College media conference comes to CSC boasting Afghan journalists

For the first time in its history as a member of the Nebraska Collegiate Media Association, The Eagle, Chadron State College’s student newspaper, will host the annual NCMA Conference and Golden Leaf Awards.

This year’s conference is April 23 – 24 at the CSC Student Center and features two journalists from Afghanistan as keynote speakers for the NCMA Golden Leaf Awards.

The Golden Leaf Awards are the association’s annual student media competition designed to recognize student reporting, editing, photography and design in print, radio, television and the Web.

The awards ceremony, which features the keynote speakers, begins with a banquet at 11:30 a.m. April 24 and culminates with the Golden Leaf Awards. Students are not informed ahead of time who the winners are.

The keynote speakers from Afghanistan are Javed Hamim Kakar, senior regional and international editor, and Zainab Mohammadi, senior reporter, both of Pajhwok Afghan News in Kabul.

According to the organization’s Web site, PAN is Afghanistan’s leading independent news agency and provides photo and news services to print and broadcast news outlets in three languages – English, Dari and Pashtu.

The conference will also feature speakers in workshops aimed at informing attendees about specific aspects of journalism.

Judge Brian C. Silverman of Nebraska’s 12th District Court is scheduled to speak about the relationship between media and the courts.

Marnie Herrmann, Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing for Security First Bank in Rapid City, S.D., has been tapped to speak about professionalism in advertising and meeting clients’ needs.

Silverman and Hermann’s sessions are scheduled to begin 8:30 a.m. April 24.

Steve Frederick, Editor of the Star-Herald in Scottsbluff, is set to address the role of newspapers today and the expectations editors have of journalism graduates.

Macradee Aegerter, News Director for KGWN-TV 5 in Cheyenne, Wyo., is slated to talk about packaging the news for broadcast and Web media.

Frederick and Aegerter are scheduled to start their workshops at 10 a.m April 24.

Kakar and Mohammadi will arrive in Chadron on April 17 and spend the week making public appearances in Chadron and around the region, including visits to classes at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., on April 19, and Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff on April 22.

In addition, the public is invited to a free presentation by Kakar and Mohammadi from 7 – 9 p.m. April 20 in the CSC Student Center Ballroom.

The journalists will speak about their country and the stories they and their colleagues cover. Mohammadi will also discuss what she perceives are cultural misconceptions the U.S. has about Afghan women and their role in their society.

Mike Kennedy, journalism instructor and adviser for The Eagle, said, “This conference is all for, and about, our students and their counterparts at the other NCMA member schools. All these young people work tirelessly to produce media that regularly serve their respective readers, viewers or listeners.”

In addition to the workshop sessions and the awards banquet on April 24, The Eagle and CSC are also hosting a meet-and-greet reception for invited guests from 7 – 9 p.m. April 23 at the Sandoz Center Atrium. Piano accompaniment will be provided by James Margetts, assistant professor in the CSC music department.

The reception, which is not open to students, will give the visiting faculty advisers an opportunity to relax and mingle with the guest speakers, workshop presenters, area media professionals and CSC dignitaries, Kennedy said.

Students attending the NCMA conference may participate in any of the four 75-minute workshop sessions on April 24.

In the Golden Leaf Awards, eligible students from NCMA member schools compete in 18 categories in the newspaper division, 16 categories in the radio division, 15 categories in the television division, and eight categories in the Web site division.

In addition to the individual categories, the NCMA also recognizes the best overall media outlet in each division.

The NCMA tallies points towards the overall award using a system that awards three points for a first-place finish by a student in an individual category, two points for a second-place finish, and one point for a third-place finish. The student-produced medium with the most points is declared the best overall in its division.

Last year in the newspaper division’s Best Overall Newspaper award went to The Wayne Stater of Wayne State College, which tallied 19 points. The Eagle finished second with 17 points and The Doane Owl of Doane College finished third with 10 points.