Teachable Moments Riding the Roller Coaster
Reading the headlines these days? Bailout. Bust. Crisis. Panic. All pretty well summed up by this Washington Post headline: “For Many Americans, Fear and Distrust Run High.”
What do we fear? A collapse of the economic system. Loss of our savings. Retirement becoming a more distant dream. (If that’s what you dream.)
Whom do we distrust? The bankers. The brokers. They didn’t tell us the risk would come to this, did they? The president. The politicians. They haven’t solved it, have they? The media. They didn’t warn us, did they?
I can’t do much about the bankers and brokers, except hope that the ones my family deals with have kept us whole.
You and I can do one thing about the politicians—vote in November. Kind of makes filling our responsibility as citizens more imperative, doesn’t it? Suggests the candidates must be upfront and honest with us, too. I hope.
We can do something more profound with regard to the media. This is what educators like to call a “teachable moment.”
In our classes and in our conversations with students, this is an opportunity to watch the story unfold, gauge how well the media are informing us, and prepare the next generation of journalists—and all information and communications specialists—to most effectively carry out their roles. Like our founding fathers, we still believe in an informed citizenry.
What can we teach? The importance of good journalistic digging, clear and accurate writing, a sense of balance and a resistance to fanning the flames are worth remembering. We can encourage students to acquire useful knowledge in the selection of their minors and electives. I took one economics course in college, and found myself writing about the federal budget for years. I’d take more economics courses.
I’ve had these teachable moments before with classes that coincided with the impeachment of President Clinton, the 2000 election’s spillover into the Supreme Court, and 9/11.
What we fear is ignorance, media illiteracy, a breakdown in communication. Join us in that effort to regain and retain trust in the media.
College News
Dr. Sam Hastings Receives Watson Davis Award
The announcement was recently made that SLIS Director and Professor,Dr. Hastings will receive this national award. This award recognizes an individual member of the Society who has shown continuous dedicated service to the membership through active participation in and support of ASIS&T programs, chapters, SIGs, committees, and publications. Two of Dr. Hastings’ former students stated in her nomination letter that, “only a handful of people could contribute in a lifetime what she has contributed to the ASIS&T membership during the last 19 years.”
Associated Press Photo Exhibit Kicks Off with Scott Applewhite Lecture
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Scott Applewhite discussed the role of a news photographer covering the White House and the presidency at the AP photo exhibt’s opening ceremony Sept. 25. Applewhite is among AP photographers who won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of the 1992 presidential election campaign and the impeachment of President Clinton. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 10 in the political collection room in the East Gallery on the main floor of Thomas Cooper Library.
South Carolina Literacy Leaders Honored
South Carolina ETV, Reach 2010 Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition, and author and children’s services consultant, Jane Connor are our 2008 Literacy Leaders. This year’s awards were presented by the School of Library and Information Science at a reception at the S.C. State Library on Sept. 16. The Annual Literacy Leaders Awards are presented each fall to a select group of individuals or groups who have had significant statewide impact toward reducing South Carolina’s illiteracy rate, currently the third highest in the nation.
Student Spotlights
Axelrod Is Still Racing After Week One of The Amazing Race
Marisa Axelrod, a broadcast journalism major, and her teammate, Brooke Jackson, are still competing on the CBS reality TV show, The Amazing Race, after a week one dash from Los Angeles to Brazil. Stay tuned to see how Marisa does next week at www.sc.edu/cmcis. The two South Carolinians are easy to spot as they are typically clad in pink.
The Carolina Agency Wins Silver Quill Merit Award
The Carolina Agency’s Ronald McDonald House Campaign won a Silver Quill merit award from the International Association of Business Communicators. This regional award was presented by IABC in Denver on Sept. 30. Winning this award recognizes that the caliber of work produced by The Carolina Agency is equivalent to that of many professionals in business today.
Alumni Spotlights
SJMC Plans Awards Dinner for Seven Alumni Honorees
The SJMC will honor the following seven alumni at an awards dinner on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients:
Mark Buyck, Jr., USC trustee and Florence attorneyCarl Sessions Stepp, University of Maryland Professor and Senior Editor of American Journalism Review
H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, retired president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway
Outstanding Alumni Award Recipients:
Tracy Bonds Bender, public relations director for Souper Bowl of Caring
Tara Bradshaw, strategic communications, Washington Council Ernst & Young
Kim Prunty, director of media relations for Walt Disney World
Alumni Service Award:
Lee Bussell, chairman and CEO, Chernoff Newman
Dinner begins at 7 p.m. at the Summit Club. RSVP to sbhipp@mailbox.sc.edu by Oct. 24. The College’s Alumni Society will host a cocktail reception starting at 6:30 p.m.
Georgia Coleman, ’07 MLIS, Named Emerging Library Leader
Coleman, a librarian with the Southeast Regional Branch of the Richland County Public Library, has been selected for the American Library Association's (ALA) Emerging Leaders program. The award recognizes Coleman's commitment to public libraries and desire for life-long learning. Coleman is a member of the American Library Association, the Public Library Association, the Young Adult Library Services Association and the South Carolina Library Association.
Jacque Riley, ’04 BA, Leads Media Efforts
to Win Multi-State Award
Riley’s marketing and public relations firm, Riley Communications, LLC, won a 2008 International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) Silver Quill Award of Merit for its media efforts on behalf of the South Carolina offices of Integra Realty Resources. This is their first multi-state award, encompassing IABC’s Southern Region of 14 states and the Caribbean. Read more at http://www.swampfox.ws/2008/09/23/riley-communications-earns-silver-quill-award.
“Survivor” Jaime Dugan in Dream Wedding
Competition and You get to Vote!
Remember Jaime Dugan, the SJMC ’08 alumna who met the love of her life while competing on the CBS reality show "Survivor: China"? Don't vote them off the island; vote them into a Charleston wedding! Jaime and fiancé, fellow Survivor Erik Huffman, are in another competition and are finalists to win a dream wedding from the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Watch their video and vote at http://www.charlestonweddinggiveaway.com/vote/jaime_erik.html.