The University’s Public Relations Society of America chapter will be holding a panel discussion featuring three online news professionals and two public relations professionals on Tuesday, October 25 in the Magill Club Dining Room.
Kristine Simoes, communication professor specializing in public relations, will be running the event.
Students can come learn from PR industry experts how online news is changing the industry, how PR professionals can best pitch for maximum exposure, and skills needed to excel and break into the profession,” Simoes said.
Panelists include Christopher Sheldon, Editor of Patch.com; Christy Kass, Assistant Editor of The Alternative Press; Judith Feeny, Digital Editor of Asbury Park Press; Kristine Brown, Director of PR at St. Barnabas Health; and Joan M. Bosisio, Group Vice-President of Stern and Associates.
The event will begin at 8:30 am with registration and a light breakfast. During this time, students from The Outlook and PRSSA will represent their organizations. Information will be handed out about the new online news portal The Verge, and Shadow PR, the University’s newly established PR Company.
From 9:15 am to 10:15 am, the panel discussion will take place. Students attending the event will learn how to pitch today’s news, what news media is looking for, how to maximize coverage in hyper local markets and what goes into effective social media news pitching. Topics such as the benefits of a social media news room and 10 things every good PR professional should know will also be discussed. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions at the end of the discussion.
From 10:30 am to 11:00 am, attendees and panelists will be taken on a tour highlighting the new Shadow PR firm and their office as well as The Verge Online News Portal in the new MAC lab in Jules L. Plangere Center. This part of the event will allow students to network with the professionals and discuss internships.
Kimberly Mahon, co-President of PRSSA, plans to attend the event.
“It’s great for the students to have the opportunity to hear from knowledgeable professionals in the field and gain potential connections for their future careers,” Mahon said.
Marina Vujnovic, the advisor for The Verge, urges communication students to attend the panel discussion.
“It’s a great way to bring together the professionals in these two fields. We, as professors, want to speak a similar language when teaching as the professionals do. It’s a great opportunity to find out where our fields are going as it relates to students and future jobs and what better way to do it than to hear it from current professionals who will not only discuss the perks of those fields but also the challenges,” Vujnovic said.
Two students from The Verge, Editor-in-Chief Thomas Ranzweller and Associate Editor Kayla Inglima, will be in attendance.
Students will be admitted into the event for free. In order to register, students should visit the events page on prsanj.org. For any specific event questions, contact Simoes at ksimoes@monmouth.edu.
