Former Crimson White Editor Gives Advice That’s Golden To Alabama Students

Any public relations or journalism student at the University of Alabama who missed this year’s John Koten Lecture on February 9 missed a chance to gain some career-setting advice.

Ellen East

In her address last Thursday, Ellen East, executive vice president and chief communications officer for Time Warner Cable, posed the question “Is this the Golden Age of Public Relations.”

No surprise– her answer is a resounding “YES”. But,  not necessarily because she’s in love with public relations.

“I never really wanted to a be PR person,” said East, who spent a decade at daily newspaper after majoring in journalism here at the University during a tumultuous time.

A Journalist At Heart

East was editor of The Crimson White in 1983 when our beloved former head football coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant died of a heart attack.

She recalled responding to that crisis as a journalist at UA’s student daily, just as she’s responding to crises today managing the image of one of the nation’s leading providers of video, high-speed data and voice services in the United States, Time Warner Cable.

Social media weren’t around in 1983 when Bryant died.

Today, East says, they’re the “predominant form of social discourse” and have placed “local publishing power in every person’s pocket.”

It’s hard to deny East’s Five Reasons for the Golden Age of Public Relations:

• A Trust Deficit
• Social Media as the Number-one Activity Online
• Employees as Ambassador of the Brand
• Increasing Social Consciousness  and expectations companies will do the right thing
• Movement from Mass Communications to “Me” Communications

But, these five reasons of which any journalist or mass communicator looking to break into our field needs to be aware, were just a starting point for East

Golden Nuggets of Advice

Students attending Thursday’s lecture also got a chance ask about her career path.  Her answers provided a road map who any serious mass communication student.

“I don’t hire anyone who hasn’t interned somewhere,” East said, stressing the importance of practical experience over even a graduate degree for someone wanting to break into mass media field.

As for her journalism background–

“It’s all about writing skill,” she said. “If you’re not a strong writer,” it’s going to be a struggle for you.

And, in case any student was wondering about that foreign language requirement–

“If you’re bilingual, you’re gold,” East said.

The 15th John Koten Distinguished Lecture was sponsored by the Betsy Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, one of the reasons the University of Alabama has consistently been ranked among the top three PR programs in the nation.

Birmingham News Interactive Leader Shares Wisdom with UA Students

Birmingham News Interactive Director Staci Brown Brooks addressed students Wednesday night at the Capstone Association of Black Journalists Meeting at University of Alabama.

She  may have been at The Birmingham News for nine years, but not until tonight has University of Alabama alumna Staci Brown Brooks been in the position to return to her alma with the stature of one who’s on the cutting edge of multimedia journalism at Alabama’s largest news operation.

As director of interactive content for what has historically been Alabama’s largest newspaper (recently multimedia organization), Brooks is now carrying a cross-platform message about meeting readers of The Birmingham News wherever they are giving them their news whenever and in whatever format they want it. 

Like no other year, 2011 has been one where The Birmingham News has been viewed/consumed in more platforms and formats than ever before, the latest of which is a successful iPad app commemorating Auburn University’s national championship.

Brooks carried around her MacBook Pro, an iPhone and an iPad as she visited UA students in classes this afternoon and gave a talk tonight to the Capstone Association of Black Journalists.

Her visit to the same campus where she studied journalism back in the 1990s, comes just four month after The Birmingham News launched its “This is Our Story” marketing blitz.

Tonight she told that story to a multicultural crowd of students attending an organizational meeting for the University’s affiliated of the National Association of Black Journalists.  Students in journalism, public relations, advertising and other areas of communication listened closely as she talked about some of the News’ latest digital successes. 

Staci Brown Brooks (Center) paused for a quick group photo with Capstone Association of Black Journalists leaders. They are Caryl Cooper (adviser),Amber (President), Amethyst Holmes (Vice President), and Jasmine Williams.

As a 1998-99 Chips Quinn Scholar, Brooks is one many journalists of color who are setting the standard, often as trailblazers in their roles in the nation’s newsrooms, for excellence in our profession. 

