Associated Collegiate Press
Best of the Midwest College Journalism Convention Feb. 6-8, 2015 Radisson Blu Minneapolis @acpress | #acpbom
Best of the 1
Best ofCollege theJournalism Midwest Convention WELCOME TO THE
With more than 40 tailored workshops and opportunities to meet with pros and network with fellow attendees, the Associated Collegiate Press is pleased to welcome you to Minneapolis for our 24th annual Best of the Midwest College Journalism Convention. Presenters include Emmy award winners, Pulitzer Prize winners and the head of the Upper Midwest Emmys. As you read through the list of offerings and opportunities, you’ll find sessions tailored to enhance your journalism skills and sensibilities and help you grow as an individual and a news organization or publication. The best practices, skills, ethics lessons, diversity and innovation being offered will make you a stand-out candidate for any job or internship as you move beyond the college classroom and into the profession. As you get settled in, be sure to check out the convention’s first keynote speaker, Scott Libin, Hubbard Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication, as he discusses viral videos and social media. Immediately following will be an opening reception you won’t want to miss.
SCHEDULE Friday, Feb. 6 Noon-5 p.m. Registration, Publication Exchange, Exhibits, Best of Show Entries Noon-4:50 p.m. Breakout Sessions 4-4:50 p.m. Break With a Pro 5-6 p.m. Welcome, Keynote 6-7 p.m. Opening Reception
Saturday, Feb. 7 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Registration, Publication Exchange, Exhibits 8:30 a.m.-noon Best of Show Entries 9-10:50 a.m. Breakout Sessions 11 a.m.-noon Keynote Noon-1 p.m. Adviser Luncheon 1-3:50 p.m. Breakout Sessions 4-4:50 p.m. Break With a Pro
Sunday, Feb. 8 9-10:50 a.m. Breakout Sessions 11 a.m. Closing Keynote, Best of Show Awards
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#ACPBOM HAS #ACPBOM HAS GONEMOBILE! MOBILE GONE
Keynote Speakers
Scott Libin
Boyd Huppert
Regina McCombs
5 p.m. Friday
11 a.m. Saturday
11 a.m. Sunday
Scott Libin is the Hubbard Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He has three decades of experience as a journalist, including jobs on camera and behind the scenes, as a news director and as an educator. He is a consultant, coach and communications professional, specializing in broadcast and digital journalism.
Boyd Huppert has earned a national reputation as both a practitioner and teacher of visual storytelling.
Regina McCombs is the senior editor for visual news, working with a team to develop photography and video for Minnesota Public Radio News. She taught multimedia, mobile and social journalism for five years at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. She was the senior producer for multimedia at StarTribune.com in Minneapolis-St. Paul for 11 years, arriving there after 13 years as a field producer and photographer at KARE-TV, the NPPA-winning powerhouse in Minneapolis. Winner of numerous Best of Photojournalism and Pictures of the Year International awards for multimedia storytelling, Emmys for her video and multimedia work, and an Eppy for the MPR team’s photography, she has been a regular speaker around the world, talking about finding new ways to tell stories on the Web and mobile platforms. For StarTribune.com, she coordinated the multimedia team’s coverage, shot and edited video stories, created audio slide shows, produced major projects and trained staff in creating multimedia. She also taught classes in online journalism and TV news at the University of Minnesota, where she received her master’s degree.
Scott was vice president of news and content at Internet Broadcasting 20112014. He previously led newsrooms at WCCO-TV and KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities and WGHP-TV in the Greensboro, N.C., market. He has twice been a full-time member of the resident faculty at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and has trained journalists from Newfoundland to South Africa to China. Scott began his career as a congressional press secretary and as a bureau reporter in Washington, D.C. He was a reporter and weekend anchor in North Carolina before entering management. Scott is a member of the Radio Television Digital News Association Board of Directors, representing four states in RTDNA’s Region 4, and is chair of the RTDNA Ethics Committee. He also serves on the ThreeSixty Journalism Board of Advisers. ThreeSixty is a teen outreach program of the University of St. Thomas.
