KU profs to discuss First Amendment

Some Pittsburg High School journalism and English students get to deepen their knowlege and understanding of their First Amendment rights Friday afternoon.

PHS Student Publications will host a panel discussion about the Constitutional amendment — which guarantees freedom of religion, the press and peaceful assembly — at 1 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. Student Publications Advisor Emily Smith said the discussion, which is open to the public, was conceived as a traveling panel that will visit different schools each Friday to educate students on the “history of the First Amendment and how it affects us at the civilian level.” Presentations are already booked, she said, and PHS is first on the list.

“Kids take their freedom for granted, and I think it would be good for them to hear something about it,” Smith continued.

The three-person panel will be led by journalism instructors from the University of Kansas, including Jeff Browne, executive director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association; Pam Fine, the Knight Chair for News, Leadership and Community; and Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser of the University Daily Kansan.

About the panelists:

Jeff Browne
Browne came to Kansas most recently from Colorado State University, where he served as Director of Student Media, the Executive Director of the Colorado High School Press Association, and as an adjunct professor in the journalism department. In 10 years at CSU, he advised students in newspaper, yearbook, magazine, radio, television and online journalism. He developed a course for the journalism department in multimedia news production.

Prior to CSU, he taught journalism for nine years at Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, Colo., and for six years he covered college athletics at daily newspapers in Florida.

“And as challenging as all those jobs have been, teaching high school journalism may very well have been the most difficult,” he said.

Pam Fine
Fine is the Knight Chair for News, Leadership and Community at the University of Kansas. The Knight Chair professorship, which is endowed by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, promotes the study and advancement of journalism and journalism education. Fine teaches reporting and other journalism classes and works with media organizations and community groups on projects to help improve news coverage and the flow of information in communities.

Fine joined the faculty in May 2008 from the Indianapolis Star where was managing editor of the newspaper’s print editions and Web site. Before that, she was managing editor and vice-president of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. She began her newspaper career at small papers in Florida and Georgia before joining the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she served in a variety of roles including assistant managing editor, political editor, metro editor and reporter. She also wrote and anchored a cable TV headline service for the paper.

Malcolm Gibson
Gibson was named general manager and news adviser of the University Daily Kansan in December 2001. He came to KU in 1996 as the lead editing teacher. Among the classes Gibson teaches are advanced editing and international journalism.

Gibson has traveled extensively throughout the world as a journalist, especially in Africa. He has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest peak, and jumped out of airplanes. Gibson also interviewed Nelson Mandela in 1993 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Gibson’s stated goal is to assist students in developing the skills necessary to succeed in professional journalism. He worked for 34 years as a newspaper reporter, editor and news executive before coming to KU. He began his professional journalistic career as a reporter in the United States Army. He then worked as a stringer – a part-time reporter, paid per story – for the Tampa Tribune.

He also worked for the Miami Herald, the Associated Press and the New York Times Company. He worked for the Times Co. for 18 years, primarily as an executive editor at two of its regional newspapers.