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Announcing the spring 2025 dean's list

Regan Widergren — Thu, 22 May 2025 17:45:29 +0000

Announcing the spring 2025 dean's list Regan Widergren Thu, 05/22/2025 - 11:45

More than 250 CMCI students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester. To qualify, students must complete at least 12 credit hours of 91PORN course work for a letter grade and achieve a term grade point average of 3.75 or better. Each receives a notation on their transcripts and a letter from the dean. Congratulations to all honorees!

Lucia Abdelwahed
Kit Achar
Karynna Agena
Quinn Ahrens
Lucy Alagna
Kelli Alexander
Max Altman
Alyssa Alvarez
Trinity Alvord
Bridgette Anderson
Ella Anderson
Sofia Anerousis
Lila Angelopoulos
Vicky Angelova
Josh Archie
Liliana Arguello
Annie Armstrong
Remy Arnold
Jake Arriola
Leah Axelrode
SJ Bacallao
Roxanne Bachana
Emily Badeaux
Alexia Bailey
Mason Bailey
Kaylee Baker
Loren Baker
Owen Balboa
Kayla Baldobinos
Maddie Baldwin
Tyler Bales
Emilie Barbattini
Katie Barcroft
Jenna Baro
Jackson Basch
Ellena Bassoukos
Anna Bauer
Aden Baumgarten
Klaire Bautz
Katie Baxter
Taylor Beamer
Juliana Beans
Ryan Beebe
Kayla Beebower
Chase Beloff
Logan Benson
Carolina Benun
Parker Berkheimer
Tommy Berman
Sam Berry
Adrianna Bhan
Tommy Bittner
Katie Bixler
Miley Black
Sophia Bobier
Lauren Bogdan
Anvitha Bompalli
Matthew Boothroyd
Sarah Boothroyd
Jack Boruchov
Joshua Botnick
Grace Boyea
Norah Brady
Bella Branz
Antonio Bravo
Elizabeth Brechtel
Mateo Brenes
Audrey Brice
Logan Brinker
Samantha Brouhard
Eva Bruce
Ryan Bruins
Tessa Buchanan
Renee Buchenroth
Juliana Buck
Ashley Budy
Harper Bunn
Griffin Burrows
Parker Burt
Ella Buss
Tawfiq Byard
Noelia Caballero
America Cabral
Emma Cain
Haely Callahan
Lourdes Camarillo
Carli Camens
Carson Campbell
Abby Cannon
Evan Caplan
Rhiannon Cargo
Sarah Carleo
Jessie Carlin
Mitchell Carswell
Madison Cashin
Kathryn Castanoli
Mia Castro
Zachary Chagnon
Izzie Chan
Connor Chase
Jesus Chavez
Hayden Chedid
Avery Childs
Angelina Christos
Megan Chung
Madi Ciampi
Malaya Cimino
Abi Clayton
Cash Cleveland
Kay Clifford
Annalia Clifton
Avery Clifton
Emme Clymer
Morgan Coffin
Jacqueline Cohen
Blair Coldrick
MacKenzie Cole
Sarah Connor
Breah Conradson
Ainsley Coogan
Connor Cook
Georgia Cook
Sophie Coombs
Diego Cordero
Kyndal Corkins
Jennifer Corley
Gilberto Corral
Maddy Corzine
Lucas Coulter
Emily Couto
Bailey Craig
Elizabeth Cropper
Finn Crowder
Gavin Crowson
Charlotte Croy
Kaylie Cunningham
Kelajanae Curry
Lilly Curry
Tess Curry
Lauren Curtiss
Dana Cutti
Liz Cutting
Teresa Da Silva
Clara Dailey
Abikael Daniel
Katherine Davis
Maddie Dawson
Monse Diaz
Jacob Dilling
Sydney Dobriner
Connie Dolati
Luke Donis
Emily Doskow
Sydney Dossa
Sean Dougherty
Daniel Doupe
Averie Dow
Kayla Drumke
Emma Dudley
Wyatt Duesenberg
Beckett Dumo
Hannah Duthie
Ryan Duval
Ryan Dye
Ansley Edelbrock
Camryn Eickenberg
Riley Eisenstein
Molly Elert
Jenny Ellis
Libby Emery