As a reporter at KARE-TV in Minneapolis, Boyd’s work has been honored with some of journalism’s top honors, including 12 national Edward R. Murrow Awards and multiple Sigma Delta Chi, Gabriel and National Headliner awards. In 2014 Boyd received the Scripps Howard Award for local TV reporting. He’s also the recipient of the 2006 national Emmy for feature reporting. As a teacher and trainer, Boyd has presented more than 100 visual storytelling sessions at venues including The Poynter Institute, TVNew Zealand, DR & TV2 in Denmark and NRK in Norway. He is a long-time member of the faculty at the Advanced Storytelling Workshop sponsored by the National Press Photographers Association and held each spring at Texas State University. Boyd grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and received his journalism degree at University of WisconsinRiver Falls. Prior to his arrival at KARE in 1996, Boyd spent time at WSAW-TV in Wausau, KETV in Omaha and WITITV in Milwaukee.
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Sessions Friday, Feb. 6 Noon-5 p.m. Denmark Commons Registration, Publication Exchange and Exhibits Check in or register for the convention and receive your name badges, program and more. Drop off your publication and sift through those of your peers at the publication exchange. Also, post your publication website and social media information to share. Best of Show Entries The ACP Best of Show contest is available to all publications that have students attending the convention. Bring your newspaper, yearbook, magazine, website URL or broadcast URL to registration by noon Saturday to enter. Winners will be announced after Sunday’s closing keynote. The contest is free to ACP members and $20 for non-members.
Noon-12:50 p.m. Norway 1 Arts & Entertainment reporting and criticism Everyone’s a critic, especially in the Internet age, but not everyone has what it takes to be a critic for a newspaper, magazine or reputable website. Learn some of the ins and outs of covering music and other arts and entertainment beats, which often require a tightrope walk between unbiased reporting and unwelcome criticism. Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune, Minnepaolis Norway 2 Where to Get Design Ideas Design ideas are everywhere. Come listen to a veteran adviser and a recent design school graduate about where they get their ideas. We’ll talk about layouts, color schemes, graphics and more. Laura Widmer and Amber Billings, Associated Collegiate Press Norway 3 Turn Subjective Feedback into Objectives Tired of subjective feedback? Turn it into objective critique with specially targeted areas to help educators, students and young professionals improve video media stories. This session will help you
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create an objective evaluation you can customize to your liking in order to give specific feedback in the areas of writing, photography, audio and editing techniques. John (JJ) Murray, Upper Midwest Emmy® Chapter
1-1:50 p.m. Norway 2 Backpack Radio: Audio Basics in a Digital Age This session focuses on basic techniques and best practices for gathering, editing, and processing audio for broadcast and digital platforms. Whether you are looking to add audio to your news content online or wanting to start a podcast, this session will point you to the right tools and techiques to get started. The session also briefly touches on the continued relevance of radio within a media landscape focused on online content delivery. Meagan Manning, University of Minnesota Norway 3 VJ Time Management One-man bands have to do it all: write, shoot and edit. How do you fit in all the work and have a life too? This session explores the daily routine of a video journalist. We will discuss what you can do at work and at home to balance the life demands in the news business. John (JJ) Murray, Upper Midwest Emmy® Chapter
1-3:50 p.m. Norway 1 Short course: Multimedia Newsroom Management ($39 fee) Learn how to manage people, technology and ideas as you take control of your newsroom in a multimedia environment. An award-winning adviser teaches you how to oversee your peers within the newsroom. In addition, you will learn how your traditional skills can be adapted to fit the new media environment of a digital newsroom. Vince Filak, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
