNE) BANKS WILSBACHER
(BSJ, 1987) is the Assistant U.S.
Trustee at the U.S. Department
of Justice. She supervises and
monitors all bankruptcy cases filed
in the Southern District of Ohio
(Eastern and Western Divisions).
She also serves as an instructor
at the U.S. Trustee’s National
Bankruptcy Training Institute
and lectures nationally on various Molly (Mary Anne)
Banks Wilsbacher
bankruptcy and criminal issues.
CLASS NOTES
1990s
n JOSHUA BARNARD (BSJ, 1997) is a health care
assistant with Valley Health Care in Fairmont, W.Va.
n SHANNON BLOSSER (BSJ, 1998) is a third-year
student at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore,
Ky. He is continuing his studies to become an elder
in the United
Methodist
Church. In
May 2009, he
married his
wife, Abigail
Scarborough.
n SHAWN
Shannon Blosser
BROWN (BSJ, 1999) is a legal
assistant for Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. in
Morgantown, W.Va.
in Herndon, Va., and is finishing her master’s degree
in the School’s IMC program.
n CARLA SHEETS-DUNN (BSJ,
1993) is the vice president of
global sales for Wyndham Hotel
Group in Parsippany, N.J.
n JOEL DANOY (BSJ, 2009) is a reporter at The
Dominion Post in Morgantown, W.Va.
n MICKEY STONE (BSJ, 1997)
teaches theater at Sarasota School
of Arts and Sciences in Sarasota, Fla.
2000s
Carla Sheets-Dunn
n JACQUE BLAND (BSJ, 2001) is the features editor
at The Washington Examiner in Washington, D.C.
n RACHEL BOYD (BSJ, 2007)
is a management analyst in
Stephanie Bostaph
Morgantown, W.Va. She is
contracted by the U.S. Department
of Energy headquartered in Washington, D.C.
n CECELIA CROW (BSJ, 1990) is
the brand marketing manager at
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University.
n JAY CALLAHAN (BSJ, 2002) is the sports
information director and head soccer coach at Salem
College in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Cecelia Crow
n APRIL KAULL (BSJ, 1995) is the vice president of
news operations for WV Media Holdings, LLC. She
also serves as the executive producer and anchor for
“West Virginia Tonight Live,” the company’s daily
statewide newscast.
n SCOTT CAMPBELL (BSJ, 2004) and his wife
welcomed their first child into the world in 2009.
Campbell is a health teacher for Berkeley County,
W.Va., schools.
n ERIN CUNNINGHAM (BSJ,
2008) was recently engaged
to Stephen Leighton, a USAF
medic and Shepherd University
alumnus and is planning a
wedding for September 2012. She
is a communications and learning
developer with Scitor Coporation
n JESSE FORBES (BSJ, 2002) and his wife Lesli (Rowe)
Forbes (MSJ, 2005; BSJ, 2002) recently had their first
child, Will, on August 13, 2009. Jesse is an attorney for
Forbes Law Offices, PLLC, in Charleston, W.Va.
n BERNICE HO (BSJ, 2004) is director of marketing
communications at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in
Darby, Pa.
n STEPHANIE BOSTAPH (BSJ,
2007) is a communications
specialist for Concepts, Inc., a
public relations firm in Chevy
Chase, Md.
n WYATT BRYSON (BSJ, 1990) recently published
two books – Sankofa and Onyx and Eggshell,
published by CreateSpace in April and May 2010,
respectively.
n FRANK GALLO (BSJ, 1997)
is the executive director of
risk management at PPD in
Morrisville, N.C., a leading global
contract research organization.
n MEREDITH DELANEY (BSJ, 2001) is director of
development at The University of Cincinnati Foundation
in Ohio.
n CHAD HYETT (BSJ, 2001) is a vice president at
Widmeyer Communications in New York, N.Y.
n STEFFANY IRELAND-JOHNSON (BSJ, 2008) is
a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Prince
William County School in Woodbridge, Va.
n JONAH JABBOUR (BSJ, 2003) is a videographer
for the Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia
Beach, Va.
n JAMA JARRETT (MS-IMC, 2009) is now the deputy
communications director for Governor Joe Manchin
(W.Va.) after having worked as a spokesperson for
the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety
and Training and for WorkForce West Virginia for
two years.
n CJ JOHNSON (BSJ, 2003)
is vice president of ticket sales
for the Winston-Salem Dash
Minor League Baseball Team in
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Erin Cunningham
STERANKA RECEIVES MARCH OF DIMES AWARD
Joe Steranka (BSJ, 1979) was recognized in December 2009 for his outstanding achievements in the sports industry by the March of Dimes at
its 26th Annual Sports Luncheon in New York. Steranka, who joined The
PGA of America in 1998 and was named its chief executive officer in 2005,
has directed The PGA’s expansion of events, media assets and marketing
programs, including The PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and PGA.com.
