ACEJMC team recommends department reaccreditation
October 2011
A four-person on-site evaluation team representing the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication has recommended that the EIU Journalism Department be reaccredited.
During the campus visit Oct. 9-12, the evaluation team inspected facilities and equipment, visited classes, met with faculty members, students, administrators and representatives from other university departments.
In preparation for the visit, journalism faculty members prepared a comprehensive self-study sent to each member of the evaluation team, according to James Tidwell, chair of the department.
The self-study and the evaluation team’s work centers around nine standards: mission, governance and administration; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time faculty; scholarship: research, creative and professional activity; student services; resources, facilities and equipment; professional and public service; and assessment of learning outcomes.
The team found the department in compliance with all nine standards.
The report now goes to the ACEJMC Accrediting Committee when it meets April 17-18 in Chicago. Final approval rests with the full council when it meets April 27-28 in Washington, D.C.
Tidwell said the process takes place every six years. The EIU program was first accredited in 1982 and reaccredited in 1988, 1994, 2000 and 2006. ACEJMC currently accredits 111 programs in journalism and mass communications.
The site team’s report praised the faculty members for significantly increasing their level of research/creative activity since the last accrediting visit in 2005, according to Tidwell. He said the report noted several other strengths of the program:
• “Students, faculty and others on campus all praise the warm and close relationships between faculty and students and the way that relationship enhances learning.”
• Assessment practices are firmly established, and the faculty uses the assessment results to change and improve classes and the overall program.”
• “The unit does an admirable amount of service work, including its support of scholastic journalism throughout the state of Illinois and the nation.”
• “Students have many opportunities for working on award-winning campus media.”
• “Facilities are better than those at many larger schools. The campus continues to invest technology resources in the unit.”
ACEJMC is made up academics from a number of educational organizations, along with members representing such groups as the American Society of News Editors, the Newspaper Association of America, the Radio-Television Digital News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Public Relations Society of American and the American Advertising Federation.
Ann Brill, dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, was chair of the EIU site team. Other members were Phillip Jeter, chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Charlyne Berens, associate dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Merrill Rose, an independent communications consultant in New York City.
Dann Gire named 'Alumnus of the Year'
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| Dann Gire pictured on the cover of the Daily Herald's entertainment section. Photo courtesy The Daily Herald |
October 2011
Dann Gire, long-time film critic for the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill., will be honoredFriday, Oct. 21, as the 2011 Journalism Department Alumnus of the Year.
“Dann has established himself as one of the premier journalists in the Midwest and has been a great supporter of our program over the years,” stated department chair James Tidwell. “Any time we call on him to speak at an event on campus or in other parts of the state, Dann always says ‘yes.’ He’s a heck of a speaker and a great film critic.”
Gire is a featured speaker each year at the Embarras Valley Film Festival sponsored by EIU. Gire will be honored at a noon luncheon Oct. 21. Tidwell said Gire also will be a guest speaker in several journalism classes the day before.
Tidwell noted that although Gire graduated from EIU before a journalism major was established in 1975, “We’ve always thought of him as one of our own” because of his extensive experience with the school’s newspaper The Daily Eastern News. He served as sports editor, photography editor and co-editor-in-chief of the News.
Recipients of the alumni award must be a graduate of EIU with a journalism major or with significant student media experience during his or her collegiate days, Tidwell said.
Madeleine Doubek, executive editor of the Daily Herald and a 1985 EIU journalism graduate, said Gire, despite being a “bigwig” movie critic, began filling in on a general assignment weekend rotation a few years ago when the paper started facing staffing challenges. “He covers breaking news and crime with gusto,” she explained. “Not many bigwigs would do the same. He’s a gem I’ve been honored to know.”
Retired journalism professor John David Reed said Gire was one of the first students he met when he came to Eastern in August 1972 as adviser to the Eastern News.
“He was a scrawny, wiry—and wired—shooter (photographer),” explained Reed. “And he learned all the great newspaper photographer habits—super work ethic, ceaseless nose for news, creativity in pursuit of same, absolute dedication to the task, perfect understanding of the most basic rule of newsgathering: You have to be there. Those qualities have served him well during a commendable career as a journalist, of course.”
Reed said he was not surprised that Gire would distinguish himself as an outstanding writer and eminent critic of film.“I watched him bug his editors about running his movie reviews, immerse himself in the art through such venues as the Eastern Film Society. And he excelled, right there in The Daily Eastern News.”
