Are you considering a career in communications, public relations, or marketing? Here is your chance to intern in the promotions department of the world’s first commercial radio station. NewsRadio 1020 KDKA is accepting applications for Winter or Spring internships. Flexible schedules are available. To download an application, click here KDKA_Promotions_Intern_App_10-23

Do you have a big idea for informing and inspiring a geographic community? Does it include innovative use of new digital tools or processes such as social media, mash-ups or wikis? How about new ways to exchange information via hand-held devices like cell phones? Knight Foundation wants to know. “You invent it. We fund it!” is the 2010 contest slogan.

Knight Foundation is accepting applications now, the deadline is Dec. 15. The 2010 Knight News Challenge will award as much as $5 million for innovative ideas using digital experiments to transform community news. To learn more about the contest visit http://www.newschallenge.org/index.html. To apply visit http://www.newschallenge.org/apply.

Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center seeks full-time staff to provide community education, volunteer coordination, and publicity for agency that works with abused children. Bachelor’s degree in related field required. Will consider part- time. Send resume to Dr. Capage at 1266 Pineview Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505 by November 18th or call (304) 598-0344 with inquiries.

WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism students and faculty will participate in upcoming events honoring West Virginia veterans.

PR students collect veterans’ histories

Eight public relations students will participate in the “Take a Veteran to School” program in schools throughout northern West Virginia, to recognize veterans for their service and capture the stories of area veterans.

The West Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association (WVCTA), led by local cable operators Suddenlink Communications, Comcast and Time Warner Cable, brings the History™ channel’s “Take a Veteran to School Day” program to high schools throughout West Virginia. U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, helped launch the program last fall at Robert C. Byrd High School in Clarksburg, W.Va.

The student team will assist in executing the events and lead efforts to interview the participating veterans about their wartime experiences for official submission to the Library of Congress American Folklife Center Veterans History Project. In addition, the students will assist in capturing and documenting each event through still photography and video. The team’s goal is to collect 24-28 veteran stories for submission to the national project in 2009.

More on WVU Today.

More about the “Take a Veteran to School Day” program.

More about the Library of Congress American Folklife Center Veterans History Project.

Faculty member presents WWII documentary

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Associate Professor Joel Beeson will show part of his documentary, “Fighting on Two Fronts: The Untold Stories of African American WWII Veterans,” as part of an event hosted by the WVU College of Human Resources and Education.

“Salute to West Virginia World War II Heroes in History” is a series of special events beginning at 5 p.m. in the Erickson Alumni Center ballrooms. The events are open to the public.

More on WVU Today.

More about Beeson’s documentary.

Attention PR students: A new (third) section of PR 324 has been created for the Spring 2010 semester. The course will be taught by Chris Dale, Tuesdays, 6-8:50 p.m., in Room G3. Dr. Pinnell has a sign up sheet on his door, Room 314, but will need to interview each student before signing them into the class to ensure that those students who need the class to graduate on time are the ones who get into it.

It takes a special breed of attorney to devote a career to defending those facing the death penalty, and WVU journalism professor John Temple was intrigued by those who spend their life dealing with death.

The result is Temple’s second book, “The Last Lawyer: The Fight to Save Death Row Inmates,” published this week by University Press of Mississippi.

“The Last Lawyer” is the true story of a law firm’s fight to save a death row inmate and how an idealistic attorney, Ken Rose, and his diverse band of investigators and lawyers fight to overturn their client’s death sentence. The book chronicles Rose’s decade-long defense of Bo Jones, a North Carolina farmhand convicted of a 1987 murder.

“There are other books about death penalty cases, but I wanted to focus on the legal minds and personalities who devote their lives to this work,” Temple said. “The characters and stories I came across were even more compelling and inspiring than I’d imagined.”

In recognition of the book’s debut, the WVU College of Law and the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism will co-host a panel discussion, The Last Lawyer: A Conversation About Justice, Journalism, and the Death Penalty, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the WVU Law Center’s Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom. The panel will be moderated by WVU College of Law Dean Joyce E. McConnell and will focus on the case covered in the book, issues surrounding the morality and constitutionality of the death penalty and the journalistic process. Panelists include Temple; the book’s central figure, death penalty attorney Ken Rose; West Virginia appellate lawyer, Lonnie Simmons; and sentencing mitigation expert Jay T. McCamic.

The event, which will include a Q&A session, is open to the public. A book signing and light refreshments will follow.

Temple is an associate professor and associate dean at the School of Journalism. He spent five years as a behind-the-scenes reporter for “The Last Lawyer,” following the case and the setbacks and triumphs Rose’s team faced as they gradually unearthed evidence to help save their client’s life.

Rose is one of the few U.S. attorneys who has almost exclusively represented death row inmates his entire career. While working the case featured in “The Last Lawyer,” Rose also built the North Carolina-based nonprofit law firm, The Center for Death Penalty Litigation, which is dedicated to representing capital defendants and assisting attorneys representing persons charged or convicted in capital cases.

Simmons, a 1982 WVU College of Law alumnus, is widely recognized as one of the first lawyers in the country to use DNA testing to free an innocent person from prison. Simmons has successfully prosecuted a substantial number of appeals before the West Virginia Supreme Court, including appeals of wrongful death verdicts, employment discrimination claims, personal injury actions and criminal convictions.