As an ambassador for the game, Steranka is also CEO and chairman of
Golf ’s 20/20 Executive Committee, is a member of the Board of Directors
for Children’s Healthcare Charity, Inc. and is an advisory council member
Joe Steranka
for the Environmental Institute for Golf. Steranka received the Sports
Leadership Award alongside Sportsman of the Year Joe Girardi, manager of
the New York Yankees; Sportswoman of the Year Venus Williams, one of the top-ranked women’s
tennis players in the world; and Corporate Leadership Award recipient David Levy, Turner Broadcasting System’s president of sales, distribution and sports.
n KEVIN KINKEAD (BSJ, 2007)
is a writer for KYW-TV in
Philadelphia, Pa.
CJ Johnson
n SAMANTHA KNAPP (BSJ, 2006) received her
master’s degree in public administration from WVU
in May 2009. Knapp is an education coordinator
for the West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer
Screening Program in Morgantown, W.Va. She was
married August 1, 2009, and had her first child in
2010.
n BEN LAPOE (MSJ, 2008) is working toward
his Ph.D. at the Manship School of Mass
Communication at Louisiana State University.
39
CLASS NOTES
n ELIZABETH MCGONIGLE (BSJ, 2004) is a
teacher for the Red Clay School District in
Wilmington, Del. She received her master’s
degree in elementary education from Wilmington
University in New Castle, Del., in 2009.
n STEPHANIE OCTAVE (BSJ, 2004) is starting a
chapter of the WVU Alumni Association in New
Mexico. Octave works as an IT Project Manager
at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los
Alamos, N.M.
n RYAN PALATINI (BSJ, 2006) is an account
executive for Cline Davis & Mann, an advertising
agency in New York, N.Y., that specializes in
health care.
n MICHAEL PEHANICH (BSJ, 2001) is the
director of communications for the Washington
Redskins football organization located in
Ashburn, Va.
n JESSICA (SPINOZZI) POSEL
(MS-IMC, 2006; BSJ, 1994)
married Mitch Posel, Jr. on
Sept. 6, 2009 at a ceremony
in Plano, Texas. She is vice
president of marketing for
Rotobrush International LLC
in Grapevine, Texas.
n IAN SHORTS (BSJ, 2009) is a writer for the Center
for New York City Affairs. He is also in the master’s
degree program at Milano The New School for
Management and Urban Policy in New York, N.Y.
n CARA SLIDER (MSJ, 2009; BSJ, 2006) is a public
relations specialist for Atria Senior Living Group in
Louisville, Ky.
n BERNIE SOUSA (BSJ, 2003) is
a medical sales representative for
Stryker, a worldwide manufacturer
of medical devices and equipment
in Philadelphia, Pa.
n CYNTHIA STANKOS (MS-IMC,
2006) is a contract administrator
Bernie Sousa
for the URS Corporation, a
leading provider of engineering,
construction and technical services for public
agencies and private sector companies, in their
Morgantown, W.Va., office.
n NICHOLAS TAYLOR (BSJ, 2002) is the webmaster
for the Allegany College of Maryland in
Cumberland, Md.
n NICHOLAS TOLOMEO (BSJ, 2007) is a sports writer
for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Jessica (Spinozzi)
Posel
n ERIN ROBERTSON (BSJ,
2006) is a senior account executive at Widmeyer
Communications in Washington, D.C.
n JOHN ROUSH (BSJ, 2006) is a human
resources assistant at WVU.
n BRIANA WARNER (MSJ, 2008) is the state press
secretary for Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) in
Charleston, W.Va.
n EMILY WATERS (BSJ, 2006) is a representative for
Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville, Ky.
n MATT SEE (BSJ, 2004) is the marketing
coordinator for Whitetail Resort in Mercersburg, Pa.
n LAURA WATSON (BSJ, 2007) is a broadcast
associate for CBS News’ “The Early Show” in New
York, N.Y.
n AMANDA SHANE (BSJ, 2006) is an
e-commerce web marketing specialist for Chico’s
FAS Headquarters in Fort Myers, Fla.
n AMBER WOTRING (BSJ, 2008) is the events
coordinator/nontraditional revenues coordinator at West
Virginia Radio Corporation in Morgantown, W.Va.
