Welcome to J-Day!

The College of Media, Communication and Information is honored to welcome you to Journalism Day at the University of Colorado Boulder!

Here, you'll find everything you need to make the most of your experience on campus.

Students: don't forget to check in. Plus, you have the chance to win great prizes!

Check in now

Important Info

Find your way

CU Boulder is a big campus, but we're here to help!

You will start your day at Macky Auditorium. Don't forget to check in for a chance to win great prizes!

Sessions are located in the Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE), Macky Auditorium and the University Memorial Center (UMC).

If you get lost, look for staff and signs along your routes to help you find where you need to be.

View the full campus map →

Lunch plans

Students: If you did not bring your lunch, please plan to eat at the south side of the UMC building (outside the ballrooms, under the tent). These meals are specifically designated for J-Day participants.

Please note: Other areas in the UMC are not able to accommodate you.

Advisors: Please enjoy lunch in CASE W262.

Photo booth bus

During lunch, get a team photo with Visit Boulder's microbus! Look for the retro VW bus in the lunch area.

Tours and experiences

Tours

We are offering three tour opportunities throughout the day:

CU Athletics tour (Session 1), pre-registration required
CMCI Facilities tour (Sessions 1 and 3)
CU Boulder campus tour (All sessions)

All tours and broadcast studio sessions will leave from the north patio of the UMC. Look for CU staff or students holding the corresponding signs.

Experiences

Visit the Alienware Gaming Lounge to learn more about e-sports broadcasting and immersive storytelling techniques from CU experts.

Open 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: UMC 138.

J-Day Schedule

Use the information below to plan your day. You can also download a PDF version of the schedule.

Location: Macky Auditorium

Journalism Day's opening session will feature keynote speaker and NBC anchor Savannah Sellers (Jour'13).

Advanced Writing for Broadcast
Location: UMC 386

A lot of student journalists ignore the power of writing to make a strong story and increase production value. Using student and professional examples, we'll look at how you can incorporate good writing into every news package you produce and reach your community more effectively.

Led by: Patrick Moring

Voiceovers: Moving the Story Forward
Location: UMC Aspen 287/289

In this session, we will look at some of the technical aspects of recording voiceovers, as well as how and why they are vital to any broadcast feature, how voiceovers shape the story you are telling and how to write a good voiceover.

Led by: Scott Roberts

"Let Me Interrupt You a Sec..."

Location: UMC 235

All the best yearbooks are doing it. Why aren't you? Break tradition with creative interrupter spreads that wow your customers, and bring your coverage beyond the typical.

Led by: Eilidh Gill cje

Documentary

Location: UMC East Ballroom

This session will explore some fun best practices for documentary photography, portraiture and video. While this can be done with professional gear, much of it can also now be done with the phone in your pocket. We'll also explore this.

Led by: Ross Taylor

Analyzing AI Chatbots and Disinformation

Location: UMC 415-417

It's a crazy world out there when it comes to AI, and it is even more challenging when AI enters the conversation in journalism. Use it? Cite it? How accurate is it? Should we use it for research? Let's talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly surrounding AI in journalism.

Led by: Karla Shotts

Become a Student Reporter for PBS News

Location: UMC West Ballroom

PBS News Student Reporting Labs (SRL) is a nationwide youth journalism training program that provides real-world reporting experiences to high school journalists. Video producer Becky Wandel has been with SRL for five years, mentoring student journalists and sharing the stories they produce on public media outlets—including PBS News Hour broadcast and digital platforms. This program will introduce students to the opportunities available through SRL and give them a chance to start thinking about their own stories with an interactive storyboarding activity. Becky will also share free resources SRL provides for journalism educators.

Led by: Becky Wandel

Sociology and Sports Journalism

Location: CASE E422

Students will learn how to use sociological thinking to generate story ideas for sports journalism. The session focuses on thinking about how sports intersect with culture. Students will generate original pitches in sports and develop those ideas into journalism stories.

