Carolina Communicator — Winter 2018

A PUBLICATION OF THE SCHOOL OF MEDIA AND JOURNALISM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

WINTER 2018

Students in Associate Professor Daniel Kreiss’ Washington Experience course made two trips to Washington, D.C., in fall 2017. Students met with Katie Harbath at Facebook; Chris Wallace at Fox News; and Christina Reynolds ’97 of Global Strategy Group. A second trip gave the students time for four more action-packed days in D.C., where they visited the offices of Sen. Richard Burr and Rep. David Price and spent time with alumni at Google, Buzzfeed, Politico, the National Democratic Institute, The Washington Post, Bloomberg and Burson-Marsteller. mj.unc.edu/WashingtonExperience2017

photo from Kelsey Mason ˇ18

M J.U N C . E D U/CA R O L I N ACO M MU N I CATO R

TO OUR ALUMNI, DONORS AND FRIENDS: The media landscape of late is littered with disclosures of sexual misconduct by some of the biggest names in our field. As a former journalist and as dean to many young women and men who expect and deserve to work in respectful and supportive environments, I take these ongoing revelations seriously — and as a learning opportunity for us all.

We must prepare students to understand challenges they will face in their careers — and to refuse to tolerate those who abuse their power. We are addressing the issue of sexual aggression in America’s newsrooms, boardrooms and corridors of power directly in 2018. And we continue to emphasize the need for solid, evidence-based reporting of the facts behind the revelations.

SUSAN KING @susking

We are holding training sessions to ensure faculty, staff and students are aware of policies and procedures regarding harassment and misconduct — and that they feel empowered to report inappropriate behavior. We are convening nationally respected professionals in our “Holding Power Accountable” series to engage with our students about the issue and how to report on it.

One of the reporters who will join us is Emily Steel ’06 at The New York Times. In my podcast conversation with Steel (mj.unc.edu/SHNSPodcast), we talk about her experiences breaking the Bill O’Reilly story.

Our alumni are leading the way on this and so many other critically important issues.

Nikole Hannah-Jones ’03 (M.A.) was awarded a $625,000 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” to support her work on endemic racism in housing and education. Allen Mask ’10 was recognized by Forbes magazine as a leader rewriting the rules of brand engagement in the advertising and marketing industries.

As we embrace a vision for a cross-collaborative, dynamic future for media and journalism, the MJ-school is instituting changes to our curriculum (see story inside).

I hope you’ll find these compelling, responsive to industry demand and a proof point that innovation is at the heart of our curriculum.

Our fields insist on global perspectives. The school is responding with efforts that span the disciplines we teach. Just two recent examples are an advertising class trip to London and Paris to work with fashion industry leaders, and an interdisciplinary team of students in our Media Hub class reporting from Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Research proves that experiential learning makes a dramatic difference.

OUR ALUMNI ARE A POWERFUL PRESENCE THROUGHOUT THE STATE, COUNTRY AND WORLD.

As UNC embarks on the ambitious Campaign for Carolina to raise more than $4.25 billion in private support for the proudly public work the university does, we need each member of our MJ-school community to think about the impact he or she wants to have on our school and our world.

Your involvement with the school is what will keep us at the top. I hope you will join us.

Interested in sharing your own experiences? Submit a photo or video testimonial via the Start Here / Never Stop site’s submission form.

starthereneverstop.mj.unc.edu

UNC School of Media and Journalism Office of Development and Alumni Affairs | 311 Carroll Hall, CB 3365 | Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3365

MJ-school launches a

REVAMPED CURRICULUM The UNC School of Media and Journalism now offers two areas of study — Advertising/ Public Relations and Journalism — within its bachelor of arts in media and journalism.

Previously, course offerings fell under eight specializations. Stembler Distinguished Professor Charlie Tuggle serves as the school's senior associate dean for undergraduate studies. Associate Professor Laura Ruel leads the journalism program, and Professor John Sweeney leads the advertising/public relations program.

Core course requirements are unchanged. A solid foundation in writing, ethics, digital skills and media law remains for all students. Additional requirements have been restructured into three new sections: Concentration, Conceptual and Capstone. These sections were created to help students better navigate the curriculum and build the skill sets necessary to thrive in today's dynamic media environment.

Capstone course requirements will drive students to apply concepts and skills from earlier classes and develop portfolio-worthy work in hands-on and client-based challenges. Though the curriculum is constantly evolving in response to growing and changing industry expectations, the two areas of study were specifically put in place to reduce the siloing of departments within the MJ-school. In today’s job market, graduates are expected to bring both a wide-ranging background and specialized skills to the table.