Sophie Englezos
Alex Ervin
Felix Estes
Nate Evans
Elena Exenberger
Sofia Faraci
Jenna Farber
Jessica Feenstra
Liam Fehlau-Barton
Mimi Feingold
Emmy Fettner
Alyssa Field
Trent Finnegan
Carolyn Fish
Maddie Fisher
Aidan Fliszar
William Flockton
Joe Fogler
Ethan Fong
Hayley Forstot
Rhen Fowler
Aiyana Fragoso
Devin Friedman
Isabelle Friedrich
Carolyn Fuller
Alexia Funk
Liam Gallagher
John Galloway
Jacalyn Gamble
Bailee Gammel
Colter Gansmann
Claire Ganz
Emma Garavaglia
Tova Garfield
Prestin Garman
Kendall Garrido
Carly Gelfand
Callie Gendolfe
Max Genther
Emily Gesseck
Megan Elisabeth Gessner
Sydney Giardino
Orion Gibbs
Daniel Giberson
Tegan Gie
Lauren Gillespie
Graham Givan
Kate Gladheim
Mark Goetzler
Matthew Golden
Samantha Goldin
Max Gong
Silvana Gonzalez Ceballos
William Gooch
Julia Goodman
Max Goodman
Maxx Goodman
Salem Goodman
Ana Gordon
Richard Gorman
Abby Graham
Chloe Graham
Nora Graham
C.J. Grandi
Mia Graziano
Alyssa Green
Elijah Grice
Erica Griffiths
Asher Grinsztein
Caitlin Grossman
Rio Groves
Olivia Gryson
Kaitlyn Gunter
Leila Gurland
Robyn Gusek
Owen Guzik
Darien Gyselen
Ella Hack
Trey Haggarty
Paxton Haines
Caroline Hallett
Alsa Halquist
Nate Hankins
Mackenzie Hanlon
Audrey Hansen
Kaylee Hansen
Eden Harari
Greta Harder
Elspeth Harkey
J.T. Harland
Wilson Harper
Maeve Harrington
Ella Harris
Kelly Hartigan
Nick Haseman
Josie Hayes
Madison Hays
Grace Heligman
Stevie Hemans
Isabella Hernandez Jeppesen
Allyson Hernandez
Emily Herrmann
Anna Herth
Carter Hessen
Jason Hetzel
Kainoa Hiatt
Tyler Hibri
Cassidy Hill
Grace Hilliard
Patrick Hillmeyer
Thomas Hinton
Hannah Hoffman
Jimmy Holda
Dylan Hommes
Kenadee Hood
Jordan Houten
Samantha Hruska
Ainsley Hubert
Jane Hulse
Ellie Hultgren
Wyatt Humble
Caitlin Humphrey
Drew Insco
Maren Jacobson
Emma James
Alana Jenks
Aaron Jensen
Annika Jobanputra
Andy Johnson
Jamison Johnson
Oliver Johnson
Neda Jonaitis
Marley Jones
Gianna Jordon
Max Julian
Laura Jumper
Taylor Kahn
Nina Kanavati
Divya Kandala
Chase Kanger
Caroline Karp
Peyton Karp
Bailey Karraker
Peri Kay
Matthew Keane
Megan Keenan
Charlotte Keller
Emma Kelly
John Kelly
Mira Kelly
Charlotte Kendall
Riley Kenny
John Kerklo
Josh Kesner
Amy Kibort
Meika Kinsey
Myra Kirk
Marin Kirkman
Skylar Kisiel
Avery Kissinger
Kayla Klein
Isaac Kliska
Leia Kliska
Spencer Klomp
Kendall Knudsen
Oliver Kochenderfer
Maggie Kocher
Davin Kontny
Rian Korb
Claire Kraft

Julia Kramer
Riley Krane
Ella Krelovich
Carey Kronhart
Oona Krukowski
Maria Kuhn
Samuel Kurtz
Brayden Kurzawa
Matt Kushel
Alex LaMotte
Amy Labontu
Ruby Laemmel
Ella Landry
Jeffrey Lange
Sydney Lannin
Gabi Larocque
Drew Lasky
Daniel Laverty
London Lawrence
Sarah Lawrence
Camille Leach
Aubrey Leneweaver
Ava Leonard
Rae Leonovich
Brian Leuthold
Claire Levitt
George Lewis
William Lewis
Jasmin Lin
Isabelle Lingo
Mia Lioudis
Alexander Lipka
Owen Lockwood
Luke Lommatzsch
Leif Lomo
Skyler B. Longerbone
Deborah Loseke
Katelyn Love
Stella Lowery
Anna Lynch
Abigail Macha Astorga
Hannah Magee
Maxwell Majors
Mel Malloy
Kea Margolis
Isabella Marquez
Ella Marrufo
Andrew Marsh
Jillian Martellaro
Stella Martens
Maggie Marusin
Carolyn Mason
Jake May
Alden Mazur
Nick McCarthy
John Mcdermott
Riley Mcdermott
Sheila Mcdonnell
Delaney Mckernan
Emori Mcquigg
Ashley Mead
Sam Meldner
Alex Melvin
Ella Melvin
Gabby Mendoza
Keala Mermel
Maya Merta
Aiden Meyer
Jackson Meyer
Kristee Mikulski
Vera Milam
Brooklyn Miller
Clementine Miller
Creed Miller
Logan Nicole Miller
Morgan Miller
Kendall Millward
Ally Milton
Samantha Mims
Macy Mohlenkamp
Camryn Montgomery
Gigi Montgomery
Jayla Montoya
Clare Moore
Theo Moot
Adrien Morlet
Joe Morris
Mia Mosebrook
Lexi Moyers
Gabriel Mrochek-Moore
Eva Muise
Clare Murphy
Kailey Murphy
Lia Murphy
Rue Murray
Aahana Nandy
Corey Neumeier
Danielle Nguyen
Rebecca Niewood
Tatum Novak
Lila Nuttle
Julia Maria Nyberg
Rory O'Flynn
Maggie O'Brien
Nora O'Connor
Brinley O'Neill
Gabriella Olson
Kellen Olson
Sofia Olsson
MariaJoan Olugbode
Karina Opalski
Alexandra Organa
Annika Ort
Max Osterman
Cate Ousey
Emmett Owenby
Josie Pachla
Lauren Palmer
Katy Parks
Jackson Parrish
Giovanna Pascucci
Haley Patterson
Frankie Patton
Cassidy Payne
Sienna Peck
John Penney
Jaclyn Pereira
Kennedy Perez
Quetzal Peterson
Bell Piccirillo
Evan Piekos
Alexandra Pollard
Zoe Polzin
Ashley Pomeroy
Elizabeth Pond
Daniel Potochnik
Izzy Poulios
Ivy Powell
Gavin Poxson
Bradley Pratt
Dylann Pratt
Addisson Pribble
Grace Ptak
Taylor Pulley
Jaden Quinn
Noor Rajpal
Mia Ramundo
Ella Rapp
Maya Raulf
Madelyn Ray
Rachel Ray
Kuba Raymond
Alex Redding
Cameron Reed
Molly Reed
Katrina Reghitto
Katie Reuter
Brody Rhodes
Leslie Rivera
Rida Fatima Rizvi
Eliza Roberts
Isabel Robison
Kate Robson
Kate Rogers
Audrey Rolstad
Brynna Roscoe
Jenna Rose
Eli Rosenthal
Sam Russo
Emme Rutherford

