THE SCRIPPS HOWARD SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATIONS u HAMPTON UNIVERSITY

S P R I N G | 2 0 1 5

T H E H A M P TO N

GLOBETROTTERS2014 STUDENT INTERNS LEARN

IN AFRICA, ASIA, EUROPE

P LU SEYEWITNESSTO HISTORY:

EARL CALDWELL

COVER: DEDRAIN DAVIS POSES WITH A RESIDENT AT ADDO ELEPHANT PARK, SOUTH AFRICA DURING A SUMMER INTERNSHIP. BELOW: DAVIS AT A GAME RESERVE IN CAPE TOWN. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF DEDRAIN DAVIS.

LEFT: RAYAHNA HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHS A BIKE RIDER AT A SKATEBOARD PARK IN HAMPTON DURING A CLASS OUTING. PHOTOGRAPH BY AARON DOGGETT.FEATURESCOVER STORY 6

WORTH REPEATING

“Dori would want us all to carry on her work in media diversity. Honor her and her family’s legacy by stepping up and speaking out about media diversity. Help mentor and train the next generation of journalists who help give front-door access to the truth.”

-Benet J. Wilson, a digital journalist who was mentored by the media diversity crusader and friend to the Scripps Howard School, Dori Maynard, who passed away in February at the age of 56.

I S S U E N O. 2 | S P R I N G | 2 0 1 5

2009 GRADUATE WHITNEY RICHARDSON PROMOTED TO PRODUCER/WRITER FOR LENS, THE ACCLAIMED NEW YORK TIMES PHOTOJOURNALISM BLOG.HER STORY AND OTHERS FOUND INALUMNI NOTES

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“THEY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT HBCUS.”

— Dedrain Davis, 21

“WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, I DIDN’T SEE THE STORY. BUT NOW I DO.”EARL CALDWELL:EYEWITNESS TO HISTORYAWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND SHSJC PROFESSOR TELLS HIS STORY

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DEPARTMENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

M E M B E R S O F T H E S C R I P P S H O WA R D S C H O O L ’ S B OA R D O F A DV I S O R S

POP-CULTURE ANALYST. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR. COVER MODEL.

UPDATES ON APRIL WOODARD AND OTHER FACULTY IN FACULTY NOTES.

“WE ARE STILL JUST AT THE START OF A REVOLUTION.”READ SCRIPPS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ELLEN WEISS’S NOTES ON A MEDIA REVOLUTION.

CHECK OUT NEW ENTERPRISES FROM THE SCRIPPS HOWARD SCHOOL:NEWS757 AND BRAND757

TIM ARMSTRONG: CEO, AOL CORP. • RICHARD BOEHNE: PRESIDENT AND CEO, E.W. SCRIPPS CO. • SUBHASH CHANDRA: FOUNDER

AND CHAIRMAN, ESSEL GROUP • BARBARA CIARA: ANCHOR AND MANAGING EDITOR, WTKR NEWSCHANNEL 3, NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

MARK CUBAN: CHAIRMAN, HDNET; OWNER, NBA’S DALLAS MAVERICKS • MICHAEL DAYS: EDITOR, PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

PAT FORD: GLOBAL VICE-CHAIRMAN, BURSON-MARSTELLER • SIMON GILLHAM: SENIOR EXECUTIVE VP, COMMUNICATIONS, VIVENDI

CORP. • MICHELLE HORD-WHITE: VP, TALENT DEVELOPMENT & PIPELINE PROGRAMS, NBC UNIVERSAL • KIM L. HUNTER: PRESIDENT AND

CEO, LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS •, SHEILA JOHNSON: CO-FOUNDER, BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TV; CEO, SALAMANDER HOSPITALITY

ROB KING: SENIOR VP AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF; ESPN DIGITAL MEDIA • PHYLLIS MCGRADY: FORMER SENIOR VP, CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT,

ABC NEWS • MICHELLE MILLER: CORRESPONDENT, CBS NEWS • ZENIA MUCHA: EXECUTIVE VP AND CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER,

WALT DISNEY CO. • JAMES MURDOCH: DEPUTY CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, NEWS CORP. • NORMAN PEARLSTINE: CHIEF CONTENT

OFFICER, TIME INC. • MIKE PHILIPPS: PRESIDENT AND CEO, SCRIPPS HOWARD FOUNDATION • DAVID RHODES: PRESIDENT, CBS NEWS

DESIREE RODGERS: CEO, JOHNSON PUBLISHING CO. • HARRY SMITH: CORRESPONDENT, NBC NEWS • PAUL STEIGER: CEO AND PRESIDENT,

PROPUBLICA • JIM WIATT: STRATEGIC ADVISOR TO AOL; FORMER CEO, WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY INC. • MICHAEL WOLF: FOUNDER AND

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACTIVATE

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PUBLISHERBRETT A. PULLEY

EXECUTIVE EDITORWAYNE DAWKINS

GRAPHICS EDITORMICHAEL DIBARI JR.

WRITERSDOMINIQUE SPANNALEXIS BOLDEN ASHLEY WRIGHT

PHOTOGRAPHERSAARON DOGGETT KEELI HOWARD

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTSALEXIS BOLDEN ASHLEY WRIGHT

COPY EDITORSJACK WHITEDANYELLE GARY

CONTRIBUTORSBATTINTO BATTSDREW BERRYALLIE-RYAN BUTLEREARL CALDWELLMAVIS CARRCAROL DAVISTANYA HOWARDWILLIAM LEONARDKANGMING MAFRANCIS MCDONALDREGINALD MITCHELLVAN DORA WILLIAMSAPRIL WOODARD

