By Iris Serrano
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18) and Jack Moody (StratComm鈥�24)
Andrea Davis was already interested in the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder when she arrived on campus for J-Day last fall.
The chance to explore both the campus and the fast-changing discipline of journalism made it easy for the high school senior to picture herself as a student here.
A group of students tours the football stadium on J-Day.
Davis took a class in broadcast journalism at Grandview High School, which taught her more about the field and inspired her to attend J-Day鈥攁n annual celebration of high school journalism by the 欧美口爆视频 Student Media Association鈥攁t CMCI in October.
She has since committed to attend 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, where she plans to pursue a major in media studies.
鈥淚 learned a lot from the sessions and speakers鈥攍ike the different markets, and the preparation that is required,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淭here were also lessons about the intention behind every story that gets covered, and how you have to advertise and carry yourself.鈥�
J-Day is a daylong conference and celebration of student media鈥攏ot just newspapers, but yearbooks, magazines and other publications. When it came to campus in October, it was the first time J-Day had been held in Boulder in more than 20 years.
Organizers are now planning for J-Day鈥檚 return to Boulder this fall following a hugely successful showcase of the college and its journalism offerings鈥攊ncluding a world-class alumni network and the award-winning student media organizations last year. Shelby Javernick, director of student recruitment and outreach at CMCI, is among those leading the charge.
鈥淛-Day is such an exciting event for students who don鈥檛 see either college or 欧美口爆视频 Boulder as an option to understand that CMCI is this very welcoming space,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think one of the things I most enjoyed seeing was students connecting with our faculty, and understanding there are so many opportunities for mentorship here.
鈥淎nd I鈥檓 excited for the students who are coming back next year, who will get to build connections with their team and bring back their knowledge and community to their schools.鈥�
At last year鈥檚 event, students heard directly 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 campus鈥� sports media operations.
1400 +
Students attended J-Day in 2024
2001
Last year J-Day took place in Boulder
50
Schools sent students to J-Day
208 miles
Farthest distance traveled to attend (Aspen High School)
46
Total sessions available for students
10
Sessions led by faculty, staff or alumni
911
Students filled out information cards to learn more about CMCI
35.1%
Seniors who attended J-Day and applied to 欧美口爆视频 Boulder
One popular session at J-Day featured sophomore Leopold Riviera IV, an aspiring sports journalist, interviewing Robert Barba (Jour鈥�04), an editor on the Wall Street Journal鈥檚 U.S. news team and a member of CMCI鈥檚 advisory board.
J-Day鈥檚 success last year was largely a result of alumni participation from professionals working in news, social media and other communication-related disciplines. If you would like to volunteer your services, contact Shelby Javernick.
Barba seemed as impressed with his interviewer as he did the dozens of students who turned out to hear him talk about his career path and the evolving field of journalism.
鈥淚鈥檓 continuously blown away by people who are younger, smarter and more articulate than I was at that age,鈥� Barba said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 affirming to connect with younger people who are excited about news. The industry is going to look a lot different for them than it did for me at their age.鈥�
Barba, who grew up in the Denver metro area and attended 欧美口爆视频 Boulder as a first-generation student, had instant rapport with the students.
鈥淭he fact that he was in their shoes at one point allows them to connect more,鈥� said Rivera, also a first-generation student. 鈥淚 think when you have a sense of connection, you鈥檙e more drawn to attend 欧美口爆视频 or any other university.鈥�
Despite being only a few years older than the attendees, Rivera was amazed at the students鈥� drive and passion for journalism. Hearing from someone like Barba and others will encourage them to pursue their goals
鈥淚 never had connections to other journalists until I got to college,鈥� Rivera said. 鈥淚 think if I was at J-Day, it would have given me more reassurance.鈥�
Faculty also led workshops for the students, which touched on everything from social media to documentaries. In a sociology and sports journalism session led by Ever Figueroa, an assistant professor of journalism, students practiced pitching stories related to sports and developing them into actual pieces.
NBC News anchor Savannah Sellers speaks to students.
He said he was surprised at the students鈥� enthusiasm鈥攎any showed up early, sat in the front rows and were excited to participate.
鈥淛-Day is a great opportunity to preview the college environment,鈥� Figueroa said. 鈥淪tudents were afforded an opportunity to use their own self-interests as the basis for a news story and learn about how to succeed in the business.鈥�
Among the alumni who students heard from was Savannah Sellers (Jour鈥�13), anchor for NBC News鈥� Morning News Now, who gave the keynote address from the network鈥檚 New York headquarters. Many may have recognized her from Stay Tuned, NBC鈥檚 Snapchat news show for younger audiences.
鈥淓xploring journalism as a career opportunity can lead you to so many fantastic things in your life, and incredible opportunities,鈥� she told the audience. 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�
That certainly rang true for students like Davis.
鈥淗aving the opportunity to be on campus was eye-opening, in the sense that I got to imagine what it could be like if I attended,鈥� she said.
J-Day attracted thousands of 欧美口爆视频 students to Boulder for discussions led by journalists, faculty, alumni and undergraduates.
Board member Robert Barba, left, of The Wall Street Journal, answers a question from student Leopold Riviera IV.
Student attendees ask questions of a panel of 9News journalists during a session at J-Day.
After Journalism Day鈥檚 successful return to Boulder, CMCI is looking forward to bringing students and advisors back to campus this fall.J-Day's return to the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder campus generated incredible enthusiasm for the more than 1,400 high school students who attended the daylong event.
On White J-Day's return to the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder campus generated incredible enthusiasm for the more than 1,400 high school students who attended the daylong event. ]]>By Joe Arney
Deepfakes. Distrust. Data manipulation. Is it any wonder American democracy feels like it has reached such a dangerous tipping point?
As our public squares have emptied of reasoned discussion, and our social media feeds have filled with vitriol, viciousness and villainy, we鈥檝e found ourselves increasingly isolated and unable to escape our echo chambers. And while it鈥檚 easy to blame social media, adtech platforms or the news, it鈥檚 the way these forces overlap and feed off each other that鈥檚 put us in this mess.
