Columbia, S.C., was the site of the Black College Communication Association’s 13th Annual National HBCU Student News Media Conference, where Prairie View A&M University’s student newspaper, The Panther, earned top honors for news coverage.
Judges for the competition issued a first place prize in the category of Best Spot News for an article titled, “Senior Student Stabbed,” which ran in the Jan. 26, 2010, edition.
The story was written when senior Cledell Brown suffered stab wounds from former freshman Raphael Guildry after the two had a series of altercations resulting in the incident that took place outside the William J. Nicks Gymnasium following a men’s basketball game. The suspect’s name wasn’t released until the ensuing issue when former Editor-in-Chief Whitney Harris wrote a follow up on the article she had written the previous week.
BCAA chairwoman Valerie White, who also serves as director of graduate programs at Florida A&M University, said, “The National HBCU Student News Media conference is an excellent opportunity for students at black colleges to learn from, network, and interact with media professionals who have their best interests at heart.”
At the conference, HBCU students have a chance to gain quality instruction from experienced industry practitioners.
The conference helps fulfill that need and energize students to return to their campuses and improve their products and their programs. In the competitive media landscape, the conference assists in leveling the playing field by providing internship opportunities and instruction to make our students more competitive.”
With more than 15 other HBCUs in attendance including leading sponsor schools South Carolina State University, Benedict College of Columbia, SC, and Florida A&M University, BCCA officials orchestrated a 3-day conference consisting of workshops relating to business etiquette, photography, press law, building revenue, broadcasting, and convergence.
The conference also offered internship interview opportunities for Freedom Forum’s Diversity Institute conducted by Val Hoeppner, manager and multimedia educator for the company based in Nashville, Tenn. Columbia Journalism School, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and North Carolina State University were also in attendance to offer post-graduate opportunities to conference attendees.