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LEADING ON MANY FRONTS From the top of SouthAfrica’s famedTableMountain inCapeTown, to the depths of the coastal PacificwatersinFrenchPolynesia,ScrippsHowardstudentsaregoingplaces.Ourspiritedfledglings,likethegreatjournalistsand communications professionals of our time, are proving themselves to be curious, adventurous and hungry for knowledge.And as you’ll see in this issue, they arewondrously traveling the globe andwitnessing first-hand, thecomplexities, intrigueandbeauty that theworldhas tooffer.Butwhat’smore, theworld isbearingwitness to thebeautifulminds thatareemanating fromthis schoolof journalismandcommunications,hereon the southeasternshores of Virginia. What a great time to be a Scripps Howard student. Our building, now 13 years young, is alive and teeming withrecruitersfromglobalmediacompaniessuchasNBCUniversal,WaltDisneyCo.,Burson-MarstellerandE.W.Scripps -- just tonamea few.Last summer,more than60ScrippsHoward studentspopulatedpaid internshipsatmedia companies around the world. Our students are not only learning from the best professionals, they are becoming

some of the industry’s most highly sought candidates. For example,atNBCSportslastsummer,astunningfiveof the32 interns from colleges around the country were Scripps

Howard students.At theNewYorkTimes, 2 of the26 students in theStudent Journalism InstitutewereScrippsHowardstudents.AtABC’s“GoodMorningAmerica,”inNewYork,therewerelessthan10summerinterns,and2of themwerefromrighthere,theScrippsHowardSchool.Thesestudentsarewinners.Infact,onestudent,TemperanceMaupin,producedadocumentaryfilmthatwasrecentlyawardedaregionalEmmy. Wearebecomingaleaderonmanyfronts.Thiscomingsummer,aScrippsHowardstudentwillbeamongthefirstof anelitegroupof CNBCscholars,workingasapaidinternattheglobalbusinessnewsnetwork,andreturninginthefallwithaCNBCscholarshipinpocket.AlongwithourpartnershipwithBloombergNews,thisisconfirmationthatourworktobecomealeaderindiversifyingtheranksof businessandfinancialjournalismprofessionalsispayingoff. We have diverse talent that the global media industry needs. And that reality is what’s behind one of our new initiatives, theCenter for Innovation inDigitalMedia.With initial funding from theKnight Foundation, last fallwe launched the pilot for our Center, which is designed to prepare a new generation of diverse professionals for the rapidly expanding world of social media, mobile apps, and other digital news and storytelling platforms. The Center’s newlectureseriesandtelevisionprogram,“TheDigitalGenius,”kickedoffwithacampusvisitfromStraussZelnick,thechief executiveof TakeTwoInteractive,oneof theworld’slargestmanufacturersof videogames.Onceit’sfullyfunded,theCenterforInnovationinDigitalMediawillenableourstudentstobeamongthosewhoarepioneeringthefuture of digital media around the globe.

Andtobesure,wearenolessvigorousinourworktoenhancetraditionalmediaplatforms.Theworkof ourstudentson“NewsWatch,”theweeklynewscastonWHOVtelevision,cannowbeviewedfromanywherein

theworld,viainternetstreaming.Likewise,WHOVradiocanbeheardaroundtheglobeoniHeartRadio.Andthisisour2ndeditionof JAC,amagazineforouralumniandfriends.It’stheresultof thehardworkof studentsandgraduates,andthekeenleadershipof facultymembers,AssociateProfessorWayneDawkins,andAssistantProfessorDr.MichaelDiBari. Evenwhentheyarenottraversingthelegendarycornersof theglobe,ScrippsHowardstudentsfindthemselvesinthemidstof legend.Inthisissue,you’llreadaboutourin-houselivinglegend,writer-

in-residenceEarlCaldwell.Hisowncareerhasbeenepic--matchedonlybythepeoplehebringstocampustointerviewin“TheCaldwellCafe.”HisrecentguestshaveincludedtheformerCNNanchorBernardShaw,andEssenceMagazine’sco-founder,EdLewis. These elite programs, global opportunities and esteemed fellowships don’t just occur on their own. They don’t fall on our school’s doorsteps, likemannafromheaven.Theseopportunitieshappenasaresultof hardwork.Andtheyrequire resources.Soafteryouhaveenjoyedreadingabout theexcitingthingshappeningattheScrippsHowardSchool,please,besuretotakeacloselookatthebackcover.ThereyouwillseehowyoucanpersonallyhelptheScrippsHowardSchool,anditsbeautifulminds,tocontinuetotakethisbeautiful world by storm.

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BRETT A. PULLEY

T H E H A M P T O N

GLOBETROTTERS2014STUDENTINTERNSHONEMEDIASKILLSINAFRICA,ASIA, EUROPE

BY WAYNE DAWKINS, ALEXIS BOLDEN AND ASHLEY WRIGHT

F E AT U R E

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ALUMNI CHRISTIAN HENRY (LEFT) AND KEELI HOWARDSNORKEL AT TAMAE BEACH ON THE ISLAND OF MOOREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEELI HOWARD

For Scripps Howard School of Journalism andCommunicationsbroadcast journalismmajorBrandonTheo Dorsey, the most memorable experience of hisvisittoJapanlastMaybeganwithamemorylapse.OnthewaytothebullettrainfromTokyotoHiroshima,hediscoveredthathehadforgottenhisticket.