With the new curriculum, students can still take a deep dive into an area of interest — such as broadcast journalism or graphic design — while also developing complementary skill sets. This setup will increase their appeal in the job market and keep them flexible in ever-changing roles. (right) Students in Dana McMahan's FashionMash class work in a makerspace on campus. McMahan created this product and experiential design incubator for fashion and lifestyle products. The program has expanded extensively, winning multiple grants, including a permanent endowment from the Goodwyn Family Foundation. photo by Johnny Andrews / UNC-Chapel Hill

"Top candidates in the media and journalism industry are typically going to be specialists who can function as generalists. Those types of communicators are the least likely to get boxed in by traditional structures."

— Susan King, Dean of the MJ-school

CAPSTONE COURSE OFFERINGS

ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS MEJO 634: Public Relations Campaigns MEJO 650: FashionMash Experiential Design MEJO 651: FashionMash Product Design MEJO 670: Digital Advertising and Marketing MEJO 671: Social Marketing Campaigns MEJO 673: Advertising Campaigns MEJO 690: Special Topics in Advertising MEJO 691H: Introductory Honors Course MEJO 692H: Honors Essay JOURNALISM MEJO 390: Business News Wire MEJO 625: Media Hub MEJO 656: Magazine Writing MEJO 681: Photojournalism Projects MEJO 683: Magazine Design MEJO 691H: Introductory Honors Course MEJO 692H: Honors Essay A SAMPLING OF CAPSTONE COURSES MAGAZINE WRITING AND MAGAZINE DESIGN are two of the journalism capstone courses listed above. Students from both courses work together to plan, write and edit content and design a finished magazine. Crosscollaborative teamwork is emphasized in order to complete the final portfolio-worthy project.

WORKROOM: FASHIONMASH PRODUCT DESIGN is a capstone creative incubator. The course is designed to provide a product development workshop along with a professional fashionand lifestyle-industry project, enabling students to focus on project execution and to work with global brand professionals.

Selfie-powered

SKIN CANCER UNC School of Media and Journalism Professor Seth Noar led a team of researchers who analyzed the increase in skin cancer awareness generated by a single viral Facebook post. The new study shows just how effective one person can be in generating awareness, and asks how public health researchers might tap into similarly personal stories to reach more people.

MJ-school graduate program

When she was 27 years old, Tawny Dzierzek, a nurse from Kentucky, shared a post on Facebook after a recent skin cancer treatment. The accompanying selfie graphically illustrated her blistered face. Dzierzek’s past included heavy tanning bed use, and she’d been diagnosed with skin cancer six years earlier.

Her post was shared 50,000 times on social media in less than a month, and her story was picked up by a variety of media outlets.

OFFERS ON-CAMPUS AND ONLINE OPTIONS

Researchers led by Noar recently reported in the journal Preventive Medicine that Google searches about skin cancer reached near-record levels during the timeframe when media coverage about Dzierzek’s selfie was at its peak.

Certificate in Digital Communication The online certificate program consists of three master’s-level courses and can be completed in as little as one year. Credit for two courses can be transferred to the online master’s program. mj.unc.edu/cert

“

A growing body of research shows that stories can be very impactful — more impactful than didactic information — in delivering a health message.

— Professor Seth Noar

Noar collaborated with several colleagues across the country on this research, including Dannielle Kelley ’17 (Ph.D.), who received her doctorate from the MJschool and is now a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute.

Political commentator

TO DELIVER 2018 PARK LECTURE Tucker Carlson, veteran political commentator with stints at CNN, PBS, MSNBC and FOX News, will give the 2018 Roy H. Park Distinguished Lecture on Thursday, April 12, for the UNC School of Media and Journalism. The Carolina Inn event will begin at 11 a.m. with remarks by Carlson, followed by a moderated conversation with Associate Professor Daniel Kreiss and three MJ-school students.

For more information and to register, visit mj.unc.edu/ParkLecture2018.

