CMCI students who have completed at least 12 credit hours of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder course work for a letter grade in any single semester and achieve a term grade point average of 3.75 or better are included on the dean鈥檚 list. They receive a notation on their transcript and a letter from CMCI Founding Dean Lori Bergen. Congratulations to all honorees!

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By Joe Arney

If you鈥檝e taken a holiday from the news after Election Day, you鈥檙e not alone鈥攁n Associated Press poll released late last year found about two-thirds of U.S. adults were limiting their consumption of political and government news.

Experts from the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder said the troubling trend is probably driven by a combination of exhaustion and how the media covered the presidential and down-ballot campaigns.

鈥淓ven if you feel that, from a civic standpoint, you need to be more engaged, you can鈥檛 live your whole life in that hyper-excited space all of the time,鈥� said Elizabeth Skewes, an associate professor of journalism at the College of Media, Communication and Information. 鈥淚 think we need to breathe again. Yes, the next Trump presidency will affect our daily lives鈥攂ut breathlessly reading every story doesn鈥檛 help.鈥�

That wasn鈥檛 the tack many Americans took in Donald Trump鈥檚 first term. In his campaign and through the early years of his presidency, the 鈥淭rump bump鈥� in ratings and circulation gave new life to legacy media outlets. But that faded as his presidency waned, and hasn鈥檛 recovered even as he prepares to be inaugurated.

鈥淔irst of all, we鈥檝e had nine years of this coverage, and it鈥檚 never stopped,鈥� Skewes said. 鈥淭hen, we鈥檝e been through COVID, and we鈥檙e exhausted. I think people will eventually re-engage with the news, but I expect it will be at a lower level.鈥�

Reverting to an established pattern

That鈥檚 something Skewes, a former staff and freelance reporter, knows quite a bit about: Some of her earliest research looked at how the media covered U.S. presidential campaigns, especially since no one鈥攖he public, the candidates, even the reporters鈥攍iked it.

Sound familiar?

鈥淔or quite a few election cycles, we鈥檝e heard about how journalism should do this better,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut the media tend to revert to pattern鈥攖o covering whatever the outrageous thing of the day is, and the legacy media will never be able to do that as well as things like social media or podcasts, because they have less responsibility to be factually correct.鈥�

To survive, news organizations should focus on building audience, Skewes said, instead of chasing chaos. They can do that not by focusing on being first, but on providing accuracy, context and clarity in an age of confusion.

In other words, not by breaking the news, but by putting it back together.

鈥淲e need to keep fact checking, but also cover all the other stuff鈥攖hose governance stories, where quiet decisions have a huge impact on our lives鈥攊nstead of just the latest thing Trump said that is too weird to believe, like trying to buy Greenland,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nstead of letting that grab the headlines, we need serious outlets to look behind the scenes and ask what鈥檚 happening while we鈥檙e distracted with the latest unbelievable thing Trump says.鈥�

For Mike McDevitt, a professor of journalism at CMCI, everyone has an obligation to follow the news on a regular basis鈥攖hough, he said, 鈥淚 sense it鈥檚 healthy for people to tune out鈥� a polarizing figure like Trump.

鈥淏ut a related interpretation to what鈥檚 happening is that if people have internalized politics as entertainment, then it鈥檚 understandable if they tune out for more appealing types of entertainment,鈥� said McDevitt, a former editorial writer and reporter.

The long game of retraining readers

Getting consumers to understand that, though, is a long game, Skewes said鈥攐ne that will play out against the deeper-pocketed tech industry and the social media giants.

 鈥淲e need serious outlets to look behind the scenes and ask what鈥檚 happening while we鈥檙e distracted with the latest unbelievable thing Trump says.鈥�

Elizabeth Skewes, associate professor, journalism

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how we get to the point where most of the public realizes, 鈥業鈥檓 just getting stuff that is basically Twinkies for the brain, and I need to find more reliable places to get news, because accurate information matters,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a long play. We鈥檝e got to retrain people to understand the difference between news and content.鈥�

It鈥檚 a long game, but we鈥檒l have to find answers quickly, because the economics of the news business continue to flounder. In 2024, 130 newspapers closed their doors, according to the Local News Initiative from Northwestern University. That鈥檚 more than two newspapers disappearing each week.

And when reporters are no longer there to ask probing questions and search for the truth鈥攚ell, it puts a new spin on a bad news day.

鈥淲hen people aren鈥檛 paying attention to the media, the media aren鈥檛 paying attention to the thing鈥攁nd that鈥檚 when you see real changes to federal, state and local policy that dramatically change things,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ithout that accountability, it鈥檚 easier to do the wrong thing.鈥�

For all those warning lights, Skewes is hopeful that the longer-term future will be less chaotic and more civil than she expects to see in the next four years.

