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'Lake Effect' Features My Thesis

6/15/2014

"Lake Effect," the daily magazine program broadcast by WUWM-FM and the NPR affiliate in Milwaukee, today aired two segments involving the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS). The first part featured NNS reporter Brendan O'Brien discussing his series on what it's like to live in poverty on the city's north side. Next, according to the "Lake Effect" webpage presenting the entire package, "the news service itself is the focus of an academic study on journalism and community building." That, of course, would be my graduate school thesis.

NNS Editor-in-Chief Sharon McGowan and John Pauly – the new chairman of both the journalism and media studies department at Marquette University and my thesis committee – and I recently joined "Lake Effect" Executive Producer Mitch Teich in the station's studio to discuss the news service's success to date and its opportunities and challenges going forward.

The 16-minute segment concludes with Teich offering the disclaimer that he was interviewed for the thesis. Here's what I wrote in the thesis about "Lake Effect" and the news service:

(WUWM-FM) has given great exposure to the news service’s work after McGowan and NNS publisher Tony Shields appeared on the station’s local public affairs show on April 18, 2011, to promote the launching. The show’s host, Mitch Teich, invited NNS reporters into the “Lake Effect” studio 11 times between September 2012 and December 2013 to discuss their stories for its audience, which is more than 25,000 radio listeners a week and many more via online (live streaming or podcasts). The first time was for Ong’s special report, “Family Day Care Providers Squeezed by Low Ratings, New Rules.” Other news service stories featured on “Lake Effect” ranged from a new program to keep incarcerated juveniles close to home to city nonprofit organizations shying away from the ongoing residency debate to motorcyclists calling for awareness about an increase in crashes.

Teich wrote (in) an email that having NNS reporters share their work on “Lake Effect” is “an ideal situation for us” because “as a daily newsmagazine, our aim is to open a window on things happening across the community to our listeners.” With WUWM also having a small staff, “relationships like this are really vital” for the station to feature “news happening at the neighborhood level.” He added: "It quickly became evident that NNS reporters were doing admirable work in bringing issues to the fore that may not have been on the radar screen for many of our listeners. Almost to a person, the reporters had authentic, interested voices that helped make the stories come alive in a 'reporter’s notebook' fashion. The stories we featured were typically pitched to us through NNS’ editorial staff – a situation that worked well." Teich said more NNS-related “Lake Effect” segments could occur on a “regular, predictable basis,” so long as “they’re timely and strong,” and not just to fill 10 minutes.

This was my second time on "Lake Effect." The previous time occurred in 2011, when my faculty colleague Danielle Beverly joined Teich and me to discuss the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and our connections to that memorable day. Here's hoping for a third time soon.

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'Ready to Kill This Presentation'

5/7/2014

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Click the image to be taken to another page on this website where you can watch a video recording of my thesis defense.

Brooke Miller, my trusted student assistant, sent me a text message about 30 minutes before the big event on April 8, hoping I was "ready to kill this presentation." My reaction: I just hoped this presentation didn't kill me – or at least have me embarrass myself, her or anyone else.

More than three dozen people – including a honors research methods class from another college at Marquette – came to a large conference room in Johnston Hall to watch me defend my master's degree thesis, "Journalism and Community: A Case Study of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service." I had witnessed about five or six thesis defenses in the Diederich College of Communication since entering graduate school in fall 2010. But I was beyond nervous or anxious. The outcome would mark my biggest watershed day in about 11 years.

Sure, the only three people I really had to worry about were my thesis committee: John Pauly, Ph.D., the chairman; Ana Garner, Ph.D. and Erik Ugland, Ph.D., who was listening via speakerphone given he is in the Czech Republic on a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship. But my wife was also taking it in telephonically from Atlanta – and Editor-in-Chief Sharon McGowan and several others invested in the news service were in the room. Otherwise, no pressure at all.

"This a bigger group than we usually have for thesis defenses," Dr. Pauly told the audience just before introducing me, "and this is in part because this is a community-based project. And so as the university looks ahead to more forms of community engagement, I think this is an interesting example for us of some things that we're probably going to be thinking about in the future, perhaps, (and we) wanted to give a chance to people who were touched by this project or involved in it one or another to be here and to hear a little bit about it."

Dr. Pauly set the ground rules: My initial presentation was to be about 15 to 20 minutes, with up to 20 more for questions of me from the audience. He would then ask the visitors to leave the room so the committee could continue the thesis examination with me alone. Well, my presentation lasted a bit longer than 20 minutes, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. I appreciated the audience's thoughtful and caring questions about the thesis and, more importantly, the news service's outcomes and future. One in particular, from Tim Cigelske, the university's director of social media, asked to what extent others not present would get to see my research. (Thanks to the video skills of another student, Arthur Jones, my defense is here in its entirety.)

