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Note from the Director
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2020 continues apace! Despite the gloomy predictions of the past summer, and a few hiccups along the way, we still brought the fall 2020 to a successful close. We welcomed dozens of visitors into our classrooms, hosted four professional webinars for our students, led a group of JMC students to participate in a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Bootcamp, mentored students, completed degrees, published research and creative work, and, of course, provided engaging and rigorous classroom experiences.
Along the way, our faculty and staff achieved extraordinary things. For instance, a member of our faculty, Brian Ekdale, won a million dollar grant to study algorithms and disinformation with several colleagues. Another faculty member, Steve Bloom, won the Society of Professional Journalist Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award—the first time a SJMC faculty member has won this award. And, one of our students, Katie McCarver, won a Third Place in the feature writing contest of the competitive and prestigious Hearst Journalism Awards.
These are just a few illustrations of how we continue to forge ahead despite the obstacles that stand in our way. None of this could have happened without the extraordinary work of our faculty and staff, and the patience and fortitude of our students. We also leaned heavily on our alumni, who have participated in webinars, mentored students, and visited classes. We can’t thank you enough for your help.
We will bring the same attitude and commitment to the spring 2021 semester. The university plans to remain mostly remote in the spring, with limited in-person courses and opportunities for faculty and staff to be on campus. But that isn’t stopping us. Along with our typical program offerings, this coming semester we plan to host six professional webinars for students, and two bootcamps—one on using data in spreadsheets and another on immersive visual storytelling— along with our usual complement of course offerings and programming. And, in May, we will graduate another cohort of fantastic SJMC students.
This has been a difficult year, to be sure, unprecedented in many ways. But as you no doubt know, tough times reveal as much as they challenge. In the case of SJMC faculty, staff, and students, they have revealed our true mettle. SJMC faculty and staff have a deep commitment to helping students realize their dreams. Our students are committed to working hard and helping one another. And our alumni continue a tradition of giving back to current students.
I couldn’t be more proud.
David Ryfe, Director
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
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Pressing On...
We are so proud of our students and faculty this semester for their perseverance and dedication. As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread ahead of the 2020-21 academic year, the University of Iowa moved a majority of classes online. Not all of our courses converted; some were held fully in-person or through a hybrid model, which rotates a group of students into the classroom at designated times.
"It is nice for the students that they can connect with me without having to come into campus specifically for a meeting, especially if it's a short one,” said Associate Professor Brian Ekdale. "The experience of teaching and learning in person is no longer taken for granted, but instead regarded as a true privilege,” said Associate Professor David Dowling. “I’m noticing that students in my in-person class arrive more prepared and eager to participate.”
While the shift to online learning hindered the ability to have in-person visitors, online connectivity allowed for interaction that may not have occurred otherwise. Details from our faculty and information on the opportunities we had can be found on our website. Click here for the full story.
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Outstanding Work
Congratulations to The Daily Iowan (DI) for being recognized nationally by the Associated Collegiate Press.
The DI is one of 20 college newspapers nationally to win the Pacemaker award, considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism. It's the DI's first Pacemaker win since 2013. Congratulations to Marissa Payne (B.A. 2020), current students Brooklyn Draisey, Sarah Watson and all the students who contributed to last year's newsroom staff for your hard work and amazing talent!
The DI's entry consisted of Greta Thunberg's climate rally (10.04.19 and 10.07.19), the Iowa caucus (02.04.20), and the pandemic's impact on our community (04.22.20 and 04.29.20). Collectively, it shows the importance of covering the biggest stories well and producing high-quality longform projects. The DI was also recognized as a finalist for the Online Pacemaker. Here's the full list of winners in all categories.
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Talent Tidbits
Ben Travers (B.A. 2009, pictured) has been writing movie reviews since he was a kid, but it was his student-reporting experience and SJMC coursework that helped him hone his craft and land the role of TV critic and editor for “IndieWire.” Read about Ben's journey..
Dana Roberson (B.A. 1987) discussed her exciting career at NY Public Radio and CBS News with 60 mins, Dan Rather and more in "Chat from the Old Cap" in September. Dana is also one of our Professional Advisory Board members.
Roxanna Scott (B.A. 1996) managing editor for sports at USA Today, participated in "Chat from the Old Cap" in October. She discussed the role sports play in the sociology of the COVID-19 world.
Tessa Hursh (B.A. 2015) Social Media Manager at ESPN, participated in "Chat from the Old Cap" in November and discussed how to land a dream job for students.
