June 18, 2017

They Hate Us but They Need Us: Journalistic Failure and Redemption in the Era of President Donald Trump 
UMass Journalism faculty members Shaheen Pasha, Kathy Roberts Forde, Razvan Sibii and Rodrigo Zamith spoke about journalism under Donald Trump's presidency February 15. Brian McDermott moderated the panel. Amherst Wire live broadcasted this event on Facebook.

NPR Education Correspondent Eric Westervelt
NPR Education Correspondent Eric Westervelt discussed education policy under the Trump administration with Stephen G. Sireci, professor of educational policy, research and administration and director of the Center for Educational Assessment at UMass, February 17. The event was hosted by NEPR in collaboration with UMass Journalism and the College of Education.

Women in International Journalism
As part of the Howard Ziff Lecture Series, Shaheen Pasha hosted journalists Kiran Nazish and Sulome Anderson February 28. The journalists spoke to about 60 students about the challenges and opportunities facing women in international journalism. This event was co-sponsored with the Communication Department and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies.

"Locked Up, Fighting Back"
Rosie Walunas '11 and Sean Sullivan '10 visited UMass Journalism March 6. Walunas spoke to Steve Fox's Introduction to Multimedia class. Sullivan—who spoke with Karen List's and Razvan Sibii's combined ethics classes—touched on the ethical issues associated with his piece "Locked Up, Fighting Back," which focuses on female inmates accusing a guard of abuse at New Jersey's only women's prison.

Amherst Wire Attends the College Media Association Conference
The editors of our student-run magazine, Amherst Wire, were selected to present a workshop on Facebook Live at the College Media Association conference in New York City in March. Amherst Wire took home the Best Homepage award. UMass Journalism is thankful to B.J. Roche for her service as advisor to Amherst Wire. 

Mongabay
Mongabay.com editors spoke with UMass Journalism students March 23 about covering the environment. Contributing editors Rebecca Kessler and Glenn Scherer, writer-editor Mike Gaworecki and editor and content strategist Erik Hoffner also discussed how they developed their careers and how the media landscape is changing under the Trump administration. Prior to the discussion, Amherst Wire hosted an office chat on Facebook Live with Hoffner.

Take Your Pick: Political Communication or Photojournalis
Alumnus and former UMass Trustee Larry Carpman '75 and Pamela Price visited our department to discuss their career paths and offer advice to students March 27. Price spoke about her photojournalism career, while Carpman discussed his experience working in political communication.

Share the Experience: The Women in Sports Media Symposium
Share the Experience: The Women in Sports Media Symposium took place March 31 and featured women sports journalists and sports media professionals. The one-day symposium opened with keynote speaker Melissa Ludtke, whose 1978 lawsuit (Ludtke v. Kuhn) gave women the right to equal access to player interviews in locker rooms. Other panelists included Christina Daglas, Jena Janovy, Christina Kahrl, Adrienne Matt and Joy Russo. The event was co-sponsored by Women for UMass and the McCormack Department of Sport Management.

Jose Antonio Vargas
Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, filmmaker and immigration rights activist, spoke to UMass Journalism students April 11. Amherst Wire broadcasted the talk on Facebook Live, reaching more than 10,000 people. Razvan Sibii, students Lucy Martirosyan and Carson McGrath, and alum Frank Dutan interviewed Vargas on his experience as an openly undocumented immigrant. In the afternoon, Vargas continued the discussion on immigration as part of the SBS Lecture Series "Social Science Matters: Perspectives on Migration," at the UMass Student Ballroom.

KTA and Scholarship Celebration
UMass Journalism honored the 2017 Kappa Tau Alpha inductees and the journalism scholarship winners at a reception on the final day of classes. KTA is a college honor society that recognizes academic excellence in journalism and mass communication. Congratulations to all of the KTA inductees and journalism scholarship recipients!

Senior Brunch and SBS Senior Celebration
To finish out our great semester, we hosted our annual brunch for graduating seniors and their families, and then we joined the rest of the college at the SBS Senior Celebration. 

Thank you to everyone for another great semester!