鈥淚 love politics鈥擨 covered it, grew up with it鈥攁nd I鈥檓 more hesitant now to even say something offbeat the political world, because I don鈥檛 know how other people are going to respond,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I think most Americans are tired of everything being so fraught. I really do believe that, eventually, things will calm down.鈥�

Off

By Joe Arney

专C News absorbed a good deal of flak鈥攅specially from the media鈥攆or quickly settling a defamation lawsuit brought against the network by Donald Trump. But an expert at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 College of Media, Communication and Information said it may be a case of playing the long game at a time when moneyed interests are scrambling to undo protections for journalists and First Amendment rights in general.

鈥淭hese types of lawsuits, where you鈥檙e looking for any possible way to attack the media鈥攊f the Supreme Court chooses to take on something like this, you could see 60-year-old precedents be overturned,鈥� said Angelica Kalika (PhDJour鈥�19), an assistant teaching professor of journalism at CMCI. 鈥淭his could fundamentally change how everyone does business, as well as the types of statements we鈥檙e allowed to publish and the types of stories we鈥檙e allowed to pursue.鈥�

The precedent Kalika is referring to, of course, is the 1964 landmark New York Times v. Sullivan decision, which set a high bar for public figures filing defamation lawsuits. In these cases, plaintiffs must prove 鈥渁ctual malice鈥� on behalf of the media. So, a news organization must have made a knowingly false defamatory statement, or make such a statement with reckless disregard of whether it is false.

鈥淲e have billionaires and well-resourced organizations and groups bringing these kinds of libel cases against the press whenever they can,鈥� she said, including Bollea v. Gawker, the case brought by pro wrestler Hulk Hogan over a sex tape partially published by Gawker Media. The case, which was partly financed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, led to Gawker鈥檚 bankruptcy.

鈥淕oing to court involves blood, sweat and tears, and it costs a lot of money,鈥� Kalika said. 鈥淎nd with billionaires behind some of these very notable libel cases, there may be a sense that, for 专C, you might weaken future libel defenses by giving higher courts more opportunities to get involved.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the wild west, in terms of what is going to happen to speech protection in the next few years.鈥�

Course updates in real time

Kalika, who has worked as an independent journalist in addition to her academic career, principally studies alternative media鈥攅verything from hyperlocal organizations like the former 欧美口爆视频 Independent, a digital publication that鈥檚 now part of the 欧美口爆视频 News Collaborative, to how outlets like TMZ navigate legal and ethical boundaries in producing celebrity journalism.

She also teaches a class, Media Law and Ethics, that is getting fresh updates in the current political climate.

鈥淣ow, everyone becomes a broadcaster when they go online鈥攜ou鈥檙e not just liable as part of an organization,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o you need to be a mini legal scholar, essentially, to consistently keep up with your state and local laws. We can鈥檛 go into this thinking legal departments have our back, because a lot of news organizations are getting smaller, and may not have the amount of legal support they need鈥攅specially when so much is changing, and will continue to change.鈥�

 鈥淢ore than ever, we need our press to be that Fourth Estate, to give a voice to the voiceless, and to protect not only the institution, but the concept of free speech in this country.鈥�

Angelica Kalika, assistant teaching professor, journalism

Why Disney settled

Though she is not involved in the specifics of the 专C News case, Kalika has some ideas around why it settled, beyond the potential disruption to journalism that a case moving through higher courts might trigger.

鈥淔irst off, we shouldn鈥檛 be saying 专C鈥攚e should be saying Disney, because that鈥檚 who owns it,鈥� said Kalika, who interned for the company鈥檚 scripted division as a college student. 鈥淐orporations will always act in their best interest, and maybe they have a long-term agenda to not start any trouble with the incoming president,鈥� especially when Disney fought a protracted battle with Florida Republicans over the so-called 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥� bill.

Kalika also said Disney鈥檚 lawyers may have believed Trump鈥檚 team could prove actual malice, based on the language George Stephanopoulos used on the air. Stephanopoulos did not use the exact terms set by the jury, misrepresenting the court鈥檚 findings鈥攁n error that was not corrected in real time.

Whatever the reasoning, the effect on press freedoms is likely to be chilling, especially for the smaller, nonprofit or independent outlet Kalika closely studies. She said it鈥檚 crucial that large and well-resourced nonprofits and publications like The New York Times continue to fight to establish, and maintain, press freedoms, because 鈥渢hat protects everyone鈥檚 right to free speech. I think that is something we need to always hope, that those who have the means to fight do so.鈥�

鈥淎 movement is watching you very closely to see where and how you will trip up,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a movement of saying, your voice doesn鈥檛 matter, your critique of institutional power doesn鈥檛 matter, and we鈥檙e going to find a way to eliminate your voice. We have to be better at what we do, and smarter and more vigilant. More than ever, we need our press to be that Fourth Estate, to give a voice to the voiceless, and to protect not only the institution, but the concept of free speech in this country.鈥�

Off

By Hannah Stewart (Comm鈥�19)

Business reporter Sarah Freishtat is no stranger to the challenges of covering transportation in a bustling city like Chicago. So when a fellow Tribune reporter forwarded her an email about a journalism award centered on transportation, submitting one of her stories was a no-brainer.