After graduating from Eastern with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech communication, Gire joined the Daily Herald in 1975 and has held positions of government reporter, crime reporter, metro reporter (assigned to the Cook County Criminal Courts), and film critic on the features staff. He has served as the newspaper’s film critic for 33 years.
In addition to his full-time work as a journalist, Gire teaches journalism at Aurora College. He previously taught journalism and advised the student newspaper at William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Ill. “What pleases me most about Dann is his dedication through his adjunct teaching to the concept of service to others, of passing it forward, that lies at the heart of journalism,” explained Reed. “As this alumni award attests, Dann has earned a hearty KUDOS from all of us who care about the profession.”
Gire has won the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism in Arts Criticism seven times. He has also won awards from the Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, The Associated Press, and other journalism organizations.
He is the president and a founding director for the Chicago Film Critics Association, a nonprofit organization with charitable and educational goals. He wrote the organization’s ethics code and founded the group’s Zappa Committee charged with monitoring First Amendment violations against filmmakers and recommending responses to those violations. He is also on staff as a contributing critic for Ebert Presents At the Movies on PBS.
Gire worked as film critic at Chicago’s Fox TV News from 1988 to 1991, and for four weeks this summer contributed film critiques for CBS Chicago’s “Monsters and Money in the Morning” TV news program.
He is married to Peggy Gire, a longtime music teacher in Schaumburg (Ill.) District 54. They have two daughters: Lauren Elaine Taylor, currently on tour as Rizzo in the national Broadway production of “Grease,” and Morgan Gire, who recently served as assistant director for the independent film production “Molly’s Girl.”
CMA honors department chair,
DEN adviser at annual convention
October 2011Two Eastern Illinois University journalism professors will be honored at the 90thAnnual National College Media Convention in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 26-30. James Tidwell, chair of the department, will be inducted into the College Media Advisers Hall of Fame, and Lola Burnham, editorial adviser to The Daily Eastern News, will receive a four-year college newspaper Honor Roll Adviser Award from the organization. The Honor Roll award is presented to a CMA member who has fewer than fives years’ experience in college media advising and has provided distinguished service to his or her students and profession. Burnham, an assistant professor of journalism, has been the editorial adviser to The Daily Eastern News since fall 2008. One nomination letter stated that Burnham deserved the award “because of her work with CMA, her strong advising and her commitment to college media development in the state.” The letter also noted, “As an adviser, Lola practices her duties using the CMA Code of Ethics. She critiques the paper after it comes out, and she works with the staff to provide training, leadership and mentorship.” CMA Hall of Fame inductees must have contributed to college journalism education for 20 years or more while being active members of CMA. The award recognizes longtime members who have contributed to the betterment and value of student media programs of both the campus and nation. It also pays tribute to members who have devoted extensive service to CMA by serving in leadership roles and presenting programs and sessions at conventions. Tidwell, a CMA member since 1975, served as student newspaper adviser at Tulsa (Okla.) Junior College and Indiana University Southeast before joining the EIU faculty in January 1987 where he serves as legal adviser to student media. He has presented well over 100 legal sessions at college media conventions and workshops and has served as chair of the CMA Weekly Newspaper Committee, the Research Committee and the Media Law Committee. “If ever there was a stalwart of CMA, Tidwell would be that person,” wrote Mark Witherspoon of Iowa State University in his nomination letter. “He has been steadfast in his support of CMA for decades, and he has shown his support in so many ways. “He has been a mentor and confidant to many advisers throughout the years, and I am grateful to be included in that group of advisers. Every time I call on him with questions, usually legal in nature, he always provides me with thoughtful and helpful answers in a timely manner.” Another nominator, Mark Goodman former director of the Student Press Law Center now at Kent State University, noted that he has known Tidwell since 1985. “James was then and remains today a tireless supporter of college and high school journalism and defender of media advisers in need.” Continued Goodman: “I couldn’t begin to count how many sessions he has given at CMA conventions over the years, but my guess is that he may well have broken some organization record. And not only were his sessions numerous, they were uniformly substantive and useful. “I recall dozens of (legal) sessions that James and I presented together where his advice was accurate, practical and often funny. One of the things I like best about James is that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. The First Amendment, on the other hand, he is passionate about, and his work with CMA has always reflected that.” Tidwell has previously won two other awards from CMA. He was awarded the Louis E. Ingelhart First Amendment Award in 1998 for extraordinary, long-term contributions in support of the First Amendment, and the Reid H. Montgomery Distinguished Service Award in 2010 given to a person, corporation or institution for extraordinary contributions to journalism or student media advising. Three other past and present EIU journalism faculty members have been inducted into the CMA Hall of Fame: retired professor David Reed (1996), and current professors Les Hyder (1997) and John Ryan (2008). |
