Leadership and digital project management emphasized in journalism industry training program
Recognizing the need for aspiring leaders in the news media, the James M. Cox Jr. Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership at the Grady College has joined with the Poynter Institute to offer a leadership development program for a fourth year.
Fifteen students were selected based on a demonstrated commitment to their professional development through work in student media, internships and other student activities. They are Evelyn Andrews, Gabriel Cavallaro, Erin Cavalli, Grace Donnelly, Jennifer Goldberger, Jamie Han, Macey Kessler, Katie Kraft, Sam Lack, Mariya Lewter, Lauren McDonald, Alison Menhart, Emily Selby, Haylee Silverthorne, and Kalyn Wilson.
“Rapid changes in our news media brought on by digital transformation are creating significant opportunities for Grady students who are finding themselves on the frontlines of leadership earlier and earlier in their careers,” said Keith Herndon, a visiting professor of journalism at the Grady College who is directing the program. “This program introduces students to the fundamentals of leadership and emphasizes best practices for digital project management. They are more prepared to accept the responsibilities contemporary newsrooms expect of them.”
These students complete 12 lessons over a six-week period, including six live workshops at Grady and six online webinars offered by Poynter's News University, Poynter’s highly successful e-learning platform.
“I think it's especially important to have leaders at news organizations today who can confidently make decisions and hold themselves and others accountable to core journalistic values,” said Grace Donnelly, a magazine journalism senior. “This program has allowed me to learn from industry leaders about difficult situations that my peers and I will have to confront as we move into newsrooms.”
Added Macey Kessler, a digital and broadcast journalism senior: “This program taught me a lot about leadership, but mostly a lot about myself. It was greatly needed and inspiring during the last semester before graduation. I have gained . . . confidence in myself and my abilities as I enter the job force.”
The Cox Poynter Leaders will be recognized for their training in new leadership during a spring leadership banquet on March 3. The keynote speaker will be Michelle LaRoche, development editor at The Wall Street Journal.
About the Cox Institute
The James M. Cox Jr. Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership at the Grady College prepares students and professionals for leadership roles in the news media. By sponsoring intensive training programs and funding applied research, the Cox Institute is at the forefront of addressing the strategic challenges faced by contemporary news organizations. The Cox Institute was established in 1990 by the late Conrad Fink, a legendary journalism professor in the Grady College. It is named for the late James M. Cox Jr., who headed Cox Enterprises and Cox Broadcasting Corporation from 1957 until 1974.
About the Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at conferences and organizational sites around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, www.newsu.org, offers the world’s largest online journalism curriculum in 7 languages, with more than 400 interactive courses and 330,000 registered users in more than 200 countries. The Institute’s website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world’s top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians and broadcast producers, and to build public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment and protected discourse that serves democracy and the public good.
Author: Stephanie Moreno, s.moreno@uga.edu
Contact: Keith Herndon, klhern@uga.edu