These days instead of just reporting or working on the copy desk, Brooks is spending her working hours developing concepts for iPad apps and ways to capitalize on traffic on the al.com Web site, which is The Birmingham News home on the Web.

Clay Duda to Pay His SPJ ACTIVITY “Dues” Today In Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM– After a dizzying two days of travel in Northeast Ohio, we’re back near home base in Birmingham where later this morning we’ll get to hear self-proclaimed “Social Media Consultant” Clay Duda do his thing.

This baby-faced kid is Clay Duda. He's an Atlanta-based social media consultant who will be speaking today in Birmingham. Hopefully we'll get a 2011 image of him today.

The Atlanta-based journalist and photographer is one of the headliners at the Society of Professional Journalists Southeastern Regional Conference, which is taking place on our sister campus, the University of Alabama at Birmingham this weekend.

(I missed the first day due to my travels in Kent, Ohio)

“I’m an embarassingly inactive member of the Society of Professional Journalists,” Duda said in a posting on his blog last month.

Well, today Duda gets to INCREASE his SPJ activity quotient and pay his dues, so to speak by giving a session on how journalists are using social media at smaller and emerging publications.

He’s the pre-lunch speaker this morning and then will re-appear on a social media and ethics panel with my colleague Chris Roberts later this afternoon.

Should be a great day as we get started here in the “Magic City” in about 90 minutes.

Using Helen Thomas incident as journalism teaching tool?

Today in my Journalistic Principles class I am planning to revisit one of the most challenging and distasteful experiences I have had as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists National Board.  Nearly two months ago, the SPJ National Board voted to retire an award named for Veteran White House Correspondent Helen Thomas.

This decision to no longer give The Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award came not without much angst and discussion, first among our Executive Committee and then with the full board.  It was a perfect case of how we must reflect the part of our SPJ Ethics Code which says journalists must MINIMIZE HARM even as we protect the right of an individual to practice the First Amendment.

Thomas  commented to a rabbi on video that Jews in Palestine should “go home.” She drew widespread criticism after the video was posted online, and she later resigned her job as a Hearst Newspapers columnist. The SPJ’s executive committee considered removing Thomas’ name during a July 2010 meeting but did not, noting it was a one-time, spontaneous remark for which she apologized.

In December, Thomas reiterated her previous comments before a speech in Dearborn, Mich., the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News reported. The News quoted her at the time as saying, “Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. No question.”

The practical issue for the Board was related to the controversy’s impact on the award and the future recipients.   At the same time, we wanted to vehemently protect one’s First Amendment rights, even when speech is controversial.

Today’s class is focused on the link between Journalism and what’s legal and ethical.  The Helen Thomas case provides an opportunity to show how Thomas practiced what is legal in exercising her First Amendment Rights.  But, we believe she stumbled ethically in more than one instance where she made offensive comments that don’t suggest she is minimizing harm when covering certain communities.  Of course, we did not as a national board evaluate her reporting.

Furthermore,  another core principle of our Society of Professional Journalists is DIVERSITY.

Thomas’ comments also do not suggest the level of sensitivity that we as journalists should have when covering communities of people from various backgrounds.

So, on a number of levels, there are opportunities to expose a real-life CASE STUDY for students of journalism to learn what’s legal and what’s ethical, while also addressing matters of diversity.

It should be an interesting lesson.   And, I only have about 30 minutes to deliver it today.   We’ll see how it goes.

Front-row seat for Friedman’s Alabama visit leaves one in deep thought

Would you drive three hours to just  to see a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist?

That’s apparently what one couple did in order to attend tonight’s 7 p.m. lecture by New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman here at the University of Alabama’s Sellers Auditorium.

It was his second public event of the day as he spent time answering students’ questions in a student-only forum earlier this afternoon.

A handful of students came out tonight.  But, it was the folks off-campus, faculty and host of UA administrators who nearly filled the largest venue in the Bryant Conference Center.