It鈥檚 an important problem to confront as we close in on a consequential election, but the issue is bigger than just what happens this November, or whether you identify with one party or another. Fortunately, the College of Media, Communication and Information was designed for just these kinds of challenges, where a multidisciplinary approach is needed to frame, address and solve increasingly complex problems.
鈥淒emocracy is not just about what happens in this election,鈥� said Nathan Schneider, an assistant professor of media studies and an expert in the design and governance of the internet. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a much longer story, and through all the threats we鈥檝e seen, I鈥檝e taken hope from focusing my attention on advancing democracy, rather than just defending it.鈥�
We spoke to Schneider and other CMCI experts in journalism, information science, media studies, advertising and communication to understand the scope of the challenges. And we asked one big question of each in order to help us make sense of this moment in history, understand how we got here and鈥攎aybe鈥攆ind some faith in the future.
***
Newsrooms have been decimated. The younger generation doesn鈥檛 closely follow the news. Attention spans have withered in the TikTok age. Can we count on journalism to serve its Fourth Estate function and deliver fair, accurate coverage of the election?
Mike McDevitt, a former editorial writer and reporter, isn鈥檛 convinced the press has learned its lessons from the 2016 cycle, when outlets chased ratings and the appearance of impartiality over a commitment to craft that might have painted more accurate portraits of both candidates. High-quality reporting, he said, may mean less focus on finding scoops and more time sharing resources to chase impactful stories.
How can journalism be better?
鈥淎 lot of journalists might disagree with me, but I think news media should be less competitive among each other and find ways to collaborate, especially with the industry gutted. And the news can鈥檛 lose sight of what鈥檚 important by chasing clickable stories. Covering chaos and conflict is tempting, but journalism鈥檚 interests in this respect do not always align with the security of democracy. While threats to democracy are real, amplifying chaos is not how news media should operate during an era of democratic backsliding.鈥�
***
After the 2016 election, Brian C. Keegan was searching for ways to use his interests in the computer and social sciences in service of democracy. That鈥檚 driven his expertise in public-interest data science鈥攈ow to make closed data more accessible to voters, journalists, activists and researchers. He looks at how campaigns can more effectively engage voters, understand important issues and form policies that address community needs.
The U.S. news media has blood on its hands from 2016. It will go down as one of the worst moments in the history of American journalism.鈥�
Mike McDevitt
Professor, journalism
You鈥檝e called the 2012 election an 鈥渆nd of history鈥� moment. Can you explain that in the context of what鈥檚 happening in 2024?
鈥淚n 2012, we were coming out of the Arab Spring, and everyone was optimistic about social media. The idea that it could be a tool for bots and state information operations to influence elections would have seemed like science fiction. Twelve years later, we鈥檝e finally learned these platforms are not neutral, have real risk and can be manipulated. And now, two years into the large language model moment, people are saying these are just neutral tools that can only be a force for good. That argument is already falling apart.
I think 2024 will be the first, and last,
A.I. election.鈥�
Brian C. Keegan
Assistant professor, information science
鈥淵ou could actually roll the clock back even further, to the 1960s and 鈥�70s, when people were thinking about Silent Spring and Unsafe at Any Speed, and recognizing there are all these environmental, regulatory, economic and social things all connected through this lens of the environment. Like any computing system, when it comes to data, if you have garbage in, you get garbage out. The bias and misinformation we put into these A.I. systems are polluting our information ecosystem in ways that journalists, activists, researchers and others aren鈥檛 equipped to handle.鈥�
***
One of Angie Chuang鈥檚 last news jobs was covering race and ethnicity for The Oregonian. In the early 2000s, it wasn鈥檛 always easy to find answers to questions about race in a mostly white newsroom. Conferences like those put on by the Asian American Journalists Association 鈥渨ere times of revitalization for me,鈥� she said.
When this year鈥檚 conference of the National Association of Black Journalists was disrupted by racist attacks against Kamala Harris, Chuang鈥檚 first thoughts were for the attendees who lost the opportunity to learn from one another and find the support she did as a cub reporter.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 lost in this discussion is the entire event shifted to this focus on Donald Trump and the internal conflict in the organization, and I鈥檓 certain that as a result, journalists and students who went lost out on some of that solidarity,鈥� she said. And it fits a larger pattern of outspoken newsmakers inserting themselves into the news to claim the spotlight.
How can journalism avoid being hijacked by the people it covers?
鈥淚t comes down to context. We need to train reporters to take a breath and not just focus on being the first out there. And I know that鈥檚 really hard, because the rewards for being first and getting those clicks ahead of the crowd are well established.鈥�
鈥淚 can鈥檛 blame the reporters who feel these moments are worth covering, because I feel as conflicted as they do.
Angie Chuang
Associate professor, journalism
***
Agenda setting鈥攖he concept that we take our cues of what鈥檚 important from the news鈥攊s as old an idea as mass media itself, but Chris Vargo is drawing interesting conclusions from studying the practice in the digital age. Worth watching, he and other CMCI researchers said, are countermedia entities, which undermine the depictions of reality found in the mainstream press through hyper-partisan content and the use of mis- and disinformation.
How did we get into these silos, and how do we get out?
鈥淭he absence of traditional gatekeepers has helped people create identities around the issues they choose to believe in. Real-world cues do tell us a little about what we find important鈥攁 lot of people had to get COVID to know it was bad鈥攂ut we now choose media in order to form a community. The ability to self-select what you want to listen to and believe in is a terrifying story, because selecting media based on what makes us feel most comfortable, that tells us what we want to hear, flies in the face of actual news reporting and journalistic integrity.鈥�
鈥淚 do worry about our institutions. I don鈥檛 like that a majority of Americans don鈥檛 trust CNN.
Chris Vargo
Associate professor, advertising,
public relations and media design
***
Her research into deepfakes has validated what Sandra Ristovska has known for a long time: For as long as we鈥檝e had visual technologies, we鈥檝e had the ability to manipulate them.
