WSU News Archive

PULLMAN, Wash. - In this age of "information overload,” how can we stop the unhealthy decline in rural news coverage and help communities get the information they really need?

 

This question is at the heart of a day-long forum with communication experts from across the state and beyond who will convene at Washington State University Pullman as part of the April 3-5 Edward R. Murrow Symposium Communicators Summit.    

 

Organized by Lawrence Pintak, founding dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at WSU, the forum is part of the national project involving 12 of the country’s leading journalism programs, which are addressing needs reflected in a 2011 Federal Communications Commission report. It identified recent losses of newsroom positions as a threat to the quality of civic information in communities nationwide.
 

The April 4 Murrow forum, titled "Rural Access, Digital Citizenship and the Obligations of the Washington State Information Sector,” will bring together more than two dozen experts on how information is gathered and disseminated in the state. Participants include Steve Wood of the Washington Technology Industry Association; Frieda Ray of the Washington Broadband Office; Mike Sheppard, senior vice president of the Seattle Times; Matt Rosenberg of Public Eye Northwest; Washington Rep. John McCoy; and representatives of the state’s leading telecommunications companies.

 

They will examine the information enigma apparent in Washington today: "It is ironic that, in a state that is home to some of the nation’s leading technology companies and Internet content giants, only 20 towns have a daily newspaper and only a few more have radio stations providing some form of local news,” said Dean Pintak. "That means, in huge sections of the state, citizens have little or no access to news about what is taking place in their own communities.”

 

The Murrow panel will explore the Washington information landscape and offer ideas for making news and information more accessible. The discussion is closed to the public due to space limitations. Other Murrow Symposium events are free to the public, including the April 3 Charlotte Friel Memorial Communication Lecture with acclaimed journalist and author Marilyn Berger and the April 5 Communicators Summit Keynote Address by crisis communication expert David Marriott.

 

Presented by the Murrow College of Communication and WSU, the Edward R. Murrow Symposium recognizes exceptional achievement in communication as it celebrates scholarship and connects students to industry leaders. The three-day Communicators Summit features career-focused workshops, panels and in-depth discussions among communication professionals, faculty and students.

 

Contact:
John Paxson, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, john.paxson3@wsu.edu, 509-335-9238

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