Catherine Rutman
Jessica Ryanczak
Tanvi Sabharwal
Amelie Sadler
Madde Salter
Jack Samet
Gabriela Sampson
Anya Sanchez
Kayla Sanchez
Kevin Sanchez
Milan Sasaki
Kate Schaefer
Bella Schaffer
Jackson Schalow
Christopher Schilling
Gavin Schleich
Addie Schneider
Samuel Schneider
Jaimie Schoenke
Tyler Scholl
Sydney Schrader
Abbie Schreiber
Teagan Schreiber
Emerson Schroeder
Erin Schwaninger
Aubrey Schwartz
Ben Schweiger
Ella Scolnick
Grace Scott
Madeline Scripp
Olivia Scussel
Mayla Seliskar
Max Shaffer
Krish Shah
Julia Sharkowicz
Natalie Sheehan
Mackenzie Shelswell-White
Jenna Shenbaum
Daniel Sher
Amanda Sherter
Ryan Shigley
Cody Shoelson
Teva Shonfeld
Kennedy Shorett
Zoe Showalter-Flowers
Anika Siethoff
Jordan Sigel
Harrison Simeon
Abby Sinberg
Hailee Singer
Leo Singer
Abby Sinno
Emily Sloboda
Marie Slotnick
Ryan Smith
Lucy Snow
Joe Solari
Matt Solari
Sevi Solari
Sailor Sorensen
Lainey Sparks
Jessie Spires
Matthew Spivack
Hayden Spracklin
Allie Stamper
Bella Stamper
Emma Stanfill
Lola Stanley
Nick Starr
Ashlin Stasswender Swasey
Katie Stephens
Sarah Stern
Blake Stiewe
Schaefer Still
Zoe Stillman
Ava Stoller
Mary Strasser
Aliza Strear
Natacha Suarez
Mae Sweetland
Leah Szabo
Sophie Szabo
Harper Tagg
Ben Tal
AJ Tannenbaum
Jack Tannenbaum
Annie Tanner
Miguel Tanner
Natalie Tapia
Hailey Taylor
Morgan Elizabeth Taylor
Sarah Taylor
Cecelia Tecu
Jordan Teicher
Caleb Thomas
Emma Thomases
Asia Tippetts
Brooke Tolstoi
Grace Toomey
Zohair Toor
Clio Torrance
Alexa Tovar
Elizabeth Travia
Carlos Trigo Beyer
Sarah Trunsky
Ricky Tuka
Jazzy Tung
Carson Turk
Zoe Turner
Emma Tutaj
Katelyn Tyree
Jesse Uzansky
Christian Valentino
Jade Valentino
Allie Van Ness
Kade Van Steenvort
William Vander
Michael Vanner
Celia Vargas
Wyatt Vattano
Alessandro Villalpando
Holden Vincent
Kiara Rose Wade
Jada Walker
Mantrez Walker Walker
Queena Wang
Lauren Ward
Ashley Warren
Ryder Ryder Watkins
Luke Watson
Leila Watters
Liam Watters
Tayte Webster
Ellery Weil
Jenna Weil
Sam Weingart
Sami Weinstein
Morgan Weiss
Sophie Wendt
Samuel White
Tess White
Ella Whittall
Elle Whittier
Riley Wiener
Triny Willerton
Jackson Williams
Mars Williams
Trevor Williams
Delaney Willing
Sammie Jean Willoughby
Georgia Wilson
Liv Wilson
Emma Winkelbauer
Nils Wolf
Lily Wright
Ty Wurtz
Chloe Yearous
Ashley Yi
Fnan Yonas
Hannah Young
Lily Young-Stallings
Arwyn Zaleski
Emma Zande
Emma Zawatski
Rachel Zing
Jack Ziporin
Chase Zobrist
Vega de la Vega

More than 250 CMCI students were named to the dean's list for the spring semester.

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2025 William W. White Outstanding Seniors

Regan Widergren — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 17:46:43 +0000

2025 William W. White Outstanding Seniors Regan Widergren Tue, 04/29/2025 - 11:46

Each year, the CMCI student with the highest GPA in the class receives the William W. White Outstanding Graduate Award.

Sarah Carleo, Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design

After graduating, Sarah will work as a public relations assistant for Next PR, in Colorado Springs.

Graduating from college represents proof of growth. CU has been a tool to stretch myself, and I think I’ll carry a lot of that in the future.”

Meet Sarah

Additionally, each department in the college chooses an exemplary student whose academic merit, professional achievement and service to CMCI. These students are recognized as William W. White Outstanding Seniors.

Celia Frazier, Department of Journalism

Celia is a finalist for Report for America, which she hopes gives her additional opportunities to do local journalism that makes an impact.