"My chairman and I come from different places on this," I said. "No we don't," Dr. Pauly interjected, to everyone's amusement. He insisted the only difference is "the thesis comes first" – that is, abiding by time-honored rituals associated with earning a master's degree. Yes, sir, I replied, but as I told those assembled, while appreciating the opportunities for having my work published in academic journals – see this blog post, "Moving Closer to the Academic Light" – my hope is to transform my thesis from a PDF to an eBook that can be accessed via iTunes.

Truly supportive of my post-thesis ambitions, Dr. Pauly told Cigelske that with respect to "what we (in academe) do with theses and dissertations, I think there are pieces of those projects that we could make more visible to other people, so maybe this would be a good test case."

Time will surely tell about all of that. In a text afterward, Brooke assured me that I did not embarrass her. For my part, I woke up the next morning ready to defend my thesis again.

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My Graduate Thesis Is DONE!

4/17/2014

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This email this morning from Sherri Lex, assistant director for student records for Marquette University's Graduate School, delighted me very much:

Dear Herbert Lowe,

Congratulations. Your submission, 10772 has cleared all of the necessary checks and will soon be delivered to ProQuest/UMI for publishing.

Translation: My graduate school thesis is DONE! Finally. After 16 months – DONE! No more getting out of bed at 3 a.m. to work on "Journalism and Community: A Case Study of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS)." Hallelujah!

Much more on this website about my never-ending staircase into the depths of research and scholarship, including full acknowledgments and the penultimate hurdle – my thesis defense last week – soon. For now, John Pauly, Ph.D., my thesis committee chairman, will always have my deepest gratitude. The final result is much more than I ever thought it could be. Hopefully, it is close to what Dr. Pauly believes it should be. Thanks also to the my other committee members: Ana Garner, Ph.D. (“Scribble! Scribble! Scribble!”) and Erik Ugland, Ph.D. Their guidance, support, patience and understanding during this long process means a lot to me.

Thanks also to my thesis informants: NNS Editor-in-Chief Sharon McGowan; NNS reporters Edgar Mendez and Andrea Waxman; Karen Slattery, Ph.D., chairwoman of the college’s journalism and media studies department; and former NNS intern Heather Ronaldson, already one of my favorite former students. And to Lori Bergen, Ph.D., whose foresight as the Diederich College dean helped bring both me and the news service to Marquette; my other journalism and media studies faculty colleagues for their support; and my wife, Mira, whose editing and love knows no bounds, even when tested by the likes of this new scholar.

Have become accustomed to soaking it in during these many months, I asked Dr. Pauly if he had any wisdom for me now that this glorious day has come. Here's his reply:

Wisdom. Hmmm. Take time to savor this moment and enjoy it. Once that’s done, don’t treat the thesis as a requirement that you checked off or something to put on the shelf; rather consider it a life accomplishment on which you can build in the months and years ahead.

Also, think about what you learned about being a student from doing this project. How might your experience of completing a thesis be helpful to you in your own work with students? How are you going to inspire students to take on a big challenge and work much harder than they thought themselves capable of? That’s all I got for now. Campus is dead, which means it’s just me and my notes and my book manuscript. Fantastic!

"Savor the moment and enjoy it." Check and check! As for the rest of his advice? Well, I'm not trying to hear all that right now. (OK, given I also have become accustomed to resisting his advice in the afternoon, only to awake at 3 a.m. and do everything he told me to do, I'm sure I will tend to his questions and inspirations soon enough.) For now, it's time for golf!

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#loweclass Delivers Again for NNS

12/10/2012

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Click the image to view one of the multimedia packages that my eight students produced for NNS this fall.

I reported earlier that my latest Digital Journalism II (JOUR 1550) class would pursue community journalism by focusing on local organizations that serve Milwaukee residents. My 16 students wrote in blog posts that they enjoyed the prospect of having the award-winning Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS) publish their work, especially after its editor in chief and project director, Sharon McGowan, visited #loweclass #digital.

Today, NNS published "Gamble Pays Off for Snyder, Northwest Side CDC." It's by Ethan Niquet and Eva Sotomayor and the eighth and final #loweclass effort for the news service this fall. It's also the third consecutive semester my students have these produced two-minute multimedia packages that include a 650-word story. As always, this class assignment take them to new places – literally and figuratively. For example, after once again having to redo some aspect of their project, Sotomayor posted in the class Facebook group that Niquet said: "I feel like I'm running up Bowser's never-ending staircase and I don't have enough stars to get to the top."

Anyway, Casby Bias and Jacob Born had their project, "Martin Drive Neighborhood Events Aim to Bring People Together," published on November 19, well before the rest of their classmates. Among the valuable journalism lessons this pair learned: An assignment that diminishes based on circumstances can be resurrected after a consultation with editors, but then requires expediency so its newsworthiness doesn't expire because of timeliness.

