Manheim-Sterling Prize Winners
January 22nd, 2013

The first annual Manheim-Sterling Undergraduate Research Prizes have been awarded to Sara Snyder and Sarah Ferris.

Sara Snyder (a senior) and Sarah Ferris (a junior).

Snyder, a Political Communication major, will travel to New York City through an alternative spring break program to conduct interviews, film and produce a short video documentary focusing on the lives of homeless LGBTQ youth. Professor Jason Osder will serve as her mentor.

"This is exactly the kind of award that gives me the opportunity to launch right into the media career I've dreamed of," Snyder said. "My film will challenge me in ways I can't really imagine sitting here in January, and I couldn't be more excited about it."

Ferris, a Journalism major, will continue an independent study project overseen by Professor Steven Livingston on how non-state actors use information technologies - like mobile phones - to enable social action. She will go on a trip to Nairobi, Kenya this summer.

"Spending time meeting local partners in Kenya, like Ushahidi and Sisi Ni Amani, will help me understand how these tools can be further developed elsewhere," Ferris said. "What do we need to do to make this work in other parts of the world?"

Through the newly established Manheim-Sterling Awards, Snyder and Ferris will have the funds necessary to produce amazing work that will surely help jumpstart their careers.

Sarah, Sterling and Sara

The award winners meet with Chris Sterling.

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Over $75,000 in Awards Available from SMPA!
March 5th, 2012

It's scholarship and awards time at SMPA! All SMPA students are encouraged to apply for as many of the multiple opportunities listed below as you feel are appropriate.  Many of these awards are worth thousands of dollars!

Here are the details:

Each application should include the following: a transcript (does not have to be official), a letter outlining your accomplishments, professional goals and an explanation as to how you meet the requirements of each award.  Where applicable, please include a portfolio of published journalistic work.  You must provide printouts or a DVD of relevant material -- no online links will be reviewed.

Financial need and diversity matter, but are not essential, for all awards - just explain in your letter why you feel you are the most qualified student to receive it.

Please read the description for each category to decide whether you are eligible:

Essary Journalism Prize: This is a prize honoring the best undergraduate journalism writing and all undergraduates are eligible.  A portfolio of work is obviously essential for this prize.

Larry King: Goes to a junior/rising senior with demonstrated need (students graduating in December 2012 are eligible.)

Sherman Page Allen, and Gridiron: Any male undergraduate student in journalism is eligible to apply.  A portfolio of work is essential for this prize. (This entry was updated to reflect that ALL undergraduate students in journalism is eligible, regardless of gender.)

Eaton Scholarship: This scholarship is available to students in either major, as well as graduate students.

Phillip L. Graham Fund Scholarship for Diversity: Preference will be given to students in either major from underrepresented groups, including, but not limited to, women and individuals of diverse backgrounds.

The Hoberman Prize: This prize recognizes original and meaningful journalism produced by a SMPA undergraduate from either major.  That work can take any form including print, video, audio, photography or a multi-media combination of those elements.  The work can be done through a class, an internship, an extracurricular activity or a job.  A preference will be shown for work that has been published, but class assignments are eligible. ‘Published’ will be interpreted broadly to include such platforms as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio websites, blogs and social media.  The prize will honor reporting that demonstrates depth, originality and a connection to community -- either local or global.

Dorothy and Will Roberts Prize: For graduating seniors, this prize recognizes “academic achievement, community service and professional promise.”

Added on 3/7 -- Freedman Family Annual Scholarship: Anyone who wants to become a professional journalist after graduation is eligible for this scholarship.

The deadline to apply for these scholarships is 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 23, 2012.  Send Professor Steve Roberts, head of the awards committee, your questions by email at sroberts@gwu.edu and drop off your printed application addressed to "Professor Steve Roberts" to the front desk in Room 400 during regular business hours.

Awards will be handed out at SMPA's annual Awards Night: this year it's April 16th. Join us in the lower lobby of the MPA building for refreshments starting at 6:30pm and the awards ceremony will follow! If you know you are attending, you may RSVP here.

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Announcing the Manheim-Sterling Undergraduate Research Fund
February 21st, 2012

The School of Media and Public Affairs recently announced a unique opportunity to support SMPA students and honor two of our legendary faculty members who are retiring this year.

