Missouri School of Journalism: Missouri School of Journalism to Celebrate Centennial Anniversary with National Press Club March 28

Columbia, Mo. (Feb. 6, 2008) -- In the spring of 1908, two journalism landmarks came into existence. On March 29, 1908, 32 newspapermen met at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., to frame a constitution for the National Press Club, a place for journalists to socialize and elevate the profession. Just a few days later, in early April 1908, the University of Missouri in Columbia received funding from the state legislature to create the world's first school of journalism.

On March 28, the Missouri School of Journalism and the National Press Club will honor their intersecting histories with a joint centennial celebration at the NPC headquarters in Washington, D.C. The program, The Next Century: Journalism for a Digital Globe, features media professionals from around the world who will talk about the bright future of journalism in the public interest.

From 9:30 to 11 a.m., the featured guests will present case studies that detail media innovations and successes. They include:

Karl Erik Gustafsson
Sweden
Gustafsson is a professor of mass media economics at Sweden's Jönköping International Business School and the Media and Management Transformation Centre, Europe's premier center for media business studies. His research is the foundation for the Swedish press' subsidy system, and he will discuss how government subsidies extend the reach of the media.

Liss Jeffrey
Canada
Jeffrey is an independent professor, producer, researcher and speaker with expertise in media literacy and Marshall McLuhan, Canada's pioneering media theorist. She is the director of the McLuhan Global Research Network and Electronic Commons/Agora Electronique, which tests the value of new and old media in bridging digital divides and advancing community development, civic participation and cultural content creation. Jeffrey will discuss how required courses in news literacy are improving public discourse.

Vincent Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah
Ghana
Oppong-Nkrumah is the host of the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, a four-hour news and talk show on Ghana's leading media platform. The show provides the nation with an interface for citizen participation in government. He will discuss how Joy FM builds community through radio and its online component.

Geneva Overholser
United States
Overholser is the Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Affairs Reporting at the Missouri School of Journalism. She is the former editor of The Des Moines Register and also has been a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Writers Group, an editorial board member of The New York Times and an ombudsman of The Washington Post. Overholser will moderate.

Alan Rusbridger
United Kingdom
Rusbridger is editor of The Guardian, one of Britain's top daily newspapers. He has served as editor since 1995 and was appointed to the board of the Guardian Media Group in 1999. In his more than 25-year affiliation with The Guardian, Rusbridger served as a reporter, feature writer, launch editor, features editor and deputy editor. He will discuss how The Guardian, a nonprofit media organization, makes transparency and accountability a central commitment.

Following the symposium, Neil F. Budde will serve as the centennial luncheon speaker from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Budde has worked for newspapers and online publishers for 30 years. Most recently he was president and editor in chief of Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance and Yahoo! Sports. Before that, he served as founding editor and publisher of The Wall Street Journal Online. Budde was elected to the board of the Online News Association in October 2005 and has served as its treasurer since January 2007.

Registration for the event, which includes the 9 a.m. continental breakfast, 9:30 a.m. symposium and 12:30 p.m. luncheon, is $16 for NPC members and $28 for all other guests. NPC members can register for the program through the club. Other guests can send a check payable to the Missouri School of Journalism to Billie Dukes, 120 Neff Hall, Columbia, MO 65211. Reservations will be processed in the order they are received.

On Sept. 10-12, 2008, the School will celebrate its centennial and will look to the future by officially opening the doors of the Reynolds Journalism Institute, the think tank and research operation for journalism of the 21st century.

The centennial/dedication festivities officially will kick off on Wednesday evening, Sept. 10, with a dinner-mixer on the MU campus followed by a welcoming program. Registration for the three-day event, which will include interactive roundtables about the future of journalism, technology demonstrations, tours and more, will open this spring. Sign up to receive more information about the event at http://journalism.missouri.edu/2008/updates.html.