鈥淚 saw what the backstory of the award was, with Casey鈥檚 story and what her family was trying to do, and I was really inspired by that,鈥� Freishtat said. 鈥淚 really appreciated the award鈥檚 focus on transportation because it really affects people鈥檚 day-to-day lives.鈥�

Her story, explores the issue of vehicular accidents in which victims are injured and no one is charged. It also is the 2024 recipient of the Casey Feldman Award for Transportation Safety Reporting.

The reporting award honors Casey Feldman, a Fordham University journalism student who was killed by a distracted driver in 2009. It is sponsored by EndDD.org, which was created by the to end distracted driving, and by the journalism department at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 College of Media, Communication and Information.

Two judges evaluated the submissions: Justin George, an editor at the Cowboy State Daily, and Chuck Plunkett,  who directs the capstone journalism program 欧美口爆视频 News Corps at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. George was formerly a transportation writer at The Washington Post, and Plunkett was formerly the editorial page editor for The Denver Post.

鈥淪arah Freishtat鈥檚 impactful story was an example of a transportation beat reporter showing unparalleled expertise, uncovering a clearly ignored failure of justice and public safety sitting right under everyone鈥檚 noses,鈥� George said.

Vehicular crashes involving pedestrians had been on her radar for some time when she heard about two separate pedestrian accidents where a youth was struck while crossing the street. One involved then-17-year-old Nakari Campbell, who spent so many weeks recovering that she celebrated her 18th birthday in a rehabilitation center. Ja鈥檒on James, 11, was crossing the street with his brother one morning when he was hit and did not survive. Neither family has discovered who was behind the wheel of the cars that changed their lives.

鈥淚 give a lot of credit to the families I spoke with, because it鈥檚 not easy to sit down and relive what is often the worst day of their lives鈥攁nd I鈥檓 deeply appreciative of them letting me into their homes and into their lives,鈥� Freishtat said. 鈥淪itting in Ja鈥檒on鈥檚 family鈥檚 living room talking to his mother and grandmother really drives home why this issue is important to talk about and why we do this.鈥�

Reporters Jennifer Gollan and Susie Neilson, of the San Francisco Chronicle, were recognized with an honorable mention for their project, which explored police chases. Their multimedia series looks into the statistics and methodology of police chases through storytelling, infographics and video footage.

Freishtat received a first-place prize of $3,000.

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The last time the 欧美口爆视频 Student Media Association held its tentpole celebration of high school journalism in Boulder, most Americans got their news in print or on TV. Facebook didn鈥檛 yet exist. And the most advanced thing you could do on a mobile phone was place a call.

J-Day, too, has changed as young people increasingly ask thoughtful questions about the future of the industry and its need to innovate. 

But pessimism was nowhere in sight last week at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, which welcomed more than 1,400 high school students and advisors for a day of learning about journalism, the media and more. 

Shelby Javernick, director of student recruitment and outreach at the College of Media, Communication and Information, has regularly attended J-Day in the past, when it was held at 欧美口爆视频 State University, 鈥渟o I had an idea of what to expect, in terms of energy and enthusiasm,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut my expectations were completely blown away, in terms of the number of students, their passion and curiosity for learning about the media, and how they engaged with speakers, our campus and each other.鈥�

Students had the opportunity to hear from industry and academic experts who discussed topics like social media, generative artificial intelligence and career readiness. Some of the most popular sessions included a panel featuring representatives of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder student media organizations, a career prep session with 9News personalities, and multiple talks about sports journalism. Hundreds of students also attended tours of the campus, CMCI studios and academic spaces, and the campuses鈥� sports media operations. 

鈥淭he photography and videography session highlighted the importance of capturing people and their stories鈥攁nd whether that鈥檚 through emotion, action or being spontaneous, it showed me the power that you can have in your photography,鈥� said Kominski, a senior. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e done with the yearbook, it鈥檚 like a time capsule鈥攊t will be held in the hands of your classmates for years to come.鈥�

In her opening remarks, Lori Bergen, CMCI鈥檚 founding dean and a former reporter, spoke to the need for students to lead the charge as the news industry changes. 

鈥淚 hope you leave here inspired about the craft of journalism and the importance of the media in today鈥檚 world, even as the industry adapts and innovates in the face of new challenges,鈥� Bergen said. 

Bigger than the news

鈥淛ournalism includes telling stories in a more interesting, intriguing and immersive way to get people to care about something,鈥� Javernick said. 鈥淲ithin our college, there's a lot of overlap with journalism鈥攅verything connects because we're always going to need good storytellers.鈥� 

High school students who attended the workshops said the sessions reflected the balance CMCI aims to offer in its academic programs, including an emphasis on leadership and communication skills useful in any career鈥攏ot just journalism.

