BU Now » College of Communication

New York Times photographer Tyler Hicks addresses BU COM graduates

Kira Jastive — Thu, 26 May 2011 17:19:59 +0000

Tyler Hicks (COM ’92), a BU alum and New York Times photographer who was held hostage in Libya for four days in March, was the speaker at the College of Communication’s (COM) convocation. He urged COM’s graduates to “bear witness.” Watch his address below:

“Just stew it!” say the south campus stewards

Lauren Davalla — Thu, 19 May 2011 12:03:18 +0000

Graduating seniors Molly Byrd (CAS), Emily Drevets (CAS) and Emily Bell (CAS, COM) gave BU Today and inside look into what their lives were like while studying at BU the past four years and how they came to give away “free stew and friendship” on Wednesdays:

See more be BU Today’s Point of Departure series daily on their homepage.

Studying a third language through a second: Senior Yue Huang on her BU experience

Jenny Mackintosh — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:46:26 +0000

Senior Yue Huang (COM’11) traveled from her home in Beijing to Boston University, and quickly learned that although she knew English, her American slang could use some work. She didn’t stop there — using her second language to learn her third (Spanish), and eventually her fourth (French). In Points of Departure, Huang talks about growing up in the newsroom, and how languages help her break down barriers to communicate as a journalist:

Visit Yue Huang’s BU Today feature.

Visit the Points of Departure landing page to hear more stories from BU seniors.

The Power of Narrative: The Rebirth of Storytelling

Rebecca Loya — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:00:37 +0000

This weekend, Pulitzer Prize winners and best-selling authors will convene here at BU for the Journalism Department‘s annual conference, The Power of Narrative: The Rebirth of Storytelling. There, some of the nation’s most celebrated writers will discuss the art and future of narrative nonfiction.

2011 speakers include:

Jill Abramson, Managing Editor, The New York Times
Kate Medina, Executive Editor, Random House
Susan Orlean, Author, The Orchid Thief
Hampton Sides, Author, Hellhound on His Trail
Douglas Starr, Author, The Killer of Little Shepherds; Professor, College of Communication
Gay Talese, Journalist & Author
Isabel Wilkerson, Author, The Warmth of Other Suns; Professor, College of Communication
And many more…

The conference takes place today and tomorrow in the Kenmore Classroom Building. For registration information and a complete schedule of conference events visit here.

MTV’s “Staying Alive Ignite” HIV/AIDS awareness campaign comes to campus April 21 & 22

Jenny Mackintosh — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:44:04 +0000

As part of MTV’s “Staying Alive” campaign, “Ignite” addresses the stigmas of an HIV or AIDS diagnosis — as well as virus education and attitudes about safe sex — against the backdrop of youth culture in various locales, including Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ukraine. On April 21st and 22nd, the campaign is coming to Boston University with a screening of Shuga: An HIV/AIDS Soap Opera in Kenya.

In addition to two screenings — one on the Medical Campus and another on the Charles River Campus — a post-screening discussion will be held at COM, featuring Georgia Arnold, Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility at MTV and Director of Staying Alive. Dean of Students Kenn Elmore will continue the discussion as part of his weekly Coffee & Conversation on Friday, April 22nd.

Visit the Center for Global Health & Development’s Ignite landing page for the most updated information.

When Disaster Strikes: Reporting and Responding

Rebecca Loya — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:00:10 +0000

When Disaster Strikes: Reporting and Responding is an international conference that will explore the collaboration and tension between journalists and public health workers at times of crisis. The event, featuring a keynote speech by NBC’s Kerry Sanders, will mark the first annual collaboration of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Boston University’s Center for Global Health and Development, School of Public Health and College of Communication. A wide range of experts from the fields of global health, NGOs and journalism, as well as citizens and volunteers, will focus on the many layers of crisis in post-earthquake Haiti, to establish strategies for journalists and aid workers to function collaboratively.

The Washington Perspective: Foreign Policy in 2011

Kira Jastive — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:32:42 +0000

P.J. Crowley

Event: P.J. Crowley – The Washington Perspective: Foreign Policy in 2011

Host: College of Communication (COM)

Date: Thursday, March 10, 2011

Time: 12 – 2 p.m.

Place: COM student lounge (640 Commonwealth Ave.)

Admission: Free and open to the public

P.J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Dept. of State, is the public face of the Obama Administration’s foreign policy. Throughout the recent upheaval in the Middle East, Crowley has appeared regularly on CNN and news outlets throughout the world, giving the Administration’s perspective on the evolving crisis. Crowley has worked under Hillary Clinton for the past two years, handling communications for every international crisis, from the war in Afghanistan and the arrest of a CIA agent in Pakistan to the devastating earthquake in Haiti and the ongoing AIDS crisis in Africa.

the Quad shares their BU bucket list

Lauren Davalla — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:15:11 +0000

We’ve asked the senior editorial staff of the Quad to share their Bucket List of things and places all BU students should experience and visit before they graduate. On Monday morning, February 28, the Quad Co-Founder and Publisher Lauren Hockenson, who is a senior at COM scheduled to graduate in May, will kick off our weekly series with a guest post on her pick for a BU student “must do.”

“Race to Nowhere” Screening tonight

Lauren Davalla — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:55:25 +0000

The Boston University School of Education, College of Communication and on-campus high school, Boston University Academy, are hosting a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary “Race to Nowhere: The Dark Side of America’s Achievement Culture” tonight at 7 PM in the Tsai Performance Center. The film screening is free and open to the public; tickets are first come, first served at the door.

Veteran NECN Anchor R.D. Sahl Joins BU Faculty

Kira Jastive — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:25:43 +0000

R.D. Sahl

Long-time New England Cable News (NECN) anchor R. D. Sahl will join the journalism department at Boston University beginning in January 2011. Sahl, who brings to BU 40 years of broadcast journalism experience, will remain at NECN as a special contributor.

“It’s been my privilege to be part of NECN for more than 13 years. This newsroom has been an important part of my life and my career, but it’s time for me to turn a page. That turn takes me to Boston University’s Department of Journalism. I’ve picked up a few lessons over the last 40 years, and I hope to bring those lessons to the classroom,” said Sahl.

“Our students will be the beneficiaries of R.D. Sahl’s career in which he epitomized the kind of accurate, objective and compelling reporting that we believe is so critical for students to learn in the frantic age of digital journalism. He not only brings a legacy of local, national and international reporting to our classrooms, but also his reputation as a trusted news anchor familiar to literally millions of NECN viewers across the six New England states,” said Tom Fiedler, Dean of Boston University’s College of Communication (COM).

Sahl has anchored the NECN primetime news since 1997 and is the host of Right Now with RD Sahl and co-host of NECN Business and NECN Tonight. Sahl has earned multiple Emmy Awards for his reporting and anchoring and has covered every major story during his 15-year tenure at NECN, including the attacks on 9/11, the clergy abuse crisis, and most recently the Haitian earthquake. During his tenure, Sahl has made numerous foreign trips with assignments in Haiti, Cuba, Italy, France, Germany and Japan.