Goingbacktoretrieveitmeantthatheandhiseightfellow student journalists would be at least an hourlatefortheirtourof HiroshimaPeaceMemorialPark.And that meant that they might miss their highly anticipatedmeetingwithasurvivorof the1945U.S.atomic bombing that had helped bring an end to WorldWarII. As the realization sank in that his forgetfulnesshad jeopardized what had been expected to be anemotionalhighpointof thenine-daytoursponsoredbytheprestigiousRoyW.HowardNationalCollegiateReportingCompetition,itdawnedonDorseythathehadcommitted“meiwaku.”ThatistheJapanesetermfor bringing dishonor upon the cause one represents, somethingtheJapanesegotogreatlengthstoavoid. The realization shook Dorsey deeply. “HowcouldIrecover?HowcouldIforget?”hewroteinanarticleforanonlineblogabouthisexperience.“Howcould I continue, knowing I could be the reasonwenevergottomeetalivingbomb-affectedpersonfromHiroshima?” Dorsey sprinted a half mile from thetrain station to thehotelandback.As it turnedout,Dorsey found theanswerwhen thegrouparrived inHiroshima and discovered, to their surprise, that the JapaneseharbornoanimositytowardAmericaforthe

horrific blast that killed 80,000 people immediatelyand caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands more from radiation poisoning. They listened, with fascination, to the story of the survivor, who had waited patiently for their arrival, as he recalled the blinding flash and earth-shakingreverberationsthatcollapsedhishomeandkilledhismother while he watched, stupefied, from outside.Despite his vivid memories of all he had lost thatday, the survivor said, he bore no ill toward America because it had done somuch to help rebuild Japanoncethewarhadended.Likethemottoof hiscity,he had dedicated himself to a lofty goal: No more war. No more nuclear weapons. No more Hiroshimas. Awed by such an example of forgiveness on a grand scale, Dorsey, 21, a senior from Houston,was able to pardon himself for his own small act of carelessness and appreciate the unexpected insight it had provided into the important role that the concept of shameplays in the cultureof Japan. It changedhim forever. Dorsey’s was the kind of unique learningexperience outside the class room that only international travel can provide, especially for students of journalismandstrategiccommunications.

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“Theworldthatwe live in trulyhasbeenmadesmallerbecauseof technology.Inaddition,companiesare thinking more globally, seeing opportunity forgrowth beyond our shores,” observes Battinto L.Batts Jr., PhD,SHSJC’s assistant dean for academicaffairs.“Becauseof thesefactors,studentsneedtobeexposed to other cultures and environments to help them gain perspective on the world, and so that they may communicate relevantly about current events andwhattheymeantoushereintheUnitedStates.Those who have had international exposure will be of significantvalueinacompetitivemediamarketplace.” That message has stuck a chord with anincreasingnumberof studentsatSHSJC.DorseywasthefirstSHSJCstudent tobe selectedby thehighlycompetitiveRoyW.Howardprogram,whichselectednine students nationally for the summer in Japan.Buthewasonlyoneof theScrippsHowardSchool’scurrent students or recent graduates who spent part of 2014 widening their horizons by venturing farfrom their “HomeByThe Sea.”Here are some of their stories: Dedrain Davis,21,aseniorpublicrelationsmajor,political science minor from St. Paul, Minn., and Porchia Bradford, 22, also a senior public relationsmajor,politicalscienceminorfromAtlanta-areasmalltownSharpsburg,Ga.,bothspenttimeinCapeTown,South Africa. Davis spentmorethanamonthasanexchangestudent at Stellenbosch University, living in a girl’sdormitory where the janitors not only cleaned thebuilding but also washed the students’ clothing. Along with students visiting from Princeton, Auburn and theUniversityof Alabama,shebecamefriendswithseveral young women from South Africa. “Theydidn’tknowwhataHBCU[HistoricallyBlackCollegeorUniversity]was,”shesays,“Itwasfunenlightening

OPPOSITE: TOP LEFT - KENDALL ALEXANDER ENJOYS THE SIGHTS IN FLORENCE, ITALY. BELOW - BRANDON THEO DORSEY POSES WITH HIS TRAVEL GROUP AT THE HIROSHIMA PEACE MEMORIAL PARK IN JAPAN. RIGHT - DORSEY AT GOLDEN PAVILLION ZEN BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN KYOTO, JAPAN.

THIS PAGE: TOP - PORCHIA BRADFORD POSES WITH YOUNG SOCCER PLAYERS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN TOWNSHIP OF LANGA. BOTTOM - KEELI HOWARD EXTRACTS DNA SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM A MORNING DIVE AT THE GUMP STATION LIBRARY ON THE ISLAND OF MOOREA, FRENCH POLYNESIA.

“STUDENTS NEED TO BE EXPOSED TO OTHER CULTURES AND ENVIRONMENTS TO HELP THEM GAIN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD.”THEO DORSEY

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“TO VOLUNTEER WITH CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN KIBERA SLUMS WAS AN HONOR.”ASHLEY FISHER

havemeat all the time,” she recalls. “Kenyans arebigonfoodandmakingsurenothinggoestowaste.”Ashley also had to get used to not always having warm,uncontaminatedwater.“Theysuggestedthatwe always use bottled water to brush our teeth and washourfaces.” A three-day safari to Masai Mara was thehighlight of the trip. “I was able to see lions,elephants,zebrasandmuchmoreupclose.”ShealsovisitedaMasaivillagewherethepeoplekilledagoatandcookeditonanopenfireontopof amountain.“Themealwasmorethandeliciousespeciallysincemeatisn’tprovidedallthetime,”shesays. One thing Fisher did not miss out on is helping others.“TovolunteerwithchildrenwholiveinKiberaslums was an honor. They were full of happiness and weregratefulforthesimplethingstheyhad,”Fishershared,“Iwant tobeable tokeepthathumbleness

withmeatalltimes.” Keeli Howard, 22, broadcast journalism major, and marineand environmental science minor who graduated in May 2014, spentamonthat theUniversityof CaliforniaBerkeley’sRichardB.GumpSouthPacificResearchStation on Mo’orea, an idyllic island in French Polynesia. Howard was a participant in the DiversityProject,acollaborationamong the University of

California, Los Angeles and Hampton University,Spelman College and Morehouse College. The program’s goal is to increase the participation of minority students in the biological sciences by providinga10-week integratedresearchexperiencethatcombinesfieldworkonthecolorfulanddiversecoral reefs with advanced genetic research. Howard learned about the program from Hampton’s Marine andEnvironmentalScienceDepartment. Adjusting to therelaxing lifestyleof theGumpStation was easy for Howard and the rest her group. Localwomenontheislandcookedall themealsof fish, fresh fruit, and vegetables. And fresh Frenchbaguettes were always available (though, toward the endif thetrip,Howardfoundherself cravingKrispyKreme doughnuts and pizza). An accomplisheddiver, Howard spent many hours in the waters around the island, swimming with the creatures of the sea.