鈥淚鈥檓 definitely going to try and connect with the other members of the staff more, and not isolate myself just because I鈥檓 editing their work,鈥� said Rich, adding that the chance to see journalism 鈥渘ot as a concept, but actually as a career, has been really enlightening.鈥� 

Career insights

CMCI welcomed back Savannah Sellers (Jour鈥�13), anchor for NBC News鈥� Morning News Now, as the keynote speaker. From the network鈥檚 New York headquarters, she offered words of encouragement from the perspective of someone who had once been in the shoes of the students in the room.

鈥淓xploring journalism as a career opportunity can lead you to so many fantastic things in your life, and incredible opportunities,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is a fun, rewarding, fulfilling path that is only getting more interesting, no matter if it鈥檚 changing. Also, I will say that 欧美口爆视频 Boulder was a fabulous place to study it.鈥�

鈥淲e need young people who are interested and invested in getting the true and correct information鈥攇etting real journalism onto any and all platforms that consumers are migrating to鈥攁nd you are best positioned to be able to do that,鈥� Sellers said.  

Having the opportunity to learn from an alumna like Sellers inspired many students, including Kominski, of Longmont. 

鈥淗earing from Savannah Sellers was so amazing, because now I know it鈥檚 possible to get into this career and make it my own,鈥� he said.

That鈥檚 a perspective Iris Berkeley (Jour鈥�01), operations manager for the student-run Radio 1190 station, recalled from her own time as a 欧美口爆视频 Boulder student. 

鈥淎s an undergrad, I was heavily involved in student media, including not only Radio 1190 but also 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 campus press,鈥� said Berkeley, who attended J-Day along with student representatives for the station. 鈥淏oth of those activities were hugely important when it came to establishing a career, and just helping me figure out what I loved most about the media field.鈥� 

From those opportunities as a campus journalist, Berkeley has enjoyed a varied career in media and communication that has included radio production, hosting and DJing. 

That sense of possibility is what Patrick Moring, executive board president for the 欧美口爆视频 Student Media Association, wants for the students who bring such enthusiasm to J-Day. 

鈥淛-Day fires students up, it gets students excited,鈥� said Moring, also the advisor for Rampart High School鈥檚 television broadcast program. 鈥淚t gives them ideas about the tools that they need to work on if they want to have a career in this field and be a better journalist.鈥� 

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By Joe Arney
Photos by Arielle Wiedenbeck

In sports, it鈥檚 often said, offense wins games, but defense wins championships. 
  
For Cody Walizer, when it comes to politics, that鈥檚 inverted鈥攇ood defense can win a debate, but it鈥檚 offense that wins elections. And that鈥檚 unusual because of how little time candidates spend on offense when they are sparring onstage. 

鈥淲hen someone has an opportunity to build, to go on the offense, but choose to play defense, that鈥檚 a bad sign for their position,鈥� Walizer, an assistant teaching professor of communication in the College of Media, Communication and Information, said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a sign maybe they鈥檙e trying to play these political games, as opposed to being a good debater.鈥� 

Walizer was one of nearly a dozen panelists speaking at a voter engagement fair put on by CMCI, 欧美口爆视频 Student Government and the Office of the Chancellor, in association with 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 Conference on World Affairs. 欧美口爆视频 150 students attended on Tuesday night to ask questions about politics and elections, register to vote, and learn how to become involved in local elections. 

Walizer was invited to participate because of his expertise in debate. He captained his high school debate team and has extensive experience coaching debaters, and said, 鈥淚 can very firmly state that I have never seen a presidential or vice presidential debate that was a good debate.鈥� 

That鈥檚 because politicians rarely play offense, which Walizer described as constructing arguments and showing why your side is right. Instead, they play defense鈥攄econstructing arguments and saying why the other side is wrong. 

Three panels answered questions submitted by students ahead of time, which covered issues such as the role social media plays in political messaging, how ideology plays out with voters, and how students can involve themselves and help ensure electoral integrity. 

Not taking sides

Sprain studies democratic engagement, particularly how to  support the ways people come together to make decisions on public issues鈥攅nabling participation, designing better meetings or rethinking civic norms. When she has worked to help other groups structure their meetings more effectively, she found participants may assume more knowledge about a particular issue than they actually possess. 

