Monday welcomed the first meeting of a new student club encompassing chapters of two professional organizations— the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).
Both organizations are networks of industry professionals educators and students who promote sustaining media freedoms encouraging high ethical standards networking and education.
SPJ is a nationwide organization encompassing all types of journalism and the RTDNA is a global association focusing specifically on broadcast and digital media.
Professor Michael Murrie advisor of “Newswaves” as well as this new club hopes that the organization will help close the gap between the academic and professional spheres of news media.
“One of the things students have trouble with is getting a sense of what the field is like Murrie said, so having a student chapter should connect students with the professional world.”
According to Murrie Pepperdine has had RTDNA chapters in the past albeit under a different name but this is the first time a chapter of SPJ has come to campus.
“It boils down to student initiative and leadership Murrie said. So if there’s a student that steps up to lead that’s great. [Sophomore] Danica [Frye] has been moving in that direction and I’m really pleased with that.”
Murrie emphasized that he plans to play a minimal role in this student-run club.
“My role is to advise to answer as many questions as possible and to give advice from time to time he said.
Frye, the fledgling group’s president, has a few major goals for the program. First, she wants to use the program to help nurture the news media opportunities on campus.
One of our main goals is to attract freshmen to the major so they know how to get involved in broadcast and ‘Newswaves'” Frye said adding that she would like to start promoting these programs to new freshmen as early as NSO.
Frye also wants the group to travel to professional conferences especially a RTDNA conference in Las Vegas this April.
Another goal of the group is to bring in prominent guest speakers in journalism to speak to members and anyone else interested.
Overall Frye believes that the club can help students network with people in the industry who may be potential employers.
“It’s not a huge commitment Frye added, but it offers a lot of benefits with networking our guest speakers and the conferences.”
“There are so many industry professionals that are members Frye said. In this economy this would be a great tool if it could help students find jobs.”
