journalism

Kent Dana, the face of the evening news in the Valley for three decades, died Tuesday afternoon.

Two School of Communications Alums turn to the Savior while pursuing careers

Four journalism students created a documentary explaining their adjustment to working remotely during a pandemic

School of Communications professor Dale Cressman was elected as the vice president of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) on April 26. Cressman has worked with the organization since 2011 and appreciates the ethics it emphasizes in the specific fields of study. “ACEJMC is a great champion for free speech and diversity,” said Cressman. “It practices what it preaches, operating under the same values it expects of academic units.” ACEJMC accreditation is regarded as the premier standard of program quality in the discipline. Currently, 115 journalism and mass communications programs at universities throughout the United States, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have full accreditation status. The BYU School of Communications has been ACEJMC accredited since 1984. “Accreditation is a rigorous process,” said Cressman, who started in ACEJMC as a site team member. “It is time consuming, but well worth being accredited, as it tells students, parents, administrators and peers that we meet common standards in our discipline.” Read the full story at comms.byu.edu.

Samantha Clark Forrest chose to study journalism because she loves writing and telling stories. She loves the changing and adapting environment that news media offers and she enjoys learning how technology is changing media. Her first hands on reporting experience was writing for The Daily Universe (Comms 321) where she went to the Utah Capitol every week to interview various state senators and legislators about their committees and bills. The experience taught her about politics and helped build her writing portfolio. While in the program, Forrest enjoyed getting to know and work with the other journalism students. A pivotal moment was the hands on experience she gained at the School of Communications New York Internship program where she had experiences that changed her life. “I met so many lifelong friends, worked for the news startup Bold TV, and also attended Broadway shows,” Forrest said. “The experience taught me a lot about myself and really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I will definitely always remember my time living in New York City.” Forrest benefitted from working closely with professors who helped influence her experience and goals. After graduation, Forrest plans to move to San Francisco and work in communications. “You can do anything you set your mind to if you work hard,” Forrest said. “My advice for students would be to start networking and making an effort to get to know your peers and professors.” What are you looking forward to after graduation: “I am excited to put my education to use and live in a big city.” What was the most meaningful class you took at BYU? “Student Development 317. The sole purpose of this class was to prepare me for the workforce. I learned how to perfect my resume, apply for jobs, and write a cover letter. It was definitely a class that prepared me for graduation.” Movie title for your life: “‘Confessions of a Teenage (College) Drama Queen.’ I am a very dramatic but passionate person.” If you could have a toy designed after you: “A Kate Spade-fidget spinner. I love fashion and I can’t sit still.” How did your professors impact your education? “In some way or another, every professor I had impacted my education. I am a very hands on student so I feel like I had a lot of interaction with many professors. The professors that impacted my education the most were: Joel Campbell (Journalism), Quint Randle (Journalism), Kevin Kelly (New York Internship), and Christina Johnson (Print Publishing).”

Newspapers have shifted from strongly favoring Republican candidates in the 1950s to dividing their editorial endorsements almost equally In the 1948 U.S. presidential election, republican presidential candidate and Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey was heavily favored and endorsed by more than 80 percent of America’s newspapers. Journalists at the Chicago Tribune were so sure of Dewey’s win that the newspaper printed its morning edition early with the now infamous headline “Dewey Defeats Truman.” What was predicted to be an easy win for Dewey is now considered to be the greatest election upset in American history as presidential incumbent Harry S. Truman swept the polls. It’s scenarios like the 1948 presidential election that have Journalism Professor Joel Campbell taking a closer look at the effectiveness of editorial endorsements of presidential candidates. “It’s difficult to say if there is any strong correlation between endorsements and how people vote,” Campbell said. “But more often than not, presidential candidates with the largest percentage of newspaper endorsements have won since 1940, the notable exceptions being Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.” According to Campbell’s research published in The 21st Century Voter: Who Votes, How they Vote, and Why They Vote, there was a substantial shift in how the news media endorsed candidates throughout the last 50 years: Newspapers have shifted from strongly favoring Republican candidates in the 1940s and 1950s to dividing their editorial endorsements almost equally between the two major parties. Democratic candidates are about 10 percent more likely to receive an endorsement than Republican candidates six decades earlier. Incumbents today receive an editorial endorsement about 90 percent of the time, up from 60 percent of the time in the 1940s. In the 2012 presidential election, 77 of the top 100 U.S. newspapers endorsed candidates: 41 papers endorsed President Barack Obama, 35 endorsed GOP candidate Mitt Romney and a single paper registered a split decision. Another 23 papers did not endorse any candidates, including the two largest newspapers, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Even though the candidate with the most endorsements has traditionally won the election, Campbell predicts that editorial endorsements won’t make any difference this fall. “In this year's election there is so much information available on so many platforms, any media endorsement is likely to be drowned out by the din of voices,” Campbell said. “In the era of social media, the endorsement of those within one's circle of friends is likely to carry much more weight than that of a news organization.” It’s not just the endorsement and election result relationship that interests Campbell, but also the ethical practice of news media favoring a candidate. As a professor, Campbell teaches his students that journalists are supposed to be objective observers, but the long-standing tradition of editorial endorsements often gets in the way. The Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee encourages editorial pages to promote thoughtful debate and let readers know through endorsements which candidates share the newspaper’s vision, while also taking every opportunity to explain the firewall between news and opinion. But in an era of social media and frequently blurred lines between news and opinion, Campbell urges his fellow journalists to be more careful. “Most people say ‘journalism ethics’ is an oxymoron,” Campbell said. “The distrust of the media and the feeling of bias in the media is greater than ever. Newspapers and news media endorsing candidates probably feeds into that.” The College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences and the Office of Civic Engagement Leadership are partnering with Turbovote to facilitate online voter registration. If you are not registered tovote, but are eligible, or if you wish to obtain an absentee ballot, please visit the booths in and around the Wilkinson Student Center during the week of September 26 to register to vote or to get an absentee ballot. September 26, 2016 | Natalie Tripp

Like her fellow BYU journalism majors, Jane Clayson Johnson brought to her career not only her strong natural abilities, but also the values of BYU. She says she always considered herself a representative of BYU and the Church.