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Ohio journalists to discuss successes in field

Ali Arnett, For The Miami Student

Six award-winning Ohio journalists will assemble at Miami University to speak about their accomplishments despite daily challenges in the field.

The event, "Doing Good Journalism," will commemorate the third anniversary of the journalism program's Liberty Tree event. The event celebrates Miami being the first campus to participate in the national effort to bring attention to the five freedoms of the First Amendment guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Patricia Gallagher Newberry, lecturer in the journalism program, said that the planning committee wanted this year's spring event to focus on the good work journalists were producing rather than what is wrong in the journalism industry today.

"The reality is it is hard to get a job in journalism, but we owe it to students to tell them there is good work and good work is possible," Newberry said. "You have to start at the bottom and develop the skill set."

The speakers will discuss their investigative pieces which cover topics such as an investigation into Ohio's use of DNA Evidence, an examination of a reporter's own rape case and an inside look at the Ohio Statehouse.

Those among the list of presenters include, Mike Wagner of The Columbus Dispatch, Joanna Connors of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Greg Korte and Dan Horton of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Bill Cohen of Ohio Public Radio and TV and Hagit Limor of WCPO-TV.

Erin Bowen, president of Miami's Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), wants students to stay interested and enthusiastic about journalism.

"I hope the event will motivate journalism students and remind them they can still find ways to create meaningful journalism or investigate stories that are important to the public even though the economic state may be less than opportunistic right now," Bowen said.

Students outside of the journalism program are also encouraged to attend.

"Anyone who is interested in being a well-informed public or the projects the journalists covered will enjoy this event," Newberry said.

Newberry believes the wide range of topics covered will appeal to students studying a variety of disciplines. Students in pre-law or political science would enjoy hearing about Horn's work on criminal justice. Similarly, those interested in sexual assault or women's rights as a topic would be fascinated by Connor's work on investigating her own rape case.

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Sophomore Emily Holman, journalism major, is looking forward to the program and believes students outside of the major will also benefit from attending.

"Journalism affects almost every single career and has the ability to influence everyone's lives," Holman said. "Therefore, the information being presented is relevant for all students."

The event will begin at 4 p.m. April 7 in the Marcum Conference Center. Admission is free and open to the public. A Web site with in depth information about the reporters is available at http://www.tinyurl.com/doinggoodjournalism.