Seeing pornographic images of Taylor Swift on social media or getting robocalls from Joe Biden telling voters to stay home鈥攃ontent created by generative artificial intelligence鈥攊s a reminder that the scale of the problem is unprecedented. But Ristovska鈥檚 work has found examples of fake photos from the dawn of the 20th century supposedly showing, for example, damage from catastrophic tornadoes that never happened.
Ristovska grew up amid the Yugoslav Wars; her interest in becoming a documentary filmmaker was in part shaped by seeing how photos and videos from the brutal fighting and genocide were manipulated for political and legal means. It taught her to be a skeptic when it comes to what she sees shared online.
鈥淪o, you see the Taylor Swift video鈥攊t seems out of character for her public persona. Or the president鈥攚hy would he say something like that?鈥� she said. 鈥淚nstead of just hitting the share button, we should train ourselves to go online and fact check it鈥攖o be more engaged.鈥�
Even when we believe something is fake, if it aligns with our worldview, we are likely to accept it as reality. Knowing that, how do we combat deepfakes?
鈥淲e need to go old school. We鈥檝e lost sight of the collective good, and you solve that by building opportunities to come together as communities and have discussions. We鈥檙e gentler and more tolerant of each other when we鈥檙e face-to-face. This has always been true, but it鈥檚 becoming even more true today, because we have more incentives to be isolated than ever.鈥�
***
Early scholarly works waxed poetic on the internet鈥檚 potential, through its ability to connect people and share information, to defeat autocracy. But, Nathan Schneider has argued, the internet is actually organized as a series of little autocracies鈥攚here users are subject to the whims of moderators and whoever owns the servers鈥攅ffectively meaning you must work against the defaults to be truly democratic. He suggests living with these systems is contributing to the global rise of authoritarianism. In a new book, Governable Spaces, Schneider calls for redesigning social media with everyday democracy in mind.
If the internet enables autocracy, what can we do to fix it?
鈥淲e could design our networks for collective ownership, rather than the assumption that every service is a top-down fiefdom. And we could think about democracy as a tool for solving problems, like conflict among users. Polarizing outcomes, like so-called cancel culture, emerge because people don鈥檛 have better options for addressing harm. A democratic society needs public squares designed for democratic processes and practices.鈥�
***
It may be derided as dull, but the public meeting is a bedrock of American democracy. It has also changed drastically as fringe groups have seized these spaces to give misinformation a megaphone, ban books and take up other undemocratic causes. Leah Sprain researches how specific communication practices facilitate and inhibit democratic action. She works as a facilitator with several groups, including the League of Women Voters and Restore the Balance, to ensure events like candidate forums embrace difficult issues while remaining nonpartisan.
What鈥檚 a story we鈥檙e not telling about voters ahead of the election?
鈥淲e should be looking more at college towns, because town-gown divides are real and long-standing. There鈥檚 a politics of resentment even in a place like Boulder, where you have people who say, 鈥榃e know so much about these issues, we shouldn鈥檛 let students vote on them鈥欌€攖o the point where providing pizza to encourage voter turnout becomes this major controversy. Giving young people access to be involved, making them feel empowered to make a difference and be heard鈥攖hese are good things.鈥�
***
Toby Hopp studies the news media and digital content providers with an eye to how our interactions with media shape conversations in the public sphere. Much of that is changing as trust and engagement with mainstream news sources declines. He鈥檚 studied whether showing critical-thinking prompts alongside shared posts鈥攔equiring users to consider the messages as well as the structure of the platform itself鈥攎ay be better than relying on top-down content moderation from tech companies.
Ultimately, the existing business model of the big social media companies鈥攑ackaging users to be sold to advertisers鈥攎ay be the most limiting feature when it comes to reform. Hopp said he doubts a business the size of Meta can pivot from its model.
How does social media rehabilitate itself to become more trusted? Can it?
鈥淪ocial media platforms are driven by monopolistic impulses, and there鈥檚 not a lot of effort put into changing established strategies when you鈥檙e the only business in town. The development of new platforms might offer a wider breadth of platform choice鈥攚hich might limit the spread of misinformation on a Facebook or Twitter due to the diminished reach of any single platform.鈥�
***
Images have always required us to be more engaged. Now, with the speed of disinformation, we need to do a little more work.鈥�
Sandra Ristovska
Assistant professor, media studies
欧美口爆视频 News Corps was created to simulate a real-world newsroom that allows journalism students to do the kind of long-form, investigative pieces that are in such short supply at a time of social media hot takes and pundits trading talking points.
鈥淚 thought we should design the course you鈥檇 most want to take if you were a journalism major,鈥� said Chuck Plunkett, director of the capstone course and an experienced reporter. Having a mandate to do investigative journalism 鈥渕eans we can challenge our students to dig in and do meaningful work, to expose them to other kinds of people or ideas that aren鈥檛 on their radar.鈥�
Over the course of a semester, the students work under the guidance of reporters and editors at partner media companies to produce long-form multimedia stories that are shared on the News Corps website and, often, are picked up by those same publications, giving the students invaluable clips for their job searches while supporting resource-strapped newsrooms.
With the news business facing such a challenging future, both economically and politically, why should students study journalism?
鈥淓ven before the great contraction of news, the figure I had in my mind was five years after students graduate, maybe 25 percent of them were still in professional newsrooms. But journalism is a tremendous major because you learn to think critically, research deeply and efficiently, interact with other people, process enormous amounts of information, and have excellent communication skills. Every profession needs people with those skills.鈥�
Where do we go from here? CMCI experts share their perspectives on journalism, advertising, data science, communication and more in an era of democratic backsliding.By Hannah Stewart (Comm鈥�19)
In high school, Zoey Georgeades was like any other student: She went to class, hung out with friends, was involved in extracurriculars like yearbook and loved jamming out to her favorite tunes. Except, unlike other students, some of her favorite tunes were her own. Georgeades (Jour鈥�24) didn鈥檛 just rock out in her room鈥攕he was working with a producer and had plans to move to Los Angeles to start her singer-songwriter career.