2-2:50 p.m. Norway 2 #Photojournalism How can visual journalists harness the power of social media to increase the audience for their work? We’ll offer tips and explain how, in the end, social media has
made our job a great deal more fun. Ben Garvin, St. Paul Pioneer Press and Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune, Minneapolis Norway 3 Team Coverage: Fresh, Fun and Functional Tired of the same old stories told in the same old way? Feeling guilty and frustrated that another deadline has been missed? Looking for that spark to unite your staff? If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, join us. The maestro method, used by professional and select collegiate publications, can transform your staff and your publication from ordinary to compelling. Plus, you’ll have fun doing it. Laura Widmer, Associated Collegiate Press
3-3:50 p.m. Norway 2 Shooting People: Looking Back, Looking Forward For more than three decades, I’ve shot people for corporate and editorial communications, as well as stock for Corbis. Virtually all of the work has centered on people. The majority of it was shot on location in the U.S. I look forward to showing you my work and sharing what I’ve learned. Peter Beck, University of Minnesota Norway 3 Creating an Ethical Culture in the Newsroom This session will explore the values and principles that guide journalists through the ethical dilemmas that emerge every day in every newsroom. Together, we’ll discuss real-life examples and lay a foundation for sound decision-making under the toughest circumstances. Chris Ison, University of Minnesota
4-4:50 p.m. Norway 1 Visual-Verbal Front Page Packages There are a few front pages that stop and grab your attention and then there are others that are easily forgettable. Let’s look at ways you can effectively plan those front page and feature page packages that will cause your readers to stop and read. It’s all in planning and editing, and we will look at some examples that will get your attention. Laura Widmer, Associated Collegiate Press
COMPETE TO BE BEST OF THE MIDWEST! Bring copies of any edition from this school year to the registration desk by noon Saturday and enter to win. Categories include: Four-year Daily Newspaper, Four-year Weekly Newspaper, Four-Year Non-weekly Newspaper, Two-year Newspaper, Newsmagazine, Newspaper Special Edition and Online Publication. Don’t forget to join us for the awards presentation immediately following the keynote at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Norway 2 Is TV News for You? We will go through the ins and outs of today’s television news environment to better understand the media environment and how to land that first job. Nate Leding, University of Minnesota Ballroom 2 Break With a Pro Meet up with a professional for this small group roundtable discussion. Check your “Break With a Pro” ticket received at checkin to be sure you’re in the right category. Preregistration and an extra fee are required to participate. Sign up on site at the ACP check-in desk.
5-6 p.m. Ballroom 3 Keynote: Viral Video, Social Media and High Stakes You stumble upon potentially explosive video; how do you handle it effectively, ethically and competitively? Scott Libin, University of Minnesota
6-7 p.m. Atrium Opening Reception Meet your peers from publications around the Midwest while enjoying refreshments before you head out for an evening in Minneapolis.
Saturday, Feb. 7 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Denmark Commons Registration, Publication Exchange and Exhibits Check in or register for the convention and receive your name badges, program and more. Drop off your publication and sift through those of your peers at the publication exchange. Also, post your publication website and social media information to share. Best of Show Entries The ACP Best of Show contest is available to all publications that have students attending the convention. Bring your newspaper, yearbook, magazine, website URL or broadcast URL to registration by noon today to enter. Winners will be announced after Sunday’s closing keynote. The contest is free to ACP members and $20 for non-members.
