ComUnion: Journalism

9/11: What if... by Ashley Blair, Assistant Professor of Communications & Organizational Leadership

It’s a question I hadn’t really pondered until this moment. And now that it has been suggested, I can’t stop thinking about it.

I’ve actually been avoiding the avalanche of 9/11 coverage over the last week. Not because I don’t care, or don’t think it is important to remember, but because I do. I feel in some way, that watching those towers fall over and over again may numb the visceral memories I have from that day, and there is some pain that should never be numbed.

But the question haunting me now is what 9/11 would have been like if social media existed then as it does today. What if part of our national memory this week was tweets, pictures, videos and status updates from inside the Twin ... READ MORE
POSTED: Sep 10, 2011 - Digital Media Journalism Public Relations/Advertising

The Digital Future of Magazines? by Chris Blair, Associate Professor & DMS Coordinator

I have a confession to make. I love magazines. You could say I am a magazine addict. This doesn’t really fit with my image as a digital media professor, but I can’t help myself.

Maybe it has something to do with the smell of a new magazine, that unique combination of glossy paper and ink.

Maybe it has something to do with my upbringing. I first subscribed to a magazine when I was in 6th grade. It was 1980, and my class received an election info packet from U.S. News & World Report. It had bios about the main candidates (Reagan, Carter, and independent John Anderson) and information about the electoral process.

It also included a subscription card that I took home and asked my parents to send in. I continued subscribing to U.S. News & World Report for several years. I was a little Alex P. Keating in the making. (I’m still a little sad about the READ MORE
POSTED: Jun 23, 2011 - Digital Media Journalism

Prayer and Support for Japan by Chris Blair, Associate Professor & DMS Coordinator

An 8.9-magnitude earthquake set off a tsunami, causing death and destruction in Japan.

The extent of the damage in Japan is not fully known, but thousands, likely tens of thousands, died, countless homes were destroyed and the damage has been estimated in excess of $30 billion, making it one of the worst natural disasters of all time.

Stay Strong Japan! by Kent Ng., on Flickr

In these difficult times we, as Christians, should pray for the suffering people of Japan. We should also seek to be the hands and feet of Christ, doing what we can to help the Japanese people in their time of need.

<... READ MORE
POSTED: Mar 13, 2011 - Broadcasting Digital Media Journalism Public Relations/Advertising Theatre Photojournalism Film Studies Advertising Media Communications

Personal Experience: Southeastern Journalism Conference by Katherine Kipp, Journalism

“Get inside! Get inside the building now!”

Katie Shatzer and I are practically shoved into a building on Belmont University’s campus by a security guard, as we hear warnings of a blast in three minutes in the big hole on campus that will one day be their Pharmacy school. Barely inside the building, we suddenly hear a loud boom and feel the building shake under our feet. We look incredulously at each other and start laughing, clutching our bags to our sides. Just another great memory from the Southeastern Journalism Conference 2009.

The SEJC Conference, which was Feb. 12-14 on Belmont’s campus in Nashville, Tenn., brought together hundreds of journalism students from several colleges throughout the Southeast. As a college in t... READ MORE
POSTED: Mar 15, 2009 - Journalism Public Relations/Advertising Photojournalism

Howerton honored as top collegiate journalist by Michael Chute, Professor of Communication Arts

Brittany Howerton, a 2008 Union graduate, has been named to the inaugural UWIRE 100 list, which honors the nation’s top 100 collegiate journalists.

Howerton, a Public Relations/Advertising alumna, served as managing editor of the Cardinal & Cream, Union’s student newspaper, and played a key role in the coverage of the Feb. 5 tornado that devastated the Union campus.

“As the campus lay in shambles, Brittany led the staff to move beyond their own problems and concerns and focus on telling the story,” said Union journalism professor Michael Chute. “We set up a make-shift newsroom in Penick Academic Center, which was also damaged by the tornado, and the facility had no heat. Students worked in coats and gloves in the frigid newsroom, making periodic treks out to the devastated areas to cover the news events.”

Among other stories, Howerton reported on the campus visit by U.S. Secretary of Homela... READ MORE
POSTED: Jun 19, 2008 - Journalism

Baptist Press Collegiate Journalism Conference by Michael Chute, Professor of Communication Arts

Congratulations to the Union students who submitted their work to the Baptist Press Collegiate Journalism Conference, Oct. 11-13. It was an excellent conference and our students represented Union well, earning honors in a number of the award categories. Here's the list of winners:

Column Writing
Kyle Kurlick, 1st place, “Coin links father and son” Feature Article
Allison Hayes: 2nd place, “Deaf population lost in translation”
Tyler Whetstone: 3rd place, “Autism challenges whole family”

News Photo
Kyle Kurlick, 1st place, “Freshman come from near and far”
Stephanie Schroeder, 2nd place, “GOP retains Tennessee”

Feature Photo (B&W)
Stephanie Schroeder, 1st place, “Illusionist dispels stereotypes”

Feature Photo (Color)
Kyle Kurlick, 1st place, “Virtue and vengeance brew in Union’s rendition of Tempest”

Portrait Personality (Color)
Stephen Beckham, 1st place, “Tattoos not taboo”

READ MORE
POSTED: Nov 13, 2007 - Journalism Photojournalism