Led by: Ever Figueroa

Telling True Stories: Feature Writing Using Fiction Techniques

Location: UMC Aspen 285

Some of the best journalism today combines hard-hitting factual reporting with the techniques of fiction to tell compelling stories. This class offers hands-on experience in reading and writing true stories using character development, suspense and other storytelling techniques to create journalism that leaps off the page.

Led by: Christine Larson

How to Be an Editor

Location: UMC 247

In this session, the student board members will discuss what it takes to be a leader on staff. They will go over what they didn't know and what they know now. This session is designed for all staffers aspiring to be leaders on staff—editors or otherwise.

Led by: CSMA Student Board

Building Your Career in Journalism

Location: CASE Auditorium

In a conversation with CMCI journalism student Leo Rivera, Wall Street Journal editor Robert Barba will discuss his journey from Boulder to New York City. Learn how Barba, a 2004 CU Boulder grad, has built his career, prioritizes networking and shapes breaking news coverage for one of the country’s most trusted sources of news.

Led by: Robert Barba and Leo Rivera

Jobs in TV News & Sports*

Location: UMC Middle Ballroom

A panel discussion of the fun and exciting jobs available in TV and digital news and sports roles with 9News stars just a few years into their careers. Panel includes 9News prep sports reporter Ashley Moore, 9News on-air news reporter Janelle Finch and 9News newscast producer Amanda Alicea. Students will learn about what skills they need to land jobs in the industry, the best college courses to take, and the amazing stuff they get to see and hear in the broadcast/digital local news and sports industry.

Led by: Noah Cooper, Ashley Moore, Lauren Scafidi and Amanda Alicea

* this session takes place from 9:45 to 11:15

Jobs in TV News & Sports*

Location: UMC Middle Ballroom

Led by: Noah Cooper, Ashley Moore, Lauren Scafidi Amanda Alicea

* this session takes place from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m.

The Ingredients of a Strong Broadcast

Location: UMC 386

A good broadcast has strong writing, professional anchoring, solid storytelling and creative camera work. It's not just one thing, but a mix that reaches its audience on multiple levels. We'll go over the ingredients that will help you increase your broadcast production value, represent student voices authentically and strengthen your school community.

Led by: Patrick Moring

Stretch Your Sports Narrative Muscles

Location: UMC East Ballroom

Athletics offers everything a writer could wish for. Setting is important and we can always find standout or intriguing characters. We keep score, so there's conflict, and one team wins—so there's resolution. Interesting in going beyond filing reports and rather mechanical quote-transition formula articles and posts? Sports reporting is where the action could be for you.

Led by: Jack Kennedy

What's Your Angle?

Location: UMC 415-417

Let's talk about breaking down large stories into small bite-size pieces. How do you find unique angles of stories, especially if we have done the story every year? Central character stories are the key!

Led by: Karla Shotts

Hard News Leads and News Stories for Broadcast and Print

Location: UMC Aspen 285

What we can learn from writing hard news leads, and short news stories and briefs, that get right to the point and stick to the facts? We will look at the tried-and-true art (er, dying science?) of hard news in broadcast writing and in writing for print and online.

Led by: Adam Dawkins

POV: You're a Social Media Director

Location: CASE Auditorium

Learn about what a day in the life of a social media director looks like. This session will be co-led by two members of the CU Boulder social media team and show a behind-the-screens look at what it takes to manage some of the largest social media accounts on campus. Discussion will include content strategy and approach to chasing trends, measuring success and explaining metrics, and managing decentralized creative teams.

Led by: Noelle Seybert, DBA, MBA

The $100,000 Spread

Location: UMC 235

Fun, unique coverage can be worth a thousand words—or $100,000. Step outside of your comfort zone and push yourself to put a different take on how you cover your student body.

