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Professor Kathleen Hansen and Institute for New Media Studies director Nora Paul have been awarded a $16,000 grant from the CLA InfoTech Fees Committee to develop an interactive simulation using an off-the-shelf game system called "NeverWinter Nights." The simulation is being developed for use in Jour 3004W as a way to teach students the information strategy process through a realistic scenario in which the students play the role of a reporter covering a community emergency. Hansen and Paul are working with a colleague at the Dunwoody College of Technology on the project.
Professor Linda Jean Kenix moderated a showing of the film "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" on January 11. "Outfoxed" provides an in-depth look at the dangers of corporations taking control of the public's access to news. Kenix led a discussion immediately following the screening. Kenix also hosted Dan Gillmor, author of We the Media and former technology columnist at the San Jose Mercury News, in her February 4 Jour 1001 (Introduction to Mass Communication) course. Gillmor is a world-wide resource on community-based journalism and citizen reporting.
Professor Jane Kirtley was a facilitator for two separate workshops on "Hot Issues in Ethics" at the 10th Annual Conference of the American Bar Association's Forum on Communications Law in Boca Raton, FL, January 14-15. Kirtley was also a participant at the International Conference on Freedom of Expression in Cyberspace, a UNESCO thematic meeting for the World Summit on the Information Society, held at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France, February 3-4. Kirtley was a panelist for a session entitled "Between security and openness: Should there be limits to freedom of expression and freedom of information?"
Nora Paul, director of the Institute for New Media Studies, co-coordinated the Poynter Institute’s Web + 10 seminar, held January 30-February 2 in St. Petersburg, FL. The conference, named in honor of the World Wide Web's 10th "birthday," focused on a number of aspects of digital news: content/customers, competition, credibility, and business models/organizational structures.
The guest speaker on Jan. 31 for adjunct instructor Dan Sullivan's "Covering the Arts: Backstage at the Jungle Theater" course (JOUR 4171) was his daughter, Kate Sullivan, music editor for L.A. Weekly.
Voice coach Larry Russo was a guest presenter at Ken Stone's JOUR4451 Advanced Electronic News Writing and Reporting Class. Russo has coached professional voice actors and television reporters for two decades.
Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted in a number of articles about journalistic privilege and protection of sources. Articles in both the National Catholic Reporter (“Is Journalism’s ‘Fragile Privilege’ at Risk?”) and the Dublin ( Ireland) Sunday Tribune (“Ethos: Source Code”) featured comments by Kirtley. Kirtley was also featured several times on Minnesota Public Radio, including a guest spot on MPR's "Midmorning" on January 11. The topic was "CBS takes action over National Guard Story.” She was interviewed on the January 11 edition of American Public Media's "Future Tense," which airs on MPR. The topic was "Is Apple Strongarming Webloggers?" She was quoted in a January New York Law Journal article regarding the defamation case involving former U.S. Representative Gary Condit entitled “Dunne Loses Bid to Seal Video Deposition in Defamation Suit by Condit.” Kirtley was also interviewed for a KARE-11 news report that aired on February 9 entitled "Blogs-Modern Day Soapboxes." The story is available online here.
Professor Gary Schwitzer was quoted in the January 27 edition of the University of Minnesota’s E-News in an article about SJMC’s Master of Arts in Health Journalism program. The article, entitled “Degree Program Bridges gap between Reporters and Researchers,” notes that “The University's master of arts in health journalism provides mid-career journalists and public health professionals the tools they need to be better reporters and communicators.” The full article is available here.
Professor John Eighmey, Mithun Land Grant Chair in Advertising, was quoted in a February 6 Star Tribune article about the practice of giving away free items to reporters in exchange for media coverage. The full article is available at http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5223739.html .
Hiran Rathnayake, one of SJMC’s first health journalism MA grads, has won an award for co-authoring an investigative piece for the Wilmington News Journal. Details are available at http://www.gannett.com/go/newswatch/2005/january/nw0121-2.htm .