And then, COVID hit. With travel, and most aspects of life, severely limited because of lockdowns, she shifted gears and decided to give higher education 鈥渢he good old college try.鈥� Inspired by her love of music in concert with her background in yearbook鈥攚hich sent her to the 欧美口爆视频 Student Media Association鈥檚 annual J-Day event鈥擥eorgeades decided to study journalism at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. That, along with her minor in communication, gave her a fresh perspective on her passion of producing music.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very interesting time learning to be a musician and influencer while getting a degree,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y studies have pushed me to improve my communication in general, and that鈥檚 impacted my songwriting, making me very calculated.鈥�
During her time in Boulder, she served as the Panhellenic vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, and joined student media organizations. As a staff writer, and later arts and entertainment editor, for , she has written a variety of stories covering the Boulder music scene. Not only has she been able to connect with and interview musicians, she鈥檚 become more confident in herself.
鈥淗earing what they鈥檝e had to say and go through has been really interesting,鈥� Georgeades said. 鈥淣etworking and getting comfortable to go alone to concerts to cover them has really broken me out of my shell, which is really important in both music and journalism.鈥�
Her experiences in the classroom have been just as fulfilling鈥攕he said it鈥檚 been fascinating to learn about the rhetorical and philosophical sides of communication, which have pushed her to think more critically about the messages she puts out into the world and what it means to have integrity as both a musician and a journalist.
鈥淎s communication people, we should be the best, but often, we鈥檙e the worst,鈥� Georgeades said.
鈥淲ord choice is everything. CMCI has taught me to be very clear and direct, and very open minded.鈥�
Zoey Georgeades (Jour'24)
Her network has proven invaluable throughout her time in CMCI. She said Keyana Simone, faculty director of student media, and other professors have always been supportive and helpful sounding boards, giving her the confidence to pursue both music and journalism.
For Georgeades, music transcends language and it, like journalism, is ultimately a tool for bringing people together. She hopes as she moves forward in her career鈥攚hich she plans to start this fall in Los Angeles鈥攕he will be able to create a community using these passions.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 through music journalism or music production, I鈥檓 excited to put my all into it,鈥� she said.
Zoey Georgeades has blended her love of music with her love of journalism. At CMCI, she learned how these two passions influence each other, ultimately making her a better communicatorBy Joe Arney
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)
Tips for aspiring reporters
When he worked in Lubbock, Texas, covering Texas Tech, Brent Schrotenboer admitted he didn鈥檛 appreciate how cool of a college town it was, and all the activities it had for residents.
That sort of thing can be hard to tell with your nose to the grindstone. Schrotenboer said his willingness to work hard is why he鈥檚 become a national reporter with USA Today, but admitted his tunnel vision prevented him from enjoying the stops he鈥檚 had on the way.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to find balance, but you also gotta remember that the only way to get ahead is work really hard,鈥� he said.
He shared a few other tips with students who want to work in journalism:
Any reporter who鈥檚 been in news long enough knows the heart-stopping, sweaty-palmed moment when a public figure holds up your story in a press conference and says something to the effect of, 鈥淣ow, we need to talk about something that was in the paper this morning.鈥�
Earlier this spring, it鈥檚 a moment Brent Schrotenboer (Jour鈥�96) endured while watching one of Deion 鈥淐oach Prime鈥� Sanders鈥� press conferences. That week, Schrotenboer, an investigative sports reporter with USA Today, published a piece examining Sanders鈥� unique recruiting strategy and to prospective players.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of a moment of truth, when he brings up your story in front of everybody,鈥� Schrotenboer said. 鈥淏ecause if there鈥檚 a single inaccurate thing in there, I鈥檓 about to hear about it鈥攍ike, maybe he went on a visit that I couldn鈥檛 find a record of, and that the school didn鈥檛 even know about. But he didn鈥檛 dispute any of it, so it was sort of a sigh of relief.鈥�
Instead, Coach Prime explained his strategy on how he attracts scholarship athletes鈥攁 story Schrotenboer said he tried to get for a week before finally publishing.
His coverage of Coach Prime and the Buffs is not critical, he said, but open minded. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with trying new things and zigging while everybody else is zagging. With the recruiting thing鈥攖he jury鈥檚 out as to whether it will work, but it鈥檚 very different, and I like that he鈥檚 trying new things and trying to exploit the transfer portal, NIL and so on.鈥�
Last season was like an extended homecoming for Schrotenboer, who said he attended almost all 12 Buffaloes games as he covered a coach who generated as many headlines for his sheer popularity as his willingness to innovate on and off the field.
But landing the 鈥淐oach Prime beat鈥� has nothing to do with having attended the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. Instead, he said, it was about working hard and never turning down an opportunity鈥攚hich is how he got his first job, as the sports editor of a small paper in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
鈥淚 was a big baseball fan, and thought I could travel with a team and cover all 162 games a year,鈥� Schrotenboer said. 鈥淏ut my career took a few different turns as I was offered opportunities in college football and more investigative work. A lot of people coming out of college have this fixed idea of what they want to do, some pro team they want to cover, but it almost never works out that way.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy with where my career turned out. But it鈥檚 not where I had ever imagined myself, so I think it鈥檚 important to always say, yes, and to be open minded.鈥�
Brent Schrotenboer (Jour鈥�96), investigative reporter, USA Today
That鈥檚 not just advice for starting out, either. As the news industry has contracted, Schrotenboer has had to embrace some storytelling techniques more familiar to a younger generation, like writing an article from viral videos on social media. A feature he wrote on the Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership class was cobbled together entirely from videos created by Sanders and the influencers on his team; in April, he took a turn delivering a lecture as part of the course.
Being open to new techniques was something Schrotenboer learned in college, as email became a thing鈥攖hough the only place he could check it was Norlin Library鈥攁nd he started asking professors for their thoughts on the future of print news in a digital world.