Here are the other #loweclass efforts for NNS this term: "Urban Anthropology Celebrates Diversity, Seeks Artists," by Stephanie Graham and Courtney Perry; "Menomonee Valley Partners Works to Lure People to 'Discover' Valley," by Kaitlyn Farmer and Ben Greene; "Dominican Center Combats Lead Poisoning," by Paulo Acuna and Matthew Barbato; "KANDO Landlords Help Neighbors Feel 'More at Peace,'" by Christopher Chavez and Monique Collins; "Silver Spring Teen Programs Inspire Students to Dream of College," by David Tukesbrey and Alexandra Whittaker, and "Northcott a 'Home Away From Home' For Half a Century," by Patrick Leary and Caitlin Miller.

Let me say again how much my students and I appreciate the wonderful opportunity that McGowan and NNS present #loweclass. Next semester, I will teach Digital Journalism III (JOUR 2100), in which telling stories with video is taught along with using text, audio, images and social media. Noting here that NNS has published work by 13 of the 18 students enrolled. As we continue to work to make the experience mutually beneficial, me and McGowan agree that we will push the students even harder in terms of their reporting and, especially, writing.

For now, let me share these sentiments McGowan expressed to me via email: "I'm very pleased with the amount of effort that your class put into their projects for NNS, as well as the final products. I enjoyed working with each of the students and appreciate their openness to constructive critique and eagerness to improve their skills."

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Witty and Smart, Meg Kissinger Inspires

11/2/2012

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Meg Kissinger's "Imminent Danger" package inspired #loweclass via the Web as much as she did in the classroom.

It's always great when my students really enjoy a guest speaker's presentation. (Sharif Durhams, Mike Gousha, Eugene Kane, Mira Lowe and Sharon McGowan are among those who readily come to mind.) Well, rarely have I seen young people as inspired and enthralled as when reporter Meg Kissinger visited #loweclass to talk about her award-winning journalism career and her coverage of mental health for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Kissinger is in residence this academic year at the Diederich College of Communication and collaborating with Marquette University students as she pursues a series of investigative and explanatory stories focusing on mental health. My Digital Journalism II students had been assigned to review Kissinger's impressive "Imminent Danger" package for the Journal Sentinel – as well as these two stories: "Can Adult Siblings Connect When Mental Illness is Part of Mix" and "At Death's Door, But Living Life to the Fullest" – before her class visit on October 24.

Nearly all of the 16 students wrote their assigned weekly blog posts about what Kissinger revealed about her life, family and career while sitting at the conference table with them and chatting for more than an hour. "Let me just say this: I love Meg Kissinger," began the post by Monique Collins, one of three students who shared how mental health or a serious medical condition has touched their own families. "Meg Kissinger could have spoken to our class for another two hours and I don't think anyone in the room would have complained," Alexandra Whittaker wrote.

"What really struck me about Kissinger was her positive energy," Stephanie Graham offered. David Tukesbrey wrote in his post: "She's somebody that all journalists can aspire to be. When she sits down and talks to you, she looks you in the eye. Although she's a great journalist, more importantly she's a great person." Students also described Kissinger as vibrant, charming, witty, personable, funny, knowledgable, smart, hardworking and passionate.

Caitlin Miller echoed everyone in the class when she wrote that "I am really excited" about the course's final project – in which Kissinger and I aim to dispatch them as teams of two into Milwaukee County to interview people who impact or are impacted by mental health: advocate, family member, judge/court commissioner, nurse, patient, police officer, psychiatrist and social worker. The projects will be similar to those the class are producing for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service this fall. If all goes well, the Journal Sentinel will publish the mental health projects.

Enjoyed seeing @grahamcrackers being #inspired as @megkissinger1 discussed her #journalism career and mental health reporting in #loweclass.
— Herbert Lowe (@herbertlowe) October 26, 2012

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Editor, Class Focus on NNS Success

9/27/2012

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The news service's home page proudly features headlines and weblinks to its Murrow award and Knight grant.

"Stop typing! Look at me!" The 16 #loweclass #digital students had been live tweeting nuggets from Sharon McGowan's accounting of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service's origin, mission and success as she met with the class recently. McGowan demanded their full attention as she stressed the following: "Don't think that you can know multimedia and not have to write. Trust me – because everybody has to know how to write."

This is the third semester the news service and my JOUR 1550 students will team to pursue community journalism in Milwaukee. Based on the successes and lessons learned from the first time in fall 2011, students from last semester's class said they found their NNS projects to be among their biggest learning experiences.