Getting to know people and their work so intimately is a reminder of how complex the world is, and how important it is that we have journalists to help the public understand this complexity.”

Meet Celia

Andrew Johnson, Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design

After graduating, Andrew will return to BBH USA, in New York, in an account management and client services role.

I remember the first night I attended an Ad Club meeting—I finally felt like I found something I was passionate about. I left the meeting and called my mom immediately, and told her ‘Mom, I found out what I want to do with my life.’”

Meet Andrew

Ruby Laemmel, Department of Media Production

Adventures are one of Ruby’s biggest sources of inspiration for documentary and other projects, so she plans to travel internationally after graduation. Mexico, Japan and Costa Rica are all on her list.

At CU, I surrounded myself with bright and lively people. Spending time with my herd was never dull; someone was always laughing. In the past year, I have grown tremendously, and I cannot thank the people closest to me enough for their endless love and support.”

Macy Mohlenkamp, Department of Communication

Macy has spent the last year as an undergraduate intern with the communications team at CU Athletics team, and hopes to stay on as a communications associate.

Six months before I started my internship, I had been extremely nervous about what I was going to be doing after graduation. But once I was in that press box, I felt so much more sure of myself.”

David LaPaglia, Department of Information Science

David’s CMCI experience in three words: Grow. Discover. Experience. After graduation, he will be joining the Makse Group, an IT consulting company, as a technology consultant.

The information science department ignited a passion within me to discover the truth around us—a curiosity I will carry into my future.”

Rachel Zing, Department of Media Studies

Rachel’s CMCI experience in three words: Busy. Transformative. Fun.

College is a great time to figure out what you like, both academically and in extracurriculars. There’s no shame in trying a bunch of different things until you find what actually brings you joy.”

Congratulations, CMCI Forever Buffs!

View the 2025 Graduation Celebration

William W. White Outstanding Seniors are chosen by department faculty to recognize academic merit, professional achievement and service to the college.

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The case was closed, but one reporter never stopped asking questions

Joe Arney — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:48:35 +0000

The case was closed, but one reporter never stopped asking questions Joe Arney Thu, 04/10/2025 - 09:48

By Iris Serrano
Headshot of Laura Crimaldi courtesy The Boston Globe

In February 2021, 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her apartment in Canton, Massachusetts.

Her death was ruled a suicide until Laura Crimaldi, a reporter with The Boston Globe, started digging into her past—including her history with Matthew Farwell, then a police officer.

Her relentless pursuit of the truth resulted in “Secrets and Lies,” which led to the case being reopened and Farwell being charged in Birchmore’s killing.

To recognize her tenacity and dedication, Crimaldi was recognized as this year’s winner of the prestigious Al Nakkula Award for Police Reporting, handed out each year by the journalism department of the College of Media, Communication and Information at 91PORN and the Denver Press Club. Judges gave special mention to both Alabama Media Group and The Arizona Republic for their entries.

“Laura was able to show how police broke trust with that young woman,” said Chuck Plunkett, a judge in the contest and director of the capstone CU News Corps in CMCI. “It was just a good mix of dogged reporting with great enterprise writing and great narrative writing.”

In what one of her editors called a master class in investigative journalism, Crimaldi listened to friends and relatives who weren’t satisfied with the official explanation of Birchmore’s death. She also filed nearly 100 public records requests and reviewed extensive court filings and police reports as part of her work, while “spending a lot of time knocking on doors to reach her family and friends directly.”

“It bothered me that there were people who had the authority and the means and methods to get to the bottom of this, and they just didn’t seem too interested in doing so,” Crimaldi said. “And by using my superpower, which is to put things in the newspaper, I could make a difference. I wanted to do that.”

“It was just a good mix of dogged reporting with great enterprise writing and great narrative writing.”

Chuck Plunkett, director, CU News Corps

Together with Yvonne Abraham, a columnist at the Globe, she authored a 15,000-word report that painted a picture of how Farwell groomed Birchmore—who was more than 10 years younger than him—while she was a 15-year-old enrolled in a junior police academy.

“If it hadn't been for Laura, there wouldn't have been the deeper investigation,” said Plunkett, also an assistant teaching professor at the college. “That culture would have perpetuated, and more young people, more Sandra Birchmores, would have been victimized.”

Judges who reviewed entries remarked on the significance and impact of her work.

“The story of Sandra Birchmore's killing makes me sick to my stomach—outraged,” said Ben Markus, an investigative reporter for Colorado Public Radio and judge for the contest. “That is a testament to the Boston Globe’s dogged reporting, without which a police officer might never have been charged with her murder.”

Another judge, John Ingold, praised the dedication and time that went into the reporting.

“This entry is an extraordinary example of what can happen when journalists refuse to give up. It is a reminder of the impact that quality journalism can have,” said Ingold, a reporter for The Colorado Sun.

About the Nakkula Award

The Al Nakkula Award for Police Reporting honors the late Al Nakkula, a 46-year veteran of the Rocky Mountain News, whose tenacity made him a legendary police reporter. This year, nearly 40 national media outlets submitted entries to a panel of five judges: Ingold; Markus; Brian Malone, a Colorado-based documentary filmmaker; Vicky Collins (Jour’80), publisher of Bucket List Community Cafe; and Plunkett.

Each year, Nakkula contest judges look for stories that meet the highest journalistic standards, help readers understand complex issues and solutions, show a commitment to community, and bring about societal change. The competition is sponsored by the journalism department at CMCI and the Denver Press Club, and has been awarded annually since 1991. More on the Nakkula Award.