themaboutlifeinAmerica.” She was struck, at times, by the similaritiesbetween life in the U.S. and in South Africa. “Thefood was similar to the food here like pizza andhamburgers,”saysDavis,thoughinCapeTown,“theyputavocadosoneverything!”Shealsolearnedhowtoprepare traditional foods suchas curry chicken.Shealso got the opportunity to see up close South Africa’s legendarywildlifeinavisittoagamepark. Travelingoverseas,saysDavis,“helpsyougrow,”and she enthusiastically encourages other students to follow in her footsteps. She raised the funds for her trip through gofundme.com, a personal crowdsourcing websitethatallowuserstoseekfinancingformedicalexpenses, education costs, volunteer programs, youth sports and other purposes. In contrast, Bradford served as an intern atPositive Dialogue Communications, a Cape Town-based public relations company, from mid-June to mid-August.Herdutiesincludedorganizingacompetition for a client that gave away hair appliances as prizes,writing a press release for the launch of a company’s website and arranging the contacts for an award show. Perhaps her most memorable experience was interviewing Siza KeleMacutlulle,aU.S.-trainedmediaprofessional who has become something of a legend in South African business circles. Bradford praised the food quality in the citiesas “very fresh.” In the townships however, she saidtraditionalAfricanmeatmarketswereopen-airandsometimes as symbols of pride, proprietors attached chickenheadsatthefrontof stallsasdecorations. “Ihaven’thadchickensince,”saysBradford.And,yes,BradfordandDavisranintoeachotheratamall in Cape Town. There are times when the world can seem rather small. Ashley Fisher, 22, a senior broadcast journalismmajor from Queens, N.Y., and a group of friendsspent two weeks as volunteers in Nairobi, Kenya.After a sixteen-hour flight toAfrica,Ashleymovedinwithahostfamily,andfoundthatshehadtomakesome cultural adjustments. “I had white rice andpotatoes and vegetables as well as noodles. Meat is very sacred and expensive so my host mom did not

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SENIOR PORCHIA BRADFORD AFTER HIKING TABLE MOUNTAIN TAKES A “SELFIE” AFTER HIKING TABLE MOUNTAIN IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PORCHIA BRADFORD

Howard studied the effects of bacterialcommunities on algal herbivory. She also studied the effectsof differentsedimenttypesanddepthsonturf algae. She and the other students grew very close learning about eachother’s projects in thedaytimeandhaddinnerandsocializedatnight.Sheconsiderstheotherstudents lifelongfriendsandtalkstothemalmost every day. Her advice to students who are considering studying aboard: Never turn down the opportunity,pack lightand learn to love thesimplelife.Nowback in theU.S.,Howard isworkingasanewsdeskeditorforacompanycalledIssuerDirect.“As amember of the shareholder communicationsteam, I conductcompleteeditorial reviewsof pressreleases forpublicandprivatecompanies,”shesaidin a recent email. “I will be attending the American Society of Limnology andOceanography (ASLO)ConferencethisFebruary(2015)inSpaintopresentmyresearchfrom the summer. This summer experience opened my eyes to the importance of communicating sciences. My future career plans include graduate school related to both journalism and marine andenvironmentalscience.”

Kendall Alexander, 22, a broadcast journalismmajor fromPhiladelphia, traveled for twoweeks inItalyandSpainaftergraduatinginMay2014. “It was my first time out of the country andI traveled solo,” says Alexander. By the time shecheckedintoahostelintheItaliancityof PisaafteralongflightfromtheU.S.,shewastired,lonelyandsad,butshesoonovercamethoseemotions.“Iputmyself in‘AmazingRace,’mentality,shesays.“You’reherefortwoweeks.Learnhowtosurvive.Stopcryingand

getyourself together.” Andthat’sjustwhatshedid,openingherself toa whirlwind of cultural and culinary experiences in Pisa,RomeandFlorenceandthentheSpanishcityof Barcelona.“Thefoodwasfantastic—notgeneticallymodified,completelyfresh.Iatealotof carbs–pizza,pastaandgelato,”shelaughs,“IthoughtIwasgoingtogainweight,butactually,IlostsomebecauseIwaswalkingeverywhere.” “IvisitedtheLeaningTowerof Pisa,museums,Iwenttoalotof churches,notfortheservices,butfor thearchitecture[of thecathedral],”shesays.“Ifoundacoolbarthereandhadflamingshots.Neverdonethatbefore.“ Sometimes her adventures verged on unintentionalcomedy.“IspeakSpanish.InItaly,thelanguageislooselyLatin-based,somanypeoplecouldunderstandme.Butsometimesthingsgotlostinthetranslation,”sherecalls.“OncewhenIwassendingapostcard,Iaskedsomeoneforchangeinordertobuystampsandthepersongavememoney,”thinkingshewas a pan handler. It remains to be seen how their wildly diverseinternational experiences will shape the lives of these and other SHSJC adventurers. But as AssistantDean Batts observes, “Students who return fromstudy abroad are more enlightened and curious. Theyappear to thinkmorebroadlyanddisplayaninterest in the impact of news and events on other cultures.” That alone is reason enough for moreSHSJCstudentstousetheir“HomebytheSea“asalaunching pad to the wider world.

Bolden and Wright are Scripps Howard School students. Dawkins is an associate professor.

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photograph by Michael DiBari Jr.