James Tidwell |
Journalism Department seeks reaccreditation
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Journalism professors, major featured on EIU websiteAugust 2011Journalism faculty and students are featured this fall on the EIU website. Journalism major Dave Balson and Dr. Eunseong Kim, assistant professor of journalism, are highlighted in stories about research at EIU. Balson presented his work, The Voices That Heat the Kettle: Racist Views Promoted by the Tea Party Movement's Favorite Media Figures, a study of racism within the increasingly popular Tea Party movement, at a national conference in New York. He did the research for his Race, Gender, and Media course, taught by Dr. Kim. See the story here Dr. Janice Collins, assistant professor of journalism, is highlighted on the university's faculty development page. She is one of several EIU faculty who "exemplify the love of teaching found among the faculty as a whole." Dr. Collins, a multi-Emmy award winner, teaches broadcast writing, editing and producing. See the story here |
EIU journalism professor Brian Poulter
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Bilbrey, Lair honored as "Journalists of the Year"
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April 2011The editor of the Robinson Daily News and the outgoing editor of the Charleston-Mattoon Journal Gazette/Times-Courier were named Journalists of the Year by the Eastern Illinois University Journalism Department. Greg Bilbrey, who has been editor of the Robinson newspaper for the past 10 years, and Bill Lair, who has led the Charleston-Mattoon newspapers for the past 30 years, were honored Friday, April 29, at the 52nd annual Journalism/Student Media Banquet at the Grand Ballroom of the University Union on the EIU campus, Charleston.
“Both of these editors have served their communities well as leaders of their respective newspapers and they devoted their lives to keeping their fellow citizens well informed,” said James Tidwell, chairman of the Journalism Department. “They represent the best of community journalism.” The journalism faculty selected the two veteran editors for induction into the Journalism Department’s Hall of Fame for making an outstanding contribution to the field of journalism in the Eastern Illinois University service region. “Greg Bilbrey has frequently volunteered to assist the journalism department, serving as a guest faculty member at high school summer workshops, judging contests and volunteering as an assistant to the adviser to the student newspaper at Casey-Westfield High School,” said John Ryan, chair of the Journalism Department’s Outreach and Service Committee, which makes the selection. “Bill Lair has been a longtime friend of the journalism department. He’s taught classes in our program, spoken at workshops and hired scores of Eastern graduates, giving many of them their start in the news business,” Ryan said.
Bilbrey is a Western Kentucky University graduate. Before joining the Daily News in 2001, he was news editor at the Clark County Publishing Co. for nearly 14 years. In addition to being a guest faculty member at the EIU/Illinois Press Foundation Summer Journalism Workshop, he often presents at Indiana State University, leads seminars on demand for the Illinois Press Association and assists the adviser at the Casey-Westfield student newspaper. Married for 25 years, Bilbrey and his wife, Noni, are the parents of one son, Will. Lair is a 1970 Eastern graduate. He recently retired from the JG/T-C after working at the newspaper for more than 38 years. He rose through the ranks from sports editor, to news reporter/copy editor, to managing editor of the Times-Courier and then managing editor of both newspapers. He will be named a Master Editor of the Southern Illinois Editorial Association on April 29. He’s won numerous awards for his work, he’s served on numerous civic committees and he has taught at both Eastern and Lake Land Community College. Married for 41 years, Lair and his wife, Cheryl, are the parents of sons, David and Patrick, and daughter, Heather. Past Journalists of the Year include: •2010: Greg Bilbrey, editor, Robinson Daily News, and Bill Lair, managing editor, Mattoon Journal Gazette/Charleston Times-Courier. •2009: Ray Long, Springfield bureau chief of the Chicago Tribune, and Dave McKinney, Springfield bureau chief, Chicago Sun-Times. • 2008: Madeleine Doubek, managing editor, The Daily Herald, Arlington Heights • 2007: Jeff Nelson, retired managing editor, Lincoln (Ill.) Courier • 2006: Cam Simpson, formerly with the Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal, is now a reporter with Bloomberg News Service. • 2004: John Foreman, editor and publisher, News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana • 2003: Les Brownlee, long-time Chicago newspaper and broadcast journalist • 2002: David Shaul, former news director, WCIA (Channel 3) in Champaign • 2001: William Hamel, retired publisher, Times-Courier and Journal Gazette, Charleston-Mattoon |
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Chicago Tribune state house reporter Ray Long discusses computer assisted reporting techniques with EIU journalism students on the EIU campus Saturday, March 26, 2010. Long is an EIU alumnus. John O'Connor of the Associated Press also presented information during the four-hour session. Photo/Brian Poulter |
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EIU journalism students traveled to Chicago April 11 and 12 to meet with designers at the Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago. Above, alumnus Chuck Burke, right, talks to (l-r)Emily Steele, Kristin Jording (hidden) and Colleen Harrigan. |
Former DEN editor McDermott tells students
about legislative coverage
By Nicole Conness
After graduating from Eastern in 1987 and being editor of the Daily Eastern News, Kevin McDermott went on to cover two governors’ corruption trials and an Illinois senator now known as the president of the United States.