Thank You to Malcolm Christie (B.A. 1997) for his gift which helps support SJMC. Malcolm describes his gratitude for his amazing experiences at the University of Iowa. Malcolm is also one of our Professional Advisory Board members.
Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw (B.A. 2020) began a position as a multimedia journalist for Local 4, WHBF & KLJB Fox News located in the Quad Cities. We interviewed her about her transition. Read the article.
Madeline Frasher (B.A. 2020) landed a role as a Digital Specialist at Digital Air Strike, a customer experience marketing company in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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Engaging with Students
Director David Ryfe and Internship & Placement Coordinator Paul Jensen came up with a series of webinars they called “Finding Your Starting Point.” During these webinars, students met alumni who have forged careers in various media industries. In discussions with these alumni, students were able to learn about what it is like to work in these industries. It is imperative for students to research different industries to get an idea of where they will go next. These were great opportunities to chat screen-to-screen with alumni who are successful in the field! Current student and intern, Bailey Cichon served as a host for the series. Students curious about career options were invited and encouraged to attend any or all of the webinars. A big thanks to everyone who participated!
The Social & Digital Panel: Brianna Sudrla (B.A. 2014) at Snapchat, Mallory Hughes (B.A. 2014) at CNN and Cole Johnson (B.A. 2017) at KCEN Temple, Texas
The Visuals Panel: Brooke Bierhaus (B.A. 2015) at Brooke Bierhaus Film, Mary Mathis (B.A. 2018) at Outside Magazine and Ryan Jones (B.A. 2013) at Malone Media Group
The Writing Panel: Jake Abrams (B.A. 2012) at Bram, Ashley Oerman (B.A. 2012) at Cosmopolitan, Lauren Smiley (B.A. 2015) an Independent Tech Journalist and Dora Marquez (B.A. 2015) at TriStar Event Media
The Sports Panel: Scott Miller (B.A. 2011) at The Action Network in New York, Anne Costabile (B.A. 2013) at The Chicago Sun-Times, Austin Bramley (B.A. 2016) at Sioux Falls Sports Authority and Taylor Brooks (B.A. 2016) at KWGN Denver, CO
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Mentors & Workspace
Each semester, our students have Peer Mentors who serve to support and encourage student success, specifically new and first or second year students. Peer Mentors help students throughout the academic year through one-on-one and group meetings. Peer Mentors are a knowledgeable guide for students. They can provide access to ideas, study tips, resources and ultimately be role models and advocates for students.
This semester, our peer mentors met one-on-one with several students to review assignments and potential career paths. They also went over areas of focus within majors with students, hosted several study nights for specific class exams, held an outdoor socially-distanced gathering during the nicer weather, and a private, socially-distanced screening of "Zodiac" at the Film Scene for our students. Peer Mentors held conversations about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with the faculty in our school, and plan to continue to do so in 2021 as well.
Our Student Center and computer labs stayed open throughout this semester for our students with socially-distanced study areas, plexiglass, cleaning stations, and hand santizer and wipes.
Be sure to view some of our student projects, alumni in the field and so much more on our school YouTube Channel. Check it out & subscribe!
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Achievements
Grace Basler (pictured) is currently a Journalism and Mass Communication / Political Science double major as well as in the Nonprofit Leadership & Philanthropy Certificate program. Her long-term local internship has allowed her to utilize her already existing skills and learn new ones while working toward something she cares about. Read Grace’s narrative to see how she put her passion to good use while working with CommUnity last year.
Katie Ann McCarver placed 3rd in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program in the Feature Writing Competition! Katie is currently double majoring in journalism and creative writing. She is a Copy Editor at The Daily Iowan. Read her winning story.
Event Management Certificate students carried out 8 virtual or socially distant events this semester, including a tree planting project with Trees Forever to replace trees lost in this summer's Derecho storm and a three-part virtual fundraiser for nonprofit news organization IowaWatch.
Congratulations to Dr. Eric Moy and Dr. Tammy Walkner; each successfully defended their dissertations this semester!
Dr. Eric Moy has accepted a position near his hometown beginning January 2021, as the Associate Director of Academics in the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Current student Lindsey Haag shared, "Lindsey's 10 Zoom Education Tips," a video project she produced for Stephen Bloom's Magazine Writing and Reporting class.
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Happenings
Current student Michael Aragon-Jacques (pictured) is a proud first-generation student and was recognized on November 13th, 2020 as one of two Undergraduate Recipients of the 2020 First-Generation Student Achievement Award. Watch the ceremony.
