by David Roach, posted Monday, October 13, 2008 (15 years ago)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—The pursuit of excellence in Christian journalism was the theme that drew 147 students, faculty and staff to the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Nashville, Tenn., for the eighth annual Baptist Press Collegiate Journalism Conference, Oct. 9-11.
Christian journalists Rudy Kalis, Jim Veneman and Kathy Chapman Sharp delivered addresses on the theme, “Pursue Excellence,” and workshops focused on topics such as news writing, photography, blogging and career advancement.
Crystal Donahue, a student from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, said the conference was a “huge encouragement booster.”
“Sometimes it’s a little hard to go out onto the field,” she said of journalism. “You get disappointed, you get discouraged and you get shot down. But then when you’re here, you’re around professionals who are successful and passing down useful information.” Ryan Puhr, a student from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla., said having professional journalists review his work was a particularly helpful aspect of the weekend.
“The portfolio reviews were really helpful,” he said. “We got a lot of great feedback on our newspaper.”
The conference also featured worship led by Christian recording artists Austins Bridge and a dialogue for faculty members on how student journalists can address adversity on their campuses.
Awards for writing, photography, yearbook, Internet journalism and broadcast journalism were handed out to students in the Excellence in Journalism competition, including the President’s Award, an overall individual honor based on a candidate’s leadership in a school’s journalism program, scholarship across all studies, portfolio of work and a free-form essay about career aspirations and how faith figures in future journalistic plans. Read More