But before he ever became an award-winningwordsmith, Earl Caldwell was just a young collegestudent interviewing for a summer insurance gig, when being black personified unemployment andechoing words of “not hired” stopped him fromputtingcashinhispocket.Thewordsevencrushedhis spirit. “When I interviewed I was told that I camehighly recommended and showed a lot of promise, but I was black. Nobody was going to hire me. Ithought,‘I’mnotgoingtohaveacareer.’”Caldwell not only thrived in his profession, he would pen his way into American history. Behindtheprintedbylinesandsubjectliststhatcouldsurfacefromanycivicsbook,standsamanwitha distinctive raspy voice and a story of his own. Over thecourseof twoconversations,EarlCaldwell,nowwriter-in-residence at the Scripps Howard Schoolof Journalism andCommunications, surprised andexuded a quality that you wouldn’t expect from someone so seasoned who carries such prestige: Caldwell has, to paraphrase the great poet RudyardKipling,walkedwithKingsyetmaintainedthecommontouch.AsaNewYorkTimesreporter,hecoveredtheCivilRightsMovementduringtheSixties,travelingwithandinterviewingMartinLutherKing

Jr.HewaswithKingonthatfatefuldayinMemphis,Tennessee. As a reporter, Caldwell gained access to leadersof theBlackPantherParty, at a timewhenU.S.officials feared the radicalgroup’sgroundswellanduprising.Andhewasacentralfigureinonethemost important reporter’s rights cases in the history of journalism. And so begins his narrative. After the defeat of notgettinganinsurancejobsenthimhome,achanceopening at a Clearfield, Pennsylvania newspaperopened another door. Caldwell began his work atThe Progress. There he was exposed to the inner workingsof thenewsroom,readingproofs,eyeingtheworkof reportersashehelpedoutatthesportsdesk.His front row seat to news coverage later helped him become the sports editor of The Progress and he hit the ground running. “Inmytime,youhadtohavetheskillstowritethestories. And you had to have the two most important things to succeed in journalism: curiosity and greatstorysense,”hesaid,thatraspyvoicebecomingexcited.“Reportershaveeveryfactbutforgetthestory!Ihadthat! And my sense of curiosity came from being from aplacelikeClearfield,Ilearnedalot.” Caldwell’scareersoared.Walkingintosomeof the most notable and respected newspapers in the

EARLCALDWELL:Eyewitness to History

BY DOMINIQUE SPANN

“You’reblack.Nobodyaroundhereisgoingtohireyou,”were the piercing words once uttered to the man who wouldbecomeoneof themostprolificnewswritersof ourtimes.

business,hehadearnedhistitleastheself-professed“newspaperman.”Hereportedfortheheavyweightsof print:TheNewYorkHeraldTribune,NewYorkPostandTheNewYorkTimes.ButitwasCaldwell’smotherwhohadmuchearlierawakenedhisaffinityfor the power of the pen and sharpened his story sensibilities. “Mymother thought it was importantfor me to be a good reader. She would get letters or newspapers in the mail and sit at the dinner table andread.Wewouldgobackandforthreadinganddiscussingcontent.” Caldwell candidly talks about his humblebeginnings in Clearfield, chuckling about his lovefor baseball and how he once held the title of high school batting champion. He excitedly talks aboutwritersthatheadoreslikeToniMorrisonandJamesBaldwin,andhenotesthatworksfrom Gabriel Garcia Marquezare currently on his nightstand. He even drifts into thought as we talk about whether hisworkinradiowashistruecalling.“Radiohasthiswonderfulabilityto judge you on the quality of theargumentyourmaking,yourpersonality,” he says. “It’s notbasedonthewayyoulook,age,race.” Caldwell is a wealth of knowledge on life’s experiences,offering his motto, “Do untoothers as you would have them dountoyou.Youdon’thavetobenastytopeople.If nothingelse,itmakesyoufeelgood”totreatpeoplewell. It would be safe to suggest he has had greatsuccessinlife,butpleasedon’tcallhimlucky,“Ihatethat. I thinkIwasblessed.My journeywasbeyondanythingIimagined.ButIworkedhard.IlikedwhatIwasdoingandfounditwaseverythingandmore.” Caldwell’s catalogue of interviewees contains some of the most notable people of the 20th century and gives a surprising anecdote for each. Nelson Mandela.“Hewouldcorrecttheproposition.Hewasinsistentthatyouunderstoodexactlywhathesaid.Ididn’texpecttohimtobesofeisty.” Jackie Robinson. “I was struck by how old helooked. In hindsight, it occurred to me that kindof life he lived, all that he had to give in that life, showed.”

And even with such a strong list of people he has interviewed,thereisstilloneinterviewonhisdocket:Thepresidentandfirstlady.“PresidentObamahasseverecritics,”saidCaldwell.“Themediainmanywayshasgonebackwardsincoverage.Iwouldlovetoseeif hebelievesraceplaysarole.Andknowingallthatheknowsnowinthesixyearshehasbeeninoffice,if hehadtodoitalloveragain,wouldhestillputhishatintheringforthepresidency?” Caldwell knows all too well the role mediaplays in race relations. Forty-seven years ago, thecivilrightseracalledforaspecifickindof reportertocoverissues.InCaldwell’swords,“thepapersinmy time were bringing in black journalists to tellthosehard-to-reachstories.Ibegantowritestoriesregardingrace.Ihadaveryswiftrisebecauseof the

civilrightsera.” In 1968, EarlCaldwell was theonly reporter to witness the assassination of the Rev. Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.Whenhewas asked todetail his personalaccount of the Southern preacher’s death, he hesitated. “I’m writing a book about theassassinationnow.Icouldn’t tellmystorythenbutI’mtryingnow.ButIdon’twanttotalkaboutitrightnow.” With a little more prodding, he did offer an

anecdote in his meeting with the civil rights leader. “I interviewed King the day before he died,”Caldwell revealed “I just felt hewas so strong onhis course. He received a lot of criticism but wasn’t worriedaboutthat.Beforeheletmego,thetwoof usstoodonthebalcony.Westayedforfiveminutesforapersonalchat.Ithoughtthiswasopeningupawholenewareaof mycareer.” Caldwell was involved in another momentous eventin1972.Atthattime,theU.S.SupremeCourtmadeagroundbreakingdecisiononreporter’srights,when Caldwell refused to appear before a federal grand jury to revealhis sources inhis coverageof theBlackPantherParty. Caldwellworkedalongsideblackjournaliststobecome the “firsts” tomake a stamp in the press.Theirstories,likeEarlCaldwell’s,wereneverreallytold.Because of this reality, “TheCaldwellCafé”

