Watching student journalists at Penn State cover the Proud Boys/protest filled my heart with pride (bodily fluids notwithstanding) Email not displaying correctly?
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** Penn State students protested a Proud Boys event, while student journalists nailed the coverage
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Steve Kraycik, a professor and director of student television at Penn State, coordinates a newscast run by students. (Photo by Barbara Allen)
There’s a great scene in my favorite journalism movie, “The Paper,” ([link removed]) where Michael Keaton’s character — a classic New York tabloid editor — is forced to eat dinner out while a story he’s been corralling all day slips away as deadline approaches. His in-laws’ voices drawl into slow motion as the art on the walls seems to melt.
That’s how the students at Penn State had to be feeling last Monday when they were forced to eat dinner with … me.
OK, forced is probably too strong a word. My colleague Al Tompkins and I were on campus for two days to work with students, and we made plans to dine with a select group of them on our last evening in town. Normally I like to think of myself as good dinner company, but this night was different. The Proud Boys were on campus and things were escalating quickly.
The protests, violence and eventual cancellation of the “Stand Back & Stand By” event made The Washington Post ([link removed]) , The New York Times ([link removed]) , NPR ([link removed]) and Vice ([link removed]) , just to name a few. But it was the students on campus who nailed the coverage. The Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications’ TV newscast, Centre County Report ([link removed]) , had a polished, impressive package ([link removed]) , and I counted eight stories from the Daily Collegian
([link removed]) that included video and photos from the scene.
Watch reporter Isabella Leahy interview provocateur Alex Stein ([link removed]) right after a protestor spit on him — she went on to produce the newscast the next day, while Collegian editor-in-chief Megan Swift anchored.
Executive producer Isabella Leahy (center, in black) leads from the control room as her fellow students execute that day’s newscast (Photo by Barbara Allen)
All of this was unfolding in real time as Penn State’s top journalism students pretended to pay attention to their salmon filets, Tompkins and me.
But the truth is that we had way more fun than your typical post-conference dinner with strangers. We talked shop about how these editors and producers were keeping their student reporters safe, whether student protestors deserved anonymity, and how to use social media videos and photos ethically. It was completely OK to be on our phones checking the latest news every few seconds — sharing comments, suggesting directions and holding journalism court. And the moment their forks were down, these students were out the door — as they should have been.
I luckily got to go to bed at a decent hour, but many of the students I talked to the next day were up until 3 a.m. finishing their journalism work before reporting at 10 a.m. for the TV newscast class.
To the faculty at Penn State and beyond, I continue to insist: What you’re doing is working, and the students are paying attention. Keep it up. The industry needs you.
** Classroom resources
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“What makes an election rumor go viral? Look at these 10 factors” ([link removed]) (Nieman Lab)
“Sourcing Secrets from NBC News’ Pete Williams” ([link removed]) (NBCU News Academy video)
** ICYMI
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“More Americans are getting news on TikTok, bucking the trend on other social media sites” ([link removed]) (Pew Research Center)
Staying current alert! “The ‘This American Life’ of ghost stories is captivating Gen Z” ([link removed]) (Washington Post)
Here’s the latest example of a community editorial board ([link removed]) . This kind of thing would be so great for a campus newspaper.
Hmm. Is 1,026 college students a representative sample? Inside Higher Ed reports on a study that finds “Over Three-Quarters of Students Plan to Vote in Midterms.” ([link removed]) It might make an interesting man-on-the-street story, or even a cool poll to run on social media (or with a good researcher on campus).
** Great journalism to share with your students
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* Incredibly eye-opening, with implications for your community. Who’s Really Cycling In and Out of Cleveland’s Courts? ([link removed]) (The Marshall Project)
* Wow, this lead! “BUILT & BROKEN: Female bodybuilders describe widespread sexual exploitation” ([link removed]) (Washington Post). And don’t miss this, also from the Post: “How I wound up investigating the sport my father made famous” ([link removed])
** This week’s Professor’s Press Pass
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A recent Pew Research Center study confirms what you’ve probably suspected for a while — TikTok’s outsized influence is here to stay for news organizations. In this week’s Professor’s Press Pass ([link removed]) , we look at what they need to do about it. Professor’s Press Pass is a library of classroom discussion questions about topics that center on the business and ethics of journalism. It’s $100 a year or $12 a month and is updated weekly.
** One last thing
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My colleague Tom Jones (get his newsletter ([link removed]) if you don’t, it’s so helpful!) posted this Twitter thread ([link removed]) and I’ve revisited it a few times as folks have added new stuff. This could actually be a fun, light class exercise as you discuss Twitter. You could ask everyone to share their favorites (good luck with your NSFW places) or even collect really good comms brands or breaking news best practices. Or you could just giggle at that E.T. tweet, as I did off and on for about 72 hours.
** Resources for educators
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* Get access to a growing library of case studies —Professor’s Press Pass ([link removed]) .
* If your students are interested in a career in accountability journalism, they should consider taking this new course ([link removed]) from MediaWise’s Campus Correspondents. They can learn the same fact-checking tools and techniques that professionals use in their day-to-day work. Bonus: It’s free.
* Honor free press, democracy and the distinguished careers of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein at Poynter’s Bowtie Ball ([link removed]) . The duo will receive the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism ([link removed]) with Carl Bernstein accepting the honor in-person on Nov. 12, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. Get tickets ([link removed]) .
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** I want more Poynter resources for college journalism. ([link removed])
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