The changing face of photojournalism - Indiana University School of ...

thescoopBrosher sweeps state,national awardsRecent graduate James T. Brosher cleanedup on a number of top state and nationalphotojournalism awards to wrap uphis time at IU.Brosher, BAJ’10, was named IndianaNews Photographers Association 2009College Photographer of the Year, andthe Indiana Associated Press ManagingEditors presented him with its WillCounts Photojournalism Award for thetop young photojournalist.Earlier this year, Brosher wonthe National Press PhotographersAssociation monthly contest awardfor his multimedia project on SharleeDavis, a Bloomington musician whohas learned to accommodate 20 years ofprogressing blindness.He’s also won numerous awards andaccolades for photography at the IndianaDaily Student and other publications. Hehas interned at the (South Bend, Ind.)Tribune, The (Bloomington, Ind.) Herald-Times and The (Austin, Texas) American-Statesman.James Brosher, winner of the WillCounts Photojournalism Award, withCounts’ widow, Vivian.Joe Harpring, Columbus RepublicCourtesyStudent Jeremy Lacey interviews a Milltown resident about the coming biomass operation.Class documents environmental protestThe battle between a small town and apower company over a proposed electricalplant in rural southern Indiana seemedlike an ideal reporting opportunity forthe students in Professor Emerita CarolPolsgrove’s J501 Public Affairs Reportingcourse this summer.So Polsgrove took the class to Milltownin Crawford County, where Liberty GreenRenewables is proposing a facility thatwould burn wood waste to produce electricity.There, students talked to state senatorand Milltown resident Richard Young,to a couple who live next to the proposedplant site, and to the woman organizingthe resistance movement, among others.When planning the trip and the project,Polsgrove said she anticipated studentscreating print stories, but that shifted uponarrival.“In the course of the day, I kept seeingstudents capturing photos, audioand video,” Polsgrove explained. “Onetownsperson even said, ‘Oh, those youngpeople and their technology.’”Master’s student Jeremy Lacey, BAJ’09,was responsible for much of that multimediafootage, something that reflects his academicbackground and professional inter-ests. He said the county’s scenic setting andnatural resources, such as the Blue River, apopular canoeing destination, had a lot todo with people’s concerns over the plant,both in terms of its effects on tourism andits pollution. Using digital, video and audiorecorders, Lacey hoped to capture some ofthat natural beauty.“I wanted to show what it looks likenow, what it is they’re fighting for,” Laceysaid. “It was one thing to read in print thatpeople are upset, but at some point, thereare only so many words to describe it. I dobelieve that a picture is worth a thousandwords.”Not only did Lacey create a 90-secondmultimedia slideshow, he also designed awebsite to display students’ final projects inwritten and multimedia formats.Polsgrove hopes the site will serve alarger purpose as well.“I hope the website is a small contributionto the public’s awareness of what’sgoing on in southern Indiana,” she said.To view the students’ work, go to http://journalism.indiana.edu/classwork/j501_polsgrove_summer2010/.— Jessica BirthiselSpring Fall 2009 2010/ / / newswire < 5 >