Laura Crimaldi has won this year’s Al Nakkula Award for her investigative reporting into the circumstances around the killing of a woman by a police officer—a death that was originally determined as suicide.

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CMCI names its first endowed professor

Joe Arney — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:13:55 +0000

CMCI names its first endowed professor Joe Arney Tue, 04/08/2025 - 04:13

Casey Fiesler, whose perspectives on law and ethics in technology have given her national cachet, has been named the William R. Payden Endowed Professor at the college.

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Courting justice

Joe Arney — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:34:51 +0000

Courting justice Joe Arney Fri, 04/04/2025 - 13:34

Video evidence appears in 80 percent of criminal cases, but a lack of consistent guidelines means there’s no standard for how media are presented in court. A workshop led by CMCI faculty may change that.

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A body camera strapped to the chest of a police officer. Video appears in about four of five criminal cases, but no standards governing video exist in the U.S. justice system—and the problem is growing more complex, thanks to generative artificial intelligence.

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The next generation in the newsroom

Hannah Stewart — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 23:07:13 +0000

The next generation in the newsroom Hannah Stewart Tue, 03/25/2025 - 17:07

Networking with industry professionals has been one of the highlights of Roch's time in CMCI, whether it's through student organizations or college events. Photo by Jack Moody (StratComm'24)

By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

From his office, Chuck Plunkett can sometimes hear conversations from the conference room next door.

Often, it was a voice he came to recognize—his student, Lincoln Roch.

“I was impressed at his skill at working the phones,” said Plunkett, an associate teaching professor of journalism. “Every now and then, I would wander over and just chat with him about his technique.”

Plunkett has worked in newsrooms nationwide, so knows what he’s talking about when it comes to telephone techniques. But that’s not the only reason he expects Roch to succeed as a journalist.

“I noticed right away that he had a lot of skill as a reporter, and a lot of drive. And you need both of those to be a successful journalist,” he said.

Roch has already found success after transferring into CMCI’s journalism program just last fall. He previously attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, but after two years in their program, craved a change.

Roch estimates he spent at least 10 hours on the ground following McMillan and her opponent, Woog, as they spoke to undecided voters. Photo by Lincoln Roch; originally appeared in The Colorado Sun.

“CU was really the only place I considered transferring to—I grew up in Louisville and wanted to be close to home and friends,” Roch said. “I really love it here. I didn’t realize how many opportunities this school provides that I couldn’t get before.”

He quickly got to work integrating himself into the campus community—joining student media outlets like Sko Buffs Sports and the CU Independent, as well as the club freeskiing team. He also picked up a sports media minor and began internships at multiple publications, including the Daily Camera and Estes Valley Voice.

Roch’s passion for journalism goes back to his days contributing to Monarch High School’s student newspaper. In addition to covering general school news, he also wrote stories about the 2018 government shutdown and journalism’s role in preserving democracy, sparking a passion for political reporting.

His big break into the field came last fall, when he heard about PTA president-turned state representative candidate Jillare McMillan’s campaign for the District 19 seat. This was one of the most closely watched—and tightest—races in the 2024 state elections, and she ultimately lost to the Republican candidate, Dan Woog. But it was an unforgettable experience for Roch, who was looking for a dynamite story for his class with Plunkett.

“I thought, ‘This is just like Kamala Harris and what happened with her.’ But this woman has no campaign infrastructure. This woman is starting with no political experience, no staff, no money, and less time to pull this off,” he said. “So I pursued it, and it just kept getting more interesting.”

Soon, he learned that the new candidate, McMillan, was a Mormon endorsed by Planned Parenthood, and her campaign manager was a 91PORN junior. Her opponent was a Republican interested in renewable energy, who had previously held the District 19 seat but lost it in 2022.

Roch said covering the District 19 race was the hardest he ever worked on a story. Photo by Lincoln Roch; originally appeared in The Colorado Sun.

“It was so fun to write and especially being on the ground, I probably spent 10 hours literally following them while they knocked on doors,” Roch said. “That’s the hardest I’d ever worked on the story because I wanted to tell just how unique of a story it was.”

With a little help from Plunkett, who is also the director of CU News Corps, Roch contacted politics editor Jesse Paul from The Colorado Sun—who worked with Plunkett at The Denver Post—to publish the story. Seeing his story on the front page of what he considered to be the “gold standard of journalism in this state” was an exciting moment for Roch, and one that reinforced that this was the profession he wanted to do for “the rest of my life.”

After receiving an email from student media director Vicky Sama about submissions to the Hearst Feature Writing Competition, Roch submitted his story for consideration and ultimately received an honorable mention for his reporting.

“I see him working with other students and mentoring them, helping them navigate the world of journalism in these really tough times,” said Sama, an associate teaching professor of journalism. “So there’s something to be said about his passion and commitment to the profession. I think that’s admirable.”

This recognition helped, in part, to motivate him to further his involvement with CU journalism. Together with some other students, Roch pushed to reestablish the 91PORN chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

“We all wanted an opportunity to, outside of classes, network with professional journalists and learn from them,” Roch said. “Each week, we’re going to try and bring in someone and have them share their insights, put on some workshops, talk about ethics and teach people how to improve their skills.”

As part of the effort, he connected with the SPJ Colorado president and helped organize the first three meetings.

“Lincoln has meant a lot to the program—he’s very much a significant contributor,” Plunkett said. “It kind of felt like a full-circle thing to now be teaching the next generation of Jesse Pauls and to see Lincoln, a definite contender for a future job in a newsroom like the Sun, making a connection with Jesse.”