鈥淭hey wanted to hear more about how this election would have consequences throughout their lives,鈥� Sprain said. 鈥淭hey were asking about how to make sense of politics, versus just taking sides on issues. That surprised me.鈥� 

Of nearly 200 student registrants, dozens submitted questions, 鈥渨hich is a proportion of interest you don鈥檛 typically see, especially when some people are registering for things like extra course credit.鈥� 

Some of the liveliest discussion concerned social media鈥檚 capacity for good and harm, through generative artificial intelligence, advertising and the like. Sandra Ristovska, associate professor of media studies, and Alex Siegel, associate professor of political science, said elections have always been shaped by new technologies. Siegel said the railroad and telegraph helped create a national audience for Abraham Lincoln by offering more timely coverage of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. 

  鈥淭hey were asking about how to make sense of politics, versus just taking sides on issues. That surprised me.鈥�
Leah Sprain, associate professor, communication

Bogus content isn鈥檛 new, Ristovska said, and recent research suggests we鈥檙e good at not letting it influence how we vote, but in India鈥檚 elections earlier this year, 鈥渄eepfakes did contribute to sexual harassment of women, the intimidation of journalists and the intimidation of human rights activists in the country,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need to be paying more attention to those things.鈥� 

Michaele Ferguson, an associate professor of political science, talked about an essay she has students write at the start of her undergraduate course on modern ideologies. Each student describes his or her ideology; she consistently finds students support a mix of free-market economics and social justice issues, like reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights. 

That鈥檚 not a coalition you typically see in the United States, she said, as those issues are claimed, respectively, by the right and left of the spectrum. Ferguson said she鈥檚 intrigued by Vice President Kamala Harris鈥� attempt to signal support for both camps 鈥渁s a way to peel away voters who would otherwise sit out elections or vote Republican.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to me to see her doing the very thing that my class exercise would tell you is the strategy to win an election in the United States.鈥�

Other presenters included Chuck Plunkett, director of 欧美口爆视频 News Corps; Toby Hopp, associate professor of advertising; Patrick Deneen, a visiting scholar at the university鈥檚 Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization; Molly Fitzpatrick (PolSci鈥�11), Boulder County clerk; and junior Grace Covney, a tri-executive with 欧美口爆视频 Student Government.   

Learning to lead through government

Tyler Rowan, another 欧美口爆视频SG tri-executive and a junior studying international affairs, said he hoped the energy of the room translated into active participants in the election. 

He got into student government not for partisan reasons, he said, but because 鈥淚 wanted to make the most out of school and learn how to lead. Student government has taught me that鈥攊t鈥檚 taken a majority of my time, but I鈥檓 very passionate about it and it鈥檚 the best decision I ever made.鈥� 

鈥淭he emotional intelligence students need to have to be asking things about how do I engage in politics in a way that鈥檚 healthy, how do I have conversations with my roommates in a way that鈥檚 respectful鈥攖hose are not things I鈥檝e seen asked in a situation like this before,鈥� he said. 

In addition to being open to all 欧美口爆视频 Boulder students, the discussion was livestreamed to audiences at 欧美口爆视频 Mesa University, in Grand Junction, and Fort Lewis College, in Durango. It was followed by a live viewing of the vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz.

Lori Bergen, founding dean of CMCI, kicked off the event by encouraging students to seek out difficult conversations as a way to learn and grow. 

鈥淥n our campus, we really are in a place where difficult conversations can and should occur,鈥� Bergen said. 鈥淲hen we approach those with courage and curiosity and care and consistency, that鈥檚 when learning and growth and progress really happen.鈥�

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By Joe Arney

How do you get that neighbor, relative or coworker to change their mind about abortion, gun control or immigration?

The associate professor of communication at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 College of Media, Communication and Information said our personal experiences should have taught us by now that those who don鈥檛 agree with us won鈥檛 be swayed by us correcting the information that鈥檚 led them to their beliefs. 

鈥淚f anything, it鈥檚 the opposite,鈥� Koschmann said. 鈥淲e live in a very information rich鈥攊f not gluttonous鈥攅nvironment, and more information does not necessarily make us change our minds. 鈥� Most of us don鈥檛 say, 鈥極h, thank you for correcting me on my assumptions about the world.鈥欌��

But that doesn鈥檛 mean we shouldn鈥檛 talk to each other, a theme Koschmann returned to during Monday鈥檚 Difficult Dialogues series hosted by the university鈥檚 Center for Humanities & the Arts. He was part of a panel examining political polarization and how to stay good neighbors at a time of deep division in the United States. 

鈥淚f you can鈥檛 talk about something, you can鈥檛 fix it,鈥� said Jennifer Ho, director of the center, in opening the discussion. 鈥淪o, how do we find a way forward鈥攈ow do we stay good neighbors, no matter what results happen in November or in January?鈥�

Polarization and the press

  鈥淚f we bring it back to experience, it can be a moment of sharing, rather than a moment of debating positions of things that are very personal to us鈥攚hich is very difficult.鈥�
Angie Chuang, associate professor, journalism

The panel also featured Angie Chuang, an associate professor of journalism at CMCI and a former journalist whose research looks at race and identity, especially as presented by the media.

