10 JMC students pose for a photo in Washington, D.C. | Photo courtesy of Professor of the Practice Stephen Wolgast.

Ten journalism students spent their spring break in Washington, D.C., reporting on how human trafficking is made worse by corruption. The group’s host was the Center for Strategic & International Studies, which connected them with topic experts and production staff to assist their reporting. After five hectic days the group created four reports explaining how Thailand is a nexus of the problem. The team of Caleb Beasley, Allison Muzzy and Aminah Syed created a two-minute video package. Taylor Doyle and Grace Hills put together a five-minute podcast. Writing a 2,000-word article were Kenna McNally, Arien Roman Rojas and Bella Waters. Graphics for the groups were produced by Abbie Clements and Cuyler Dunn.

The reporting teams presented their work on Friday afternoon, and after it’s been refined it will appear on the website of the center, a bipartisan policy research organization addressing the world’s greatest challenges. Accompanying the students were Stephen Wolgast, professor of the practice of journalism, and Sarah Stacy, the director of programs and student affairs at the Dole Institute of Politics.

Director of Media Crossroads Cal Butcher, right, assists a student during a live broadcast earlier this semester. | Photo by Evan Riggs

The Kansas Association of Broadcasters named Cal Butcher, the director of Media Crossroads, as the Dr. Ian Punnett Media Educator of the year on March 24. The annual honor recognizes exceptional Kansas educators who inspire a passion for media careers and make a transformative impact on their students. The award celebrates educators for their innovative teaching, dedication to excellence, and profound contributions to media education. The award will be bestowed on April 23 in Arrowhead Stadium at the KAB Student Broadcast & Sports Seminar.

The Technology Committee has assembled a list of certifications and badges for students interested in demonstrating communication-related skills to potential employers. This information is available on a canvas course titled “JMC Certification Options” for instructors to import into their courses. If you would like to be added to the canvas course, please email halawrenz@ku.edu. We are also interested in growing the list of certifications/badges. If you have something you would like us to add to our list, please email gberendzen@ku.edu.

JMC student Emily Sutter is pictured during live coverage of the 2024 United States presidential election in Media Crossroads. Sutter earned multiple awards from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. 

Jayhawk journalists honored with 13 KAB Student Broadcast Excellence Awards: KU students received 13 honors, including seven first places, in 10 college visual categories at the 2025 Kansas Association of Broadcasters Student Broadcast Excellence Awards competition. The students will be presented their awards on April 23 in Arrowhead Stadium at the KAB Student Broadcast & Sports Seminar.

Become a JMC School Ambassador: The JMC School recruitment team is hiring new student ambassadors for Fall 2025. Student Ambassadors support JMC School outreach efforts, events and give tours to prospective families. If you want to share your love for the JMC School with future students, apply today. Students of any year are encouraged to apply. 

Students cover NCAA Tournament: JMC School students traveled to Providence, Rhode Island to cover KU basketball in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Senior Chad Cushing recorded a video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at shooting a March Madness game and a detailed look at his thought process when photographing a basketball game.

JMC Students are pictured on a NCAA Tournament court in Providence, R.I. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED: The KC Ad Club’s 2025-26 Foundation Scholarship application is now open. The scholarship has been awarded for over 30 years and helps students set themselves apart from their peers and get involved in the thriving Kansas City advertising community. Current sophomores and juniors interested in marketing, graphic arts and related fields are encouraged to apply. If selected, you will receive a $2,500 scholarship, a dedicated mentor and free membership to KC Ad Club events for a year. Deadline is Friday, March 28. Learn more and apply.

Pictured from left to right: Assistant Professor Steve Bien-Aimé, Doctoral students Hanbo Liu, Doctoral student Samuel Muzhingi and Associate Professor Alyssa Appelman.

Doctoral students Hanbo Liu and Samuel Muzhingi presented research conducted with their faculty mentors, Assistant Professor Steve Bien-Aimé and Associate Professor Alyssa Appelman, respectively, at the recent Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Midwinter Conference at the University of Oklahoma.

Liu and Bien-Aimé were award the top abstract award from the Commission on the Status of Women for "A comparative study of the media representation of Chinese female astronauts in the past decade." Muzhingi presented "Extending the Technology Acceptance Model to incorporate ethical concerns: Journalism students’ perceptions of artificial intelligence adoption" in the Communication Technology Division.

Associate Professor Hong Tien Vu is the lead author of a study that found Kansas and Missouri farmers avoid discussing climate change regardless of opinions. Researchers conducted interviews with more than 20 farmers in Kansas and Missouri to understand their communication about climate change. The study was born from research Vu and students started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full KU Today Release. 

Assistant Professor Judy Watts, along with doctoral students Jun Pei and Michaella Barros Coelho, recently published their study “Is it safe? The Effect of Narrative vs. Non-narrative Messages on Story-Related Knowledge of Medicated Abortion” in Frontiers. The article appears in a special issue that includes research using narratives to promote risks and risky products: cautions and considerations. The study found that both entertainment and non-entertainment formats discussing medicated abortion were equally effective at informing viewers about the medication. Participants for this study were recruited through the JMC School's research participation pool. 

Cheers to Careers podcast: JMC alum Lara Korte, a Middle East correspondent for Starts and Stripes in Germany, was a recent guest on Cheers to Careers. 

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Steve Fry died Feb. 19 at age 71. Read his obituary.

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William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications
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