“I INTERVIEWED KING THE DAY BEFORE HE DIED. I JUST FELT HE WAS SO STRONG ON HIS COURSE. ”EARL CALDWELL

P R O F I L E

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EARL CALDWELL FOLLOWS REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AT THE LORRAINE MOTEL IN MEMPHIS, TENN. THE DAY BEFORE KING WAS ASSASSINATED. PHOTOGRAPH COURTEY OF THE MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL

atHamptonUniversity was born. Starting as one-on-one audio-taped interviews with journalistsconductedonthefifthfloorof theuniversity’slibrary,these oral stories explained the triumphs and the painsof breakingbarriers. But there were just one issue. There were nostudents or an audience present to hear about the path that had been paved. With the leadership of former journalist and current HamptonUniversityCenterforPublicPolicyDirectorKellyHarveyGill,The Caldwell Café was turned into a discussionthat tookplacewithanaudienceof students insidethe Scripps Howard School. It later evolved intoits current format --a television show,producedbystudents in front of a live studio audience. Thelistsof guestsforTheCafé’havebeenawho’swhoof theindustry.CaldwellchoseDorothyGilliam(the first black female reporter at the WashingtonPostin1961)ashisfirstguestinhopesthatherstory

would resonate with the Hampton female student body. Elaine Brown, Emmy Award-winning writerandvicepresidentof HBO,JackE.White,nationalcorrespondentwithTimemagazine,andBillRhoden,NewYorkTimescolumnistandauthor,arebutafewof theguestswhohaverecountedtheir journeysonTheCaldwellCafé. Caldwell says he is proud of thework of TheCaféandwhatithasbroughttotheforefront:“Someof our guests hadn’t gotten the recognition they deserved.Thesearethejournaliststhatcameuponthe rough side of the mountain. They went through helltointegrateinthebusiness.”EarlCaldwell’scareerworkhasbecomehislifeworkand he attributes his success to the era and plans for his next chapter. “I camealong in theperfect time,”he said. “Ihadenlighteningmoments. Iwas tested.I stoodupfor what I believed in. I’m not finished. I want to

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do many things. Hampton has been wonderful to me.WhenIfirstgothere,Ididn’tseethestory.ButnowIdo.Mywholelifeisthestoryof theAmericannewspaper.”

Spann is a 2007 Scripps Howard School graduate and a producer with M2 Pictures, a Hampton-based television production company.

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P R O F I L E

TOP: EARL CALDWELL TALKS WITH PUBLISHER RODNEY J. REYNOLDS, THE PUBLISHER OF AMERICAN LEGACY MAGAZINE REYNOLDS TRAVELED WITH HIS TRAILER DISPLAYING EXHIBITS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY.

TOP RIGHT: EARL CALDWELL INTERVIEWED JOURNALIST JIM VANCE IN APRIL 2012.

BOTTOM RIGHT: CALDWELL INTERVIEWED CNN ANCHOR BERNARD SHAW DURING A VISIT TO HAMPTON UNIVERSITY IN NOVEMBER 2014.

FAR BOTTOM RIGHT: DIRECTOR SHIOLA LYNCH TALKS WITH CALDWELL IN NOVEMBER 2013.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL DIBARI JR.

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WHITNEY (BOYD) RICHARDSON, JAC ’09, was recently promoted to a producer/writerforLENS,theacclaimedNewYorkTimesphotojournalismblog.She collaborates with photo editors to select images across wire services for the Times’Pictureof theDayslideshow.RichardsonalsowritesarticlesforLENSandprofilesphotographers.Sheinterviewsvisualjournalistsabouttheirprocesses,experiencesandsubjects. BeforejoiningtheTimesin2011asanewsassistant,RichardsonworkedasavisualcontentwebeditorwiththemusicandlifestyleventureAfropunkfromJune2009toApril2011.Sherecruitedandmanagedastaffof 15toproducedailycontentfortheBrooklyn-basedonlinesiteandalsodevelopedandmaintainedAfropunk’ssocialnetworkingaccounts. AsaScrippsHowardSchoolstudent,Richardsonparticipatedinthe2007NewYorkTimesSummerInstituteatDillardUniversityinNewOrleans.AlsothatsummerRichardsonwasaRoyW.HowardNationalCollegiateCompetitionReportingFellowandshetraveledtoSouthKoreaandJapan. Richardsonwasa2006internwiththeScrippsHoward-ownedCommercialAppealinMemphis.Herjournalistictenacitywasondisplayevenasastudent.InFebruary2007,thewinterafterherinternship,shewascoveringthe“TomJoyner/TavisSmileyandFriendsStateof theBlackUnion”summitinsidetheHUConvocation Center, as part of a class assignment.

ENTERPRISING, TENACIOUS AND AT THE TIMES

WHITNEY RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHED HAMPTON UNIVERSITY’S PHOTOGRAPHER, ARCHIVIST, AND ALUMNUS, REUBEN V. BURRELL DURING A RECENT VISIT. BURRELL, 95, PASSED AWAY ON FEBRUARY 3. PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL DIBARI JR.

