Mass communication department provide closing event for Black History Month

On Feb.26, the department of mass communication held “Progress in the Media: An Examination of the Advancement of African-Americans in the News Media Industry.“

“As journalists, it’s our job to give a voice to people who don’t have a voice,“ James Stewart, department head of mass communication, said.

The event showcased a presentation from assistant professors Farren Clark and Shaniece Bickham on the progress of African Americans in the news and media industry, as well as the progress of other minorities in the field.

Ashantian Smith, a public relations major from New Orleans, introduced and gave a background of the lives of Clark and Bickham.

Bickham started the presentation by sharing her story of being a young woman of African American heritage going into the journalism field.

Clark followed with his own backstory, talking about how he covered a murder-suicide story early in his career.

When he was asked to do a follow up of the story, Clark said he recalled that the family of the victim wanted a good representation of their family in the story. Clark said he was able to hear that and shared their story throughout the discussion.

Clark covered many statistics about minorities in the newsroom, from staff writers and reporters to people in higher positions.

This event served as the closing event for the Black History Month program.