by Jesica Parsley | Feb 21, 2014 | News Slider
Pulitzer Prize winner and former Newsweek editor-in-chief Jon Meacham sat down with Tom Ingram in the newest installment of the now that you ask… series to discuss his life so far as a journalist, author and historian. The crowd Thursday night totaled to be the largest crowd out of all the people that have had a conversation with Ingram. Meacham told several jokes about why many people would come to hear him, but his real explanation was that people are more interested in his career subject (history) than himself. “I think we are in a golden age of biography, and I think a lot of people are hungry to see what happened in the past and what solutions that might offer, which is why they are interest in what I do,” Meacham said. Meacham went on to talk about why he moved to Nashville, “for the grass and dogs.” After living in New York for 20 years, Meacham and his family decided to make the change when his son told him one Friday afternoon that there was nothing to do. “I’ve spent more time than expected doing the Jackson book here in Nashville,” Meacham said. “We moved a year and half ago and haven’t had a bad day.” Meacham talked about his family background. He came from three generations of layers and grew up listening to politicians’ stories, which sparked his interest in history. Meacham has written five books, with his most recent Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power being named a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. Meacham’s approach to his books is figuring out how to keep his readers interested throughout the book. “The competition for...
by Janice Ng | Jan 22, 2014 | News Slider
WSMV Channel 4 News chief investigative reporter and anchor Jeremy Finley says investigative journalism is outrage. “That’s what investigative journalism is all about,” Finley said at this month’s edition of Media Masters Tuesday evening to a crowd of communication and journalism students at the Ezell Center. “It is outrage on a lot of different platforms,” Finley said. “When I come on the air with a story, that’s what I’m bringing. I’m bringing outrage of some kind.” To Finley, investigative journalism involves digging deeper than just reporting on a story. “I knew what I wanted to do. I didn’t just want to cover, I wanted to uncover. That’s the difference between general assignment and investigative.” Uncover, he did. Over the course of his career, Finley has exposed corruption, crime, how taxpayer dollars are being used, what public officials are doing and many scams that are out in the nation. Finley discussed an unusual case involving prison inmates updating Facebook pages from behind bars. The inmates had smuggled cellphones into their cells, and were using social media to show the public their life behind bars. Finley and his team did an investigative piece on the issue, which led to 15 more investigative stories on the smuggling activities of prison wardens and inmates. The story also led the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate the state prisons. Finley said that although investigative journalism has given him a lot of experience, some of his most memorable experiences came before he stepped into that field. Finley recalled helicopter rides, cave expeditions and covering the Summer Olympics in Greece. Besides investigating, Finley also anchors the...
by Cory Woodroof | Dec 5, 2013 | News Slider
Attendees of the Don R. Elliott Distinguished Presidential Lecture dinner Wednesday night had the chance to hear two of journalism’s most ardent defenders share their thoughts on where the medium is headed. Former New York Times reporter Alex S. Jones, the evening’s keynote speaker, and former Tennessean publisher John Seigenthaler Sr. joined together in a conversation, discussing the digital age of journalism and the place of traditional morals in the new, virtual frontier. The director of the Shorenstien Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Jones shared his thoughts on the shift to speedy publishing in the digital world of journalism, transitioning from a time, as Jones said, where accuracy lorded over the hope to be first to press, and balance was always over edge. He looked back on a time where journalism was regarded by many to be a public service, rooted in ethical practice. Jones noted a publisher’s view of their product being a social responsibility. Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Jones believes the internet age is making a gradual change into placing reader enjoyment at the top of the list of importance. “Now, I believe the core value of the digital world is that you have to be entertaining,” Jones said. “You have to be quick. You have to be entertaining, and you have to grab people quickly, and if only for a short time.” Jones and Seigenthaler also discussed the world of Wikipedia, with Seigenthaler recounting his notorious experience to rid false claims on his own Wikipedia page and the events that followed, including meetings with site...
by Kage Sanderson | Nov 14, 2013 | News Slider
Kelly Dean, a senior journalism/new media major and Lumination contributor, was recently recognized for her time with Country Music Association’s journalism team during last summer’s CMA Fest by receiving the CMA Close Up Award of Merit for Journalism. “I honestly could not believe I won the Award of Merit,” Dean said. “I had to read the email four times before it registered. I thought it had been a mistake, honestly! I never really have had that much confidence in my writing skills, but I know that writing is something I enjoy.” Dean credits working the CMA Fest as something that has helped ignite advancements in her career as a writer. “I have seen major improvement in my writing throughout the past two years,” Dean said. “Especially after working the CMA Fest, because of the real world experience.” Along with receiving the honor, Dean got the chance to assist the CMA Close Up team with their coverage of last week’s 47th Annual CMA Awards. She has been part of the Lipscomb journalism team that won the Southeast Journalism Conference’s Best of the South Awards in 2011 that included third place in “Best Video News” and first place as “Best College TV Station”. Dean has also been a part of numerous other successful journalism projects throughout her college years. “This is the biggest honor I have ever received in my journalism career,” Dean said. “I felt so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the CMA Close Up team to begin with, but to receive this honor was humbling because I was doing what I love in the industry that I absolutely love.” With...
by Janice Ng | Nov 12, 2013 | News Slider
Journalism is a part of everyday life, whether it be a morning read of the newspaper, a lunchtime checking of social media on smartphones or watching videos right before bed. Maria De Varenne, executive editor and vice president of news at The Tennessean, spoke to communication and journalism students about the professional world and the importance of work ethic at the second annual Media Masters event Monday, Nov. 1,1 at the Ezell Center. A longtime print publication, The Tennessean has adapted to the digital age, serving consumers based on when, how and where they want news and information. “While many people think print is dead, we don’t think they’re right,” De Varenne said. “For the past few years, we also deliver our stories, photos and other content on digital platforms. We deliver more local news and information than any other source in the market.” Since several news outlets also deliver news on digital media, what makes The Tennessean stand out? “Watchdog journalism and community leadership,” De Varenne said. “We not only have the area’s largest news staff, but we dedicate the most time, space and attention to local issues.” Watchdog journalism, or investigative journalism, has won The Tennessean several awards in the past. The publication was a Pulitzer finalist for their coverage of the 2010 Nashville flood. With her current success with The Tennessean (over 900,000 weekly readers), it would be almost impossible to believe that De Varenne didn’t initially plan on a career in journalism. “I had a music scholarship in college, and I took art classes,” De Varenne said. “I signed up for an intro to journalism...
