UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA–LINCOLN COJMC ALUMNI MAGAZINE WINTER 2007-2008 CAMPAIGNS ON CAMPUS BREAKING NEWS RENAUD WITNESSES BIRTH OF A KOSOVO NATION I S tory on page 75 NOTEB OOK Ward Jacobson Losing the bridge I’ll never forget the sirens. Coopers of the world had their cameras pointed squarely on the My wife and I had just moved into our southeast Minneapolis rubble, seeking out the people who were there — emergency per- house the previous Thursday. We were about five minutes into din- sonnel, survivors, witnesses. By early the next week, they were all ner on our back patio — a Wednesday evening where the air was gone. heavy, the sky a threatening mix of grey and brown. It was just after Once the last body had finally been recovered, the questions 6 when the sirens started. started coming. Why did this happen? No one wants to hear sirens. Thankfully, they usually last only Then came the data. Some of the numbers were startling as it a few seconds, maybe a minute or two. These sirens seemed to cry was learned just how many bridges in this country were sub-stan- forever. It was Aug. 1. dard. Initially, Minnesotans were reluctant to criticize public offi- As we continued to eat, the sirens grew louder and more per- cials. In this case however, criticism can’t be avoided. sistent. “Must be some wreck on the freeway,” we In the past several weeks I have learned that thought. I-94 is the east-west route connecting transportation concerns in this state have largely Minneapolis and St. Paul, and it roars about a mile been ignored for years. Surely a tragedy of this mag- or so from our house. By 6:30, dinner was over. nitude would change all of that, right? Plates were cleared. The sirens had finally stopped, Not necessarily. Severe flooding in southeast and all was forgotten — for a while at least. Minnesota shortly after the bridge collapse muddied Shortly after 7, the phone rang. A friend from the picture. More emergency funding was needed. A Lincoln was calling to see if we were OK. Looking special session of the Minnesota State Legislature back, I’m amazed she was able to get through. We rightly focused on how to aid flood victims. Wrongly, then did what seems to come naturally in this day the special session ignored transportation safety and age when situations like this unfold. We turned issues. on CNN. Factor in government bureaucracy — namely the For the next several minutes we stared silently Minnesota Department of Transportation, known at coverage of the aftermath of a disaster that here as MnDOT. This government body has not exact- seemed to be happening hundreds of miles away — WARD JACOBSON ly been a shining star in the aftermath of the tragedy. in that other world where horrible things always Among numerous shortcomings within the happen. But this was our own backyard, not even two miles from agency, it was learned that the person in charge of responding to our house. Minneapolis. The Twin Cities. The place we had called emergencies reportedly was on a business trip on the east coast home for one year. It all seemed very surreal. when the bridge collapsed. According to MnDOT, this person did The Sunday before the bridge collapse, my wife and I had biked not return to the Twin Cities until 10 days after the disaster. The from our home to the Guthrie Theatre for a show. We live just a Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported this was one of 17 business trips block off the West River Parkway that follows the Mississippi River the official had taken since mid-2006, costing the state at least into downtown Minneapolis — about a 10-minute ride. It was such $26,400. As one state senator said, “It’s almost incomprehensi- a great evening, being able to bike to a wonderful new venue, avoid- ble.” ing the hassles of traffic and parking. A catastrophe of this nature demands the confidence of the As we followed the Parkway bike path home that night, a full people in their elected officials. That confidence seems to be lack- moon hung over the Mississippi, lighting the way. It was magical. ing right now, which is troubling. A Colorado contractor will rebuild Three days later, the south end of the I-35W bridge was on top of the 35W bridge, costing anywhere from $235-$260 million. They that bike path, right where we and countless others had been, hope to have the bridge open by the end of 2008. Other bridges about a quarter mile south of the Guthrie. need attention too, all over the country. One can only hope the That is the most incredible part of this story. Only 13 lives were work gets done. lost. The night of the collapse I can remember thinking that num- I never thought much about crossing bridges before Aug. 1. ber would probably be staggering. It was the evening rush hour, I’m guessing most people didn’t. Now I do plenty of thinking every downtown, with a Twins baseball game starting in an hour, less time I cross a bridge, usually two or three times a day. I think about than a mile