News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
David Bulla, adviser
Leo Mores Chapter of SPJ at Iowa State
dbulla@iastate.edu
(515) 294-0658

Schmidt, Washburn, Bugeja highlight SPJ Conference

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State will assemble new and experienced journalists to talk about journalism's most recent developments in online coverage, presidential campaigns and new-age transformations at the Society of Professional Journalists’ Region VII Conference, to be held at the Iowa State Center on April 5.

The conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Scheman Building next to Hilton Coliseum.

Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science at Iowa State, will give the keynote address, titled “The New Media, Gonzo Journalism and Democracy.” Schmidt appears as Dr. Politics each week on Iowa Public Radio. His lecture will be given at noon during lunch in Scheman 250 and 252. The regional Mark of Excellence Awards will be given after Schmidt speaks.

Carolyn Washburn, vice president and editor of the Des Moines Register, will give a talk titled “Tradition and Transformation” at 10 a.m. in Scheman 252. Washburn has put a premium on digital journalism in her tenure as the newspaper’s editor.

Michael Bugeja, the director of ISU’s Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, will give the conference’s kickoff speech, titled “Digital Ethics in Converged Systems.” Bugeja’s speech is sponsored by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation in Oklahoma City, Okla. His 8 a.m. lecture will be in Scheman 275. A light breakfast will be served.

Mike Glover, Iowa Statehouse Correspondent for the Associated Press in Des Moines, will cover the presidential campaign to date. Glover also is a regular on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press.” KCCI anchor Kevin Cooney will give a lecture titled “The Future of Broadcast Journalism.

Other speakers include: Rachel Weber of Meredith Corp. and other recent journalism graduates who will shed light on life after college and what they wish they would’ve known before graduation; Bryce Miller, the sports editor of the Register; Dave Kraemer, editor of the Ames Tribune; Ron Sylvester, reporter for the Wichita Eagle and the Region VII president; and SPJ President Clint Brewer and President-elect Dave Aeikens, who will educate students on how to build and maintain strong student SPJ chapters.

The conference is open to the public. Cost for breakfast and lunch is $25 through March 30 and $30 thereafter. The price for students is $20 through March 30 and $25 after that. If attendees are not going to eat breakfast and lunch, the conference is free. If attendees plan to have the two meals at the conference, please RSVP by contacting David Bulla at (515) 294-0658 or dbulla@iastate.edu.

Region VII includes Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The Web site for the conference is www.iastatespj.org. A registration form and the full schedule can be found there.

2008-03-31