Dear CSM and MAC Members:
I am a member of the COMSHER Division. The division has asked and received
answers regarding the process for AEJMC issuing public statements. I
thought some of you might have the same questions since this is a new
process for AEJMC (just approved last summer). This is to refresh
everyone's memories about the new process.
Please see statement below and give me your feedback on the AEJMC draft
statement.
Thanks,
Linda Florence Callahan
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 4:31 PM
This is the statement Amanda Hinnant wrote to COMSHER members:
I now have answers to questions (from Kathy Bradshaw in consultation with
Lillie Fears and Jan Slater) that we posed earlier in the day, though new
ones have emerged since then.
Here is how the process currently works for AEJMC to issue a statement on a
topic:
The president of AEJMC, in consultation with the head, vice-head, and one
member of the Standing Committee on PF&R make a decision about whether or
not the organization might make a statement on a topic. (In this particular
instance, the head of PF&R has excused herself.) Suggestions for a topic
could come from anywhere and be about anything. After the above named group
decide on a topic and a statement, that statement is sent to the PF&R chairs
of the AEJMC programming units (divisions, interest groups and other units).
The PF&R chairs have the responsibility of responding to the statement, and
we assume that the consultation process will be different for different
units.
Anyone can request that the president of AEJMC issues a statement on any
topic. That request then would go through the same process.
Kathy Bradshaw, Jan Slater, and Lillie Fears all agreed on the statement as
written.
Also, Kathy reports they have received "strong support from about 10
responding AEJMC units. One person asked for additional information and I
sent them to the CU website. Not one unit has yet opposed AEJMC issuing a
statement of support for journalism education and CU's Journalism and Mass
Comm School."
I continue to welcome your thoughtful feedback, and I'll draft a response to
the statement tomorrow evening.
Best,
Amanda
Amanda Hinnant, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Missouri School of Journalism
210 Lee Hills Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
573.882.7980
[log in to unmask]
On 12/1/10 12:57 PM, "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
Thanks, Amanda -
Many major journalism programs around the country have been discontinued or
combined with others over the past decade or two, including my own at TAMU,
the program where I got my PhD at U of Wash (combined with speech), Ohio
State, etc. (Many others exist and even thrive as programs or departments
within larger communication colleges, e.g., at Michigan State.) While this
is certainly regrettable in many cases, I am still not entirely comfortable
with signing off on a statement that singles one program out, as implied by
the word "outstanding," especially without knowing more. The articles you
sent present a picture of a small program that cannot support both
undergraduate professional teaching and a robust research culture. Perhaps a
new configuration could conceivably make this easier?
It is true that at TAMU, we were promised that just such a new configuration
allowing for journalism education to continue would be created, and for the
most part that simply never happened. And, of course, I don't know the
entire "inside story" here. But I am still a bit reluctant. If you hear from
others supporting this letter, then by all means go ahead - perhaps
reporting that our opinions were "mixed," but I leave that judgement up to
you. Another option would be to recommend including a strongly worded
statement that if such a move simply must made, AEJMC would urge the
university and its faculty to find a way to continue journalism education at
Colorado in a new academic "home."
S
Susanna Priest, Ph.D.
School of Environmental and Public Affairs
Editor, Science Communication
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Box 454030
4505 S Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89154-4030
702 895 5146
[log in to unmask]
"If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem."
-----"Hinnant, Amanda L." <[log in to unmask]> wrote: -----
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>, "Communicating
Science, Health, Environment & Risk" <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Hinnant, Amanda L." <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 12/01/2010 10:22AM
Subject: Re: Issues Re: FW: ACTION NEEDED NOW _AEJMC_statement_RE_Colorado
Susanna,
Thanks for the response. A Program Discontinuance Committee at CU has
recommended that the school be discontinued. Below are a couple of stories
about this recent report:
http://www.collegian.com/index.php/article/2010/11/111810_cujourno
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cu-independent/discontinuance-committee_b_7849
70.html
I'll email to find out more about the procedures and criteria for issuing
this kind of statement of support. In the meantime, more feedback is
welcome.
Best,
Amanda
Amanda Hinnant, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Missouri School of Journalism
210 Lee Hills Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
573.882.7980
[log in to unmask]
On 12/1/10 11:55 AM, "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
Amanda, other colleagues:
A response from your resident critic: I find this out-of-the-blue statement
more than a bit odd and - absent information on the circumstances - I don't
support it. Why is it needed? Did I miss something? Is someone trying to
shut the program down? And are we all equally eligible to get such a
statement from AEJMC? If not, what criteria determine this? If we are, what
meaning does such a statement actually have?? If AEJMC considers Colorado's
program "outstanding, innovative and creative," in other words, how exactly
was that determined (and by whom)?
If AEJMC routinely writes such statements supporting any and all journalism
programs in the country on request, then I'd like this verified. But the
language here seems to imply much more than general support for maintaining
journalism programs. Surely there is some program somewhere that might not
deserve such a letter, so how is this decision to be made in particular
cases? If there is a budget-based move to reorganize or eliminate this
program, they probably won't be the only one facing this kind of challenge.
If Colorado is not in trouble, then I'm further bewildered by this request.
Sorry to be difficult, but I would need a lot more context (including
answers to the above questions) to approve this idea. I would probably
support a more generally worded letter about the importance of journalism
education, but not one that singles out this or any specific program as
"outstanding" without some kind of process for determining that.
SP
Susanna Priest, Ph.D.
School of Environmental and Public Affairs
Editor, Science Communication
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Box 454030
4505 S Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89154-4030
702 895 5146
[log in to unmask]
"If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem."
-----"Communicating Science, Health, Environment & Risk"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote: -----
To: [log in to unmask]
From: "Hinnant, Amanda L." <[log in to unmask]>
Sent by: "Communicating Science, Health, Environment & Risk"
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: 12/01/2010 07:27AM
Subject: FW: ACTION NEEDED NOW _AEJMC_statement_RE_Colorado
Dear ComSHER members,
Please see the attached statement that addresses AEJMC support for CU's
program in journalism and mass communication.
If you think that ComSHER should comment on this statement as a division, or
if you think the statement is unacceptable, please let me know by 5 pm this
Thursday.
Many thanks,
Amanda, PF&R chair
Amanda Hinnant, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Missouri School of Journalism
210 Lee Hills Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
573.882.7980
[log in to unmask]
------ Forwarded Message
From: Kathy Bradshaw <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:56:20 -0600
To: <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>,
<[log in to unmask]>, Amanda Hinnant <[log in to unmask]>,
<[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>,
<[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>,
<[log in to unmask]>
Cc: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: ACTION NEEDED NOW _AEJMC_statement_RE_Colorado
We are asking for your reply this week!
AEJMC is considering issuing the attached statement. You are receiving this
copy because president Jan Slater would like your input as the PF&R chair
for an AEJMC unit. It is also being sent to your chair, but we need to hear
from you.
When you decide if your group would like to comment, let us know.
Your reply will go to me (vice-head of the Standing Committee on PR&R) and
Lillie Fears (member of the Standing Committee on PF&R) and we will report
to AEJMC president Jan Slater.
Please let us know
..reply with your comment or reply with no comment, statement is acceptable.
Thanks for your help,
Kathy
Katherine A. Bradshaw
Associate Professor
Department of Journalism and Public Relations
School of Media and Communications
302 West Hall
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
419-372-2542 office
------ End of Forwarded Message
[attachment "DRAFT_AEJMC_Statement_RE_ColoradoSJMC.doc" removed by Susanna
Priest/UNLV]
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