 Mark Goodman Mark Goodman Leads the Way to Improvements in Student MediaBy Jillana Gall, Kent State English major Mark Goodman is one of many new and exciting things happening in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) at Kent State University. Along with moving into its new home in Franklin Hall, JMC is forging the way toward nationwide advancements in scholastic journalism. At the forefront of this movement is Mark Goodman. Goodman, formerly the executive director of the Student Press Law Center in Arlington, Va., was named the new Knight Chair in Scholastic Journalism in January 2007 and has worked in JMC since January 2008. Goodman says he never imagined he would end up in such a privileged position and that he is honored to receive the endowed professorship. He holds one of only 24 endowed chairs named since the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation began in 1950. Along with the new position comes a long list of obligations to be fulfilled. Some of these duties include establishing the university’s Ohio-based scholastic journalism media program as an international program, creating a scholastic media advisory board, developing new courses and areas of research and coordinating a national conference for leaders in scholastic media. One of the ways Goodman hopes to improve student media is by making media resources more accessible and by assisting with the collaboration of student media organizations and programs. Currently, Goodman and Candace Perkins Bowen, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and director for the Center for Scholastic Journalism, are creating a blog for the center. The blog will provide an outlet for discussion about issues related to scholastic journalism and give students a venue for communication and networking. To access the blog, visit http://csjblog.org/. Goodman is also engaged in improving student media in middle and high schools across Ohio. One of the many programs with which he is involved is the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, which contributes to the progression and expansion of student media in the state. OSMA is a new, statewide group dedicated to supporting student media in Ohio, as well as Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. OSMA combines the former Journalism Association of Ohio Schools, the Northeast Ohio Scholastic Press Association and the Great Lakes Interscholastic Press Association. It offers workshops and training for middle and high school journalism teachers, advisors and students. The group also provides critiques and contests and promotes freedom of speech and the importance of uncensored student media. Goodman says that he feels it is important to support for student media by utilizing research to demonstrate the relevance of these programs. New research suggests a correlation between involvement in student media in high schools and academic performance, he says. “This research is of value because it shows that high school media programs have direct impact on the students’ academic performance. This research will encourage stronger support from schools for student media,” says Goodman. Goodman is also a firm advocate for uncensored student media and emphasizes First Amendment rights. “The one thing that is essential for improving student media is that students need to have editorial independence. They are extensively censored, and this causes student media to become more propaganda than journalism; as a result, students become uninterested in participating, and readership decreases. Student media need freedom to cover issues that they believe are important,” Goodman says. In 1994, Goodman co-authored and edited a book released by the Student Press Law Center, Law of the Student Press, which relates to students’ First Amendment rights and censorship. A new edition is set to be released this year. The book, which is an explanation of nearly all media law as it relates to the student press, covers such topics as censorship and analyzes particular court cases involving the student press. Goodman says there has been a huge explosion in court cases concerning student press law in the last 20 years, and the revision also includes the Internet as a part of student media. Goodman applies the same ethics of journalism to his vocation here at Kent State and hopes that during his time here he will make a positive impact on students, helping to make their lives and their communities better. “I want to train quality journalists who are vocal advocates for the First Amendment,” he says. “I’ve been so impressed with Kent State University, especially with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I think this is an incredibly rich institution and students who come here have the opportunity to get an excellent education. Kent State’s reputation in journalism is growing and becoming known all around the country. I hope, and we are well on our way, that in three or four years, when someone thinks about scholastic journalism, Kent State will be the first institution to enter his or her mind.”  Read more about the School of Journalism and Mass Communications new home in Franklin Hall in "Revolution in the Newsroom" from the Summer 2008 issue of Kent State Magazine | |||||
