Advisers Can Assist High School J-Programs

By Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver

Strong high school journalism programs and equally strong scholastic media form a strong foundation for students to learn about journalistic practices and ethics, to recognize the role of a free press in a democratic society and to be ready to work for collegiate media operations.

DOWNLOAD RELATED DOCUMENTS: High School Collaboration and AEJMC Statement on Collaboration

Bestselling political analyst shares insights on his beat at NYC

No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller List for his book, Game Change. author Mark Halperin will provide the closing keynote address for the National College Media Convention, March 14-16, in New York.

In the 24/7 Digital Age of Journalism, is it possible to churn out content while still maintaining the traditional standards of news coverage that are vital to doing the job right and retaining the public¹s confidence?

Halperin will talk about the methods he used in co-writing "Game Change" that can be applied to all types of
journalism.

Among the issues he will discuss: how to plan a project, how to deal with sources, how to manage the available time before a deadline, how to keep focused on the big picture.

A book is a very different journalistic animal than a story on the Internet, on the radio, or in a weekly magazine, but Halperin will discuss the universal standards we should all adhere to.

Media Summit at NY convention needs members' feedback

Those who complete survey eligible in gift card drawings

From the CMA President's Desk: Thank you so much for your feedback and enthusiasm for our first Adviser Summit, which will be held at the New York Convention in March. For those of you coming, we anticipate a healthy conversation about the state of college media and maybe some solutions. For those of you who won't be there, we plan to replay and update the event in Louisville in the fall.

To get us started, we'd like all CMA advisers to complete THIS SURVEY (CLICK HERE), which has questions specific to the media you advise and the current conditions under which you advise them. David Swartzlander and I took it; it takes 10 to 15 minutes.

As an incentive to complete the survey, Vanderbilt Student Communications is donating two $50 gift cards that CMA will use in a drawing. We certainly appreciate that donation and encourage all of you to complete the attached survey asap ... or at least by Feb 15 at the latest to be entered for the drawing.

The Summit will be held 1 p.m. Monday, March 15 in the 16th  floor skywalk of the Marriott Marquis.

NYT media blogster to offer keynote for spring convention

The New York Times' point man for new media will be providing the Sunday Keynote address to delegates at the 2010 Spring Naitonal College Media Convention in New York, March 14-16.

Brian Stelter is a media reporter for The New York Times. He writes about television, digital media and journalism for The Times, and is a lead contributor to The Times' Media Decoder blog.

Stelter joined The Times in 2007 after spending three and a half years as the editor of TVNewser, a popular blog tracking the television news business.

He founded the blog in 2004 during his freshman year of college and sold it to the media company Mediabistro six months later. In 2006, a front-page profile in The New York Times called Stelter "The Kid With All the News About the TV News."

He is a 2007 graduate of Towson University. There, he was the editor-in-chief of the twice-weekly student newspaper, The Towerlight, for two years.

Nightline's Moran to keynote NYC

Terry Moran, co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline” and Supreme Court correspondent for the network, is a keynote speaker for the 2010 National College Media Convention, March 14-16, in New York City. Moran's keynote will be on Monday, March 15, mid-way through the convention.

At “Nightline,” Mr. Moran has led the program’s distinguished coverage of many of the major news stories over the past several years.

Mr. Moran has led Nightline’s coverage of the Obama administration and the extraordinary presidential campaign of 2008. He has conducted nine one-on-one interviews with Barack Obama, dating back to 2006, giving him a unique insight into this president. Among his groundbreaking interviews are an exclusive and wide-ranging conversation about race in America just after then-Sen. Obama’s major speech on the subject in Philadelphia in March of 2008; an exclusive interview in Baghdad with then-Sen. Obama in August, 2008; and a July 2009 interview in Florida with President Obama on health care, Afghanistan, and the power of prayer in the president’s life.

Special sessions enrich educational experience

Mark your calendars and book your flight and join us in New York this spring. The 2010 College Media Advisers Spring Convention will be March 14-16 at the Marriott Marquis.

The convention highlights include three keynote speakers and over 200 sessions for students and advisers.

Mentor remembered fondly

By Linda Puntney

Losing Tom Rolnicki is, in so many ways, like losing a brother.

He mentored me as I learned the ropes of JEA, hotel negotiations and the logistics of running a convention. He inspired me to want to be the thoughtful, insightful person I found him to be.

He made me laugh at his goofy jokes and good-natured barbs made in front of thousands of people. He hid with me behind the ballroom door at the first Chicago convention I was sort of in charge of as I cried my eyes out because everything that could go wrong had gone wrong and it was only 10 a.m. on the first day of the convention.

He made me suck it up and go back out to the convention floor and smile as I tried to repair damage already done. He brainstormed with me about the Advisers Institute, pre-convention workshops, yearbook innovations and oh, so many other things. He cheered with me, ate Johnny Rockets with me in cities all over America and righted my ship when I was off course. He was my friend and my mentor.

That mentor was Thomas E. Rolnicki, former executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association and Associated Collegiate Press, who died Dec. 20 at 60.

'NewsTrain' rolls into Windy City

The Associated Press Managing Editors and the Mid-America Press Institute will award scholarships to 20 journalism educators in the greater Chicago area to attend a two-day NewsTrain Workshop on effective editing for a changing media landscape March 26-27 at the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill. The 20 educators selected through the application process will receive up to $400 to cover their expenses to attend the conference. CLICK HERE to make an application.

Former director of ACP dies

Funeral Details Set

From Logan Aimone, Associated Collegiate Press

Thomas E. Rolnicki, former executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association, died Dec. 20. He was 60.

Rolnicki was NSPA's executive director from 1980 until 2006. In his capacity as director, he wrote and edited several publications for NSPA and its college branch, the Associated Collegiate Press. He was a co-author of the journalism textbook "Scholastic Journalism."