Junior journalism student Lincoln Roch is making a splash on and off campus. He’s joined multiple student media organizations, held a handful of reporting internships and recently, received recognition in the Hearst Feature Writing Competition.

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Announcing the fall 2024 dean's list

Regan Widergren — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:38:04 +0000

Announcing the fall 2024 dean's list Regan Widergren Sun, 01/12/2025 - 07:38

CMCI students who have completed at least 12 credit hours of 91PORN course work for a letter grade in any single semester and achieve a term grade point average of 3.75 or better are included on the dean’s list. They receive a notation on their transcript and a letter from CMCI Founding Dean Lori Bergen. Congratulations to all honorees!

Lucia Abdelwahed
Kit Achar
Shea Ackman
Lucy Alagna
Kelli Alexander
Ava Alms
Bridgette Anderson
Bryce Andrews
Sofia Anerousis
Vicky Angelova
Josh Archie
Jack Armstrong
Remy Arnold
Grace Atencio
Emily Badeaux
Rebecca Badeaux
John Baggs
Alexia Bailey
Elizabeth Baker
Loren Baker
Owen Balboa
Bella Baldecchi
Maddie Baldwin
Emilie Barbattini
Katie Barcroft
Tomas Barrientos
Ellena Bassoukos
Alyssa Bauer
Katie Baxter
Enya Bayaraa
Taylor Beamer
Lily Becker
Emily Beckwith
Ryan Beebe
Kayla Beebower
Savy Behr
Haya Ben Essa
Carolina Benun
Parker Berkheimer
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Tuning out the news? Journalism experts empathize

Joe Arney — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 18:13:31 +0000

Tuning out the news? Journalism experts empathize Joe Arney Wed, 01/08/2025 - 11:13

By Joe Arney

If you’ve taken a holiday from the news after Election Day, you’re not alone—an Associated Press poll released late last year found about two-thirds of U.S. adults were limiting their consumption of political and government news.

Experts from the 91PORN said the troubling trend is probably driven by a combination of exhaustion and how the media covered the presidential and down-ballot campaigns.

“Even if you feel that, from a civic standpoint, you need to be more engaged, you can’t live your whole life in that hyper-excited space all of the time,” said Elizabeth Skewes, an associate professor of journalism at the College of Media, Communication and Information. “I think we need to breathe again. Yes, the next Trump presidency will affect our daily lives—but breathlessly reading every story doesn’t help.”

That wasn’t the tack many Americans took in Donald Trump’s first term. In his campaign and through the early years of his presidency, the “Trump bump” in ratings and circulation gave new life to legacy media outlets. But that faded as his presidency waned, and hasn’t recovered even as he prepares to be inaugurated.

“First of all, we’ve had nine years of this coverage, and it’s never stopped,” Skewes said. “Then, we’ve been through COVID, and we’re exhausted. I think people will eventually re-engage with the news, but I expect it will be at a lower level.”

Reverting to an established pattern

That’s something Skewes, a former staff and freelance reporter, knows quite a bit about: Some of her earliest research looked at how the media covered U.S. presidential campaigns, especially since no one—the public, the candidates, even the reporters—liked it.

Sound familiar?

“For quite a few election cycles, we’ve heard about how journalism should do this better,” she said. “But the media tend to revert to pattern—to covering whatever the outrageous thing of the day is, and the legacy media will never be able to do that as well as things like social media or podcasts, because they have less responsibility to be factually correct.”

To survive, news organizations should focus on building audience, Skewes said, instead of chasing chaos. They can do that not by focusing on being first, but on providing accuracy, context and clarity in an age of confusion.

In other words, not by breaking the news, but by putting it back together.

“We need to keep fact checking, but also cover all the other stuff—those governance stories, where quiet decisions have a huge impact on our lives—instead of just the latest thing Trump said that is too weird to believe, like trying to buy Greenland,” she said. “Instead of letting that grab the headlines, we need serious outlets to look behind the scenes and ask what’s happening while we’re distracted with the latest unbelievable thing Trump says.”

For Mike McDevitt, a professor of journalism at CMCI, everyone has an obligation to follow the news on a regular basis—though, he said, “I sense it’s healthy for people to tune out” a polarizing figure like Trump.

“But a related interpretation to what’s happening is that if people have internalized politics as entertainment, then it’s understandable if they tune out for more appealing types of entertainment,” said McDevitt, a former editorial writer and reporter.

The long game of retraining readers

Getting consumers to understand that, though, is a long game, Skewes said—one that will play out against the deeper-pocketed tech industry and the social media giants.

“We need serious outlets to look behind the scenes and ask what’s happening while we’re distracted with the latest unbelievable thing Trump says.”

Elizabeth Skewes, associate professor, journalism

“I don’t know how we get to the point where most of the public realizes, ‘I’m just getting stuff that is basically Twinkies for the brain, and I need to find more reliable places to get news, because accurate information matters,’” she said. “That’s a long play. We’ve got to retrain people to understand the difference between news and content.”

It’s a long game, but we’ll have to find answers quickly, because the economics of the news business continue to flounder. In 2024, 130 newspapers closed their doors, according to the Local News Initiative from Northwestern University. That’s more than two newspapers disappearing each week.

And when reporters are no longer there to ask probing questions and search for the truth—well, it puts a new spin on a bad news day.

