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history / iPhone / journalism / Monday / photo — Comments Off
24
Feb 14

Historic front pages

Still so very, very tired. Like I said, this is the kind of tired you don’t get over.

So, as I vainly try to recover a bit of energy, here are some historic front pages from Louisiana newspapers. The ULL journalism department is collecting and displaying these throughout their building. It looks quite nice. The earliest one they have on their walls is an issue from when John Kennedy was killed. One of the profs told me he found it in the attic when he moved into his home. It was in great condition; someone just forgot it when they moved out.

The most recent addition to the set is another big moment. The few here are just a sample, enjoy.

Tomorrow, I hope. I’ll feel a bit more like myself.

photo / weekend — Comments Off
23
Feb 14

Catching up

So tired. Oh so tired. The kind of tired that feels like you can never get over, that it’ll just grind you up and over and under and through. So some pictures, then.

On the University of Louisiana-Lafayette campus. That’s the alumni building in the background. From what I saw it was a lovely campus:

A flower at ULL, I think the first one I saw this year:

Check out the neon at the Hub City Diner, where we had breakfast both of our mornings there. Try the beignets.

Pelican Elvis at the Hub City Diner:

You don’t see this every day:

Mississippi’s gas stations are colorful. These interstate roadside spots know you might never be back, but they’ll try to leave you with an impression. The camo does it, every time:

This guy was named one of the top illustrators in the region at SEJC. And he’s also the editor-in-chief of one of the top newspapers in the Southeast. So, naturally, on the way home he put on a wacky gas station hat and we made him pose by the gas cans. They had an entire wall of gas cans for sale. Not sure which of these facts is the strangest:

photo / Samford / Twitter / weekend — Comments Off
22
Feb 14

Wrapping SEJC and driving, a lot

Today we closed things up at the Southeast Journalism Conference. And I’m beginning to think this should really be a three-day affair.

After breakfast at our new favorite diner we returned to the panel sessions. I attended one called The Courthouse Beat: Trials (literally), Tribulations and Records. Some things I wrote in that room:

I'd write about this courthouse panel of #SEJC2014, which is very interesting, but the Hilton has no WiFi in this conference room. Nice. #fb

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

Twice at #SEJC2014 I have heard complaints of media distorting stories. This is a journalism conference. #fb

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

One of those complaints was by a reporter, which was humorous. #SEJC2014

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

Just learned the Louisiana AG has opined that agencies in that state can vote by SMS, without access/records. What could go wrong?!? #fb

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

I also listened to another panel, Sports Journalism in the Age of Scandal Salon. I wrote some things about that one, too. Among them:

On covering scandal, @RabalaisAdv says you sometimes have to divorce yourself from your emotions, not unlike acting.

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

Remember your obligation to the public interest, says AP's @brettmartel. Often, he says, scandal stories are, like people, complex.

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

On avoiding the wink wink we're the home team, rah rah mentality: @RabalaisAdv says you can't be a fan.

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

And then @brettmartel suggests to student-journalists reinforce that you're training to be a journalist, which requires objectivity.

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

"Concentrate on self-improvement. Concentrate on self-improvement. You'll be amazed … " says @WGNOsports

— kenny smith (@kennysmith) February 22, 2014

It was a fine panel, and there is a whole lot more on Twitter.

More awards were handed out during the seafood fettuccini luncheon. All of those onsite contest award winners were announced. Clayton Hurdle, a Samford senior and the sports editor of The Samford Crimson won for a story he wrote Thursday night. He won this same contest last year:

We passed this little town on the way home. I just liked the name, bro:

But I understand the food is something serious, there.

We also stopped in our favorite Mississippi town for a few pictures. And by pictures, I mean shots of the sign. we didn’t see whatever passes for the town:

And we decided Google Maps lied. The map said we could make the trip in just over six hours. Try just over eight. I got home around midnight.

Friday / I do not know what is happening. / iPhone / journalism / photo / Samford — Comments Off
21
Feb 14

Southeast Journalism Conference

Here’s the big deal:

In the Best of the South contest Samford students won 11 honors.

Ninth place in best special event reporter: Chelsea Pennington
Eighth in best graphic news designer: Sarah Norville
Eighth in news-editorial artist/illustrator: Zach Brown
Eighth in best newspaper: Samford Crimson
Sixth in best arts/entertainment writer: Matt Harrison
Sixth in best video news program: Samford News Network
Fourth in best magazine: Exodus
Third in best news writer: Sydney Cromwell
Third in best op/ed writer: Evan Elmore
Second in best TV feature news reporter: Ally Reece
Winner, best journalism research paper: Lauren Cherry

That’s against students from 51 other member schools. We are very proud of the hard work the students put in, and the recognition they are receiving from industry professionals. We’re doing something right and so are the students.

Anyway, there is a lot more from the conference on my Twitter feed. I’ve been live-tweeting the excellent panels, a panel session on a case study of the 2012 Mickey Shunick murder in Lafayette, La. and a panel on the “neglected health beat.”

Last night I judged contestants in the onsite sports photography contest. One of our writers, Clayton Hurdle, the Crimson’s sports editor and the guy in the center above, took part in the sports writing contest. Zach Brown the Crimson’s editor in chief and Sydney Cromwell, the news editor, took part in contests today. The winners of those will be announced tomorrow.

The food at the conference has been amazing, by the way. At our buffet dinner tonight we had crawfish étouffée with steamed white rice, beef stroganoff, tossed salad, corn maque choux, steamed broccoli. At lunch today we had what we were told were the best po’ boys for miles around.

Here’s the daytime view from my room on the 14th floor:

And looking the other way up the Vermilion River.

Here’s my view at sunset.

From the parts that I was fortunate to see the host school, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette has a lovely campus. One more half-day of conference tomorrow, and then we head back home. And more pictures to come, at some point.

And now I’m going to go try another midnight 5K.

I do not know what is happening.

I do not know what is happening. / photo / running / Samford / Thursday — Comments Off
20
Feb 14

Travel day

We drove from Birmingham to Lafayette, La. Google Maps says you can do that in just over six-and-a-half hours. I missed the turn onto I-12, so that meant we went through New Orleans. This unfortunate turn of events means I caught rush hour in New Orleans and in Baton Rouge. And also rain from Baton Rouge on. And I had to get there by 7 p.m.

So we drove fast, me and three students. All through Mississippi and most of Louisiana we read Wikipedia facts of the various small towns aloud. It was a lot more fun than it should have been.

We saw this mural just outside of Pachuta, Miss.

Some 245 people live in Pachuta. Here is the town hall, library AND fire department.

Anyway, we were all very ready to be out of the car. Very ready. We were in the car for more than eight hours and ade it in time, but only just. I dropped the students off, took our sports writer to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Cajundome where he was covering a Troy-ULL basketball game for a sportswriting contest.

We had dinner, gumbo and amazing red beans and rice. We checked in to the Hilton. Here’s my view from the 14th floor of the Hilton, Lafayette:

I did run tonight. I got six miles in, a nice little 10K at almost midnight. I do not know what is happening. I feel like my new shoes are officially broken in:

Aren’t they unattractive?

Tomorrow the Southeast Journalism Conference begins in earnest. I have to be awake again in a few hours.