Kansas State University: K-State students experience journalism from the front line

M2 Presswire
May 6, 2005

M2 PRESSWIRE-MAY 6, 2005-Kansas State University: K-State students
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MANHATTAN – A group of Kansas State University journalism students
transformed themselves into embedded reporters as they worked
side-by-side military officers in the midst of attack.

The students were participating in a simulated battle exercise through
the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.

“It was kind of a dual role,” said Jeffrey Pitts, Wichita junior. “We
were there to give them an idea of what it is like to deal with the
media, but we were also there to give ourselves experience in that
sort of journalism.”

For three days the students lived in army barracks and worked
alongside military personnel as they battled the rebel insurgents
threatening attack.

The college at Fort Leavenworth served as the command control center
for the operation that was designed for the United States to help
the Caucasus region – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey –
deal with insurgents.

“Our students played the role of American reporters who were embedded
in the various U.S. military units,” said Fred Brock, assistant
professor of mass communications.

The students, who volunteered to take part in the experience, were
each assigned to a separate military unit and were responsible for
writing a story about what happened during the day.

“The stories were all different because the students got different
perspectives and they saw different things,” said Brock, who is the
R.M. Seaton Professional Journalism Chair at K-State’s A.Q. Miller
School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

After spending the majority of the day in the command center with
the military, the students would return to the Joint Information
Bureau where they could file their stories. Brock would then read and
critique each story before the students were given the opportunity to
share the stories with the military students and faculty of the U.S.
Army Command and General Staff College.

“This experience was extremely valuable for both our students here at
Fort Leavenworth and the K-State students as well,” said Maj. Shawn
Stroud, public affairs officer and media relations instructor at the
Command and General Staff College. “We recognize the importance of
working with embedded reporters and journalists in combat operations.
By including the K-State journalism students in this exercise, we gave
both the student journalists and the student officers an opportunity
to learn more about each other’s profession and hopefully helped
foster some strong ties between tomorrow’s media and military leaders.

“We are looking forward to working together with K-State in future
exercises and other educational opportunities,” he said.

Students who participated in the program include:

Megan Moser, sophomore in mass communications-print journalism,
Garden City.

>>From Greater Kansas City: Alex Peak, junior in mass
communications-print journalism, international studies and pre-law,
Kansas City, Mo.; and Dayne Logan, junior in mass communications-print
journalism, Overland Park.

Josey Heller, junior in mass communications-print journalism, Hunter;
and Melissa Gore, junior in mass communications-public relations;
Angela Rokey, senior in mass communication-public relations, mass
communications-electronic journalism and modern languages-German;
and Sarah Rice, senior in mass communications-print journalism,
all from Manhattan.

Maggie Sebelius, senior in mass communications-print journalism and
international studies, Norton; Patrice Holderbach, senior in mass
communications-print journalism, international studies and American
ethnic studies, Topeka; Tressa Farrell, senior in agricultural
communications and journalism, Wamego; and Jeffrey Pitts, junior in
mass communications-electronic journalism, mass communications-public
relations and pre-law, Wichita.

>>From out-of-state: Kerry Fischer, senior in mass communications-print
journalism, Loveland, Colo.; and Lee Farquhar, graduate student in
journalism and mass communications, Sutherland, Iowa.

The exercise was April 4-7.

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