The Lipscomb University Department of Communication and Journalism hosted the inaugural Morality in the Media conference Friday.
The conference consisted of a variety of journalists and speakers who talked about different aspects of the media. From the changing dynamic of the media and its consumers, to sessions about how to cover gun control issues and gay marriage.
Department of Communication Chair Alan Griggs opened up the conference with a welcome to introduce the first speaker Kelly McBride. McBride is the Vice President of Academic Programs at the Poynter Institute. She discussed how the media has changed since the 20th century, and different trends in the media as it relates to consumers.
“Students who are going into journalism, or any other form of communication, need to know that our ethics are changing,” McBride said. “They’re changing because the audience is changing.”
McBride wanted to make it clear that young journalists need to be aware of their surroundings and paying attention to the changes in the world.
“They constantly need to be developing new knowledge about how that audience is changing, and you do that by watching what technologies does the audience adopt,” McBride said. “In addition to all the knowledge you gained in your studies, you have to be adept enough at looking at what the audience is doing, how they’re doing it, particularly around technology.”
Following McBride’s speech, there was a panel of guests who discussed the way the media covers controversial issues. The first issue was gun control. The speakers were: retired editorial page editor for The Tennessean Dwight Lewis, WREG-TV news director Bruce Moore, WSMV-TV news reporter Demetria Kalodimos, attorney representing Tennessee Firearms Association John Harris and the chapter leader of Mom’s Demand Action Tennessee Kathleen Chandler.
The talk centered, not around the issue of gun control, but around how the media should deal with it. The speakers spoke mainly to the fact that the media needs to be informed on the laws of gun control in order to properly report on it, and students loved the discussion.
“I liked the gun control topic. I thought they brought some really interesting points,” sophomore Tanner Allen said. “I noticed they brought someone that is for gun control and against gun control, and I thought it would get into a heated debate, but they were calm and just gave their points.”
The next panel brought in guests to discuss the issue of gay marriage. The speakers included the news editor for Tennessee and Kentucky with the Associated Press Brian Murphy, Nashville Scene reporter Steven Hale, writer at Vanderbilt University Heidi Hall, Tennessee Equality Project Executive Director Chris Sanders and Tennessee State Representative Glen Casada.
The panel discussed similar issues regarding the fact that the media needs to be well informed in order to best inform its readers. The panel also urged young journalists to remember to be unbiased when covering issues. The panel disagreed respectfully with one another to give the audience both sides of an issue.
“I really liked the debate on the same sex marriage issue,” sophomore Holli McGehee said. “Just because it’s not too often that you get people with such different viewpoints being very cordial.”
After a break for lunch, keynote speaker Al Tompkins, senior faculty at The Poynter Institute under broadcast and online, spoke to the crowd on different issues, and one specifically about the difference between accuracy and truth in the media as well as critical thinking.
“I think the most important skill for any journalist is the skill of critical thinking, to look beyond the ‘what happened,’” Tompkins said. “I think it’s one of the most important things that we as journalists can ask, I think it’s one of the most important things that the public can ask, and I think oftentimes the public is far smarter than we as journalists give them credit for being. We have to arm them with good information.”
The final speakers of the day, before McBride closed out the conference, involved a panel who discussed all about politics in the media.
WTVF-TV investigative reporter Ben Hall, The Tennessean politics and government editor Scott Stroud, retired state capitol Bureau Chief Tom Humphrey, Dorinda Carter of the Davidson County District Attorney for Glenn Funk, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party Chris Devaney and Democratic Tennessee State Representative Craig Fitzhugh all spoke to the issue.
The conference was organized as a way to help young journalists understand real-world applications of the media.