St. Cloud's Aeikens a man on the go

By Kathryn C. Strother
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

For St. Cloud (Minn.) Times reporter Dave Aeikens, the idea of being a journalist spun out of his hope of becoming a radio host.

Aeikens

“My dream was always to be a radio disc jockey,” said Aeikens, a native of Albert Lea, Minn. “I came very close to going to trade school to learn how to do that. I decided to enroll in a state college in Mankato, Minn., and needed a major. I chose journalism.”

The journalist has made quite a name for himself since graduating from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., in 1990.

In September, Aeikens will be sworn in as the national president of the Society of Professional Journalists.

On Saturday, April 5, he will participate in the SPJ Region VII Conference in Ames, Iowa, where he will talk about building and maintaining student chapters. The conference will be held on the second floor of Scheman Building, which is located next to Hilton Coliseum. It starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.

A reporter for the St. Cloud Times for 14 years, he has won numerous Freedom of Information awards for his reporting in education and politics.

“In 2006, a colleague and I wrote a series of articles describing how Minnesota’s law on what governments could charge for copies had led to confusion and some governments were charging up to $5 a page,” Aeikens said. “The legislature then capped in at 25 cents a page.”

However, it isn’t all work and no play for this young professional.

“I like to play golf,” he wrote. “I have about a 10 handicap. It has been lower.”

Moderator, editor and mother: Washburn balances life's duties

By Kathryn C. Strother
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

Professional life is busy for Carolyn Washburn, editor and vice president of the Des Moines Register, and somehow, she still manages to be a mother to her three children.

“The great challenge is just having as much time as I would like for all the people in my life—my kids, my husband, my friends, my employees,” said Washburn. “But my work is my hobby, and I love it. I think the most important thing for my children to see is that I love what I do.”

Washburn, who replaced the Register’s Paul Anger in September of 2005, has a prestigious history in the journalism business. A graduate of Indiana University, she began her career as a business reporter and editor for the Lansing State Journal, Mich., and the Times-Union, Rochester, N.Y.

A two-time recipient of the Gannett President’s Ring, which honors the top 10 editors in the company, she has also worked for the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y., and The Idaho Statesman in Boise, Idaho.

Most recently, Washburn made her debut as the moderator for the Register’s political debates prior to the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Following the debates, Washburn faced criticism for her part in the discussion, but she said she’s learned to not take it personally.

“First, I was shocked. But in hindsight, I understand what national media and bloggers were reacting to,” Washburn said. “Some of the criticism was just a reflection of the tone of our times, unfortunately. Some TV and online commentary is just mean-spirited and personal these days, and some reactions to our debates took on that tone as well.”

Bugeja: Renaissance man leads Greenlee School

By James Pusey
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

Michael Bugeja is an accomplished journalist, novelist, poet and scholar, who spends his time making sure that Iowa State journalism professors are content and involved.

Bugeja, director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, taught print journalism and ethics courses and also served as the special assistant to the President at Ohio University before beginning his career at Iowa State University.

“I’m lucky to be here because the faculty here is very hard working,” Bugeja said. “I thought I was hard working until I came to Iowa.”

Kim Smith, professor of journalism at the Greenlee School, said that Bugeja has worked hard to earn academic respect and shares a good dynamic with the people he supervises.
“He’s a person who tries very hard to make everybody happy,” Smith said.

Bugeja said that he had originally intended on going into the clergy when he began his education at Saint Peter’s College, but decided to pursue journalism and got his master’s in mass communication from South Dakota State University and a doctorate in English from Oklahoma State University.

Bugeja lives in Ames with his wife, Diane. They have three children, Erin, Shane and Mikayle.

Miller: Sports writers now thinking Web first

By James Pusey
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

Bryce Miller compares the challenge of balancing a newspaper’s print and online content to steering a boat on turbulent seas. If you turn too fast, the boat capsizes.

“You’ve got to be aggressive, but you’ve also got to be measured about it,” Miller said.

Miller is the executive sports editor of the Des Moines Register. He grew up in rural Adel, Iowa, and received his degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 1991.

Miller said that there have been major changes in the newspaper industry since the advent of the Internet. Five years ago, he said, everyone in the newsroom was devoted to the next day’s print edition of the newspaper, but the need for new web content has completely changed that.

Miller said that today, there is no one in hid department that doesn’t e-mail him upon hearing a piece of news. Writers are thinking Web first, which is something that Miller has had to teach his staff.
Despite the amount of responsibility he has, Miller said that he enjoys his job because of its unpredictability.

