Cronkite Day at the Walter Cronkite School kicked off at noon last Friday as students, faculty and alumni came together to celebrate the annual networking event.
Attendees were able to meet with representatives from student organizations and professional program bureaus while prospective students were offered tours of the building. There was also a series of panel discussions featuring faculty and alumni.
The first panel discussion consisted of a two-part lecture series called “Facultypalooza” in which Cronkite faculty members shared their experiences in journalism.
In the first portion of the panel, Knight Chair in Journalism Steve Doig, President of the Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism Andrew Leckey and Director of Cronkite Global Initiatives Bill Silcock said their experiences as Fulbright scholars were highly influential in their careers.
Doig discussed the process of becoming a Fulbright scholar and his takeaway from the honorable program.
“If you are willing to be adventurous, you can apply for many countries that you may not know about, but that will give you a great experience,” Doig said.
The second portion of “Facultypalooza” was led by Cronkite School professors Monica Chadha and Leslie-Jean Thornton, who provided insight about digital news start-ups and how they are evaluated.
When discussing the ways that digitally focused news organizations are constructed, Chadha showed the audience how her research focuses on the user experience and how organizations need to continue raising their bar.
“If they are on a digital platform, are they doing new things?” asked Chadha.
The panel also explored the differences and similarities between traditional journalism mediums, such as print or broadcast, versus newer ones, like digital.
“They still tend to cover news the same way,” Chadha said.
“The Teaching Hospital in Action: How Cronkite’s Professional Programs are Serving the Information Needs of Communities” panel hosted recent journalism-school graduates with experience in the Cronkite School’s professional programs. They all expressed gratitude towards these programs for preparing them for the “real world” of careers and deadlines.
The “Teaching Hospital” panel included former anchor and investigative reporter for Cronkite News, Jessica Boehm, who now works as a community watchdog reporter at the The Arizona Republic. Boehm called the Cronkite experience a domino effect toward success in journalism that began with professional programs.
“One of the greatest things about the professional programs at Cronkite is that they take you out of your comfort zone,” Boehm said.
Cronkite School freshman Golan Bosnino attended the panel and appreciated the feedback. He said the panel advised him toward, “just being aggressive in getting what you want out of the job you have and getting what you want out of the classes you are taking.”
Another panel, “New Tools and Innovations: How the Digital Media World is Responding to the Ever-Evolving Habits of its Audiences” considered the ways in which new media and digital opportunities surround journalists with new storytelling techniques. And “From Cronkite to the Real World: A Conversation with Alumni” hosted more alumni, past and present.
In Cronkite Day’s closing comments, Dean Christopher Callahan described the event as encompassing the ideals of the Cronkite School by appealing to “the digital future” through “traditional, incredible journalism values.”
Contact the reporter at brianna.bradley@asu.edu.