It鈥檚 a problem that鈥檚 arguably gotten worse in the digital age, as the number of publications and platforms has mushroomed. Instead of the mid-19th century penny presses, clickbait proliferates through alternative news sites.

鈥淭he news media is not there to improve our national dialog or improve our nuanced understanding,鈥� Chuang said. 鈥淭here are individual journalists who are trying really hard, and there are organizations trying to fight this鈥攂ut as a marketplace, it is trying to get advertising money. Understand that, and you become a savvier media consumer.鈥�

Chuang and Koschmann were joined on the panel by Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett, as well as moderator Michaele Ferguson, an associate professor in the university鈥檚 department of political science.

If you鈥檝e tried to have conversations with people who don鈥檛 share your views, you know how difficult the proposition can be. Chuang said our social identities鈥攔ace, gender, sexuality, religion and others鈥攁re seen as essential to who we are, so when that becomes the topic, discussion quickly veers off course.

鈥淚f I were to say, 鈥楳ichelle, your views on the economy and foreign trade are just totally ignorant, and I can鈥檛 even understand why you think the way you do,鈥欌�� Chuang said to Ferguson, 鈥渋t comes off differently than if I say, 鈥楳ichelle your views on race are completely ignorant.鈥� 

鈥淚f I say, tell me your experience based on your identities, that is a different conversation than, 鈥榃hy is your position on policing or affirmative action the way it is?鈥� If we bring it back to experience, it can be a moment of sharing, rather than a moment of debating positions of things that are very personal to us鈥攚hich is very difficult.鈥� 

Defusing disagreements

It doesn鈥檛 always work, he said. Once, he sent a peer-reviewed paper to a resident to shine light on an issue, which she countered by sending a thesis proposal from a master鈥檚 student that she found online.

鈥淥n almost any topic, you can find something to support a position, any position, somewhere on the internet,鈥� Brockett said. Online, he said, 鈥渕any of us are accustomed to getting feedback loop, hearing the same viewpoints over and over again鈥攁nd then it becomes inconceivable to you how other people might think something different.鈥� 

The panelists agreed that those difficult conversations are worth having because when you find a moment of connection, it鈥檚 authentic and validating. Just don鈥檛 go in expecting to bring people around to your ideological corner. 

鈥淚f you are interested in being influential and persuasive in implementing change in your community, the most effective thing you can do is not explicitly try to change people鈥檚 minds,鈥� Koschmann said. 鈥淭ry to live a beautiful life of human flourishing, that is attractive and winsome, that draws people to you鈥攁nd then people say, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 going on, tell me more about your interests and why you鈥檙e happy.鈥欌�� 

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By Joe Arney

Like a river, a good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. So, when Luke Runyon was experimenting with a new format to tell the story of the 欧美口爆视频 River, he traced its geography to help move listeners along.

He鈥檚 not the first to tell the story of the 欧美口爆视频 River from its high-altitude headwaters to its Mexican mouth. But as he experimented with long-form narrative for a six-part podcast series, Runyon found bringing his listeners along on a journey down the river made for more compelling storytelling.

鈥淚 really wanted this series to focus on human stories鈥攖he people who are adapting to water scarcity and climate change in real time,鈥� said Runyon, co-director of at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 College of Media, Communication and Information. 鈥淲hen it comes to covering water, you can get bogged down in the day-to-day negotiations between states or policymakers, and for this series, I wanted to dispense with the bickering and share what was happening on the ground.鈥�

It鈥檚 among the most prestigious honors in journalism and is quite the honor for a reporter and editor who, when he first moved from covering agriculture to water issues, wasn鈥檛 sure he鈥檇 have enough news to cover.

鈥淚 was a little worried, at first,鈥� Runyon said of moving from the agriculture beat at Harvest Public Media and KUNC to covering water full-time for the NPR member station in 2017. 鈥淏ut now, I could name 10 other reporters throughout the West focused solely on water. There has been an explosion of interest in the river in the last four or five years, and a lot of pent-up demand for these stories.鈥�

鈥極ne of the best things I鈥檝e ever done鈥�

That demand is driven by a growing population that has strained the complex compact apportioning water in the Southwest鈥攁 troubling trend exacerbated by a changing climate. But Runyon鈥檚 work resonates with his audience because he is effective at finding the right voices and showing how, even amid partisan paralysis, concerns about water are making unlikely bedfellows鈥攍ike between ranchers and rafters.

  鈥淲hen it comes to covering water, you can get bogged down in the day-to-day negotiations between states or policymakers, and for this series, I wanted to dispense with the bickering and share what was happening on the ground.鈥�
Luke Runyon, co-director, The Water Desk

Runyon augmented his storytelling skills through a Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism, which he completed in 2022. He called the experience 鈥渙ne of the best things I鈥檝e ever done,鈥� whether it was auditing courses that gave him a broader perspective on the topics he tackled in 鈥淭hirst Gap鈥� or meeting like-minded colleagues who supported him as he broke ground on the project.