Named for Jarol Manheim, who literally wrote the book on strategic communication and led the development of the political communication major at GW, and Chris Sterling, who with his booming voice and deep research on radio brought media history to life, we have created the Manheim-Sterling Undergraduate Research Fund.

Through this fund, we will award two Manheim-Sterling Undergraduate Research Prizes each year.  One will go to a promising political communication student, the other to a journalism/mass communication major.  The awards will allow these students to collaborate with a faculty member, travel for research or reporting projects, or attend events to present a paper or project.

We hope you will consider this opportunity when making decisions about your philanthropy.

You may make your contribution by clicking here, or you may send a check payable to The George Washington University with “SMPA” in the memo line by mail to:

GW School of Media and Public Affairs
Attention: Laura Frugé
805 21st Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20052

Watch below as one of our fellowship recipients, Hadas Gold, discusses her experiences.

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New Research on NPR and NY Times from Prof. Usher
January 19th, 2012

book jacketProfessor Nikki Usher's research takes her deep inside some of the most important newsrooms in American journalism. Her extensive field research inside both the New York Times and NPR has investigated everything from news gathering to business models, and she has now published two summaries about that work.

As a chapter for the new book Histories of Public Service Broadcasters on the Web, Professor Usher and co-author Patricia Riley wrote "NPR Online: Public Service Communication at the Center of National Public Radio." It looks at the evolution of NPR's digital presence from its basic beginnings to its current, more robust form. Her chapter makes an important point: for broadcast and radio, online innovation is more than just the Web, it's about audio, visual, and multimedia, and in the case of NPR, these things often came ahead of a robust news, music and culture text site.

Separately, part of Professor Usher's New York Times research is summarized in the January 2012 edition Journalism Practice as a paper called "Service Journalism As Community Experience." From the paper's introduction: "This paper looks at service journalism and its evolution as a community platform through blog comments and social media through a case study of two sections of The New York Times’ business section: the personal finance section and the personal technology section. The paper proceeds through a discussion of the importance of networked journalism, and relies on in-depth qualitative interviews with the journalists closest to the decisions being made about how service journalism at the Times becomes a participatory experience for readers.

"The article argues that a Web 2.0 world facilitates a community experience that changes the one-to-many relationship that journalists have with their readers; instead, journalists make decisions about coverage and engage in conversations with readers in response to this new relationship with readers."

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SMPA Undergrads: Apply Now For Free Money!
March 29th, 2011

DEADLINE EXTENTION

NOW DUE APRIL 1st!

You are encouraged to apply for several scholarships and awards that are available this spring. Each application should include the following: a transcript (does not have to be official), a letter outlining your accomplishments, professional goals and an explanation as to how you meet the requirements of each award. Where applicable, please include a portfolio of published journalistic work. You must provide printouts or a DVD of relevant material -- no online links will be reviewed.

We have a fair amount of money to give away so please apply if you think you might qualify. Financial need and diversity matter but are not essential for all awards.

Here are the awards:

Essary Journalism Prize: This is a prize honoring the best undergraduate journalism writing and all undergraduates are eligible. A portfolio of work is obviously essential for this prize.

The following awards are available to students who are not graduating seniors:

Larry King: Goes to a junior/rising senior with demonstrated need (students graduating in December 2011 are eligible.) 

Sherman Page Allen, and Gridiron support scholarships in the field of journalism: A portfolio of work is essential for this prize.

Eaton Scholarship: This scholarship is available to students in either major.

Phillip L. Graham Fund Scholarship for Diversity: Preference will be given to students in either major from underrepresented groups, including but not limited to women and individuals of diverse backgrounds.

The deadline for applying is APRIL 1st. Send your applications or questions to Prof. Steve Roberts, the head of the awards committee, or drop off your printed application addressed to "Professor Steve Roberts" to the front desk in Room 400.

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How do mobile technologies influence African nations?
February 18th, 2011

As part of his sabbatical last school year, SMPA’s Professor Steven Livingston did extensive field work in several African countries to look at the emerging collective action and governance initiatives that are now possible with the new availability of mobile telephony in remote regions.  

In January, he published the fruits of his labors with the African Center for Strategic Studies: an extensive monograph called “Africa’s Emerging Infosystems: A Pathway to Security and Development” that has the development community abuzz. In the paper, he argues that security and development initiatives in Africa have been affected by remarkable changes in the information environment and he also explores how such technologies impact the lives of urban citizens and remote villagers alike.