Professor Donald Brazeal’s paper, "When Google Won’t Do: Declining Research Values among Higher Education Students," has been accepted by the National Conference on Undergraduate Research for presentation. The paper examines student confusion over acceptable research methods and suggests solutions that go behind the traditional distinction between primary and secondary sources. Brazeal’s attendance at the April conference in Lexington, VA, is funded by the University of Minnesota Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
Ken Stone presented several seminars at the Student Television Network's national conference, held in Los Angeles January 27-29. Topics of his seminars included newscast show producing, anchoring and reporting. In addition, SJMC students Nick Walsh, Tyler Richter and Allen Rueckert produced the opening video for the conference held in Los Angeles. The video, a parody of a Monday Night Football opening sequence, was viewed by 1200 high school students from more than 35 states.
Professor Brian Southwell, SJMC Ph.D. student Stephanie Blake, and Alicia Torres of the American Institute of Physics will publish a paper on formative research from their NSF-funded science television news project in Technical Communication this spring. In addition, Southwell and SJMC Ph.D. student Sela Sar will present a paper on sympathy and empathy responses to public service announcements at the annual conference of the International Communication Association in May.
Professor Gary Schwitzer’s article, “A Statement of Principles for Health Care Journalists,” was published by the American Journal of Bioethics in its December 2004 issue. The article is available online at http://www.bioethics.net/journal/j_articles.php?aid=663 . Schwitzer also delivered a presentation, “Health/Medical Journalism in an Era of Entanglement,” to scientists, engineers, marketing staff, and others at the 3M Life Sciences Technical Forum on January 12.
The Institute for New Media Studies will host a New Media Research Breakfast on February 23, 2005 from 8-9:30 a.m. in Murphy Hall, room 100. The presentation, given by George Angelchev, Xiaoli Nan, and Sela Sar, will focus on the trend of “v-hosts”: anthropomorphic agents that serve as guides to a website by providing a “human face” to the site. This research project looked at the placement of v-hosts in a product site to see whether users looked at the content more deeply and if the presentation of information was more effective and memorable. The breakfast is free and open to the public. For more information contact inms@umn.edu.
SJMC’s annual Graduate Student Organization Conference will be held on March 4, 2005. The conference is run by and for SJMC graduate students and is an excellent opportunity for graduate students to get experience presenting research. For more information, contact Adina Schneeweis at giur0002@umn.edu.
The INMS’s next Emerging Digerati program will be held on March 7, 2005 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Weisman Art Musuem. The event is free and open to the public. Complimentary pizza and soda will be served. For more information contact inms@umn.edu.
The Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law and the Institute for New Media Studies will present a forum entitled “The Constitution, Digital Media and Expectations of Privacy” on March 9, 2005, from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in Room 402 of Walter Library. The forum will feature speakers Stephen J. Cribari, Mary Horvath and Dick Reeve. For more information contact the Silha Center at silha@umn.edu.
The SJMC will host the annual Midwest Graduate Student Conference on April 15 and 16, 2005. The conference provides an opportunity for graduate students from several Big Ten schools to meet and present their research in a supportive environment. Interested graduate students should submit an extended abstract (1000 words maximum) of a completed research or of a work in progress by February 10, 2005. Acceptance notices will be sent by March 10, 2005. Submit proposals to Adina Schneeweis at giur0002@umn.edu or place hard copies in her mailbox in Murphy 119. For more information, visit the conference website at http://midwestconf.sjmc.umn.edu/ or contact Adina Schneeweis at giur0002@umn.edu or Katie Foss at beckx058@umn.edu.
The Minnesota Journalism Center will host the 28th annual Frank Premack Memorial Awards on April 18, 2005. This year’s event will feature a conversation with Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of The Rothenberg Political Report. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Coffman Memorial Union Theater on the University of Minnesota’s East Bank. The event is free and open to the public; no RSVP is needed to attend. For more information contact the Minnesota Journalism Center at (612) 626-1723 or mnjrnctr@umn.edu.
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February 2005