M.A. in Digital Communication Our challenging online courses are designed for professionals’ ambitious schedules and offer opportunities to focus course assignments on real-world workplace topics. mj.unc.edu/madc M.A. in Media and Communication The hallmark of our two-year master’s program is a balance of training in communication skills, concepts and research methods. Students choose among five specialized programs of study, preparing for careers in journalism, strategic communication, visual communication, communication research and interdisciplinary health communication. mj.unc.edu/ma Ph.D. in Media and Communication Students in our three-year doctoral program learn research methods and acquire a deep understanding of communication theory to help them develop research programs tailored to their individual interests. mj.unc.edu/phd

DEVELOPMENT

ALUMNI AFFAIRS

FCB creative force Susan Fowler Credle ’85 to deliver MJ-school’s Spring 2018 Commencement address Susan Fowler Credle ’85, global chief creative officer of advertising giant FCB and a powerful voice for women in the field, will deliver the Spring Commencement address to graduates of the UNC School of Media and Journalism on Saturday, May 12, at 3:30 p.m. in Carmichael Arena. mj.unc.edu/Commencement2018

Five trailblazers to be inducted into NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame in 2018 The NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame will induct Don Curtis, Lisa R. Davis, Rick French, Ken Lowe and John Sweeney on Friday, April 13.

Honorees will be recognized during a gala benefit at 6:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill.

The benefit supports the UNC School of Media and Journalism in its critical role in developing future industry and academic leaders.

Donald W. Curtis Chairman and CEO of Curtis Media Group

2018 Holding Power Accountable panel to take a timely look at reporting on tough issues Recently, news organizations have covered — or uncovered — allegations of sexual misconduct against dozens of people. No matter their beat, it’s increasingly likely that journalists will find themselves navigating such complex ethical subjects. The MJschool’s “Holding Power Accountable: Reporting on sexual misconduct” public panel discussion on Tuesday, Feb. 27, will bring together a group of reporters who have covered prominent sexual misconduct cases and who have navigated difficult ethical, legal and political issues.

Media and Journalism Alumni Association (MJAA) takes an active role in connecting MJ-school alumni.

The MJAA Board invites you to get to know Sonos’ Allen Mask III ’10 (left) and 60 Minutes’ Draggan Mihailovich ’83 (right), profiled recently in mj.unc. edu/news. Or check out Dean Susan King’s interviews with the likes of Kroc Fellowship recipient and NPR producer Parth Shah ’15 and award-winning video journalist Pailin Wedel ’04 at mj.unc. edu/SHNSPodcast.

mj.unc.edu/HPA2018

mj.unc.edu/mjaa

Lisa R. Davis Corporate Vice President of Communications for Northrop Grumman Corporation Rick French Chairman and CEO of French/West/Vaughan

Kenneth W. Lowe Chairman, President and CEO of Scripps Networks Interactive John Sweeney Director of Advertising and Public Relations for the UNC School of Media and Journalism

Generous bequest from 1941 journalism graduate Longtime Hatteras resident Josephine “Jo” Austin Oden (1921–2017) graduated from UNC in 1941 with a journalism degree. Oden left a generous gift in her will to the MJ-school in memory of Charles Phillips Russell (1883–1974), a faculty member during her student days here. mj.unc.edu/gift

mj.unc.edu/NCHoF

Nonprofit Org US Postage PA I D Chapel Hill, NC Permit No. 177

the university of north carolina at chapel hill campus box 3365, carroll hall chapel hill, nc 27599-3365

CALENDAR February 21 St. Petersburg alumni event February 27 Holding Power Accountable panel discussion March 8–17 Documentary Multimedia Storytelling class trip to Puerto Rico March 10–17 International Media Studies class trip to London March 11-14 Spring Break student networking trip to San Francisco March 13 M.A. in Digital Communication priority application deadline March 14–18 CBC-UNC Diversity Fellowship Program

APRIL 13, 2018

NC MEDIA AND JOURNALISM HALL OF FAME GALA March 30 Junck Research Colloquium with Natalie “Talia” Stroud, Ph.D.

May 1 Graduate Certificate in Digital Communication application deadline

April 4 Graduate Certificate in Digital Communication online info session

May 2 Spring Research Colloquium

April 12 Roy H. Park Distinguished Lecture with Tucker Carlson April 13 NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame Gala April 18–20 PRSSA Southeast Regional Conference 2018 April 20 Junck Research Colloquium with Guido Zursteige, Ph.D.

May 12 Spring Commencement with Susan Fowler Credle ’85 May 13–25 Global immersion trip to China May 14–18 and 21–24 Bloomberg-UNC-Berkeley Business Journalism Diversity Program June 12 M.A. in Digital Communication final application deadline mj.unc.edu/events