鈥淚t really was helpful for me to be thinking about these bigger, broader questions as I was getting into that series,鈥� said Runyon, who was quick to credit his editor and sound designer for helping each episode shine.

The Scripps fellowship is administered by CMCI鈥檚 Center for Environmental Journalism. Hillary Rosner, the center鈥檚 assistant director, recalled Runyon鈥檚 enthusiasm for the program as a fellow; he organized a field trip to Estes Park, Loveland and other locations to demonstrate how water is moved across 欧美口爆视频.

鈥淎s a fellow, he was a real asset鈥攑artly because of his enthusiasm and partly because he really understands how water in the West intersects with so many aspects of our lives,鈥� Rosner said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 able to share that knowledge in a way that I think can inspire new ideas, and you see that in the podcast, especially.鈥�

The Murrow award, she said, is incredibly validating for CEJ and the fellowship, which attracts journalists from National Geographic, The New Yorker, CNN, The Guardian, PBS, NPR and others eager to sit in on classes to broaden their perspectives and spend time digging deep into important environmental issues.

鈥淟uke鈥檚 podcast is exactly the kind of in-depth project that is really hard to do in the absence of something like this fellowship,鈥� Rosner said.   

Guiding other reporters on the path

鈥淚 was looking to flex some different journalistic muscles and learn some new skills in a news landscape that鈥檚 changing very rapidly,鈥� Runyon said. 鈥淛ournalism is a lot more collaborative now鈥攜ou get a lot more done via partnerships, due to limited resources that news organizations have鈥攁nd my goal is to be a resource for reporters and make sure the water journalism happening in the West is the best it can be.鈥�

The podcast format itself presented a new challenge for Runyon, who is more used to writing a few minutes鈥� worth of copy for a broadcast. But he relished the chance to try something new.

鈥淚t was refreshing to find a new way to tell a story that I think of from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been on this beat now for seven years or so, and I鈥檓 still learning and still finding things that are surprising. And that鈥檚 what keeps me so interested in my work.鈥�

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By Joe Arney
Photo by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm'18)

When asked why they choose the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, students and faculty alike tend to cite its location, along with academic prestige, research successes and access to opportunity.

That was a big draw for Joe Izaguirre III, as well. But it wasn鈥檛 the mountains he had in mind when he signed on as an assistant professor of communication at the College of Media, Communication and Information.

Izaguirre studies how political power influences Latin identities from the lens of public rhetoric and rhetorical histories. Plenty of the source material for his book includes texts produced by activists who lived in the 欧美口爆视频 area.

鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 thought of this, but I鈥檒l be able to hand-deliver the book to families who participated, instead of just dropping it in the mail,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t feels like an opportunity to have a more personal connection to the things I鈥檝e been studying.鈥�

Izaguirre is among the seven new tenure-track faculty joining CMCI this fall. The college also is welcoming seven nontenure-track faculty, including new appointments for professors who previously held different roles.

鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to welcome our new faculty to CMCI,鈥� said Lori Bergen, founding dean of the college. 鈥淎s the media, communication, design and information landscape continues to dramatically change, the new perspectives these professors bring will ensure our students get a cutting-edge, immediately applicable education.鈥�

  鈥淚t was a great experience, as an instructor, to be able to work with students who were that interested in learning and participating.鈥�
Dinfin K. Mulupi, assistant professor, journalism

Design thinking

For the first time, this year鈥檚 incoming cohort includes faculty from the environmental design program, which formally integrated with CMCI over the summer. Though there are no changes for current students, faculty in the program are enthusiastic about the chance to collaborate with colleagues eager to explore new applications for their work.

Mart铆n Paddack, a teaching associate professor who joins CMCI and ENVD following seven years at Howard University, has a wealth of interests around architecture and sustainability, including participatory design鈥斺�渦nderstanding how we identify where there is need and trying to create connections with community for design.鈥�

鈥淚 always try to inculcate into students that it鈥檚 not about coming up with an idea and saying, here鈥檚 the answer,鈥� said Paddack, who also is founder and principal of the Washington, D.C.-based DesignMAP firm. 鈥淚t comes down to communication鈥攁sking the right questions and really listening so you can identify where the needs are. If you are prescriptive, and don鈥檛 listen to your community, that鈥檚 when design starts to fail.鈥�

Paddack brings a diverse set of interests鈥攁rchitecture, sustainability, social responsibility, writing, painting, woodworking鈥攖o the classroom, as well as a global perspective: He was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Peru and Uruguay before moving to D.C. as a boy. He also taught in South America and completed a painting residency in Barcelona. He helped set up a fabrication lab at Howard to ensure students developed both practical architecture experience.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I really like about environmental design at 欧美口爆视频鈥攖he focus on how we can apply sustainable principles across four different areas, and an emphasis on doing hands-on fabrication so that students learn the theory, but also how to apply it,鈥� he said.