鈥淭he current climate鈥攜eah, it鈥檚 tough out there. But there are still people doing great work,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of people are trying hard and fighting the fight for journalism.鈥�
The old dog may have a few new tricks, but above all, Schrotenboer prizes traditional journalism values like fairness, objectivity and accuracy鈥攁ll of which come into play when he鈥檚 covering his alma mater.
鈥淢y job is to hold the institution accountable, which in turn makes the institution better,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 in the press box at a game, I鈥檓 not hoping 欧美口爆视频 scores a touchdown, I鈥檓 worrying about getting my story right and writing something people want to read.鈥�
That kind of perspective was something he was happy to share while speaking in the Prime Time course. Although he graduated before CMCI was formed, he called the course 鈥渁 smart play to take advantage of this cultural moment 欧美口爆视频 is having鈥� and said a broad education that encompasses journalism, media studies, communication and related disciplines is very valuable for professionals.
In fact, while he had inspirations as a journalism student鈥攊ncluding Douglas Looney (闯辞耻谤鈥�63), formerly of Sports Illustrated, who taught sports writing at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥攕ome of the classes that left the deepest impression were in areas like law and anthropology.
鈥淚 grew up in a small town in Michigan, a first-generation college student, and it was eye-opening to come to a big university and take classes in things like Black history and culture, nuclear warfare, and stuff like that,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll this stuff was like forbidden fruit to me. I grew up in a small town, but I never lived there again. 欧美口爆视频 changed everything for me.鈥�
The way reporters do the job is changing, but the foundational pillars of accuracy, objectivity and fairness never will. It鈥檚 why Brent Schrotenboer has been so successful.
William W. White Outstanding Seniors are chosen by department faculty to recognize academic merit, professional achievement and service to the college. The Outstanding Graduate award honors the CMCI student with the highest overall GPA in his or her graduating class.
White, a Boulder native, graduated from 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 School of Journalism in 1933. He was a reporter in Boulder, Denver and New York before becoming the foreign editor of Time from the early 1940s through the mid-1950s, based in London, Brazil and Montreal. At the advice of his friend Edward R. Murrow, who told him 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 matter what you do, what matters is that you do it where you want to live,鈥� White returned to Boulder, where he started the White and White public relations firm. White and his wife, Connie, established this endowment in 1998.
Meet our graduates and read their stories.
Andrew's advice to students is to try everything and talk to as many people as you can鈥攅specially outside your major. That way, you'll broaden your perspective.
When it comes to impact and being able to make something I鈥檓 proud of, a big part of that is being able to make technology for the people to use it, and make things that people enjoy using and improve their lives. Info places a big emphasis on that."
Lisa started her 欧美口爆视频 career as a computer science major before switching to media production. She said this was one of the best decisions she ever made because through the program, she discovered a passion for photography.
"I learned that keeping your work to yourself because of the fear of not being good enough does no good. If you share your work and receive feedback, you are able to improve your craft and obtain opportunities you otherwise never would have been able to.
Going into college, Elijah's goals for himself were to learn as much as he could and make it to the finish line. He says he's made good on those goals, and this award is an exciting bonus.
Your professors are people just like you. Get to know them鈥攊f you are able to resonate with your professors on a deeper level, you will be much more enriched by the knowledge they have to share."
Bianca is the first CMCI graduate to win outstanding student honors from two different majors. She's now off to a prestigious Ph.D. program.
"What I have is like a wish coming true. You can work very hard and that can still not be enough, and I鈥檝e seen that happen to people around me my whole life.
For Sujei, a first-generation college student, graduating means she's carving a new path for her family.
My community helped foster a place for self-discovery and encouraged me to be unapologetically myself while helping me grow within my values and beliefs."
Nic's CMCI experience in three words: fulfilling, inspired, treasured.
"I will take with me the connections I鈥檝e been able to make with people from so many corners of life. They鈥檝e taught me lessons that I may never have learned without their friendship and mentorship.
William W. White Outstanding Seniors are chosen by department faculty to recognize academic merit, professional achievement and service to the college. The Outstanding Graduate award honors the CMCI student with the highest overall GPA in his or her graduating class.By Iris Serrano
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)
Being a first-generation college student means discovering new things and pushing past limits. In their time at the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, Nicolas Tamayo went above and beyond those expectations and didn鈥檛 let fear hold them back.
鈥淚'm absolutely a different person than I was four years ago, and I hope to be able to continue growing as time goes on.鈥�
Nicolas Tamayo (Fren,JourSt鈥�24)
As he prepares to graduate, Tamayo will go on their greatest adventure yet: They were accepted to the highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and will be teaching English in Montpellier, France.
鈥淚t can be daunting to try new things, especially if you鈥檙e going in by yourself,鈥� Tamayo said, 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 so much more rewarding and fulfilling to say yes to new opportunities, instead of saying no and missing out on what could have been.鈥�
Tamayo will be graduating as the William W. White Outstanding Senior for the Department of Journalism with degrees in both journalism and French. The White awards are chosen by CMCI faculty and honor students for their academic accomplishments, professional achievements and service to the college.
Service, in particular, defined Tamayo at CMCI: They participated as a resident assistant for summer bridge programs, served as president of CMCI student government and were active in multicultural organizations. As they go forward, they鈥檙e looking to continue that mindset.
鈥淚 want to work with people and help them find success in whatever they choose to set their mind to,鈥� Tamayo said.
Much of that relates to paying forward all the support they received as a Buff.
鈥淚 achieved so much more than I ever thought possible. Every person who鈥檚 been a part of my life and my network over the past few years has helped me to grow,鈥� they said. 鈥淚'm absolutely a different person than I was four years ago, and I hope to be able to continue growing as time goes on.鈥�
Saying yes to opportunities served Nic well as a student鈥攁nd will help him in a competitive Fulbright program in France.CMCI students from all departments develop their portfolios through classes, competitions, internships and more.
Here we have collected a variety of student work that highlights their personal and professional passions explored during their academic careers at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder.