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40
2009
SOJ ALUMNI
Transitions
The School of Journalism wishes to
ASSOCIATION
acknowledge our alumni who have
passed away during the year.
AWARDS
KATHERINE
K. BURDETTE
(BSJ,
In October
2009,
the School
of 1942)
Journalism
and the
School
Journalism
Alumni
MICHELE
ANNofCOTTON
(BSJ, 1988)
Association
hosted
an 1960)
Alumni and Donor
JERE T. CRAIG
(BSJ,
Recognition
Ceremony
in Martin Hall.
JULIANNE HILLOOWALA (MSJ, 1982)
The Alumni Association presented its 2009
JOHN HERSHEL INGRAM (BSJ, 1973)
awards to the best and brightest graduates
ROSE R. of
MARINO
(BSJ, 1943)
and friends
the School
of Journalism.
SHERRINA L. MCQUAIN (BSJ, 1988)
P.I.JAMES
Reed
Achievement Award
R. SKIDMORE (MSJ, 1968; BSJ, 1964)
The highest
honor
the
Association
bestows
DEANNA L.
SORGE
(BSJ,
1980)
uponBRIAN
a graduate
of the
School
E. STARKEY
(BSJ,
1974)in recognition
of his or her outstanding career achievements
CAROLINE SYDNOR (AB, 1936)
The radio
of West(BSJ,
Virginia
BRYAN“dean”
A. THOMPSON
1987)
broadcasters,
HARVEY “HOPPY” KERCHEVAL
LEIGHTON G. WATSON (MSJ, 1971; AB, 1938)
(MSJ, 2005; BSJ, 1977) joined West Virginia
JAMES NEAL WAYCASTER (BSJ, 1981)
Radio Corp. in 1976. Kercheval began
GARY A.
YODER (BSJ, 1972)
as a news
anchor/reporter
at WAJR in
Morgantown, W.Va., while attending
WVU. After graduating with honors from
the School of Journalism, Kercheval took
over as news director and helped start the
Metronews broadcast network. Kercheval was
named vice president of operations in 1991.
In 1993,
heStanley
createdEarle
Metronews
Talkline,
Robert
(BSJ, 1940)
was in
which
a signature
program
thehas
firstbecome
graduating
class of the
School of
of the
network.and
Heserved
has received
Journalism
as editormany
of The Daily
honors,
including
thea 2002
West
Virginia
Athenaeum
while
student
at WVU.
Earle
Broadcasters
Association
“Broadcaster
of the
was working for the Grafton (W.Va.) Sentinel
Year”when
award.
Pearl Harbor
In memory of
Robert Stanley Earle
bombed
and,
JOHNwas
VEASEY
(BSJ,
shortly
afterwards,
1959)
has been
with
Fairmont,
enlistedW.Va.,
in the U.S.
newspapers
since
Army. He
was a1958
whencryptographer
he joined The
in the
Times
West
Virginian
Signal
Corps,
U.S.
staff Intelligence,
as sports editor.
and
He was
named
obtained
the rank
managing
editor
of
of captain
when
the Fairmont
Times
the war ended. In
in 1970
and editor
1946, Earle began
Robert Stanley Earle
of the Times West
working as a reporter
Virginian in 1976 when the two newspapers
for The Weston (W.Va.) Democrat. For more
merged. Veasey is a graduate of the School
than 40 years, Earle served as publisher and
of Journalism and is a past president of the
editor of The Weston Democrat, covering
West Virginia Sports Writers Association
news and sports events of Lewis County.
and the
United Press International Editor’s
He also
sold advertising,
pages
and
Bureau.
In August
2006, helaid
wasoutthe
recipient
wrote
all the
editorials
and a weekly
column,
of the
Adam
R. Kelly
Premier
Journalist
“Town
Topics.”by
Earle
active
in the Press
West
Award,
presented
the was
West
Virginia
Virginia
Press
Association
and
was
honored
Association.
with the lifetime achievement award from the
Theassociation
Friendand
ofthe
the
School
Alumni
of the Award
Year Award
from the School of Journalism.
Perley Isaac Reed SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
West Virginia University
PO Box 6010
Morgantown, WV 26506-6010
(304) 293-3505
journalism.wvu.edu
PIREED@mail.wvu.edu
Address Service Requested
410013100001
Non-profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
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