McDermott, a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has been working in the Illinois bureau of the paper for 16 years. He spoke to several journalism classes at EIU on Feb. 21 at the invitation of friend and journalism instructor Dan Hagen.
Starting from the micro-level of covering police, city council and school board meetings, McDermott said it was a good training ground for covering legislative hearings at the Capitol in Illinois and political campaigns throughout United States.
He said it is important to incorporate all fundamental aspects of an issue or piece of legislation because most people do not have access to legislative hearings.
With more than 100 miles between him and his editors, McDermott said he has the freedom to choose what he writes about. While working with several editors, he informs them of what he is working on and what to expect at his 5 p.m. deadline. In addition, he often confers with the editorial page team at the paper to offer perspective on issues.
Although political and government reporting has made McDermott more cynical of government, his reporting has significant relevance on people’s lives that generates opinions throughout Missouri and Illinois.
Even when the state legislature is not in session, the political beat continues. Enterprise reporting on political contributions, corruption trials on former Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich and state spending takes precedence in the newsroom.
When McDermott is not writing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he freelances for the University of Illinois political magazine. He enjoys writing for the magazine because it allows him to go more in depth on political issues.
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Rashida Lyles-Cowan and Bradley Merkle study the Arizona Daily Star's front page coverage of the tragic shooting in Tucson. Journalism majors Lyles-Cowan, a senior, and Merkle, a sophomore, participated in a conference call Jan. 19, 2011, between former Daily Eastern News designer Mike Rice, who leads a visual team for graphics and design at the Daily Star, and a copy editing class at EIU. Photo by Jasmine Randle |
EIU alum Mike Rice talks to J-students about
Arizona Daily Star coverage of shooting
By Elizabeth Edwards
“The story of the Tucson shooting is never going to end for us,” said Mike Rice, visual team leader of the Arizona Daily Star.
The Tucson shooting, where six people were killed and 13 wounded, including a U.S. representative, will live in infamy for the Tuscon community of 541,811 residents.
Rice, 1995 Eastern graduate who was a designer at the Daily Eastern News, talked to a copy editing class via conference call Jan. 19, about the newspaper’s obligation to “mirror the Tucson community.”
“The Arizona Daily Star was conscious of its audience when deciding what picture and story to cover,” Rice said.
His newspaper understands that residents of Tucson were emotional about the shooting and his newspaper staff took their raw emotions into consideration.
For example, the newspaper ran only a small shot of the suspected shooter, Jared Loughner, on the front page in respect for the community.
“The community would not want to see a big mug shot of the shooter while they eat their Cheerios in the morning,” Rice said.
Rice said that his newspaper is the “daily record” of the Tucson community and must always keep its audience in mind.
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| SCJ inductees are: back, left to right, Doug Graham, Ellie Sternaman, Sam Wilmes, Seth Schroeder, Allison Twaits, Crystal Alston, Melissa Sturtevant, Sara Hill; front row, Dave Balson, Rachel Rodgers, Kelsey Karstrand, Cyndi Francois, Kim Foster, Ashley Holstrom, Beth Steele and Julia Carlucci. |
Society of Collegiate Journalists inducts new members
EIU students were inducted into the Society of Collegiate Journalists on Dec. 7, 2010, in ceremonies in the 1895 Room at the MLK Jr. Student Union.
Students research to be presented in New York
January 2011
Six students from the fall 2010 journalism class “Race, Gender and the Media” have had research papers accepted for presentation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research March 30-April 2 in Ithaca, N.Y.
Dr. Eunseong Kim, assistant professor of journalism, taught the class and was the mentor for the research projects. The Honors College will pay the expenses of the students to attend the conference.
“This is an unbelievable accomplishment for Dr. Kim and her students,” said department chair James Tidwell. “Having six papers from the same class accepted for this national conference is a rare occurrence. We’re thrilled that the EIU Journalism Department can be a university leader in promoting undergraduate research.”