Richardson

A L U M N I N O T E S

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Richardsoncalledherformernewspaperandaskedtheeditors if they were interested in a dispatch from the national event. The editors replied only if she was about to interview people from the Commercial Appeal’s readershiparea,thetri-stateregion of Tennessee, Mississippi andArkansas. Undeterredandenterprising,Richardsonpastedanoteinthewomen’sroomseekingMemphis-areapeopletointerview. People replied to her queryandRichardson’saccountwas published in the next day’s Sunday edition.

CHARLES “CHAZZ” GILBERT, JAC ’06,joinedAlbanyStateUniversityinAlbany,Ga.,astheleadmultimedia and video production specialistintheOfficeof Telecommunications. The Marietta,Ga.,nativebeganhispositionatASUinMarchafterserving as a writer/producer andfieldproducerwithsuchCNNshowsasthe“MorningExpresswithRobinMeade”andthe“ClarkHowardShow.”Inhis higher education role, the JACalumnusworkscloselywithstudentsandfaculty,filmingandeditingofficialuniversityevents,

staffwriterattheIndianapolisBusinessJournal.HewaspreviouslyatHamptonRoadsInsideBusiness.AtIBJ,Council’sDecemberreportingincludeda piece on slow but steadily growing credit unions in the Hoosier state, and a piece on an entrepreneur’s digital trash bin. Shortly after graduation lastMay,KennywashiredtoteachhighschoolEnglishinherhometown,Indianapolis.Oh,and the couple recently became homeowners.

MARVIN ANDERSON, JAC ’07, is now digital media producerwithNorthernLongIslandJewishHealthSystemsinManhassett, N.Y. Anderson does contentdigitalmarketing.“Withcontent curation, writing is the pillarof whatI’mdoing,i.e.getting patients to understand how to pay their bills. How to tell a story goes into digital design.That[writing]iswhatwelearned at Hampton. Anderson was editor of the Hampton Scriptnewspaperduring2006-07.BeforeLongIslandJHShewas a senior reporter covering financialretirementissuesatBloomberg/Washingtonduring2014 and before that a news assistantattheNewYorkTimes.

overseeing student newscasts, and developing promotional videos for the institution. As a memberof thefirstgraduatingclassof theHamptonUniversityScripps Howard School of JournalismandCommunication,Gilbertfondlyremembershis experiences at Hampton and frequently encourages communication students to gain skillsinallaspectsof mediatoimprovetheirmarketability.

KATHRYN KENNY, JAC ’14 and JARED COUNCIL, JAC ’10,arethehusband-wife duo who wrote the cover and lead inside feature for theJACpremiereissue.Theyhave recently made a number of moves: Council is now a

A L U M N I N O T E S

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over500affiliatesworldwide.Whileattendingher“HomebytheSea”Alexandercompletedthree internships, including oneatWTKRNewsChannel3inNorfolk,Va.AtHampton,Alexander was a member of the HonorsCollege,KappaTauAlpha National Honor Society, andtheCenterforBroadcastExcellence,aswellas,awriterfor the Hampton Script.

SHEILA SOLOMON, MME ’74, is an editor/producer and internshipcoordinatoratRivetNewsRadio[rivetnewsradio.com],aplatformthatdeliverspersonalizedaudionewstosmart phones. The service

Your Opinion MattersWe’re conducting a survey of our alumni. Whether you attended the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications or it’s predecessor, the Department of Mass Media Arts, we want to hear from you. Your feedback is valued. Please follow the link below to access the survey. It will only take minutes to complete.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SHSJCAlumni

In addition to mailing addresses, we are compiling an alumni contact list with email addresses and telephone numbers. Please send us your contact information with the subject line: Contact Information.

tanya.howard@hamptonu.edu Thank You!

A L U M N I N O T E S

KIRSTEN DELGADO, JAC ’10,joinedFox35,Orlando,Fla. as an anchor/reporter. She waspreviouslyatWLTZ-TVNBC38andtheCWaffiliatein,Columbus,Ga.Delgadoalsodid a stint at Spanish language networkUnivisionateditor/photographer.

APRIL ALEXANDER, JAC ’11,currentlyservesasadeskassociateforaward-winningmediaoutletCBSRadioNewsinNewYork.Amongher many responsibilities, the JACalumnaisalsotaskedwithassistingtheassignmentdeskandcoordinating correspondence betweenthenationaldeskand

brings a mix of local, national and world news based on consumers’ interests. Solomon, a 2014 National Association of BlackJournalistsHallof Fameinductee, is based in Chicago.

FELICIA MASON, MME ‘84, recently published “HiddenRichies,”her14thnovel. Mason’s latest story introduces us to a respectable Southern family turned upside down and a hilarious and sometimesundignifiedsearchfor a substantial inheritance. Inadditiontotheliterarylife,Mason is metro team editor withtheDailyPressof NewportNews, Va.

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APRIL WOODARD, assistant professor, was the cover of the falleditionof Achimagazine,a fashion and lifestyle quarterly whosemottois“Forwomenthatwantitall,”and“StrengthinSisterhood.”Woodardiscorrespondentwith“InsideEdition”andapopcultureanalyst and entertainment connoisseur.

VAN DORA WILLIAMS, assistant professor, is researching theblackcommunities’responseto“Birthof aNation”forits100th anniversary in 2015. She plans to create a short filmordocumentaryaboutthepolarizingmovie.Williamsisalsoaco-investigatoronaViolencePrevention research grant project.Theprogramisdesignedtohelpat-riskyoungblackmento avoid and prevent violence.

DREW BERRY, visiting professional, was featured as one of the HistoryMakersintheLibraryof Congress exhibit. He one of the two African Americans to

FAC U LT Y N O T E S

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dothisorally.BerryisanEmmyaward-winningmediaexecutiveand consultant. His career has spanned over 25 years and numerousmediaorganizations.