McCamic is president of McCamic, Sacco, Pizzuti & McCoid, PLLC, based in Wheeling, W.Va., and is a 1984 graduate of the WVU College of Law. He was the Federal Criminal Justice Act Resource Counsel for the Northern District of West Virginia until the appointment of a Federal Public Defender in the Northern District. Since 1996, he has been the Criminal Justice Act District Representative for the Northern District of West Virginia. He has been involved in Federal Death Penalty litigation in both West Virginia and Pennsylvania, has been designated as “learned counsel” in death penalty matters and has tried federal death penalty cases to verdict in both jurisdictions.

McConnell, the William J. Maier Jr. Dean and Thomas R. Goodwin Professor of Law at the WVU College of Law, said Temple’s book provides a window into the “tragically flawed” death penalty system.

“In ‘The Last Lawyer,’ John Temple chronicles a real lawyer’s struggle to free a wrongfully convicted man whom most would have ignored,” said McConnell. “By taking us along on this journey, Temple creates a legal thriller that reads like fiction, but is real. As Ken Rose struggles to defend Bo Jones against the odds, we experience the highs and the lows of death penalty defense.”

Additional details and the link to the webcast are available at http://law.wvu.edu/lastlawyer and http://journalism.wvu.edu.

More on WVU Today.

Download the e-flyer !

Join the WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism and College of Law for an event celebrating the publication of Associate Professor John Temple’s new non-fiction thriller, “The Last Lawyer: The Fight to Save Death Row Inmates.”

Temple’s book, “The Last Lawyer: The Fight to Save Death Row Inmates,” was recently published by University Press of Mississippi. It’s the true story of a law firm’s fight to save a death row inmate and how an idealistic attorney, Ken Rose, and his diverse band of investigators and lawyers fight to overturn their client’s death sentence. The book chronicles Rose’s decade-long defense of Bo Jones, a North Carolina farmhand convicted of a 1987 murder.

The Nov. 12 book launch and panel discussion, “The Last Lawyer: A Conversation About Justice, Journalism, and the Death Penalty,” will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the WVU Law Center’s Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom.

The panel will be moderated by WVU College of Law Dean Joyce E. McConnell and will focus on the case covered in the book, issues surrounding the morality and constitutionality of the death penalty and the journalistic process. Panelists include Temple; the book’s central figure, death penalty attorney Ken Rose; West Virginia appellate lawyer, Lonnie Simmons; and Jay T. McCamic, a noted legal expert on sentencing mitigation.

The event, which will include a Q&A session, is open to the public. A book signing and light refreshments will follow.

Additional details and the link to the webcast are available at http://law.wvu.edu/lastlawyer and http://journalism.wvu.edu.

Read the complete press release about the event. Download the e-flyer !

If you think you may have lost something in Martin Hall, please check the lost and found in room 113.

The Washington Center for Politics and Journalism is accepting applications for the 2010 Winter/Spring (February-May) Politics and Journalism Semester.

During 16 weeks in Washington, students work full-time in major news bureaus. Twice a week, they gather for the central purpose of the program: 90-minute seminars on campaign, governance and interest group politics. Students pay no tuition or fees. Each receives a $3,000 stipend to help with Washington living expenses. The program is operated by a non-profit educational foundation, the Washington Center for Politics & Journalism, founded in 1988 to improve political and public affairs journalism. The Center operates from one of America’s best known political addresses, The Watergate, in offices generously provided by Atlantic Media, publishers of Atlantic Monthly and publications of the National Journal Co.

Some of the speakers form the program include: * Judy Woodruff of PBS * Former Sen. Bob Dole * Former Clinton press secretary Mike McCurry

Class hosts include: * Columnist and author Pat Buchanan * “Dean” of White House correspondents Helen Thomas * ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos * Syndicated columnist George Will

For more information go to http://www.wcpj.org/. To apply go to http://www.wcpj.org/application/application2.asp. Applications are due by Friday, Nov. 6.

The art department of National Geographic Magazine is currently seeking two people to fill full-time positions as graphics specialists. Either of these jobs are well-suited for recent college grads, or individuals with 1-3 years of professional experience. The job description is below and you must apply at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/jobs/bunder Job ID 3942. In addition to applying online, any interested parties may also contact Mariel Furlong, NGM Art, National Geographic Magazine at: mfurlong@ngs.org.

Summary of Position
Produce graphics and maps as needed for NGM. Collaborate with the Art Director, Design Director, Graphics Editors and Art Researcher to produce information graphics, art, maps and layouts for stories. This requires being familiar with story content and design considerations. Assist with large projects, implementing changes from editors and designers and assuring quality control. Assist Graphics Editors, Map Department staff and Art Researcher with research. Assist Art Director and Design Director with internal projects. Coordinate efforts with NGM departments including Research, Editorial, Foreign partners, Photography, Prepress for on-schedule delivery of art, graphics, maps and layouts. Managing projects toward a timely completion is a major component of this job.

Responsibilities * Assist in the production of graphics, art, maps, research, and layouts for NGM. * Help other members of the NGM Art Department with meeting deadlines and preparing files for pre-press. * Coordinate graphics, maps and layout production with other magazine departments. * Assist Art Director and Design Director with internal projects. * Archiving of art files, server organization and file handling for Foreign Partners, Image Collection and Web.

Supervision Exercised
Interns

Minimum Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in journalism, visual communication, graphic design, art, cartography, geography, or a related field preferred. One to three years of related work experienced is preferred, but new graduates are encouraged to apply.

Knowledge & Skill Requirements
An eye for clarity, elegance and accuracy in the visual display of information and typography. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team. Curiosity about topics covered in the magazine and the ability to grasp new subject matter quickly. Excellent Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop skills required. Knowledge of GIS software, 3D software and/or Flash are a plus. Superior organizational skills as well as the ability to multitask under the pressure of tight deadlines.

Equal Opportunity Employer