鈥楪reat experience鈥� connecting with students

Most new faculty who join CMCI say they feel an instant rapport with professors in their departments, which makes the college feel like home well before they start. That was true for Dinfin K. Mulupi, as well, but she felt an equally strong connection to the journalism students she taught as part of the interview process.

鈥淚 was fascinated by their interest in learning the research behind journalism practices,鈥� said Mulupi, a native of Kenya who came to CMCI via the PhD program at the University of Maryland, College Park.

A discussion she led critiquing news coverage of immigration, Mulupi said, sparked so much insightful discussion that she felt bad moving on to the next topic.

鈥淚t was a great experience, as an instructor, to be able to work with students who were that interested in learning and participating,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a professor, you are creating knowledge with your students, and they were so attentive and involved that I know it will be a privilege to teach them.鈥�

Mulupi鈥檚 research looks at sexism and sexual harassment in newsrooms, and came from working on her thesis as the #MeToo movement gained momentum. She was among the first scholars to explore the topic in Kenyan newsrooms; her work has since expanded to more than 20 countries.

It鈥檚 an important topic at a time when the news industry is contracting, as 鈥渨hen you have a newsroom culture with sexism, harassment, racism and bigotry, you lose talented journalists who don鈥檛 feel safe and included,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am also focusing on solutions, especially exploring how we can build safer, more inclusive newsrooms that produce news content that serves the diverse needs and interests of a wider audience.鈥�

Pooja Iyer, who joined CMCI from the University of Texas Austin, where she completed her doctoral work in the spring. She鈥檚 also doing timely work, researching the ethics around how advertising firms collect and use data in the course of connecting to consumers.

鈥淚n my industry days, I realized my own cognitive dissonance鈥攁sking how granular we could get on a target audience while having ad blockers on my computer,鈥� said Iyer, an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design. 鈥淚 believe the advertising world can play a more ethical role in how and why they鈥檙e using data, and how they鈥檙e protecting customers鈥攂ecause there isn鈥檛 enough literacy around this.鈥�

It鈥檚 something her student will need to consider as they graduate, she said.

鈥淲hether you鈥檙e in creative, account management, media planning, it doesn鈥檛 matter鈥攜ou will be working with data,鈥� Iyer said. 鈥淪o, how can we best empower you to be ethical about the use of that data? As educators, that really needs to be front and center for our students.鈥�

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By Iris Serrano

Empowered by social media and generative artificial intelligence, fake news is spreading faster than ever online鈥攁nd it鈥檚 becoming harder to avoid, let alone identify.

Muhammad Ali hopes his research helps users battle back against malicious misinformation.

Ali, a PhD student studying journalism in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, analyzed how extremist organizations use  stories and messaging on social media platforms to enforce their ideologies to individuals and networks.

鈥淧latforms like Facebook and X are increasingly recognized as hotbeds for extremist narratives,鈥� Ali said. 鈥淭here is still a big gap in understanding the personal and psychological aspects of online radicalization, but the findings of this research show us how we can protect ourselves from propaganda.鈥�

  鈥淭he college does a great job promoting a diversity of viewpoints, research interests and intercollegiate venues.鈥�
Kyle Harris

Ali was among the CMCI students and faculty recognized with best paper awards at the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, which took place Aug. 8 to 11 in Philadelphia. All told, CMCI won five awards and presented 47 peer-reviewed papers at AEJMC.

鈥淥ur college was created to catalyze and nurture research like Muhammad鈥檚, which doesn鈥檛 fall into any single category,鈥� said Patrick Ferrucci, chair of the journalism department at CMCI. 鈥淭he cross-disciplinary approach to our doctoral programs means our students are challenged to bring an unconventional approach to research and problem-solving. It was incredible to see that recognized over and over at this year鈥檚 conference.鈥�

Another CMCI best paper publication also turned on social media trends. Kyle Harris, a PhD student in the advertising, public relations and media design department, co-wrote a paper on disability influencers and self-representation on Instagram with his mentor, Erin Willis, an associate professor. Their research, which conducted a visual and textual analysis of the narrative discourse of 14 influencers to see how they represent invisible and visible illness鈥攚on second-place honors.

鈥淚 owe a lot to the APRD department and CMCI for believing in me and my research and valuing my contributions, and providing the resources and support to shepherd the work of Dr. Willis and myself to the conference,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淭he college does a great job promoting a diversity of viewpoints, research interests and intercollegiate venues.鈥�

A full list of CMCI presentations at AEJMC follows. Names in bold are CMCI faculty and students. In addition, many CMCI faculty and students in journalism, APRD and media studies moderated or served on panels, or led workshops, in addition to serving as heads of different divisions.

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