Led by: Genise Cushman

Selective Perception

Location: UMC Aspen 287/289

This session will discuss how our perception of truth is impacted by where we were born, the school that we attend and even what sports teams we root for. The session will also explore how our understanding of our perceptions can help lead to more objective journalism.

Led by: Matt Varca

Impactful Campus Photography and Videography

Location: UMC West Ballroom

Presenting Glenn Asakawa's photos for CU Boulder and discussing the transition from pure photojournalism to marketing photography. Also, the impact of social media on our current workflow. Mason Marino will showcase his drone video work and discuss some creative and technical aspects of his important work.

Led by: Glenn Asakawa

Shooting Sequences for Visual Storytelling

Location: Meet at UMC north patio, look for "Broadcast Studio Session" sign

This session explains the technique of shooting sequences for visual stories. Sequences progress the action and compress the time it takes to achieve an action that would take longer in real life. Sequences also make the editing more dynamic and add a professional polish to video productions.

Led by: Paul Daugherty

Get on Board

Location: CASE E260

We all teach the beginning-of-the-year skills about how to do yearbook, newspaper, broadcast, etc. But how do we know our staffers understand and really know the skills? In this session, Anastasia Harrison will teach you how to onboard your staffers similar to how people complete onboarding for jobs. This idea comes from another adviser and she will explain how she made it her own so you can make it your own, as well.

Led by: Anastasia Harrison

Get it Right: Photo Selection and Caption Writing

Location: UMC 247

Your photographer came back from an event with 1,000 images. Now, you have to sort them, find the best ones and get ready to interview the people in the photos. This session will help you create criteria to pick amazing images and prep for writing solid, journalistic captions.

Led by: Annie Gorenstein-Falkenberg

Meet the CU Student Media

Location: CASE E422

This session will bring together the student editors, news directors and managers of student media outlets at CU Boulder. They will be there to meet with students and talk about the experiences of working at the CU Independent newspaper, Sko Buffs Sports, and Radio 1190. The students will share their experiences about what it's like for students to participate in student media at CU Boulder.

Led by: Vicky Sama

JOY Ready!

Location: UMC Aspen 285

Interested in applying for the Dorothy Greer Journalist of the Year Scholarship? In this session, we'll evaluate exemplar JOY portfolios and develop an action plan for stress-free portfolio creation.

Led by: Jessica Hunziker

Feeling Through the Lens

Location: UMC East Ballroom

How do you capture those photographs that last a lifetime, and make your audience say "wow"? Taking photographs that highlight emotions can be one of the most powerful tools of a publication. This breakout will showcase some powerful student photojournalism—and show you how can do it, too.

Led by: Eilidh Gill

Write Like Taylor Swift

Location: UMC 235

It is not a lie that Taylor Swift has captured the attention of millions with her epic songwriting and storytelling. But how exactly has she created this phenomenon and become a worldwide sensation with her words? Come and learn why T-Swift's writing is so effective, and how we can use her tactics to produce great stories.

Led by: Andrew Ross

The 4 Cs of Social Media

Location: UMC West Ballroom

Building a solid social media presence just requires a little TLC—four Cs, to be exact! Come find out how to ensure the content on your social media platforms is top quality and audience grabbing. Attendees will leave this session with tangible tips and ideas for their publication's social media platforms.

Led by: Kristi Rathbun

News-Academic Partnerships

Location: UMC Aspen 287/289

For anyone with interest in the growing statewide movement for more news-academia partnerships in Colorado. With a stone soup approach, we'll explore the strengths and needs of classrooms and newsrooms to see how we can work together toward reinventing journalism and journalism education. Discussion led by Corey Hutchins, of Colorado College, and Laura Frank, of COLab and University of Denver.

Led by: Laura Frank

Making a Broadcast that Students Want to Watch

Location: CASE Auditorium

Create an engaging broadcast that students want to tune in for and that teachers will support. We will talk about how to structure a show to maintain interest, how to tell stories that keep students focused, and how to balance news and entertainment.