Students across CMCI find ways to bring together their personal interests and academic pursuits. Since the college鈥檚 founding, we have showcased this diverse collection of student work.By Joe Arney
As much as she was ready for a new professional challenge, leaving the Front Range where she鈥檇 lived her whole life was hard for Keely Walker. So she made a promise to herself鈥攚herever she wound up, she鈥檇 still have her view of the mountains.
But not all mountains are created equal, as she learned when she interviewed for a producer position with KOMO, in Seattle.
鈥淭he news director asked me how I liked the mountains out there, and I told him they were beautiful,鈥� said Walker (Jour鈥�06), now nightside executive producer at KING 5 Media Group. 鈥淭hen he told me, 鈥榃ell, what鈥檚 better is that ours explode.鈥�
鈥淚 was like, no, no, that鈥檚 not a selling point!鈥� Walker said, laughing.
Maybe backyard volcanoes aren鈥檛 quite her thing, but it鈥檚 no question Walker has hit her stride since arriving in the Pacific Northwest. Since joining KING, a Tegna-owned, NBC-affiliated station, the self-described 鈥溑访揽诒悠� girl, through and through鈥� has rapidly climbed the ranks while producing journalism that鈥檚 both award winning and thought provoking.
Moving to Seattle, she said, was a chance to challenge herself professionally without sacrificing those mountain views.
鈥淚 knew the Denver market inside and out after eight years,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of people talk about Seattle news being smart news. People don鈥檛 want the surface story鈥攜ou need to really dig into the news, which was a new challenge.鈥�
It meant learning about things like salmon and orcas that don鈥檛 typically enter the conversation in 欧美口爆视频, but what hasn鈥檛 changed are the fundamental skills she built studying broadcast journalism at 欧美口爆视频 and being a trusted leader in the media space.
Don鈥檛 touch that dial
Keely Walker is like a lot of journalists, in that when you ask her what her biggest challenge is, it鈥檚 that no one is watching. When she visited a CMCI class in the fall, 鈥渨e asked the students who watches the news, and no hands went up,鈥� Walker said.
Her dirty little secret? 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have cable, either,鈥� she said.
That鈥檚 not unusual for Generation Z鈥攐r the Seattle market, where engagement through mobile apps or over-the-top media services like Roku, Hulu or Apple TV is incredibly significant. So, her station typically airs content for TV first before repackaging it for digital distribution. 鈥淥ur biggest business challenge is, how do you get people to watch when it鈥檚 not part of their routine?鈥� she said.
Patrick Ferrucci, associate professor and chair of the journalism department, said curricular refreshes and conversations with his board of advisors are helping guide CMCI students toward new jobs in news.
鈥淛ournalism now is less platform dependent,鈥� Ferrucci said. 鈥淭here are still paths to traditional broadcast jobs, but what we鈥檙e increasingly trying to do is embed visual and multimedia journalism into all aspects of our curriculum, so that our students learn how to tell good stories regardless of format.鈥�
鈥淚 have such pride in being a 欧美口爆视频 alumna,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淭he campus is beautiful and the academics are great, but it鈥檚 more than that鈥攊t鈥檚 like, hey, we have astronauts, we have Nobel Prize winners. There鈥檚 a lot to brag about.鈥�
Including, for the first time in a while, the football team. Walker remains a longtime Buffs season-ticket holder whose earliest visits to Boulder involved playing on the turf at Folsom Field during a family weekend game.
More recently, she was on the field in the fall, after the Buffaloes defeated Nebraska in an early-season rivalry game.
鈥淪ome of my co-workers have been like, 鈥楽o are you going to rush the field after every game now?鈥欌€� she said. 鈥淵ou know, it鈥檚 been a hard few years, OK? Just let us appreciate this and do what we want to do.鈥�
That鈥檚 also the motto that鈥檚 guided her career in news. In her current role, Walker is responsible for the nightside newscast. Early each day, she works with reporters to identify the most promising stories, coaching them as the news moves from pitch to production. She also leads a team of producers who make each broadcast come together.
鈥淚鈥檓 a teacher, when it comes down to it,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淚 love teaching young producers, sharing my knowledge with them and then watching them succeed.鈥�
Joyce Taylor, an anchor at KING 5 who鈥檚 been covering Seattle for decades, said Walker鈥檚 enthusiasm and positivity make her a strong mentor, whose hands-on involvement in sourcing and scripting help reporters become better at their craft.
鈥淜eely is a great listener and communicator,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚n a newsroom, you find all different types of personalities. Having someone in a leadership role who can work with all those kinds of personalities is a huge asset for us.鈥�
Walker鈥檚 work has been recognized with multiple Emmys, as well as awards from Peabody and Scripps Howard, but more important to her than hardware is impact. She鈥檚 extremely proud of a project she worked on as a producer shortly after joining KING 5 that investigated racial inequality, racism and racial privilege, especially in the Seattle metro area.
Facing Race was proposed in the wake of George Floyd鈥檚 murder and the resulting uprising around the country; the 13-part series was impressive for both how it handled sensitive material and the relative skeleton crew that produced it during the pandemic.
鈥淚t was hard鈥擨 had to find a new comfort zone of talking about race, equity and inclusion, because we hadn鈥檛 seen this kind of a discussion on TV before,鈥� said Walker, who produced the show on top of her daily broadcasts; Taylor hosted each edition. 鈥淏ut I look back at these episodes, and it鈥檚 like鈥攄ang, we really made people think.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the shining accomplishment of my career, and I think will be until it鈥檚 over.鈥�
Following that award-winning series, the station created a dedicated unit鈥攊ncluding a reporter, executive producer, photographer and support staff鈥攆or , which Walker said have consistently been supported by leadership. The show ran after the station鈥檚 Seahawks coverage ended, giving a controversial topic substantial coverage.
Part of what makes her successful is that, even though there can be hard days in the news business, Walker finds ways to make work fun; her colleagues praised her sense of humor in the face of a demanding job.
