Assistant professor of journalism Karin Schwanbeck received an Award of Excellence for her documentary "Deadlines and Dollars" at the Festival of the Media Arts at the Broadcasters Education Association annual meeting April 16 to 19 in Las Vegas.
Schwanbeck was executive producer, writer and co-editor of the one-hour documentary. Her husband, Bill Schwanbeck, an adjunct journalism professor, was primary photographer, co-editor and narrator.
Schwanbeck screened "Deadlines and Dollars" on campus in March and at the New Filmmakers festival April 23 at the Anthology Film Archives in New York City. The documentary offers a critical examination of local TV news and how story coverage is affected more often by profit and efficiency, rather than by meaningful stories with a direct impact on viewers' lives.
"Today, reporters are better educated and trained than ever before, yet the types of stories they cover and the number of stories they turn out every day do not always allow reporters to make full use of their education and training," she said. "Viewers say they are tired of crime, accidents and fire stories - well, many reporters are, too."
The documentary explores these issues with an empathetic eye toward reporters. The documentary includes interviews with these reporters and experts:
- Len Besthoff, reporter for WFSB Channel 3
- Mike Cavender, former chairman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association in Washington, D.C.
- Walt Kane, reporter for News 12 New Jersey in Edison
- Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism in Washington, D.C.
- Jim Taricani, reporter for NBC 10 WJAR in Providence, R.I.
Schwanbeck joined the faculty in 2003 after serving on the faculty at Illinois State University in Normal and 13 years of professional journalism experience at television stations in Dallas; Greensboro, N.C.; Nashville; and Peoria, Ill.