“When people aren’t paying attention to the media, the media aren’t paying attention to the thing—and that’s when you see real changes to federal, state and local policy that dramatically change things,” she said. “Without that accountability, it’s easier to do the wrong thing.”

For all those warning lights, Skewes is hopeful that the longer-term future will be less chaotic and more civil than she expects to see in the next four years.

“I love politics—I covered it, grew up with it—and I’m more hesitant now to even say something offbeat the political world, because I don’t know how other people are going to respond,” she said. “But I think most Americans are tired of everything being so fraught. I really do believe that, eventually, things will calm down.”

The industry needs to play a long game to re-engage readers as political and business model challenges mount.

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Ad blitz: CMCI alumni sweep student awards at Denver One Club

Joe Arney — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:58:49 +0000

Ad blitz: CMCI alumni sweep student awards at Denver One Club Joe Arney Mon, 01/06/2025 - 08:58

By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

Oliver Pollock is proof that ideas can come from anywhere.

One night, as he was drifting off to sleep, two words popped into his head: “mayo moisturizer.” He grabbed his phone, opened the notes app and wrote it down. The next day, he wrote a pitch centering the idea and presented it to his campaign team.

They loved it. And so did judges at this year’s Denver One Show competition, who awarded the campaign Best of Show and a gold medal at the award show. But “Moisturize Your Meal” wasn’t the only winner—in fact, 91PORN swept the student category, with 12 CMCI students earning recognition.

“It felt amazing,” Pollock (StratComm’24) said. “We stayed up in the studio multiple nights grinding these campaigns out: making videos, scripts and everything as real as possible. Being recognized is so fulfilling.”

An important component of CMCI classes is hands-on project work done on behalf of real-world clients and brands, giving students access to professionals and challenging them to apply their lessons in creatively solving problems. Pollock and the other strategic communication students completed these campaigns for various classes, including a portfolio course where students are tasked with taking briefs from real life clients—such as Kraft Foods, Velveeta, Dove and NotCo—and creating campaigns.

It’s important for students to develop relationships with their peers and professors alike when taking these portfolio classes. That’s why they’re usually taught by professors with agency experience, like Jeff Gillette, an assistant teaching professor who worked in advertising for more than 15 years.

Over the course of the semester, after rounds of ideation, feedback and refinement, students submit their campaigns to the Young Ones Student Awards, a national awards competition run by The One Club for Creativity. Since the college was formed in 2015, nearly 40 student projects have claimed national awards from One Club; this year, four campaigns received merit awards: “The Beauty Inside,” “Dove’s Real Beauty Database,” "Mac Couture" and “Cheese-mation.”

“I was happy for the students because it means they will have something that will help them in their job hunt and career,” Gillette said. “In the future, we want to push students and ourselves to turn these national merits into medals. At the Denver show, I was impressed that we swept the show."

Finding inner beauty

For “The Beauty Inside,” students removed the branding from packaged bars of Dove soap, opting to instead showcase artwork to the inside of the box for buyers to find.

Coco Loomis (StratComm’24), who worked on “Mac Couture” and “The Beauty Inside,” said she enjoyed working on the Dove campaign “because it was completely driven by the art direction. One day, someone said ‘beauty’s on the inside,’ and suggested we take that literally. It was so amazing to take conceptual ideas and put them into play.”

Both "Mac Couture" and “Cheese-mation” leaned on nostalgia to promote Velveeta and its “La Dolce Velveeta” campaign. “Mac Couture” reimagined noodle necklaces made by kids in arts classes and as luxury symbols. Cheese-mation went a step further.

“We were just coming up with as many ideas as possible and thought about how we all grew up with Wallace and Gromit,” said Mateo Perez-Lara (StratComm’24). “While we were working on it, we heard about a clay shortage that threatened the studio, and we saw this shortage as a way for Velveeta to come in as a hero to save clay animation.”

Of those three campaigns, “The Beauty Inside” and Cheese-Mation also won silver awards at the local Denver Awards. Loomis was also part of a gold-winning team, with Pollock, for NotCo. Pollock was also on another Dove team, the “Dove’s Real Beauty Database”.

“It’s cool because now I’m working on Dove in my job with Edelman, in New York,” Pollock said. “In school, I was an art director, and now I’m a copywriter—so it’s a little different, but there are definitely similarities.”

Loomis, an art director at Highdive, in Chicago, echoed this sentiment, saying that opportunities to compete in competitions like One Show through CMCI prepared her and her classmates for the real world.

Like in the professional world, competitions like the One Show are key for students looking to boost their resumes and prove their worth. According to Gillete, agencies and individuals alike compete to gain recognition and attract potential clients.

“Similar to agencies, students competing help CU become known as a school that can educate our students at a high level,” he said. “And if we’re known as a school that wins awards and does really good work, that helps with recruitment.”

As the only participant still in the Denver area, Perez-Lara—who just completed an internship with Fortnight Collective—was the only one of the award winners able to make it to the October awards show.

“It was a lot of fun. Being able to win something as a student and be in the spotlight was magical,” said Perez-Lara, who’s looking to work in major advertising hubs when his internship concludes. “I was fortunate enough to be with really smart, creative people, and it wouldn’t have been possible without a great mentor like Professor Gillette. I love the whole strategic communication community we were able to work with, as well.”

