February 26, 2019
Media Advisory – Southern Illinois School Press Association Conference
Approximately 300 high school journalism and multimedia students from throughout the region will be at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Wednesday as the School of Journalism hosts the 68th annual Southern Illinois School Press Association Winter Conference.
All of the ceremonies, on-site contests and sessions will be in the Student Center. There will be an opportunity for students to visit the converged River Region television and Daily Egyptian newsroom in the Communications Building.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The closing assembly and awards presentations are from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m. in Ballroom D.
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover activities throughout the day.
The opening ceremony is at 9 a.m. in Ballroom D and will feature Cara R. Anthony, a journalist and digital subscriptions specialist with the Belleville News-Democrat, with the keynote address. Her February 2018 newspaper documentary, “Then I Knew,” earned a 2018 Mid-America regional Emmy short-format program nomination. Anthony’s experience includes working at The Indianapolis Star and The Frederick News-Post in Frederick, Maryland.
School of Journalism instructors, including professors William Babcock, Bill Freivogel and Scott McClurg, along with SIU students Patrick Codo, Tamar Mosby, and Brian Munoz, are among those involved in eight workshops.
The School of Journalism is organizing 14 contests for students and their respective high school yearbook editorial teams. The students will participate in various journalism and advertising-related contests, giving them the opportunity to put their writing and creative skills to the test and get a boost into the multimedia profession. The sessions for students not involved in contests include media ethics and law, yearbook design skills, capturing moments in photojournalism and finding your best sports photos. The contests and sessions run from 9:40 to 11 a.m.
Cathy Wall, who teaches English and journalism at Harrisburg High School and serves as SISPA director, along with high school students, will also be available for interviews.
For more information about the conference, contact Wall at cwall@harrisburg3.org, McClurg at mcclurg@siu.edu or Bill Recktenwald, senior lecturer and journalist-in-residence with the School of Journalism, at reckman@aol.com.