Led by: Bruce Phillips

Small Book, Big Dreams

Location: UMC 247

Even if your yearbook is small, you can still go big with your coverage. This session will discuss ways to cover your entire community, even with a limited page count. If you have ever looked at coverage inspiration and felt like you don’t have the space to do something like that, this is the session for you.

Led by: Annie Gorenstein-Falkenberg

Happy Journalists Sketch and Draw

Location: UMC 415-417

Come ready to draw, doodle and create. In this session, you'll learn how to leverage sketchbooks to support your work as a journalist between deadlines, and see how two staffs from Cherokee Trail High School captured their creative processes. We'll also show AP 2D portfolios that our student journalist submitted and passed with threes or higher to earn college credit.

Led by: Tina Barber

CSMA ReBrand Comm

Location: CASE W260

Meeting opportunity for advisers who have volunteered for the CSMA Rebranding Committee.

Led by: Patrick Moring

What I Wish I Would Have Known Before my Journalism Career*

Location: UMC Middle Ballroom

Panel discussion about the things a few 9News stars wish they had known about journalism careers before they got started. Panel includes 9News prep sports reporter Ashley Moore, 9News on-air news reporter Janelle Finch and 9News newscast producer Amanda Alicea. Students will learn about what skills they need to land jobs in the industry, the best college courses to take, and the amazing stuff they get to see and hear in the broadcast/digital local news and sports industry.

Led by: Noah Cooper, Ashley Moore, Lauren Scafidi, Amanda Alicea

*this session takes place from 11:25 a.m. to 12:55 p.m.

What I Wish I Would Have Known Before my Journalism Career

Location: UMC Middle Ballroom

Led by: Noah Cooper, Ashley Moore, Lauren Scafidi, Amanda Alicea

Put Some SPARK in Your Storytelling

Location: UMC West Ballroom

A great reporting process and intriguing questions lead to incredible stories. This session includes best practices for finding stories as well as professional heroes you should follow. We will begin and end with activities you can take back to help your staff find the stories of your community. Prizes included for best stories.

Led by: Tina Cleavelin, Peter Griffin

How Opinion Writing Defends Democracy

Location: UMC 415-417

Hear the story of the Denver Post Rebellion firsthand from on of the paper's former editors. Understand this story in the context of how you, as a journalist, could help challenge misused power and protect democracy. This session has an emphasis on writing informed opinion that stands up and demands to be noticed.

Led by: Chuck Plunkett

The Right Stuff

Location: UMC East Ballroom

The First Amendment rights of student journalists are under attack. From newspapers to yearbooks to broadcasts, school administrators are looking to censor your ability to publish what you want to publish and say what you want to say. In this session, learn about your rights and have all your questions answered.

Led by: Ben Reed

Cover Designs that Work

Location: CASE E422

The cover is the most important page of your magazine. Unfortunately, it might be the only page a lot of people ever see. But if it's great, it will pull your audience in to read that cover story and the rest of your mag. Get a dozen tips for designing those cover images that successfully deliver the story and get people reading.

Led by: Seth Fine

Streamline and Shine: Organizational Strategies for Advisers

Location: CASE E260

This session is designed to help yearbook and media advisers streamline their classroom management and enhance productivity. I will share the strategies I use for organizing physical and digital materials, but welcome you to also share your ideas, as well. When we have an issue, we can discuss it as a group and help each other find solutions to our unique settings/classes. No need to feel like an island any more.

Led by: Gina Claus

Ethics in the Newsroom

Location: UMC Aspen 285

We will discuss ethical guidelines for high school journalists and apply these principles to common hypothetical dilemmas. Journalists will learn how to weigh the impact and risks of their editorial decision-making with the goal of ensuring that we cover social issues responsibly, accurately and fairly, while minimizing harm to our news subjects and audiences.