Students in the Event Management certificate program partnered with the UI Student Government on the Green Bandana Project. This is a nationwide and Big 10 initiative to promote mental health and a culture of care on campus. The students held a pop-up stand outside of the new downtown Target to bring more awareness to the cause and safely get as many students involved as possible. The bandana signifies support for the mental health movement and shows that if someone needs help, the person wearing it can be a resource for help. The team's goal was to see one on every backpack at the University of Iowa.
Karen Attiah, the global opinions editor for the Washington Post, visited the graduate students in Rachel Young’s Social Scientific Approaches to Media Communication class. Karen talked about how the U.S. news media has covered the COVID pandemic in Africa. The students are using an editorial she wrote as the inspiration for a collaborative research project.
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Opportunities
In September 2020, students from the University of Iowa participated in the the CSIS Journalism Bootcamp remotely. They focused on the intersection between gender inequality and water insecurity. From video and audio production to data visualization and the nuances of reporting on global issues, each session was designed to expand the students’ understanding of the media ecosystem, while giving them a chance to apply new skills that bring important stories to life. The CSIS team said this was one of the most cohesive multimedia projects they had seen, and the video was the best that had been produced thus far! View their work.
A virtual online open house for our Ph.D. program in MC, and MA program in Journalism and MC was held November 13, 2020. Attendees learned about cutting-edge research training provided, guaranteed funding for admitted Ph.D. students, eligibility for teaching and assistantships, additional funding, travel research awards and more. For questions about the program visit our website or contact Graduate Director Kajsa Dalymple.
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Publications & Awards
Stephen G. Bloom won a national Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award. Bloom is the only one in the nation, and the first at UI, to win this annual award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Meenakshi Gigi Durham was named interim director of renowned UI Nonfiction Writing Program in 2020. Keep your eyes open for her new book, "MeToo: The Impact of Rape Culture and Media," to be released in 2021.
David Dowling wrote an article, titled "Documentary games for social change: Recasting violence in the latest generation of i-docs," published in the Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, another article published (with K. Fox and K. Miller) titled "A curriculum for blackness: Podcasts as discursive cultural guides, 2010-2020” in Journal of Radio and Audio Media, and a book, The Gamification of Digital Journalism: Innovation in Journalistic Storytelling (Routledge).
Melissa Tully co-authored an article, titled "Theorizing News Literacy Behaviors," published in Communication Theory. It pushes forward theory in news literacy research; attempting to consolidate research in the field and advance the scholarship. Additionally, Dr. Tully co-authored a proposal titled, “Testing News Literacy Measures to Predict News and Misinformation Behaviors," which won the MC&S Faculty Research award at AEJMC in 2020.
David Ryfe wrote an article, titled "The Economics of News and the Practice of News Production,” published in Journalism Studies.
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Research & Events
Brian Ekdale is studying whether social media use and personalization algorithms contribute to the adoption of extremist ideologies. His interdisciplinary research group received a 3-year, $1 million grant from the Department of Defense to study the relationship between algorithms and radicalization.
Melissa Tully was awarded funding from the Waterhouse Family Institute at Villanova University to test ways to address COVID-19 misinformation in Kenya and Senegal. The research explores misinformation on social media about the coronavirus, vaccines and related issues. Read more about her work. Dr. Tully is also co-Principle Investigator for "Mapping Impactful Literacy Practice." Learn more about this initiative.
Kajsa Dalrymple leads a collaborative research group at the Iowa Policy and Opinion Lab, alongside Fred Boehmke in Political Science. Current student Jack Martin interviewed Kajsa about the program, its goals and her experiences. Listen to the podcast interview.
Kajsa Dalrymple and Kylah Hedding were awarded funding, with Elisa Pizzi (from Political Science), for a project titled "Preparing the Unknown: Assessing factors that impact community disaster preparedness." The grant was awarded by the UI Office of Sustainability and the Environment and will examine the content and efficacy of disaster preparedness and crisis communication plans in Iowa communities.
Venise Berry and veteran journalist Eric Deggans discussed: "Race and the media: How the media shapes race issues and influences our beliefs." Hosted by University Lecture Committee on October 8, 2020.
Stephen Bloom was granted a Summer Research Fellowship to research a book about the Brazil Herald, an English-language newspaper in Rio de Janeiro modeled after the Paris-based International Herald Tribune. The Brazilian newspaper attracted a surfeit of talent, including Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, as well as future staffers at the AP, UPI, Reuters, The New York Times, and Los Angeles Times. Bloom was an editor at the Brazil Herald early in his career.
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