Five members of The Outlook editorial team attended the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) Spring National College Media Conference in San Francisco, California, taking home eighth in Best of Show in the process.
The three day conference ran from Mar. 5-7 in San Francisco where over 160 sessions were offered through panels, roundtables, and presentations. The conference featured 10 plus simultaneous hourly sessions, keynote speakers, and on-site media critiques.
According to studentpress, conventions for college and high school journalists go as far back as ACP’s inception in 1921 as a division of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). The first ACP convention to be sponsored by the College Media Association dates back to 1946 in Chicago.
Ava McGinty, The Outlook’s managing and features editor attended this year for her second time. McGinty said she is always impressed by the range of sessions that are offered and is grateful to learn from such talented journalists. “I learned a lot from this conference that I’m excited to bring back with me to Monmouth…during one of the keynote speeches, Sierra Lopez, who’s a Bay Area reporter, said, ‘when you stop asking questions, the community stops getting answers.’ This stuck out to me because sometimes as a journalist I get burnt out or tired, but this reminds me about how important it is to keep the people around you informed, especially on a college campus,” McGinty said.
For some editors, it was their first time attending the ACP conference. Emily Stacherski, The Outlook’s lifestyles editor said, “I loved that I got the chance to attend this year. I got the chance to hear from professionals in the field, who work on all different topics. I love that this conference brings together student journalists from all over the country to teach us how to hone our craft. I had no idea that we would be able to pick and choose what topics we learn about, but it was really cool because we could all focus on our own interests.” Stacherski added that one of the biggest things she learned was making sure as journalists, you are advocating for yourself whether that be for press passes or credentials.
Henry Boody, The Outlook’s politics editor and photographer said, “The ACP Conference was one of the more eye-opening events I’ve attended in recent history. Not because it was popular, or the grand hotel it happened in, but the people who spoke. The available conference sessions were broad enough that even someone whose career isn’t tied to journalism could listen and ask questions of those involved in documenting something as significant as the Minneapolis protests.” He continued, “This made me realize that photography doesn’t need to be just aesthetic or artistic, but rather functional and purposeful. And I might just dip my toes in photojournalism more than I have already.”
Additionally, the student-run newspaper was recognized for their online publication, demonstrating the efforts put into making their stories accessible to all, in addition to print, receiving eighth in the Best of Show Award for a four-year campus of 15,000 students or fewer. All the editors who attended agreed that it prepared them in some way for a professional career in journalism and media. McGinty said, “As someone who is starting to look ahead to life after graduation I was definitely attending sessions I think could benefit me in that way.” She attended sessions such as, “Ask a Hiring Manager,” “Your First Job is Not Your Dream Job,” and “Beyond Salary: Negotiating and Evaluating Offers.”
“As much as being a college student prepares you for the skills you’re going to need professionally, I’ve never considered how to negotiate job offers, including pay, start date, the title of the job, raise structure, and if you have the ability to freelance. This reframed my prior mindset that negotiation is confrontational when in reality, negotiation just equals communication. This makes me much more comfortable entering the professional world,” McGinty added.
Frank Hoarle, The Outlook’s sports editor attended this year for the first time and said that the conference was a great way to enhance his knowledge in the field of journalism.
Marina Vujnovic, PhD, Professor of Journalism and The Outlook’s adviser, said, “It’s always great when we can send students to such an important conference where student journalists from across the U.S. exchange ideas about the importance of student journalism. We hope we can continue sending students every year.”
