Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Editor’s note: The following report was written by student reporters for Owensville High School’s student newspaper, the Dutch Mill, published as part of the Nov. 12 edition of the Gasconade County Republican. It has been edited slightly.
Dutch Mill Staff and Caden Ely, [Owensville High School] senior class president, went on a field trip to the Missouri Press Association (MPA) in Columbia on Oct. 30 to tour the building and learn more about journalism and the history of the press association.
The tour was given by Kristie Fortier, MPA’s membership and planning coordinator, and Marcie Elfrink. There were a lot of historical documents and souvenirs, such as paintings, awards and little glass trinkets depicting different newspapers. Samuel L. Clemens, a famous Missourian, is recognized at MPA under his pen name, Mark Twain.
MPA’s Chris Peck spoke about why we write articles as journalists: it is always the truth, and we have to be unbiased about everything.
“It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot of new things,” said Marissa Brenner.
Once the students were done touring the Press Association Headquarters, they went to Mizzou’s Journalism school, or J-school, to get a better understanding of how other people have run things and the opportunities that are out there for aspiring journalists.
During the tour, they were shown a collection of photos taken over the years by journalists.
“My favorite part was learning about photojournalism and how a set of six photos can tell a whole story,” said Abby Morgan, The Dutch Mill’s student editor.
She wasn’t the only one who enjoyed seeing firsthand how pictures can tell a story.
“My favorite part of the tour was seeing all the pictures current students have captured and their work,” said Brenner.
Loretta Hawkins admired the way photojournalists were able to capture emotions in their photographs.
“There were photos of movements and crises which really moved me because they showed me that photos can tell stories and show emotions,” said Loretta Hawkins.
They went through different sections of the building, getting to know the history and the different rooms.
“One of our tour guides told us the story of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism’s arch, that you are not to speak under it or you’ll risk failing your next exam,” Brenner said.
Arianna Baguio also enjoyed the story about the arch.
“What I found interesting was the J-school arch and how Mizzou students don’t talk under it and take it very seriously,” Baguio shared. “I also wanted to understand what the writing around the door was for, and what it had said.”
The historical aspect of the profession and equipment was just as interesting.
“During our tour of the Mizzou Journalism building, we got to learn about the history of journalism and how it’s changed over time,” Ely said. “We saw old equipment, photos, and stories that showed how journalists used to work compared to now. ft was cool to see how technology and storytelling have evolved and how Mizzou plays such a big role in that history.”
After touring the J-school, the students went to a different building where they actually write and edit and put together the area newspapers and campus magazine, and they help with the local radio station. There are a lot of opportunities within the school that allow their students to do journalism in other places during the summer and help develop skills further.
“What I also thought was interesting was how many jobs the journalism classes have and how they broadcast from inside the school in a small area. I believe there is so much information to take in about journalism and the whole school. It was also interesting to see how journalism included broadcasting and more technology than I had thought,” said Baguio.
At the end of the tour, lunch was catered by Raising Cane’s. During this lunch, Mizzou journalism students joined and gave their personal feedback about the school and student life.
“Talking to the students allowed us to get a better view on what they do and the opportunities they have to get real-life experience with journalism. The students have a program where they can go to other countries and work with a newspaper, or they get to work with a rural town to help with their newspaper, which sounds like a great opportunity,” said Lexis Manning.
Overall, it was an amazing experience because it taught us how to better our stories, photography, and how far we can take our opportunities in journalism.