I was pleased to be on the front row as Friedman laid out the major tenets of his latest book, Hot, Flat and Crowded.

I had not read the book.  So I found the presentation somewhat interesting, but not nearly as intriguing as his responses to some of the questions from those in the audience.

A Call to Students

One student asked Friedman what they could do to “redefine green”

“The idea you don’t have a single solar-panel roof on this campus is a travesty,” Friedman said.

He also challenged students to launch some type of intra-campus competition to conserve electricity.

Finally, he suggested students get politically involved.

“Get off of Facebook and into somebody’s face,” Friedman said. “Your world may be digitial but politics is still analog.”

A Call to America

Another attendee tonight queried Friedman about ways to build consensus on some of the issues he raised.

“I really think we need a serious third party, ” Friedman said as he described what he thinks America needs is  a “shock to the system.”

Friedman was not really impressed with the Tea Party, which he called the “Tea Kettle Party” because he perceived the loose confederation of groups as “letting off steam, but without an engine to take us anyplace.”

Five Reasons You SHOULD Care If President Obama Goes To Church

How interesting on a Sunday when I was not able to attend church, the President of United States does.

It’s a “Trending Topic” on the Web this Sunday– President Obama attends church publicly.

Was it just PR?   Or, did the President wake up this morning and decide he needed to have a spiritual encounter today?  Well only Mr. Obama, or perhaps his press secretary, could answer that.   (I’m sure someone will ask it about it at Monday’s White House briefing)

Back when I worked as television news producer in 1990s,  there was the video that the White House press corps would shoot and uplink via satellite news feed to all the local stations of “Presidential Arrivals” and “Presidential Departures” for church.

At the time, it was former Presidents Bill Clinton and his family who were going and coming from church.

When I was assembling early morning news on Sundays (and some Mondays), we would have those pieces for “fresh video” of the leader of the free world to use in our newscasts.

Some might ask– SO WHAT– WHY SHOULD WE CARE if President Obama Goes To Church?   Does This Prove He’s Not Muslim?

The question is much broader than that.   Besides the obvious reason that it’s newsworthy that President Obama attended church publicly for the first time in six months, there are FIVE REASONS why WE SHOULD CARE If President Obama Goes To Church.

I’m not talking about him going to church to make a speech or do something “presidential.”  I’m talking about President Obama, the man of faith (that I personally believe he is) sitting in the pew to receive what the man or woman of God in the pulpit has to say to him and other parishioners or members gathered.

We should care about that.. and HERE’s WHY:

1.  We should know how much faith plays into the thinking of our elected officials

It would be irresponsible for us journalists not to take note of this trend and draw a connection between the incident and the political polls that reflect voter unclarity about the President’s faith.    Still more important,  it’s how much faith plays into the thinking of those who we elect.

I tend to agree with Damon Linker, who wrote in today’ Washington Post about a “Religious Test Political Candidates Should Take.”

“Depending on where believers come down on such issues, their faith may or may not clash with the requirements of democratic politics,” Linker said. ” To help us make that determination, all candidates for high office should have to take the religious test.”

As the saying goes, “Actions Speak Louder.”

President Obama has set up an Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and appointed 26-year-old Pentecostal pastor Joshua DuBois as what TIME  Magazine “Pastor-in-Chief” to head that office.

DuBois served as director of religious affairs for Obama’s Presidential campaign.  The Boston Globe did an interesting profile on DuBois.

This interest in faith-based initiatives extends beyond our U.S. borders.

Earlier this year, the White House sent its deputy director Mara Vanderslice to participate in a half-day conference on “Engaging Religious Communities Abroad.”