9-9:50 a.m. Norway 2 Diversity? Inclusion? Just Focus on Journalism We should all be talking about covering our campuses — and that means everyone, every major, every department on campus. We’ll figure out how to do that. Chuck Baldwin, University of South Dakota, Vermillion Norway 3 Small staff? No Problem. Creative Ways to Organize an Evolving Newsroom Can you count the number of newspaper staff members on one hand? Are you struggling with constant turnover? You’re not alone. Get tips and tricks for effectively managing a newsroom with a small,
evolving staff. Learn how to creatively assign newsroom positions, improve productivity and maintain open lines of communication using collaborative technology and retain students over time. Staff of the Arches, Mount Mary University, Milwaukee Ballroom 1 Editing as a Process If you find that your writers are making the same mistakes over and over again, this session is for you. Learn the editing job from top to bottom, starting with reporter preparation, working through collaborative editing and finishing with helpful critiquing. You will also learn the differences between editing and fixing. Vince Filak, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
10-10:50 a.m. Norway 1 Creativity in Writing Use creativity techniques to super-charge your stories. A 30-year veteran and writing coach explains creative approaches that tap into the humor, pathos, drama and relevance of any story. Beginners and experts alike can electrify their stories with tried-and-true techniques. Bob Shaw, St. Paul Pioneer Press Norway 2 Why Most Editorials Stink and Why Yours Don’t Have To Most editorials aren’t worth reading – or writing. They don’t have to be that way. Some basic tips will make your edits not only easier to write but worth reading. First tip: Get it done in just 140 characters. Chuck Baldwin, University of South Dakota, Vermillion
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Norway 3 Building an Online Community Through Blogging Blogging is not only an effective way to engage with your readers, but it can also drive traffic to your news website and help you generate a wider, more diverse audience. Learn about the benefits of blogging within a news organization and tips for writing posts that will keep readers coming back for more. Laura Otto, Mount Mary University, Milwaukee Ballroom 1 How to Get “Personality” into Your Profiles Profiles are among the best read and worst written pieces in every paper. We can fix that in this session as we work together to avoid “so and so is not your typical college sophomore” leads as well as “And THAT’s one to grow on!” conclusions. Learn the SCAM method of observation and the importance of interviewing as you build some great profile pieces. Vince Filak, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
11-11:50 a.m. Ballroom 3 Keynote: It’s Just Video Until a Storyteller Creates an Experience From GoPros to YouTube, video is everywhere. This session will teach you storytelling skills to open career doors by setting your video apart. Boyd Huppert, KARE-TV
Noon-1 p.m. Ballroom 2 Adviser Luncheon Chat over lunch at this informal roundtable hosted by ACP. We would like your feedback on how ACP can better serve you and will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Lunch with be provided. Sponsored by the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication Students: Lunch on your own Check the convention app for a list of nearby restaurants.
1-1:50 p.m. Norway 2 HoW to be a semi-celebrity on Twitter In this session, I will talk about the do’s and don’t’s of Twitter for semi-celebrities
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such as journalists or student athletes. I will highlight real-world examples and provide information on how to decide if your should press “send” or not. Jordan Dolbin, University of Minnesota Norway 3 What is ... Editing Jeopardy? Put your editing skills to the test in a fastpaced game of Jeopardy. We’ll pair off into teams to test your knowledge of grammar, editing and AP Style using the format of one of America’s most popular game shows. The winning team gets bragging rights and a surprise prize. Laura Otto, Mount Mary University Ballroom 1 Building a Beat The best news coverage comes from knowing people, places, events and ideas that matter in a specific topic area. Come to this session and learn what makes for a good “beat” area, how best to cover it and what kinds of stories are going overlooked on your campus. Vince Filak, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
1-3:50 p.m. Norway 1 Short Course: Reporting for Social Media ($39 fee) Learn to use the tools needed for today’s mobile journalist, specifically the methods and techniques reporters need to consider when reporting events through social media. Students will put what they learn into practice, and should bring fully charged smart phones or other webconnected mobile devices to the session. Steve Chappell, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville
2-2:50 p.m. Norway 2 Creating creative first amendment events When only 3 percent of Americans can name all five freedoms in the First Amendment, someone needs to educate them. And when as many as 49 percent of Americans think the First Amendment gives us too much freedom, someone needs to educate them. And who better than you? This session will teach you how to create creative First Amendment events that will stimulate and actually teach your audiences about this foundational principle that if we didn’t have it, we wouldn’t have this democracy that we all hold so dear. Mark Witherspoon, Iowa State Daily, Ames
