J-School profs have productive summer

By Erin Madison
J-School Web Reporter

School of Journalism faculty members had a productive summer — finishing books, coaching journalists, and attending national conferences.

Clem Work

Clem Work finished a manuscript for a book that will be published by the University of New Mexico Press next summer. “Darkest Before Dawn” deals with the suppression of free speech in Montana during World War I. Work also traveled to Thailand in June, where he was able to visit Karen Coates and Jerry Redfern, both alums of the J-School. He caught up with Shir-Khim Go, another J-School graduate, in Singapore where she is an assignment editor for a TV station.

Dennis Swibold finished writing a book on the Anaconda Copper Co.’s longtime control of most major newspapers in Montana. He also worked with the Institute on Money in State Politics, a national project tracking campaign finance information in 49 of the 50 states.

Denise Dowling

Denise Dowling attended the June meeting of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences-Northwest Chapter in Seattle, where “Business: Made in Montana,” created and produced by RTV students, received an Emmy award. Dowling was also elected regional chair for the chapter. In August, Dowling attended the national conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, where she was elected vice head of the radio-television journalism division.

Keith Graham worked on a photo project documenting women in rodeo, as well as having three galleries interested in exhibiting his work.

Sharon Barrett wrote an article, published in the September issue of Practical Horseman magazine, on the coach of the U.S. Paralympics equestrian team that will be competing in the Paralympic Games in Athens at the end of the month.

Michael Downs spent a week coaching reporters at the Billings Gazette, where he met individually with more than a dozen reporters and led four sessions. topics included how reporters can coach their editors, how editors can coach reporters, how to use poetic technique in journalism writing and the pleasures and pitfalls of writing in the first person. This was Downs’ second trip to Billings. He also coached there in 2002.

Ray Ekness worked as a photographer for KUFM-TV’s first high-definition television production. Adjunct professor and KUFM-TV producer John Twiggs is producing the documentary on frontier photographer Evelyn Cameron.

While Nancy Szokan, this year’s Pollner professor, spent a lot of her summer getting ready to come to Montana, she did work on the Washington Post’s book section. She also continued her job as assistant editor in Outlook, the Post’s Sunday commentary section, before driving 2,400 miles to Missoula.

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