Here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Society of Professional Journalists is having their annual national conference. Here,
journalists of popular and independent media alike have come together to
discuss the field of journalism and the ethics behind it.
In preparation for the conference, I was so preoccupied with
my campaign for student representative on the national board that I had not
really given much thought to the type of media that would be represented
through these programs. I am shocked at how well independent media is being
represented here.
The first program I went to, Crisis U, was about covering
breaking news on a college campus. The editor for Penn State’s newspaper The Daily Collegian, Lexie Belulfine, spoke of the coverage of the Sandusky/Paterno
controversy. One thing that really struck me was how she stressed being an
independent paper from the university was extremely important to the coverage
of this case. They had no restrictions or ties, enabling them to phenomenally cover
the scandal.
At my second program about following the money in political
campaigns, we learned 5 tools and websites all reporters should know. Most of
these tools were independent organizations, such as Propublica, who do in depth
reporting. The question “where is your funding coming from?” is very familiar,
and an important one to ask when covering politics or even when questioning
media.
The highlight of this conference for me, however, was
meeting News 21 Media Editor Brandon Quester. The cantaloupe story in Guatemala?
All him. It was fascinating discussing the ins and outs surrounding the
interactive and in depth reporting that News 21, student reporters, produce.
Even the Society of Professional Journalists realizes the importance
of independent media and its growing presence. It has been out of this world to
meet and discuss these organizations with the top people in their field. Now I
am off to enjoy the beach for the rest of my stay in the sunshine state!
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