By Caroline Gazzara
Intern with The Tuscaloosa News
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Sitting in front of more than 40 sports editors, educators and student attendees, three student journalists discussed media access and the use of social media at the recent APSE Southeast Region meeting at UAB’s Hill Student Center in Birmingham.
Kelly Ward, from the University of Alabama student newspaper, the Crimson White, talked about how she got a rare one-on-one interview with UA head football coach Nick Saban for a story. Casey Marley from The Kaleidoscope, the UAB student publication, discussed her work on the demise and rebirth of the school’s football program. Evan McCullers, former assistant sports editor at The Plainsman, Auburn University’s student newspaper, discussed an oral history on AU’s 2010 victory over Alabama.
Ward, digital editor at the CW, talked about the University of Alabama’s student publication’s shift to less print days and a more digital approach, as well as the growth of the CW’s Twitter following. Marley talked about how The Kaleidoscope has created a new website and updated its print edition.
The panelists also touched on the importance of being student journalists. Marley used her student status to report from meetings that other reporters were unable to attend.
“I decided to live tweet the town hall meetings and the SGA meetings because I am a student and the campus, as well as others, had the right to know what was going on with UAB football,” Marley said. “We had to embrace being a student and being a student in the student media. They can’t deny students access from student events which makes us invaluable.”