Led by: Dinfin Mulupi

Shooting Sequences for Visual Storytelling

Location: Meet at UMC north patio, look for "Broadcast Studio Sessions" sign

Led by: Paul Daugherty

Your Words Matter

Location: UMC 235

Your theme copy establishes two things: the voice of your book and the story you are going to tell. We will study strong examples and learn key methods to help you revise your yearbook theme copy. Please bring a rough draft of your opening copy to this session.

Led by: Justin Daigle

Community College Journalism Programs: So Many Opportunities for Student Journalists

Location: UMC 386

Join professors Andrea Mason and Jamey Trotter for an informative session on journalism programs at the community college level, and the vast opportunities proffered to students therein, which they might not find in the first two years of their collegiate experience. And we'll end our discussion with the question: What are student attendees looking for when assessing their situation as it pertains to where to go to college.

Led by: Jamey Trotter, Andrew Mason

CSMA New Adviser Comm

Location: CASE W260

Meeting opportunity for advisers that have volunteered for the CSMA New Adviser Support Committee.

Led by: Patrick Moring

Join us at Macky Auditorium for the CSMA awards ceremony.

Keynote speaker: Savannah Sellers (Jour’13)

savannah sellers Anchor and correspondent, NBC News

Savannah Sellers is the anchor of “Morning News Now,” NBC News Now’s flagship morning show, in New York City. She completed three internships with NBC/MSNBC as a journalism student at CU Boulder before eventually becoming a reporter for the network. In addition to her work with “Morning News Now,” Sellers serves as a correspondent for all NBC News and MSNBC platforms, and hosts the network’s twice-daily “Stay Tuned” show on Snapchat. She is a member of CMCI’s advisory board and delivered the keynote address at commencement for the university’s Class of 2019.

Meet Sellers →

For advisors and speakers

We are excited to invite you to our hospitality room in CASE W262. Connect with fellow advisors, refuel and recharge throughout the day.

Breakfast will be served starting at 9:30 a.m., and lunch will be ready around 10:25 a.m.

Need help?

Please reach out to our monitored email inbox with accessibility requests or other questions. The CMCI team will be closely monitoring this inbox throughout the day.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Gold Sponsors

CU and CMCI

CSU

Silver Sponsors

Jostens

Walsworth

Leeds School of Business

Bronze Sponsors

College of Arts and Sciences

ENVD

College of Music

SNO

PBS NewsHour

Journalism at CU Boulder

CBS News welcomed first-year CMCI students to its Colorado newsroom over the summer.

Alumnus Michael Davies gives CMCI students a behind-the-scenes look at FOX Sports' 'Big Noon Kickoff.'

Students cohosting at FOX Big Noon kick off

Students pose on the set of 'Big Noon Kickoff,' which was broadcast from Farrand Field on campus.

student photographing a colleague in front of a green screen

Students experiment with green screen technology at J-Day in 2023.

behind the scenes with the CBS4 news team

Students work behind the scenes with the CBS4 broadcasting team on a tour of the newsroom.

For more than a century, the University of Colorado Boulder has been a leader in teaching and researching the news.

Even as the media undergoes dramatic changes as a result of tech-driven upheaval and changing audience habits, journalism faculty continue to shed insight on how these changes can shape the news for the better. Students who study journalism, but choose not to work in news, go on to rewarding careers in business, communication, technology and beyond, owing to a CMCI curriculum that emphasizes reporting and storytelling, working on deadline, project management, and holding the powerful to account.

Alumni have won Pulitzer, Murrow and Peabody awards while working at places such as The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post and elsewhere. More →

Search

Welcome to J-Day!

Welcome to J-Day!

Important Info

Find your way

Lunch plans

Photo booth bus

Tours and experiences

Tours

Experiences

J-Day Schedule

Keynote speaker: Savannah Sellers (Jour’13)

For advisors and speakers

Need help?

Thank you to our sponsors!

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Journalism at CU Boulder

Student media organizations at CU