Alumni Connect
Karen B. Dunlap
President’s Corner
Welcome to the first edition of Poynter Connect, our new effort to better bring together Poynter alumni with each other and with the Institute. In the months ahead, we’ll take this publication fully digital and allow for easier interaction among all of us.
The vision for Poynter Connect is simple — to allow Poynter alumni to communicate with each other about important issues affecting the craft and business of journalism. Each issue will feature a number of short stories by alumni contributors, as well as updates on what Poynter is up to. Most importantly, we hope to create easy opportunities for all of us to share comments, ideas and news with each other.
Why the focus on alumni?
After 37 years, we have more than 30,000 alumni who have experienced Poynter teaching in seminar rooms, conventions and virtual settings. They work throughout the world of journalism and academia, as well as in other communication fields.
We need them, as the business of journalism training becomes more and more challenging, to help us in numerous ways — from informing the relevance of our training to helping us expand our audience to funding scholarships so others can come to Poynter, too.
Here’s what I need from you today: Please visit Poynter’s Alumni Facebook page and update your personal information. Encourage other Poynter alumni to do so, too. And second, visit the links attached to stories in this newsletter and add your thoughts in the Comments areas. Help us get this effort off to a good start. If you want to contact me directly, email me at alumni@poynter.org.
My thanks to the alums who have helped us kick off this effort, especially Poynter faculty Butch Ward, Lisa Robbins, and this issue’s columnists, Connie Schultz and Hugh Forrest. And my thanks to all of you for supporting Poynter. As we are saying more and more these days, People Need Good Journalism. And Journalism Needs Poynter.
• Why Our Work Still Matters by Connie Schultz
• Five Ideas Journalists Should Think About by Hugh Forrest