Norway 3 How to Hook Readers with artful storytelling Do you struggle with writing attentiongrabbing leads? Do your news stories lack personality? Learn how to liven your journalistic writing using storytelling techniques typically employed by creative writers. Leave with proven tips and exercises that are sure to add flair to those flat features! Laura Otto, Mount Mary University, Milwaukee Ballroom 2 Advice from a Pro Bring your samples — from individual stories to full publications — for a one-onone walk through with an experienced adviser and critiquer. Come ready with your questions for customized advice. Vince Filak, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh Ballroom 1 Generating Story Ideas Story ideas are journalism’s gold. But how can you learn to find and identify those brilliant nuggets – every day? Veteran reporter Kevyn Burger has generated story ideas and topics for radio, television and newspapers. She offers her tips and methods to finding great ideas – it involves hard work, discipline and a sprinkle of fairy dust. Kevyn Burger, Bring Me The News
3-3:50 p.m. Norway 2 How to Go From College to Pro It’s no secret that the journalism industry is highly competitive. This session will discuss the ways you can stand out in a tight field of applicants to land — and keep — your first journalism job. Kelly Smith, Star Tribune Norway 3 Great Conversations, Great interviews Learning how to put interview subjects and news sources at ease so that they can provide the best information is a skill every reporter must have. This session provides a pro’s insight into how to develop rapport with subjects, strike the right tone and jump start a conversation. Learn how to more keenly use your powers of observation to conduct insightful interviews and gather memorable quotes. Kevyn Burger, Bring Me The News
Ballroom 2 What do you do when tragedy hits home? This past semester, The Volante staff lost one of their own to a traffic accident. A student death on our campus always is news, but how do you handle it when it’s one of your own? How do you balance emotion and journalism? Is it a conflict of interest? Tough lessons. Staff of the Volante, Universtiy of South Dakota, Vermillion Ballroom 1 Data Journalism Tools This session will explore how public data can help journalists tell better stories. We will cover — using real world examples — how to use programs like Microsoft Access, Tableau and Google Maps to analyze and visualize large datasets. The session will also explore how to use open records laws to obtain public data. Eric Roper, Star Tribune
4-4:50 p.m. Ballroom 2 Break With a Pro Meet up with a professional for this small group roundtable discussion. Check your “Break With a Pro” ticket received at checkin to be sure you’re in the right category. Preregistration and an extra fee are required to participate. Sign up on site at the ACP check-in desk.
Adviser Luncheon Sponsor
Sunday, Feb. 8 9-9:50 a.m.
Norway 1 The Art of the internship In 50 minutes, get all the details you need on making yourself marketable for an internship or entry-level job in mass media. The founder and director of @comminternships, who works with hundreds of hiring managers annually, gives you the inside track into what they are looking for when that résumé crosses their desks. Steve Chappell, Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville Norway 2 Millenial Media Use Trends and How you can Work with them Plenty of people are willing to tell you how Millennials use media, but this info is often biased or disconnected from other aspects of media use. This session gives you analysis from the gold standard of mediause surveys combined with other media-use research to give you concrete and targeted ways you can streamline your content to work with these new habits, rather than working against them. Sarah Cavanah, Associated Collegiate Press
9-10:50 a.m. NoRway 3 Short Course: Trifecta of Reporting ($39 fee) Interviewing, observation and research are the only three ways to gather information, and you can’t use one of them without using the other two if you want to succeed as a journalist. This short course will take a look at each skill individually, then show how they all can be used together to report and write stories that matter to your community. Mark Witherspoon, Iowa State Daily, Ames
10-10:50 a.m. Norway 1 We gotta do video too? If you’re digital, you’re multimedia and someone is pushing you to put video with your stories. Yes, video is difficult, but it’s not impossible and technically easier to gather than ever. This session focuses on how online video can and should differ from broadcast, as well as some tools to help you get video produced well and online quickly. Randall King, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion Norway 2 Revising Your Ad Kit to Work for You The standard ad kit was developed for an entirely different media age. This session will prompt you to think about what you are really selling with your ad kit and how you can present that information to advertisers. Come ready to answer specific questions about what’s in your kit, what you have to offer, and what your staff can offer advertisers. Sarah Cavanah, Associated Collegiate Press
11 a.m. Ballroom 3 CLosing Keynote: Five Things to learn before you graduate The end is in sight, and you’re headed toward your first job, but there are a few things to learn that will help you survive — and thrive — in journalism. Regina McCombs, Minnesota Public Radio ACP Best of Show Awards Immediately following the closing keynote, join us as we announce this year’s Best of Show winners. You must enter your publication or individual piece at registration before noon Saturday to be eligible.
