Two ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Students Selected for Arkansas Newspaper Foundation Summer Internship Program

John Hill — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 17:22:27 +0000

Two talented student journalists from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have been selected as part of the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation’s 2021 summer internship program. The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation (ANF) has a commitment to serve Arkansas newspapers by helping fund summer interns at Arkansas Press Association member newspapers across the state. The internships provide students with real-world journalism experience while newspapers obtain a qualified candidate to fill a temporary position. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students selected for the ANF internship program include Chloe McGehee of Bryant and Remington Miller of Little Rock. A graduate of Bryant High School, McGehee is majoring in mass communication and minoring in political science. She served as the executive editor of The Forum, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student newspaper, and president of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She has won a number of awards from the Arkansas Scholastic Press and Arkansas Collegiate Media Association. “I’m very thankful to receive the internship because I know I could not have done it without the help of my scholarship program, my previous editor, Jordan Woodson, and my advisor, professor, and friend Carlton Rhodes,” McGehee said. “Without them I would have never applied or had the skills to achieve it. I’m also incredibly excited to be doing what I love to do and want to work in for my career. It’s an invaluable experience and I do not take it for granted.” After she graduates in 2023, McGehee wants to work as a journalist and get her master’s degree. She’s thankful for the experience she is gaining from her internship with the Daily Record. “The paper and publisher I am working under, The Daily Record and Wesley Brown, are truly amazing, and I feel like I would not be having this amazing experience anywhere else,” she said. “He really allows me to shine where I can while always teaching me and making me more confident.”

Remington Miller

Miller, the second ��Vlog��ý Little Rock ANF summer internship recipient, is a graduate of Robinson High School in Little Rock and is a double major in mass communication and English. She’s a reporter for The Forum as well as a mass media research assistant for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Mass Communication. “I was so honored and surprised to receive the internship,” Miller said. “It is a great opportunity, and I am so eager for the real experience in the journalism field. I am really excited to look at the local news gathering process. I hope it allows me to start establishing contacts with possible mentors and create a better view on the news cycle in Arkansas, on the inside.” After she graduates in 2022, Miller plans to work as an investigative reporter. “I love working in print and online journalism so much. I have the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Mass Communication to thank,” Miller said. “I’ve got skills that I know will be useful with the internship. The professors have always been so supportive and willing to help me reach these internships and my career goals. I couldn’t do it without their support. Every journalism professor I’ve met has always been willing to help but my advisor and supervisor of The Forum, Professor Rhodes, has been really great about encouraging me to go for all these opportunities.” Both students are interning at the Daily Record this summer. Publisher Wesley Brown said he welcomes the opportunity to help guide and train promising young journalists through the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation internship program. “As a member of the Arkansas Press Association, we are excited to work with the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation to provide internships to outstanding students from colleges and universities across the state looking to enter the journalism field,” Brown said. “As a longtime journalist and industry advocate, I look forward to working with these budding journalists from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock this summer so they can further their educational experience.” The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides support, professional development, and educational opportunities to APA member newspapers. ANF has offered internships for more than two decades. This year, ANF will fully fund four full internships and two half-internships for student journalists. The foundation is paying the internship costs to help Arkansas newspapers recover from the economic effects of COVID-19. In the past, newspapers participating in the internship program were expected to match ANF’s grant for a 10-week internship. Since last year, the ANF Board of Directors fully funded the internships for a total of $15,000 for the summer interns. “It’s an obligation of the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation to support and promote newspapers in this state, so it was a simple decision to continue to fully fund this vital program,” said Rusty Fraser, ANF board president and publisher of the Stone County Leader in Mountain View. “These interns get a front-row seat in a professional newsroom and can help immediately in reporting on the communities our newspapers serve.”

Arkansas Press Association names Rhodes 2020 Educator of the Year

John Hill — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 15:50:34 +0000

Sonny Rhodes, associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Mass Communication, is the 2020 recipient of the Arkansas Press Association Journalism Educator of the Year award. Rhodes received the award during a virtual ceremony during the Rhodes is a veteran newspaper reporter and editor with a quarter-century of experience at newspapers like the Pine Bluff Commercial, Log Cabin Democrat, Arkansas Democrat, Arkansas Gazette, and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He previously freelanced for AY Magazine and Bloomberg News. “Having been a reporter and editor for a long time gives me some credit with the students,” Rhodes said. “If they are in a reporting class, I know some of the challenges they are facing, and I can relate to them and help them overcome some challenges by relating some of the real-world experiences I had.” Though Rhodes earned a bachelor’s degree in education, he was a hardcore journalist who hadn’t considered teaching as a full-time career. In 1990, Jay Friedlander, then chair of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s journalism department, asked Rhodes to take a leave of absence from the Arkansas Democrat to fill a 9-month teaching role for the school year. “I applied back in 1990 to teach a night course in journalism,” Rhodes said. “It just so happened they were in need for somebody to teach full time. I fancied the idea of teaching, but I never thought of being more than an adjunct. I was surprised my boss let me have a leave of absence. I really fell in love with teaching and wanted to come back. Nine years later, a full-time position opened.” Now entering his third decade of teaching, Rhodes said his communication and listening skills along with a friendly attitude have helped him create a good rapport with his students. “I think these skills are vitally important in teaching and in journalism,” Rhodes said. “These are all skills that I was able to hone during many interviews over the years. It’s all about establishing relationships. You have to teach every student as an individual, get to know that student, build a rapport, and show them that you are someone who they can trust to be looking out for their best interests.” His colleague, Tim Edwards, interim director of the School of Mass Communication, said Rhodes is a popular and well-respected teacher because of his efforts to help students succeed. “Professor Rhodes is one of the most caring individuals I know,” Edwards said. “He cares about the success of his students and goes above and beyond the call of duty to assist them. I can’t count the number of students he has helped get a scholarship, an internship, or a job through his letters of recommendation and industry contacts. He shares his knowledge and experience freely, and continues to stay current in an ever-changing media environment. He is not just a teacher to his student but a mentor and friend.” An active member of the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Rhodes begins each of his courses with an ethics section based on the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. This training is especially important since so many untrained people report the news through social media and websites. Since technology and skills are continually changing for journalists, Rhodes instills the value of lifelong education into his students. “One piece of advice I try to instill in all my students is that education is a lifelong experience,” said Rhodes, adding that he would offer the same advice to new professors. “They should be prepared to continually change the way they do things and be open to new styles of teaching and learning. The technology is such that students are continually coming into the job field with different skill sets and expectations.” A native of Pine Bluff, Rhodes graduated from Watson Chapel High School and also has a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi. He lives in North Little Rock with his wife, Julie. He has three children and two grandchildren.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Two ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Students Selected for Arkansas Newspaper Foundation Summer Internship Program

Arkansas Press Association names Rhodes 2020 Educator of the Year

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Two ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Students Selected for Arkansas Newspaper Foundation Summer Internship Program