For Immediate Release

Contacts:
Christine DiGangi, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317-927-8000 ext. 205, cdigangi@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — Are young people disconnected from the traditional concept of news?

If so, what are the implications for news organizations going forward?

Those will be some of the questions raised on the next episode of “Studio SPJ,” the Society of Professional Journalists’ Internet radio program on Friday, Dec. 7 at noon EST, when the guest will be Paula Poindexter.

The 30-minute conversation with Poindexter is sponsored by the San Antonio chapter of SPJ.

Poindexter is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin and wrote the book "Millennials, News, and Social Media: Is News Engagement a Thing of the Past?"

Poindexter, who earned her Ph.D. from Syracuse University and bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin, has been a manager and executive at The Los Angeles Times and a reporter and producer for KPRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Houston.

In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate journalism courses at The University of Texas at Austin, she is president-elect of AEJMC, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, which has a worldwide membership of journalism educators, journalism graduate students, journalists and media professionals.

Poindexter also will be the keynote speaker at the SPJ Region 8 Conference in San Antonio from May 3 to 4.

In her new book, Poindexter helps readers understand the generation that came of age as the importance of news waned and social media emerged, using data from her National Survey of News Engagement.

Poindexter offers insight into which factors will determine whether society will be one of news consumers who believe being informed is important or a nation in which news illiteracy is the norm.

To address her concern about the low level of engagement with news by the Millennial Generation, Poindexter has started two programs:

(1) mynews@school, a news-in-the-classroom program designed to educate middle school and high school students about journalism, its purpose, principles and process;

(2) “Millennials and News” on Facebook for young adults. Co-founded with her Millennial daughter, the “Millennials and News” Facebook page aggregates news stories about Millennials, of interest to Millennials and news Millennials should know.

"Studio SPJ" is an Internet radio program that features conversations with journalists.

To listen to the program live or later as a podcast, go to this website and click "Listen."

To ask a question during the broadcast, call (347) 857-2441.

Note: the phone number is only for listeners with questions. Do not call in order to listen to the live program. Doing so will prevent others from calling in with their questions.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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