8
ARTS
&
BY VICTORIA DURLING
EDITO R-IN-CHIEF
The window next to me smelt vaguely of spoiled
milk as I stared across the tarmac at the landscape.
The mountains lay far away, though cloaked with
Oregon’ s signature pine trees, they seemed to
smoothly undulate above me. Soon, I’d be higher
still than them, crossing the country in a mere six-
an d -a-h alf hours to arrive at an event I’d waited
patiently for for a year. I could hardly wait to see
New York City.
Finally, the National College Media Convention
was here and we, like small fish, were hooked to an
invisible line that dragged us swiftly and roughly
into an unknown world of skyscrapers, taxis and
glittering lights. Finally it was my turn to visit the
media capital of the world.
Days in advance^ eight students from The
Clackamas Print downloaded the conference app
on our phones, which scheduled and spelled out
the next three days for us all. Eagerly we’d rubbed
shoulders comparing and contrasting schedules so
we could all attend as many seminars as we could -
sometimes begging a friend to take extra-detailed
notes to share, because one time slot held the best
presentations.
The College Media Association conference is
a yearly event that puts student journalists and
publications in front of some of the industry’s more
successful professionals. In addition to dozens
of sm all sessions about w orking in the media
business, this year’s conference hosted two keynote
discussion panels: the first with four staffers form
the Vice media group and the second with Richard
Clackamas Print
Leibner, a man that works with and for some of the
people we, as young professionals, aspire to be.
Here, we had three days to ask questions, gain
insight from people who will hopefully someday
hire us to write, design, and advertise for them, as
well as learn how to be the best writers, designers,
editors, and bosses we can be.
With a docket o f more than 80 sessions per day,
students and advisers alike filed into ballrooms to
attend talks ranging from the more serious “ 9/11
Then and Now: Journalism from that Sem inal
Event,” and “ Covering #MeToo,” to “ Comedy in
Politics,” and “ SEO When You’re SO L.”
Though some talks were more light-hearted
than others, the entire reason for these sessions
is to enhance and inspire the next generation of
reporters to cover what they’re passionate about,
as well as equip them with the necessary tools to
survive and thrive in the media.
As print journalism has changed with the addition
of digital news platforms such as Flipboard, Apple
News and Snapchat Discover; sessions are offered to
help students and advisers keep up with the digital
revolution as well as create a compelling online
presence while maintaining their print publication.
Valuable information such as creating professional
social media channels, designing personal websites,
branding, and online networking was also offered
in many sessions. Classes ranged from crash course
style beginners courses in using social media
channels responsibly and professionally to offering
tips and tricks for established brands to more easily
and effectively reach their audience.
Though digital professionalism courses, writing
improvement and photography composition courses
abounded, more niche courses focusing on ethics
and laws in the newsroom, gender and sexuality in
the workplace, and race and ethnicity.
Sponsors including specialized journalism
schools, media groups and even the Dow Jones
News Fund support these groups to preserve the art
of storytelling, the importance of unbiased news,
and empower rising journalists to hold themselves
to higher standards of ethical responsibility than
even some major news and entertainment outlets
do today.
Launchpad events such as the CMA conference
and the ACP conference The Print attended last
year are invaluable and integrally important to
building a rapport with media professionals and
networking w ith other students and advisors.
Events like these inspire us all to collectively push
ourselves as journalists to a higher standard of
truth, while rebuilding the trust of our readers
in media, showcasing what we can do to produce
to bring our readers the highest quality content
possible.
These conferences exist as a. gateway into
the industry for newbies and kindling for thèse
established already, feeding the fire that lights the
way toward truth and justice in journalism, that
that ties the hearts of journalists together.
thedatkai