On Monday, April 28th from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm the Mass Communications Department and Alcorn State University’s Chapter of The National Association of Black Journalists hosted Making News Matter in the 21st Century in the Industrial Technology Building.
The two speakers for the event were Deante’ Morgan of One Voice Mississippi and Jackie Hampton of The Mississippi Link. Morgan is an Information Technology (IT) Specialist and a graduate of Jackson State University while Hampton is a publisher and graduate of Lincoln University.
After each introduction, Hampton began the event with some of her backstory. She graduated from college with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology, but she made a career in Marketing. After a long stint in that career, she began working for The Mississippi Link, despite its lower pay. Hampton said, “I loved what I discovered.” She continued Marketing for The Mississippi Link in addition to becoming one of their publishers. Morgan also proved how life does not always give an individual a set path by explaining to the audience that he did not go to college to be an IT Specialist but wanted to be a Graphic Designer and to look at where his skills had taken him.
The two speakers gave insight into how having an array of skills helps by telling students to not just be great with their strongest attributes but also to be good with other skills. Skills that can be used in any area of their career to make a person more marketable to employers. Morgan explained to the audience that he used his experiences of fixing a printer to write a paper as an example and Hampton explained how she used her skills from Marketing, Sociology, and Psychology in her role as publisher.
The speakers allowed questions to be asked by the audience which were mostly about career goals and interests in internships. Morgan informed the students that One Voice Mississippi has internships available for the Summer, Fall, and Spring semesters and encouraged them to apply. When asked about internships at The Mississippi Link, Hampton acknowledged to the audience that she is aware that her subscribers are of an older generation, however, she is hopeful as to what young interns can bring to the table.
The Making News Matter in The 21st Century Awareness concluded with food and drinks. Some students got the chance to receive more information from the speakers about internships and insight into the field of Mass Communications.