Speakers Chuck Baldwin is journalist in residence at the University of South Dakota and adviser to the student newspaper, The Volante. In a 35-year career as a journalist, he has covered Native American issues, white supremacist organizations, refugees from Southeast Asia and Muslim countries. He’s also led diversity-awareness programs. @chuckjournalism Peter Beck studied photojournalism at the University of Minnesota in the late ’60s. Early in his career he shot in a studio environment, often for advertising agencies. Most of his work has been done on location, nearly all of it involving
people. He loves graphic design and enjoys creating pictures that welcome type. Now, in the fourth quarter of his life, he is concentrating on a black-and-white documentary immigrant portrait series. Beck returned to his alma mater in 2012 and completed a M.A. in journalism, concentrating on immigrant identity. peterbeck.com Amber Billings is the digital and design coordinator at the Associated Collegiate Press. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Design. While in school, she was the visuals editor at The Minnesota Daily. @amberlbillings
Kevyn Burger now realizes she is a multi-platform journalist, a term that did not exist when she began as a broadcaster 30 years ago. Currently, she’s a digital producer and radio news anchor at BringMeTheNews and a freelance feature writer at the Star Tribune. She has worked as a television news reporter, investigative journalist and anchor, and a radio show host. Sarah Cavanah is a short-term appointment associate director at National Scholastic Press Association/Associated Collegiate Press and a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota. Her research centers on community media,
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including scholastic media. She is a former student journalist, newspaper reporter/editor, magazine editor and public relations professional. @SarahCavanah Steve Chappell is the director of student publications at Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville. He is also the founder and CEO of comminternships.com. With more than 25 years as a student media specialist, journalism educator and professional journalist, Chappell works to ensure his students – and communication students everywhere – are connected with the best internship and entry-level job experiences available. @thegrammarnazi Jordan Dolbin, originally from La Mirada, Calif., earned her B.S. in mass media-public relations at Baker University, where she also played soccer. She is now a master’s candidate in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on new media technology and sports. Throughout college she has held many positions including innovation intern for the Orlando Magic; communications intern for the Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City; and athletics marketing team member for California State University, Fullerton. @jodolbin Vincent F. Filak, Ph.D. is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the adviser to the school’s award-winning student newspaper, The Advance-Titan. He is a fixture at ACP and CMA conventions, lecturing on topics ranging from staff burnout to opinion writing. He is a winner of the NSPA Pioneer Award and CMA’s Honor Roll Award. He lives to talk to students and critique papers, so bug him frequently and he’ll be happy to help. @vffilak Ben Garvin is an Emmy Award-winning multimedia photographer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota. He was named Journalist of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and Minnesota Photographer of the Year by the Minnesota Press Photographers Association. Garvin’s documentary on a family fighting for medical marijuana earned a Emmy award in 2014 and his work on assignment for the New York Times was included in the paper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning story on food poisoning in 2010. Previously Garvin worked for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, the Christian Science Monitor in Boston and the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire, where he was a three-time New Hampshire Photographer of the Year. Garvin grew up in Fayetteville, Ark., where he studied creative writing at the University of Arkansas and later earned a BFA in visual journalism from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. @bengarvin Chris Ison was a beat reporter and investigative projects reporter at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis for 15 years. He was the assistant managing editor for investigative projects at the paper for three years, and won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 1990. He currently is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he teaches media ethics and in-depth
