Journalism Centennial

Our trip to the Journalism Centennial was not quite as successful as we had initially hoped. Our assignment was to interview two people, one student and one adult. Finding a student to interview was no problem. However, it was a different story finding an adult who fit the criteria necessary for our interview: not pressed for time and willing to be interviewed by two amateur journalists, dressed in workout clothes and clutching notebooks as if there life depended on accomplishing their interview.

The three-day Centennial at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism was indeed an awe-inspiring event. Alumni and professional journalists from around the country visited campus and each day a variety of lectures and events were held in honor of the Centennial. The opportunity to attend the lectures and gain access to the various events, however, came with a price. Access to the festivities was granted only to those who had prepared in advance and paid for admission to the event– leaving those without cash in the dark. This, in my opinion, had a negative impact on what could have been a much more celebrated, publicized, and remembered event at the University of Missouri.  To be honest, the whole three days this Centennial was going on, it didn’t even feel like there was much of a celebration. Sure, for the alumni and journalists who visited, the true meaning and impact of the event was quite clear. But for regular students at the University, especially non-journalism school students, for whom there was very little, if any publication of the Centennial, it was sadly, just another week on campus.

My roommate and best friend here in Missouri, Kelsey Gilbert, and I prepared our interview soon after receiving our assignment from our FIG leader, Chris. On Friday, September 12^th, in the late afternoon after both our classes had finished, we started the long walk from Gillett towards the journalism school. Once we arrived at the location of the Centennial events, we were both slightly taken aback. What we had expected to be a large, welcoming event turned out to be a quiet, serious event taking place only inside the closed walls of the new journalism school facilities. People hurried past us, rushing into the new Walter Williams Journalism Institute, dressed in dark suits and clutching briefcases. I felt like a kindergartner on the first day of school, walking into the classroom and feeling so out of place, so lost and confused. Kelsey and I stood outside the building, trying desperately to catch the attention of an adult, any adult. Unfortunately, all of the adults we encountered were in a hurry; busy on their cell phones, in deep conversations with their peers, or had places to go and, as they explained to us, simply couldn’t talk. I tried to remain positive, despite the seemingly fixed failure that now loomed over our assignment.

We weren’t entirely doomed to failure though. We noticed a student slowly walking towards where we were standing, admiring the new journalism facilities as he walked. We stopped him and asked if he would mind doing an interview. Much to our relief, he agreed. Here is our interview with Kyle, a freshman political science major at the University of Missouri who, while not a journalism major, still appreciates its’ importance in society.

Ksquared: Why are you attending Mizzou’s J-School Centennial?

Kyle: I want to talk with prominent alumni about their experiences in journalism.

Ksquared: Where do you get most of your news from?

Kyle: Newspapers

Ksquared: Some people believe that newspapers are “dying out” because of the rise in popularity of the Internet, blogs, and other electronic news sources. Do you believe newspapers will eventually die out, and if so, would you be bothered by this or not? Do you believe the Internet is a valid source for news?

Kyle: It depends on what Internet source. The LA Times is more reliable than a blog. Certain sections of the paper are dying out though, like stocks.

Ksquared: How much of an impact do you believe journalism has on your life?

Kyle: It has an impact on everyone’s life because it brings information to people who cannot experience things themselves.

Ksquared: Do you have a favorite newspaper/magazine that you enjoy reading regularly?

Kyle: Washington Post or USA Today

            In conclusion of our first-ever blog post, I want to take a moment to comment on what little I saw of the Centennial that day. As a pre-journalism student with a passion for writing and a dream of someday writing for a fashion magazine, I can tell you that I would have loved to have actually attended some of the lectures and events that were held during the Centennial. But, I think it’s equally important that others, not just journalism students and alumni, had been able to gain access to the events as well.

It’s not everyday that we celebrate the 100^th anniversary of a school that was the nation’s first of it’s kind. Maybe if the University had truly opened up the Centennial to the public and allowed all members of the community to come visit and walk through the new, state-of-the-art journalism facilities, while also giving them the opportunity to talk with alumni and guests – the Centennial would have had more of an impact on the community. Journalism, itself, is about providing news to the public – all members of the public, no matter what class, race, creed, social standing, etc. It’s critical that we, as students of the nation’s best journalism school, allow everyone to see how amazing our school is and show the world how much of an impact journalism has and will continue to have on everyone’s lives.