The authors and titles of the papers accepted:
• Allison Twaits: “Ruling the Pages: How Do Men’s and Women’s Magazines Deliver Messages to Their Audiences”
• David Balson: “The Voices That Heat the Kettle: Racist Views Promoted by the Tea Party Movement’s Favorite Media Figures”
• Desiree Morris: “Giving Voices to the Voiceless: Are Women and Racial Minorities Represented in News Stories?”
• Jaime Hofmann: “Portrayals of Homosexuals in Television Sitcoms”
• LaMar Holliday: “The ‘Race’ for Newsroom Diversity: An Investigation of Broadcast Newsrooms in Indiana”
• Shauna Laudant: “Addressing Women’s Health Issues: What and How of Health Information in Women’s Magazines"
WEIU wins Emmy No. 2
October 2010
The daily 30-minute live newscast produced by students at WEIU-TV won a Regional Emmy for best college newscast for the second straight year Oct. 9.
“The second year in a row is great for the facility, but even better for the university,” said Kelly Runyon, news director, whose personal goal is to strive for an Emmy-quality production every night. Runyon is a 1992 EIU journalism graduate.
A dozen students accompanied Runyon to the ceremonies of the Mid- America Regional Emmy Awards for the states of Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois. The University of Missouri was the other finalist in the best college newscast category.
In national competition, John Twork, a 2010 journalism graduate from Bloomington Ill., was presented the second annual Jim Nantz Award as the top collegiate sports broadcaster in the United States. The award, sports broadcasting’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, is presented by Sportscasters Talent Agency of America.
Other finalists for the Jim Nantz Award came from Syracuse, East Tennessee State, Rutgers and Ohio University. “As talented as the inaugural field was last year, this year’s field was deeper which made the selection process even more challenging,” says STAA CEO Jon Chelesnik. “What John Twork does especially well is put his listeners inside the stadium or arena by not only describing the action, but also the sights, sounds and emotions of the players, coaches and fans. His play-by-play is a story.”
He is now a graduate student at Illinois State University and works in the ISU sports information department.
WEIU-TV/FM, Twork and a number of other broadcasting students won a number of awards in the 2010 Student Silver Dome Awards presented by the Illinois Broadcasters Association Oct. 8 at Illinois State University.
The awards are for content aired during the 2009-10 school year. WEIU News Watch won three first-place awards for best television newscast, best television weathercast and best long form television programming. WEIU-FM won first place for best radio promotion.
Twork won four individual awards: first place for best radio public service announcement; first place for best radio advertising spot, second place for best radio sports story, and third place for best radio live game report. Zach Nugent, a December 2009 journalism graduate, won second place for best television sports package.
Prof. Joe Gisondi's sports' writing text adopted by universities
October 2010
In the six short months following the release of his sports writing textbook, Joe Gisondi, an Eastern journalism professor, has enjoyed recognition from 20 different universities that have already adopted it into their curriculums.
Gisondi’s book, The Field Guide to Covering Sports, includes handouts he has regularly employed in his sports writing classes over the years and will be integrated into the course for the next three semesters.
The publisher of the book is Congressional Quarterly Press. Gisondi said he had not originally intended to publish a book but stumbled into the process after transferring his class handouts to a personal blog, which expanded and attracted readership.
Eventually, his publisher suggested he record his expertise in a textbook that aspiring sports reporters could refer to on the go.
“It is a guide you can put in your backpack and use,” Gisondi said.
The textbook is broken down into three different parts, the first of which addresses getting started and also offers tips and topics, such as writing stories, interviews, developing feature writing and blogging.
Part two provides details on 20 different sports, from the most popular like baseball, basketball and football, to sports that have a less mainstream audience, such as rowing, lacrosse and rugby.
The last part of the book focuses on what Gisondi refers to as “primers,” which focus on sports information directors and how to work with them.
It also explains how to avoid clichés, maintain ethics, broadcast games on the radio and cover fantasy sports.
“(The book) is a must-read for sports journalism students and beginning sports reporters,” states Michelle Kaufman, sports writer for the Miami Herald and adjunct instructor at the University of Miami.
“Newcomers to the trade will get valuable tips on covering a range of sports, interviewing, even blogging.
“And it doesn’t read like a textbook. Instead, it is a collection of anecdotes, real-life examples, and ‘Sports Insider’ advice from well-known sports journalists. Readers of this book will feel like they got personal career guidance from some of the most respected names in the business.”