CAROL A. DAVIS, ScrippsHowardEndowedProfessor, is principal investigator of GettingStudentsEngagedinandiMPACTED!by

FACULTY NOTES: MODEL, HISTORYMAKER, STEM REALITY TV-PRODUCER

FAC U LT Y N O T E S

Education,arealitytelevisionprojectthatengagesstudentsinSTEMeducationandSTEMentrepreneurialism. The grant projectwassubmittedtotheNationalScienceFoundation.Inaddition to that she was author of “GameTheoryandRealityTV:PathwaystoDemocraticThinking.Diversity&Democracy:GeneralEducationandDemocraticEngagement,”published last summer in the Diversity&Democracy,journalof the Association of American Colleges&Universities.

WAYNE DAWKINS, associate professor, reviewed “AfricanAmericansintheHistory Mass Communication: AReader,”editedbyNaeemahClark,forthesummereditionof AmericanJournalism,quarterlyof theAmericanJournalismHistoriansAssociation.Dawkinsisco-investigatorof theHamptonUniversityMinisters’Conference Multimedia Men’s HealthProject,sponsoredbythecampus Minority Men’s Health Initiative.FloridaInternationalUniversityisthegrantprojectco-collaborator.

MICHAEL DIBARI JR., PhDandScrippsHowardendowed professor, submitted abookreviewonDarrylMace’s“InRemembranceof EmmettTill”fortheAmericanJournalism,publicationof theAmericanJournalismHistoriansAssociation. He is also writing aresearchpaperon“Image,Race,andRhetoric:TheContention for Visual Space onTwitter.”Hisrecentprojectsinclude“BreakingStereotypes”aphotojournalismexaminationof HamptonUniversitystudentsand a research biography on photographerRobertLernerof Lookmagazine.

FRANCIS C. MCDONALD,

PhDandassistantprofessor,for the past decade has been expandingJ&FProductionsInc.Hiscompanythatspecializesinsound and light has been on the moveatlocalvenues.Recentproductions include Hampton University’s2014alumnipartyandaNorfolkjazzconcertfeaturingLonnieListonSmithandKenNavarro.McDonaldsayshewantstokeepdesigningand growing the company so that it can become a legacy for his family.

TANYA MADISON HOWARD, assistant professor, joinedthefacultythisfall.Madison Howard is president of TMH Communications, a public relations consulting agency.Lastfall,herarticle“TheBarcelonaPrinciples:HowisPRMeasuringUp?”waspublishedinthePRMeasurementGuidebookbyPRNews Press.

Compiled by Alexis Bolden and Ashley Wright

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COMING SOON:

Brand757

Ellen Weiss, Scripps Washington Bureau Chief, addressed JAC students during October Scripps career days. Here is an excerpt from her speech.

Let’sfaceit,forthenewsindustry,wearestilljustatthestartof arevolution.Thisyear’sannualPewReportonthestateof themediagivesjustaflavorof theamazingchangesthathaveemergedinjustthepastyear:•Buzzfeed,oncebetterknownforitscelebrityphotos–nowhasanewsstaffof 170,includingPulitzerPrize-winninginvestigativereporters.•EzraKleinleftahighprofilejobattheWashingtonPosttojoinVox media.•JeffBezos,founderof Amazon,boughttheWashingtonPostandthepaperisaddingjobs•Whilemainstreammediahasalmostentirelypulledbackfrom global coverage, Vice Media has 35 overseas bureaus; The HuffingtonPosthopestogrowto15countriesfrom11thisyear.

•Localtelevision,whichremainsthe primary place American adults turn to for news, saw its audience increaseforthefirsttimeinfiveyears. •Theoverlapbetweenpublicrelations and news continues. The NewYorkTimes,TheWashingtonPost and most recently The WallStreetJournalarenowparticipating in one of the greatest areas of revenue experimentation involving website content that ispaidforbycommercialadvertisers–butoftenwrittenbyjournalistsonstaff–andplacedonanewspublishers’pageinawaythatsometimesmakesitindistinguishablefromanewsstory.

MEDIA REVOLUTION IS JUST GETTING STARTED

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BRAND757,anonlinesitethatwillgivestudentshands-onexperiencedoingworkcompaniesandcommunityandnon-profitorganizations.Thehighlyanticipatedagencyisontracktolaunchduringthespringsemester. Professor Tanya Madison Howard is leading the initiative.

JournalismandCommunicationshonorsocietyKappaTauAlphainducted its new members in Februrary.KTAistheseventholdest national honor society andtheonlyoneinjournalism/mass communications recognizedbytheAssociationof College Honor Societies. Seated from left: Chya Staton, MargieMerritt,EvadneEddins,TyraVirgil,DarrynMumphrey,London-ColemanWilliams.Standing from left: Niccolas Gadsden,MarlenaSmith,MeghanKee,AshleyLiggins,TaylorFuller,AmberBentley,RyanJordan,JustinHenderson(notpictured:KiaRobinsonandBeverleeSanders).Prof.CarolDavisistheKTAadvisor.

TAKE YOUR PLACE IN HISTORY

SECURE THE FUTUREAS A VALUED FRIEND OF THE SCRIPPS HOWARD SCHOOL, WE INVITE YOU TO PERMANENTLY ETCH

YOUR LEGACY AT OUR “HOME BY THE SEA.” GIVE TO THE SCRIPPS HOWARD SCHOOL, BURNISH YOUR

NAME INTO ITS RICH PAST, AND PLAY AN INTEGRAL PART IN PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF

JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONALS. WE NEED YOU.

1. TAKE-A-SEATGiveagiftof $1,000andmemorializeyourname,majorandclassyearwithaninscriptioningoldletteringonablackbrassplateonaseatinsidetheRobertP.Scripps auditorium.

2. GOLD DONORS WALL Agenerousgiftbetween$1,000and$5,000willbeacknowledgedwithyourname on a gold plaque inside the school’s main atrium entrance.

3. PLATINUM DONORS WALLAgenerousgiftof $5,000ormorewillbeacknowledgedonaplatinumplaqueinside the school’s main atrium entrance, alongside our most prestigious donors.

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