“There’s always something everyday you didn’t see coming,” Miller said. “You’ve got to react to it.”

Sylvester changing with the times

By Catherine Thomas
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

Out of Missouri State University emerged a passionate journalist who at the start of his career was involved in various levels of beat reporting.

But the job of being a newspaper reporter is changing rapidly in the 21st Century, and Ron Sylvester, 49, who covers legal affairs at the Wichita Eagle, is rolling with the punches.

Sylvester hopes to develop more Web-oriented skill to enhance his professional credentials.

“News rooms have been cutting back because the industry is moving more from print and broadcast to online delivery,” he said.

The Kansas journalist discuss covering courts online at the SPJ Region VII Conference in Ames, Iowa, on April 5.

Sylvester, who is the SPJ Region VII director, loves his job and he has been a “strong advocate” for open records, said Gaye Tibbets, his wife.

Around his professional career, he has a family of seven with whom he enjoys spending time. Gaye said he likes playing basketball with his kids, gardening, and she said that Sylvester is a very good cook.

The Wichita reporter received an honor from the Society of Professional Journalists as the top regional director in October 2007.

Kraemer overhauling Tribune's Web site

By Stewart McCoy
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

As editor of the Ames Tribune, Dave Kraemer is responsible for determining news content, writing editorials, and the time-consuming management of staff.

Kraemer started his career as a reporter, but he began work as an editor when he and his wife decided to settle down and raise a family in Ames.

Asked what he enjoys most about his work, Kraemer said: “You get better reach; you get to influence more things. It’s actually a pretty good gig.”

Kraemer is currently overseeing a site overhaul of the Tribune's Web site.

He said that members of the community are frequently visiting the site and “page views keep rocketing.”

“The Web site is managed by an Internet coordinator and the news staff," Kramer said. "We’re looking at better navigation, interactivity, and dominance.”

With his two sons in college, Kraemer and his wife, Mary Duerson (who works in public relations), are evaluating their career goals.

“I have 15 years to retirement,” Kraemer said. “I have no idea where I’ll end up. There could be other newspapers out there that would seek my talents. I am interested in increasing challenges and rewards.”

He also said that any future career decisions would be a compromise between him and his wife.

Professor discusses humble beginnings and how to succeed

By Al Southers
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication

Charles Davis admits he doesn’t have much to offer. He did not come from a wealthy family with money to burn. He also said that he “isn’t the most talented journalist.” I

nstead, Davis said hard work and motivation has earned him numerous research awards and a job as a professor at the University of Missouri.

Davis first journalism job was writing little league scores for the Athens Banner-Herald in Athens, Ga. The job paid him $50 per story. Davis, who was a full-time construction worker, was amazed at how easy it was to write news stories, so he decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

“I thought it was amazing,” he said. “ I couldn’t believe people do this for a fulltime job. It was better than doing construction in the heat.”

Davis would later work for Lafferty Publications, a wire service company, based in Dublin, Ireland, as a Southeast correspondent in the U.S. covering American business. Based in Atlanta, he often traveled to Dublin to meet with management, and for training.

Davis’ most memorable moment working for Lafferty was a formal party hosted by the World Bank in Hague. Davis said the party was pretty impressive for someone who wasn’t use to that kind of affair.

“I was sniffing cognac and cigars,” he said. “I thought that was a pretty impressive for a redneck like me.”

Currently, Davis teaches introductory journalism and graduate classes at Missouri.

The dean of the journalism school at the University of Missouri asked for Davis’ assistance to revive the Freedom of Information Library. The purpose of the FOI library is to help journalist access government records and meetings.

Davis’ has accomplished numerous projects and received many awards since he became a professor at Missouri. In addition to reviving the Freedom of Information Library, he also won an award from the U.S. Department of State for a curriculum reform project at Moscow State University in Russia.

Davis said it’s not difficult to get awards, such as the State Department award, if you surround yourself with positive people who want to get things started.

Professionals in the field of academia can account for Davis’ hard work and research. Mark Witherspoon, a senior lecturer for the Iowa State Daily, worked with Davis at Southern Methodist University during the mid-1990s.

Witherspoon said Davis’ passion for his career enhanced his skills as a professor. “Davis is exactly what you want in a journalism professor,” he said. “He is practical and he has research experience. He also has the education. He is also rabid and passionate about journalism.”

As for his future goals, Davis said that he can’t imagine leaving the University of Missouri. He wants to increase his influence over the Freedom of Information library and start more research in media convergence.