鈥淲e鈥檙e here to seek the truth and solve problems,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淭here is no task where Keely can鈥檛 find a way to get the job done, get the best information and meet the challenge, whatever it is.
鈥淚n these times, journalism has never been more important, and Keely sets a great example as somebody who鈥檚 doing the work because she loves the work and really sees the importance of journalism and its role in our democracy.鈥�
Walker said she enjoys the challenge to be a little better every day, and to make the workplace more fun.
鈥淚f you talk to anyone in my newsroom, they know my laugh, because I laugh all day鈥擨 crack jokes and things like that,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople work better when they鈥檙e having a good time.鈥�
In a recent visit to a CMCI class, she tried to share some of that perspective with a group of students.
鈥淵ou need to find a way to unplug after those days when it feels like you鈥檝e been hit by a truck,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淒o that and the next day, you find you can laugh at work, you can find things to look forward to in the news world.鈥�
She reinforces her own positive attitude by exploring her new home state, kayaking, and through a mix of reading 鈥渁nd really trashy reality TV. That鈥檚 how I escape the news,鈥� she said, laughing.
Each fall, though, escape comes from one of her first loves.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a great alumni group in Seattle that gets together to watch football鈥攁nd there鈥檚 more people showing up this year, which is fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I usually make it back to 欧美口爆视频 for a couple of games, too. Some of my best memories from 欧美口爆视频 are just from being on that beautiful campus, and so much comes back to me when I鈥檓 walking through the quad or seeing the buildings where I took classes.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 a teacher, when it comes down to it. I love teaching young producers, sharing my knowledge with them and then watching them succeed.鈥�
Keely Walker (Jour鈥�06)
Coach Prime鈥檚 arrival at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder has brought new visibility to Buffs in every sport. A new CMCI course is drawing on Deion Sanders, other former pro athletes and sports media luminaries to illustrate the changing nature of athletics, journalism, celebrity and culture in the age of NIL. Photo of Sanders, above, by Nathan Thompson. Below photos are by Glenn Asakawa (left) and Kimberly Coffin (right).
By Joe Arney
Deion 鈥淐oach Prime鈥� Sanders saw the value of an athlete鈥檚 public persona long before his football or baseball contemporaries.
Now, as the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder takes the wraps off a NIL-themed course on sports media, management and culture, it鈥檚 hard to imagine a better model.
Athletes are media celebrities whose identity gives them access to commerce, reputation, fame, all these kinds of things. But the person who puts on the helmet has to become another person in front of the cameras.鈥�
Rick Stevens, associate dean
鈥淐oach Prime recognized this model before there was a model,鈥� said Rick Stevens, associate dean of undergraduate education and an associate professor of media studies at the College of Media, Communication and Information. 鈥淗e understood how to perform an identity that allowed him to accomplish the business, social justice, performance and celebrity goals needed in our media system.鈥�
College sports have undergone tremendous upheaval following the NCAA鈥檚 adoption of a 鈥渞ight to publicity鈥� that gave athletes control over their name, image and likeness鈥擭IL for short. But those changes have rippled throughout the landscape, meaning media professionals need a new set of skills and perspectives.
The new course鈥攃alled, fittingly, Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership鈥攊s about teaching student-athletes how to create those personas, while preparing aspiring media professionals to tell stories effectively in an age where what college athletes say as students can affect their potential earnings and influence.
鈥淭he course will teach student athletes to tell their stories strategically, in ways that help them be who they want to be, and will help journalists learn how to enable, challenge and help the stories they鈥檙e telling evolve,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淲e have to rethink those relationships and dynamics between media icons and the media who cover them.鈥�
Few people anticipated the new age of college sports like Sanders, who demonstrated the value of an athlete鈥檚 personal brand as a two-sport phenom in the 1990s. As head coach of the Buffaloes football team, Sanders鈥� personality and social-media impact have driven incredible returns to the university and city.
Coach Prime has already delivered a lecture on managing social media to the class, but Stevens said the name of the course is more about the prime time personas each athlete has the opportunity to create in a limited window.
One of the most hotly anticipated guest speakers in the Prime Time course was, predictably, Professor Prime. The coach spoke about personal branding, authenticity and the college sports media landscape while answering extensive questions from students. The course has been written about in , and others. Photos by Kimberly Coffin.
鈥淎thletes are media celebrities whose identity gives them access to commerce, reputation, fame, all these kinds of things,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淏ut the person who puts on the helmet has to become another person in front of the cameras. The class is trying to build a particular kind of media literacy, so that those who need to develop a prime-time narrative can think about what the pieces are and how they fit together, and make the right choices accordingly.鈥�
In addition to an ambitious set of topics鈥攅verything from athlete personas and sports betting to confronting racism and how to empower others鈥攃lassroom lectures will be enhanced through regular appearances by athletes, sportswriters and other media professionals.
Confirmed guest lecturers include Sanders; Kordell Stewart (Comm鈥�18), former NFL star and media analyst; journalists Brent Schrotenboer (Jour鈥�96) and Michael Lyle; analyst Joel Klatt (Econ鈥�05); Tom Garfinkel (Comm鈥�91), president of the Miami Dolphins; and Abbey Shea, assistant athletic director for NIL at 欧美口爆视频.
Those choices might include which products to endorse, what organizations to follow on social media and what causes to align with. Case studies that the students will examine will follow the career arcs of athletes like Colin Kaepernick, Ricky Williams and Richard Sherman, whose prime times coincided with controversy. The final project will ask teams of students to consider the best possible paths for athletes entering their prime times, both theoretical opportunities for historic cases as well as鈥攅specially as the course becomes established鈥斉访揽诒悠� athletes exploring their social media identities or what endorsements represent the brands they want to build.
Invited lectures, which will feature athletes, media personalities and experts from 欧美口爆视频's athletics department, will take place one day each week. The other course day will feature a rotating cast of faculty representing CMCI鈥檚 thought leadership expertise in media studies, information science, journalism, communication, advertising and public relations.