2. President Obama’s church affiliation is NEWS.  It’s that simple.

I recall weeks before his inauguration, there was a lot of speculation about which church President Obama would make his new church home.  (Seems like THAT should have quelled the rumors about his spiritual background)

He is said to have visited more than one church, including my own DC church, Metropolitan Baptist Church in NW Washington.  ( As a Baptist believer, I was an active member of Metropolitan while a student at Howard University in early 90s)

Down the street from Metropolitan’s former R Street location, at Vermont Avenue Baptist Church, President Obama  made a passionate address earlier this year around the holiday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

But, to my knowledge, he’s not a member of either congregation.    His membership in Trinity United Church of Christ back in Chicago would lead one to believe he might choose a unit of that denomination in Washington, DC area.

When and if a decision is made, it will be MAJOR news.     That’s just a fact and I think we should embrace this step that the President may take in spite all of all the questions about his faith.

3. It’s not about whether or not he’s Muslim.

Some would shine the focus on the naysayers or critics who want to make President Obama a Muslim simply because of the way his name sounds on where he grew up or his family background.

But, let’s advance our understanding from a media standpoint beyond that.

Moreover, understand how important it is for the President of the United States to celebrate those of all religions.

As was the case with a recent celebration of Ramadan at the White House, religious celebrations create an opportunity for the President of the United States to go “ON THE RECORD” on issues of religious freedom.

The President’s remarks made a lot of news (some reports of which were terribly misleading) and reminded us of how statements at such celebrations can create national debates, discussions and dialogues.

4.It’s good to know how much the President is or is not like the rest of us.

Like or it or not, we all like to have elected officials who are like us.  The latest data from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life show 78 percent of Americans are classified as Christian. Only 16 percent of the 35,000 Americans interviewed for U.S. Religious Landscape survey were called as having “no religion.”

I would say this underscores that we are still “One Nation Under God” even if we also have a right to freedom of religion.

It’s good for us as American to know the President falls in that same “nation under God” based on his own personal choices of worship and congregational affiliation.

5. I want to know where my president is on Sunday morning

If all the aforementioned reasons aren’t good enough, there’s the matter of as a citizen, I just want to know what the President does on Sunday morning if he’s not traveling out of the country or doing something “presidential.”

When you’re a public official, it goes with the territory.

So, I would tell the White House Press Corp. — GET READY to shoot a lot more Obama Sunday Church Arrivals and Departures.    I have a feeling we may be seeing a lot more of what we saw today.

When we see those pictures again, we shouldn’t be shocked.

NPR’s Debbie Elliott Prepares for Lights, Camera At Alabama Debate Tonight

NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott spoke to broadcast news students Thursday hours before she is set to moderate the first debate between Alabama's two gubernatorial candidates.

Hours before she is set to query the two men who want to be Alabama’s next governor, Debbie Elliott stopped by one University of Alabama class to give students some pointers  on how to query elected officials.

“Don’t ever be intimidated because they’re just people,” she said.

While she encouraged the students not to be intimidated by the politicians, she admitted she is not used to the lights and cameras that will be pointed at her tonight as the Alabama and nation watches the first gubernatorial debate featuring Republican Robert Bentley and Democrat Ron Sparks.

The debate to be held at University of Alabama’s Moody Music Building,  will be televised live on Alabama Public Television and Alabama Public Radio. C-SPAN will also pick up the live feed and share it with viewers around the nation.

“I don’t do television. So it should be very interesting,” said Elliott, who arrived back in Tuscaloosa last night.  Now an NPR National correspondent based in South Alabama, Elliott was the news director at Alabama Public Radio.

Even as she’s produced numerous stories about the Gulf Oil spill and other events in Alabama,  the former anchor of NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered is looking forward to tonight’s event.

“It will be good to get them on the record on the issues,” she said.

Getting lawmakers on the record is what Elliott does best.    Before moving back to Alabama, she covered Capitol Hill for NPR.

Her alma mater included a short feature about her experience covering politics on the debate web site.

She covered the Alabama legislature right out of college.

Tonight’s debate is the first of two such meetings of the men who want to succeed Bob Riley in the governor’s mansion. The second debate will be at 7 p.m., Oct. 19 at Auburn University.  At both schools, the student government associations have taken the lead in gathering questions and organizing the events along with the League of Women Voters of Alabama.