As editor and project director, McGowan also noted that the news service has earned national recognition and support. It includes a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association, and a $192,000 two-year grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, matched by grants from two Milwaukee foundations. The grants will allow NNS to expand its coverage area to 12 more local neighborhoods, she said.

McGowan had the class watch and discuss a compelling NNS multimedia package about young mothers organizing to create children's activities on Milwaukee's North Side. "What makes it a good story?" McGowan asked. Student Alexandra Whittaker replied, "Even if I don't know their story, I can understand where (they're) coming from." The editor agreed and added, "The reason I like this story is because it exemplifies the kind of story we want to do."

Another student, Monique Collins, is interning at the news service this semester. "This is the best thing," she told her classmates. "I have lived in Milwaukee my whole life and I have learned so much (about it) I didn't know." That led McGowan to say her job allows her "to do everything I love and all in one place" – teaching and editing.

Each student afterward wrote a blog post about McGowan's visit and the news service. Several reported being excited for the chance to move outside their comfort zone. "I can't wait to find out what our assignments will be," Stephanie Graham wrote. "I think everyone can benefit from these projects, since we'll get some experience doing journalism in Milwaukee, rather than confining ourselves to news on campus and downtown."

Those eight team assignments will come from among the additional neighborhoods the news service is now covering. I will, of course, reveal toward the semester's end how it all goes.

Even though @milwaukeenns does a great job of reporting, organizations are their sources, not partners #loweclass #digital
— Jacob Born (@Jacob_Born) September 19, 2012

"I started something that I hoped would live longer than me": @sharonmcgowan_ on the news service. #loweclass #digital
— Casby Bias (@casbias) September 19, 2012

"Our model is to be a professional and balanced news organization." - @sharonmcgowan_ on @milwaukeenns #loweclass #digital
— David Tukesbrey(@DavidTukesbrey) September 19, 2012

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Class Enjoys 'Biggest Learning Experience'

4/25/2012

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Two JOUR 1550 students had their community journalism project for Milwaukee NNS reposted by Fox6Now.com.

I reported in February that my Digital Journalism II (JOUR 1550) class would pursue community journalism by focusing on efforts by 2012 MANDI (Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation) finalists. My 10 students enjoyed the prospect of having the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service publish their work. I am happy to report that all five pairings have succeeded in getting published by the professionally edited news organization.

Dana Christen and Rebecca Hixson collaborated on the first effort published, "Veterans Feel at Home in Housing Built for Them," focusing on the lone initiative among the five chosen by the class to actually win a MANDI. "Working on this project really made me appreciate living in Milwaukee," Christen wrote on her course blog.

Caroline Campbell and Olivia Morrissey reported on a program focusing on people who have been incarcerated in "WCS is 'Friend for the Friendless.'" Referring to McGowan, Campbell wrote in a blog post, "When I first met her and learned about MNNS, my immediate reaction was, "That's amazing. I want to do something like that with my life!"

Joseph Kvartunas and Alex Rydin teamed on the report headlined "Beerline Rec Trail Rejuvenates Neighborhoods." Kvartunas wrote on his blog that "it was a good experience that featured a lot of 'Hard Knocks'-style learning on our part, but it was a heck of a good time," while Rydin shared on his post that "when I started, I expected this to be just another class project. I had no idea it would turn out to be a defining moment of my college career."

Melanie Lawder and Shoshauna Schmidt worked on "53rd Street Community Garden Bridges the Gap." Love this from Lawder's post: "The final product of our reporting was, in my opinion, worthy of a Pulitzer Prize – and seeing it published (by) a news service was immensely gratifying." Schmidt shared in hers that "I actually have an answer to how I feel when I see my name in a byline. It is fabulous. Just seeing my hard work being out there for everyone to see is a fantastic feeling. ... As much stress as this story was, I would do it all again in a heartbeat."

Tess Quinlan and Brynne Ramella produced the final piece published, "Cluster II Grow and Play Lot Pulls at Heartstrings." In her post, Ramella wrote, "This project was my biggest learning experience in my young journalism career. I stepped out of my comfort zone to find fantastic stories about great people." And how about this from Quinlan: "If I learned one thing from this project, it is that a community is not created and nurtured by street signs or white picket fences. It is the dedication and love of people ... that create a community ..."

As an added bonus, and for the first time since my students began working with NNS, another local media company picked up the project by Quinlan and Ramella. Click here to see the shared posting on Monday via Fox6Now.com.

Amazing! Hard knocks? Stress? Pulitzer? Biggest endeavor? Biggest learning experience? Just like I planned it!

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'Lake Effect' Features My Thesis

'Ready to Kill This Presentation'

My Graduate Thesis Is DONE!

#loweclass Delivers Again for NNS

Witty and Smart, Meg Kissinger Inspires

Editor, Class Focus on NNS Success

Class Enjoys 'Biggest Learning Experience'

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