Once a journalist

 Connie Chung ('69) serves as master of ceremonies at the dedication of Knight Hall, the new Philip Merrill College of Journalism building at the University of Maryland.

Connie Chung (’69) leads the ceremony dedicating Knight Hall, the new Philip Merrill College of Journalism building at the University of Maryland.

 

What a difference a quarter century makes.

In 1985, I graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism.  I returned to my alma mater last week with my colleague and fellow alum Rosemary (’93) for the dedication of Knight Hall, the new Philip Merrill College of Journalism building.

When we attended the university, the journalism school included public relations as one of the specialty tracks or “sequences” students had to choose in addition to their core journalism major courses.  But first and foremost, we were taught to be journalists. 

After we graduated, the powers-that-be decided the public relations sequence didn’t belong in the journalism school and moved it out, a highly controversial action that left a bitter taste in many mouths.  For me, the rigorous journalism training I received at UM made me a stronger PR person.

On the day of the new building’s dedication, Rosemary and I listened to presentations by various professors and other speakers.  CNN/US managing editor Jay Kernis (’74) presented The Front Lines of Journalism: Leading or Chasing the Change?  It was fascinating to hear a veteran of such esteemed news organizations as NPR, CBS and now CNN take us through one of his typical days in search of the news.

Kernis talked about the role of good journalists in today’s world. He said that no matter what changes, reporting the news will always be about putting a human face and voice to the stories we tell, and making them come alive for the audience.

Reporting the news is important, he said, simply because what happens in the world is important. Good journalists foster a connection to others and to truth by trying to make sense of things together with their audience.  He said it’s a comfort to know “that some of the things that confound, amuse or confuse you has the same effect on others. If we all participate, we’ll get to the truth.  No one is alone.”

I was struck that much of what he said about journalists also applies to public relations professionals.  Maybe the things that really matter haven’t changed much after all.

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