Best in Show: Moisturize Your Meal

Denver One Show: Best of Show
Denver One Show: Gold

Olivia Bransford
Andrew Elliott
Oliver Pollock

Gold: Picture Perfect Partying

Denver One Show: Gold

Charlotte Garrett
Coco Loomis
Oliver Pollock

Silver: Dove Beauty on the Inside

Denver One Show: Silver
The One Club Young Ones: Merit

Alexis Bayani
Charlotte Garrett
Coco Loomis
Dahlia Nin

Silver: Dove Real Beauty Database

Denver One Show: Silver
The One Club Young Ones: Merit

Charlotte Garrett
Kelly Haworth
Oliver Pollock
Dahlia Nin

Silver: Cheese-Mation

Denver One Show: Silver
The One Club Young Ones: Merit

Collin Kendall
Mateo Perez-Lara
Oliver Pollock

Bronze: Jubi Brand Identity

Denver One Show: Bronze

Kate Chambers

Bronze: Feral Fig Brand Identity

Denver One Show: Bronze

Kate Chambers

Merit: Mac Couture

The One Club Young Ones: Merit

Olivia Bransford
Jessica Lober
Coco Loomis
Cole Nelson

Recent strategic communication graduates claimed every award in the student category this fall.

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Settle for less: Why did ABC News avoid the courtroom in libel case?

Joe Arney — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 20:21:39 +0000

Settle for less: Why did ABC News avoid the courtroom in libel case? Joe Arney Fri, 12/20/2024 - 13:21

By Joe Arney

ABC News absorbed a good deal of flak—especially from the media—for quickly settling a defamation lawsuit brought against the network by Donald Trump. But an expert at the 91PORN’s College of Media, Communication and Information said it may be a case of playing the long game at a time when moneyed interests are scrambling to undo protections for journalists and First Amendment rights in general.

“These types of lawsuits, where you’re looking for any possible way to attack the media—if the Supreme Court chooses to take on something like this, you could see 60-year-old precedents be overturned,” said Angelica Kalika (PhDJour’19), an assistant teaching professor of journalism at CMCI. “This could fundamentally change how everyone does business, as well as the types of statements we’re allowed to publish and the types of stories we’re allowed to pursue.”

The precedent Kalika is referring to, of course, is the 1964 landmark New York Times v. Sullivan decision, which set a high bar for public figures filing defamation lawsuits. In these cases, plaintiffs must prove “actual malice” on behalf of the media. So, a news organization must have made a knowingly false defamatory statement, or make such a statement with reckless disregard of whether it is false.

“We have billionaires and well-resourced organizations and groups bringing these kinds of libel cases against the press whenever they can,” she said, including Bollea v. Gawker, the case brought by pro wrestler Hulk Hogan over a sex tape partially published by Gawker Media. The case, which was partly financed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, led to Gawker’s bankruptcy.

“Going to court involves blood, sweat and tears, and it costs a lot of money,” Kalika said. “And with billionaires behind some of these very notable libel cases, there may be a sense that, for ABC, you might weaken future libel defenses by giving higher courts more opportunities to get involved.

“It’s the wild west, in terms of what is going to happen to speech protection in the next few years.”

Course updates in real time

Kalika, who has worked as an independent journalist in addition to her academic career, principally studies alternative media—everything from hyperlocal organizations like the former Colorado Independent, a digital publication that’s now part of the Colorado News Collaborative, to how outlets like TMZ navigate legal and ethical boundaries in producing celebrity journalism.

She also teaches a class, Media Law and Ethics, that is getting fresh updates in the current political climate.

“Now, everyone becomes a broadcaster when they go online—you’re not just liable as part of an organization,” she said. “So you need to be a mini legal scholar, essentially, to consistently keep up with your state and local laws. We can’t go into this thinking legal departments have our back, because a lot of news organizations are getting smaller, and may not have the amount of legal support they need—especially when so much is changing, and will continue to change.”

“More than ever, we need our press to be that Fourth Estate, to give a voice to the voiceless, and to protect not only the institution, but the concept of free speech in this country.”

Angelica Kalika, assistant teaching professor, journalism

Why Disney settled

Though she is not involved in the specifics of the ABC News case, Kalika has some ideas around why it settled, beyond the potential disruption to journalism that a case moving through higher courts might trigger.

“First off, we shouldn’t be saying ABC—we should be saying Disney, because that’s who owns it,” said Kalika, who interned for the company’s scripted division as a college student. “Corporations will always act in their best interest, and maybe they have a long-term agenda to not start any trouble with the incoming president,” especially when Disney fought a protracted battle with Florida Republicans over the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Kalika also said Disney’s lawyers may have believed Trump’s team could prove actual malice, based on the language George Stephanopoulos used on the air. Stephanopoulos did not use the exact terms set by the jury, misrepresenting the court’s findings—an error that was not corrected in real time.

Whatever the reasoning, the effect on press freedoms is likely to be chilling, especially for the smaller, nonprofit or independent outlet Kalika closely studies. She said it’s crucial that large and well-resourced nonprofits and publications like The New York Times continue to fight to establish, and maintain, press freedoms, because “that protects everyone’s right to free speech. I think that is something we need to always hope, that those who have the means to fight do so.”

“A movement is watching you very closely to see where and how you will trip up,” she said. “It’s a movement of saying, your voice doesn’t matter, your critique of institutional power doesn’t matter, and we’re going to find a way to eliminate your voice. We have to be better at what we do, and smarter and more vigilant. More than ever, we need our press to be that Fourth Estate, to give a voice to the voiceless, and to protect not only the institution, but the concept of free speech in this country.”

An expert discusses a growing threat facing the news media following Disney’s settlement with the president-elect’s legal team.

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