away. The University of Minnesota campus is right a lot of things. there. It is a busy area. This provides little consolation to the fam- And I can still hear those sirens. I ilies of those who perished, but given the area and time of day that the collapse occurred, it is remarkable that the death toll was so Ward Jacobson is a 1984 graduate of the University of Nebraska low. College of Journalism. After 21 years at KFOR Radio in Lincoln, he The rest of August unfolded. For a few days, the Anderson moved to the Twin Cities in July 2006 to join American Public Media’s Classical 24 as a national host. 12 WINTER 2007-2008 J ALMNI NEWS 33 COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA–LINCOLN WINTER 2007-2008 AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS THE ISSUE COVER: 40 Message from the Dean: P omp in Michelle Obama appeared unique circumstance at the Lied Center on Friday, 80 Woman at work: Sriyani Tidball is Feb. 8. Obama was in Lincoln to campaign for her husband, agent of change, growth Barak Obama, before the 10 Journalism: CNN wants to be accu- Nebraska Democratic Party’s rate, timely and first, if possible caucuses on Feb. 9. 11 College publications: Jnews and Courage in Education earn awards in PHOTO BY LOGAN MEIER international competition 12 Celebration: AUCA promotes AT RIGHT: Chelsea Clinton spoke at the democracy, service, toleration Nebraska Union on the UNL 42 Diversity: A diverse J school satisfies campus Thursday, Feb. 7, needs of diverse communities promoting her mother, 43 Internships: Partnership with NET Hillary Clinton’s, candidacy strengthens the classroom experience for the Democratic presiden- tial nomination. and aids students’ career preparation 44 Student groups: Opportunities PHOTO BY JAMES MCCAVE abound for learning, networking and developing friendships 46 In-depth: Report focuses on Nebraska’s water resources 48 In-depth: Class focuses on the inter- Journalism summit in N.Y. national quilting phenomenon Advances in digital technology are challenging 50 Holman Plaza: West entrance to the business model for delivering content. Page 5 Andersen Hall has been renovated 50 ALUMNIf y i The Pentagon Papers History comes to life during NOTEBOOK weeklong symposium. Page 16 20 Losing the bridge: T he questions remain — why did this happen? ANTHONY LEWIS WALTER PINCUS 74 Media: Commercial ratings system DANIEL ELLSBERG concentrates on viewers’ TV habits JNEWS & NOTES 52 Faculty Notes 54 Faculty Profiles SARAH SWIFT 58 Alumni Notes 63 Student Notes Students’ frankness sets off uproar 64 Student Honors Firsthand experience in freedom of the press 66 Student Profiles earns freshman a freedom award. Page 14 72 Student Internships JALUMNI NEWS IS A BIANNUAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS AT UNL IN COOPERATION WITH THE COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – DEAN Will Norton Jr. EDITOR Charlyne Berens ART DIRECTOR Marilyn Hahn PHOTOGRAPHERS Bruce Thorson – Luis Peon-Casanova – Teresa Prince – JOURNALISM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS – PRESIDENT Ashley Washburn – NATIONAL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE Thom Kastrup – BOARD MEMBERS Jeff Carney, Terri Diffenderfer, Rhonda Gerrard, Barry Kriha, Monte Olson, Tracy Overstreet, Cheryl Stubbendieck, Dara Troutman – PAST PRESIDENT Ann Pedersen-Gleeson – STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE Dani Blecha – COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVE Richard Alloway – FOUNDATION REPRESENTATIVE Steve Hill • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SHOULD BE SENT TO: J Alumni News • CoJMC, P.O. Box 880443, Lincoln, NE 68588-0443 • PHONE 402.472.3041 • FAX 402.472.8597 • E-MAIL [email protected] • COLLEGE WEB SITE • http://www.unl.edu/journalism/ NEWSNETNEBRASKA WEB SITE • http://www.newsnetnebraska.org Daily Nebraskan Web site • http://www.unl.edu/DailyNeb/ • The University of Nebraska–Lincoln does not discriminate based on gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran’s status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. 12 SUMMER 2005 J ALUMNI NEWS 33 Pomp in unique circumstances During the complicated history that followed the defeat of the Serbs in 1389, it has often seemed that freedom and prosperi- ty are not possible in the Balkans. Despite such pessimism, the Kosovo Institute for Journalism and Communication was established in 2005 to offer hope. Its mission was based on a commitment to five freedoms: — Freedom of speech, — Freedom of the press, — Freedom of religion, —Freedom of assembly, and ‘Hans Nielsen Hauge was —Freedom to petition the government At the first graduation ceremony last Nov. 26, Dr. Terry arrested for his religious beliefs. Threadgold, provost at Cardiff University, described how she We looked out over the graduat- and her colleagues teamed with faculty from Norway’s Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication at the ing class and wondered which of founding of KIJAC.