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November 2016 – College Media Review

Impartiality Above All

Opinion: Election represents challenge for advisers, journalism educators

By Carolyn Schurr Levin

cmr_arrow26_cmr_forumIf you were reading only The New York Times during the 2016 presidential election, you can be forgiven if you held a well-founded belief that Hillary Clinton would win the election by a landslide. On Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 10:20 p.m., Election Day, The New York Times predicted a Clinton victory by 85%, “based on the latest state and national polls.”

There is surely a lot of soul-searching going on at The New York Times and elsewhere.

The same holds true if you were reading many college newspapers around the country this fall. Millenials (adults ages 18-35) did in fact vote strongly for Clinton, and their preferences were reflected in stories they reported for their school media. My own students submitted story after story reflecting an inherent Clinton bias.

They were all wrong.

Continue reading “Impartiality Above All”

Online bookstore now available…

img_4788Resource for those who want printed volumes of CMA material

Now available on College Media Review: an online bookstore where the public can purchase printed volumes of CMR research annuals and buy an assortment of college media apparel and other items.

“CMR webmaster Bill Neville, the College Media Association board of directors, and CMA executive director Meredith Taylor worked together to make this bookstore a reality. A sincere thanks to them for their work,” said CMR editor Debra Chandler Landis.

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Photojournalists: Get out of your comfort zone

Carolyn Van Houten. Photo by Ray Whitehouse.
Carolyn Van Houten. Photo by Ray Whitehouse.

Advice from “College Photographer of the Year”

By Bradley Wilson
CMR Managing Editor


Carolyn Van Houten is the 70th College Photographer of the Year. Now a staff photographer at the San Antonio Express-News, Van Houten is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After you were named the top college photographer this year, you said, “I’m kind of shocked.” Elaborate.

cropped-CMR_arrow26_CMR_SiteIconGray.pngPhotojournalism competitions are quite arbitrary, so when you are named the “College Photographer of the Year,” it’s a bit shocking, because you know that there were a lot of really incredible photographers all around the world that year who also could have won given different judges and different circumstances.

For someone else who aspires to be a top-notch college photographer, what would you suggest?

I would suggest doing a lot of internships, especially ones that put you in communities out of your comfort zone for long periods of time. I would also suggest seeking mentors who will help foster your way of working, not just your work—mentors who take the time to get to know you and recognize your quirks so that they can help you work them into strengths. Continue reading “Photojournalists: Get out of your comfort zone”