One of those professors is Jamie Skerski, associate chair for undergraduate studies and an expert in communication and culture. She sees the course as an opportunity to look at the individual components that make up sports culture to better understand how it鈥檚 created.
鈥淲e have this opportunity to pull apart the different elements鈥攖he representation, the producers, the consumers, the regulations, the identities鈥攖hat go into this new athletics landscape,鈥� Skerski said. 鈥淲hen you do that, you get a more nuanced, leveled view of the way the pieces of the culture interact and become normalized.鈥�
That is especially interesting to her from a gender standpoint. Could a more nuanced understanding of the way we consume sports change how NIL deals are executed鈥攕ay, if a male athlete gets a certain amount of sponsorship, an equal amount must go to a woman?
鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 basically the wild west right now, it鈥檚 a good time to question the status quo,鈥� she said.
Stevens said the new perspectives of faculty invited to participate in the course have helped him think differently about pop culture, sports and media influence. It鈥檚 a feature of CMCI, which was formed about a decade ago to solve the kinds of complex, future-oriented problems coming out of media-related disciplines that are increasingly interconnected in the real world.
鈥淭his course is very in keeping with our college鈥檚 spirit,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淵ou have this new condition of NIL, resulting in a new arrangement among media, athletes, institutions and systems, and none of our departments are precisely positioned to answer the questions that are arising. But most of our departments have a piece of the puzzle, so by involving this many faculty, we鈥檙e able to get a more complete picture of all the dynamics involved.鈥�
NIL has changed the relationship between athletes and the media. As it happens, one NFL athlete was 30 years ahead of the curve.
By Hannah Stewart (Comm鈥�19)
Photos by Jack Moody
The Olympics. The Super Bowl. The Final Four. The Stanley Cup Final.
Alumni from the University of 欧美口爆视频 Boulder have made their mark reporting on and working in the sports world. Many are award winners鈥攊ncluding National Sportswriter of the Year鈥攁nd many more have seen their love of the game reach millions of fans worldwide.
That track record of excellence led the College of Media, Communication and Information to develop its sports media minor, which prepares students for careers in sports, whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera. Students take classes covering traditional topics, such as writing and broadcasting, but also courses that look at sports from academic and business perspectives.
And while a signature feature of the program is the opportunity to connect with the world-class alumni network in sports, there鈥檚 much more to the minor.
鈥淣etworking is just one of the components,鈥� said Marina Dmukhovskaya, associate director of the sports media minor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also about finding their niche. By having a variety of classes, both conceptual and skills heavy, it can offer them a great choice.鈥�
Interested in this minor?
If you are a CMCI major, you may discuss and declare the minor with your CMCI advisor. You can also declare by filling out a .
For students outside of CMCI, the minor can only be declared once you鈥檙e enrolled in CMCI 2001: Intro to Sports Media Practices.
Senior Kennedy Pickering credited the minor with helping her discover her niche. She came to 欧美口爆视频 Boulder because she was interested in the relationship between people and social media. Thanks to the minor, she has had the opportunity to create replay packages for a 欧美口爆视频 volleyball game; develop technical skills, like working a camera; and network with media professionals when 欧美口爆视频 Athletics hosted Fox鈥檚 Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.
鈥淲ith the sports media minor, I鈥檝e been able to take classes that gave me more hands-on experience, like Sports Writing and Sport Broadcasting,鈥� Pickering said. 鈥淥ne of my professors is in charge of , and through him I鈥檝e been able to work with the camera. At first, I wanted to be a sideline reporter, but then I realized that being on the screen was not for me.鈥� Her goal now is to work in social media for the NFL or Nike.
More than 200 欧美口爆视频 Boulder students are currently enrolled in the minor. Not all are athletes, but most aspire to work in the industry, like Eli Grimm, a lifelong figure skater who wants to get into the sports communications field. Beyond their own interests in athletics, Grimm said they see sports as a way to create impact because so many people engage with sports. Even less-mainstream events like Formula 1 races have become more popular thanks, in part, to the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
鈥淪ports are a platform for mass communication. In the Sports Writing class, I got to write about the events I was already watching,鈥� said Grimm, a senior majoring in strategic communication who learned about the program after arriving at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder as a transfer student. 鈥淚t was nice to feel like the experience was personalized around my interests.鈥�
鈥淲ith the sports media minor, I鈥檝e been able to take classes that gave me more hands-on experience.鈥�
Kennedy Pickering, senior
Jacob Dilling, a junior studying communication and a member of the 欧美口爆视频 ski team, chose the sports media minor as a way to develop a fuller perspective of the industry.
鈥淚 still plan on skiing professionally after school. But I think this will help me build connections within my sport and other sports, so that once I鈥檓 finished, I have something to fall back on,鈥� Dilling said.
Both students said one thing they enjoy most about the program is the challenge to explore new perspectives on sports and topics they are passionate about. Dmukhovskaya said that enthusiasm is a good indicator of their success after graduation. She herself has worked in the sports media world for years鈥攊n addition to covering the Olympics four times, she has been a media manager for the Russian Skating Union, worked with the International Biathlon Union and wrote for the International Paralympics Committee.
鈥淥ur students feel equipped, competent and confident as they are entering the job market,鈥� she said. Just as important to their success, though, is the students鈥� enthusiasm for the course material鈥攌ey for aspiring professionals looking to enter a highly competitive field.
Those aspiring professionals also benefit from the extensive network of media experts, who offer mentorship and exposure to career opportunities. Winter graduate Cassidy Davis (StratComm鈥�23) said she found professional guidance from alumnus Mike Davies (Jour鈥�94), an executive vice president for Fox Sports based in Los Angeles.
鈥淭he best part of my time at 欧美口爆视频 has been getting such broad experience, including public relations, sports media and graphic design,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淏eing able to study all of my little niches and learning how to put them together has made me confident about applying what I鈥檝e learned at work.鈥�
Students in CMCI鈥檚 sports media minor regularly have opportunities to network and get hands-on experience while completing the program.