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reporting, among other courses. He also is an ACP board member. Randall E. King is professor of communication and director of broadcast media at Indiana Wesleyan University. He worked professionally in television news as a reporter, anchor and producer. His video feature stories for the newsmagazine “Crossroads” have received regional and national awards, including the Silver Telly. @randallking Nate Leding is a University of Minnesota journalism graduate student with 15 years of television news experience. He has worked in several markets all over the country. Meagan Manning is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota whose non-commercial radio experience spans eight years and four award-winning stations. Meagan has held positions at Wisconsin Public Radio’s WHA, the University of Minnesota’s KUOM, the University of Wisconsin’s WSUM and also advised Simpson College’s KSTM on its station manual and training program. Meagan’s academic research focuses on media history, critical race theory and collective memory. Meagan has taught courses at the University of Minnesota, Simpson College and Quinnipiac University. John (JJ) Murray is an award-winning educator and video media professional with more than 20 years of experience as a reporter, photographer, producer, executive producer and news director. Murray has worked at more than 10 TV stations across the country and taught high school and college media production classes. Many of his former employees and students have also gone on to award-winning media careers. @midwestemmys Laura Otto is an associate professor of English at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, where she advises the student-produced magazine, Arches, and teaches courses in blogging, creative writing and journalism. She spearheaded the development of the university’s writing for new media major and recently created a series of new media/blogging courses for that program. Eric Roper has worked at the Star Tribune since 2009. He worked at the paper’s Washington, D.C., and state Capitol bureaus before returning to the main headquarters to cover Minneapolis in 2011. He was named Minnesota’s Young Journalist of the Year in 2013 by the Society of Professional Journalists. @StribRoper
Stanford University, 1990-91. He has been nominated twice for Pulitzer prizes, in 1989 and 2012. He edited and managed the Des Moines Register’s account of a woman’s rape, which won a Pulitzer in 1991. He is now a reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. @BShawPP Kelly Smith covers the west metro for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Previously, she worked at the Forum in Fargo, N.D. She graduated from the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, where she was an editor at The Record newspaper and now serves as an adviser. She is also on the board for the Minnesota Pro chapter of SPJ. @kellystrib Glen Stubbe has been covering the world’s celebrations and news events for 25 years, currently for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Assignments have taken him to China and India, Columbia and Nicaragua, the White House and the halls of Congress. He has worked for other news organizations in Washington, D.C., Florida and Pennsylvania. @gspphoto Laura Widmer is the associate director of the Associated Collegiate Press. She came to Minneapolis after more than two years as chief executive officer/general manager of the Iowa State Daily. Before her stint at Ames, she taught journalism and advised student publications at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville for 29 years. She has advised publications that won both Pacemaker and Pacemaker Finalist awards. Both the yearbook and newspaper from Northwest are in the ACP Hall of Fame. In addition to working for daily newspapers and in advertising, Widmer started The Chariton Valley News Press, serving six small communities in northern Missouri. She is a previous member of ACP’s, as well as Iowa Newspaper Association board of directors and is a past president of the College Media Advisers. Mark Witherspoon has advised the Iowa State Daily for 16 years. Previously, he advised student media at Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University. Before that, he was an editor and reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Wichita Falls Record News.
Floor Plan – Third Floor
Chris Riemenschneider has been a music critic at the Star Tribune for 13 years. He has interviewed the likes of Bono, Willie Nelson and Eminem but still enjoys covering local performers best, a love he picked up while at the Austin AmericanStatesman in Texas. He has won Society for Features Journalism and Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism awards while at the Star Tribune and is now literally writing the book on Minneapolis’ landmark rock club, First Avenue. @ChrisRstrib Bob Shaw is a 30-year veteran reporter, editor and writing coach. He is a Knight Fellow at
acp.studentpress.org