Professor Livingston has been actively giving media interviews related to his research as well as talks at the U.S. Institute of Peace and his free and open to the public World Bank appearance upcoming on Tuesday, February 22.  Anyone interested in the event is welcome to RSVP.

 Upcoming for Professor Livingston is a post overseas at the Freie Universitat in Berlin. More on that soon!

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Fellows Henry and Lockhart Begin Teaching
January 16th, 2011

What more could SMPA students ask for?

Standing side-by-side in one of SMPA’s classrooms last week were CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry and former Clinton White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart talking about whether President Barack Obama gave the right kind of speech to console the nation in the wake of the tragic shooting in Tucson.

And of course, the conversation also led to speculation over what kind of press secretary the President should appoint to replace the departing Robert Gibbs at the White House podium.

Lockhart, Henry and Assistant Professor Michael Shanahan have come together to teach SMPA 3195 “Across the Podium,” a course that will offer students unusually candid insights into how presidents do their best to communicate to their political advantage with the American people and how the White House press corps interprets and reports what the U.S. President and his staff actually say and do.

"What people need to understand is that the only a tiny percentage of the White House Press Secretary's job involves the daily briefing," Lockhart told  the students, equally divided between eight journalism and mass communication and eight political communication majors.

Henry, a veteran Washington political journalist, and Lockhart, a former television news producer who held senior communication strategy jobs for Bill Clinton, John Kerrey and Walter Mondale, are well suited to explain the ins and outs of White House coverage and messaging to SMPA students eager to follow in their footsteps.  They are also both Professional Fellows at SMPA during this academic year, interacting with students beyond this class at both private and public events.

The course will cover all aspects of how American Presidents prepare their messages over the long and short term as well as the makeup and practices of the disparate White House press corps.

From week to week, the curriculum will include discussions on how the digital communication revolution allows the President to bypass White House reporters in reaching Americans, the importance of imagery in presenting the Chief Executive positively, the structure and purpose of the White House Communication Office, White House scandals like the one involved Monica Lewinsky and how the President is covered when he travels abroad.

Other members of the SMPA faculty will also deliver guest lectures to the class. Professor Steven Livingston will talk about the so-called “CNN effect” in which Presidents make foreign policy decisions driven by reporting on CNN and other cable channels that have more current and accurate information than is available through State Department and Pentagon channels.

"I chose to take the class with Ed Henry and Joe Lockhart because this is my final semester at GW and I have already fulfilled all of my requirements. I thought to myself, 'What better way to capstone my experience as a journalism student studying in Washington D.C. than to learn the behind-the-scenes operations from people actually involved in the process?' Sure, I have had incredible learning experiences reading articles and textbooks describing how the government filters information before exposing it to the press, and how the press frames information before it releases it to the public. But hearing how this process actually works from CNN's senior White House correspondent and from a former White House press secretary is a whole different ballgame," said journalism senior Ricki Maybruch.

Professor Robert Entman will talk about framing the White House story, reflecting readings from his research on why some stories are covered by the press and others are ignored and the political consequences of those decisions.

"Learning from experts in the field like Mr. Lockhart and Mr. Henry, all guided by the teaching skills of Professor Shanahan, provides an in-depth, and uniquely GW learning experience," said political communication senior Colby Anderson.

All in all, the course promises to capture in one semester the vision and purpose of learning within SMPA with its unique mix of journalism and political communication academic pursuits.

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Larry King, longtime friend to SMPA, visits campus
March 25th, 2010

Larry King, longtime friend to SMPA, visits campus

Longtime friend of GW and "Master of the Mic" CNN host Larry King participated in a Public Affairs Project "Conversation Series" interview with School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) director Frank Sesno on March 4th.

Over the course of his 50+ years in broadcasting, King has performed over 40,000 interviews and is the host of CNN's "Larry King Live," CNN's longest-running interview program. The public event featured historical clips of King's popular program, a fixture on the prime-time TV schedule for decades.

During the conversation, King discussed his memorable interviews, the rise of CNN, and the fine line between entertainment and news. SMPA students took advantage of the opportunity to pose questions to the media icon. Read the rest of this entry »

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