Molly Cornyn joins College of Media as project coordinator for Ebertfest

March 14, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood Molly Cornyn recalls the time she and the cast of her musical just happened to run into Roger Ebert one night at a local Steak ‘n Shake after one of their high school performances. Ebert, the late Pulitzer-Prize winning film critic and Media alum (BS ’64, journalism), was a […]

First slate of Ebertfest films and guest Frank Oz announced around theme of ‘Empathy at the Movies’

March 9, 2023 A diverse selection of films that generate empathy have been curated for the 23rd Annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, running April 19-22 at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign. Ebertfest—co-founded and hosted by Chaz Ebert—will honor the 10th anniversary of her husband Roger Ebert’s death by screening films and bringing filmmaker guests […]

Aranda named assistant news editor with American Heart Association

After a 24-year career at the Charlotte Observer, journalism alum Rogelio Aranda has become assistant news editor with the American Heart Association. He will continue to be based in Charlotte, North Carolina.  In his new editorial role, Aranda will help to raise awareness around heart disease and stroke through the AHA’s news service. He will also […]

Anderson Cobb produces play about insurrection

Update March 7, 2023: Anderson Cobb facilitates workshop on her play about insurrection Nicole Anderson Cobb (MS ’16, journalism) recently facilitated a community workshop about her play Homegrown: An Insurrection Play, following a free screening at the First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana.  The play had previously run at the Station Theatre in Urbana in December […]

‘Illini Sports Night’ airs first show on B1G+ network

March 7, 2023 | Vivian La, Communications Intern Update 5/9/2023: Congratulations to the students who produced this broadcast! They won the 2023 NATAS Mid-America Student Production Award in the College Sports Program category. Illini Sports Night hosted a live pregame show at State Farm Center on February 19 before the Fighting Illini women’s basketball game—the […]

New Emerging Leaders Program connects advertising students with industry leaders in Chicago

March 3, 2023 | Faith Lee, Communications Intern The Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising and the Hub for Brand Innovation and Advertising Technology have created a new professional workshop series for students through the Emerging Leaders Program, which aims to immerse students in the advertising industry.  Thirty advertising students were selected for the 2022-23 academic […]

Richmond Studio to undergo $2M renovation to create state-of-the-art broadcast facility

March 2, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood Students in the College of Media will have access to a state-of-the-art broadcast studio and newsroom this fall after nearly $2 million in renovations are completed at the Richmond Studio. Since 1999, the studio—connected to Campbell Hall, the home of Illinois Public Media—has served as the site for the […]

Ebert Symposium 2023 to address documentary, violence, and the media

March 1, 2023 This year’s Chaz and Roger Ebert Symposium will feature a film screening, keynote speaker, and two roundtable discussions that address the theme of “Documentary, Violence, and the Media.” The events, which are free and open to the public, are presented by the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies. Chaz Ebert’s beloved grandson, Joseph London Smith, was […]

Alumna Karen Petitte’s distinguished career advances gender equality in journalism

February 27, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood University of Illinois alumna Karen Lucas Petitte pursued a career in journalism at a time when barriers were common for women, and opportunities were few. But that didn’t stop the visionary trailblazer from building an illustrious career as an award-winning journalist—and helping to advance gender equality in journalism along […]

Geography, language dictate social media and popular website usage, study finds

February 9, 2023 | Lois Yoksoulian, University of Illinois News Bureau Since its inception, the Internet has been viewed by technology experts and scholars as a way to access information at a global scale without having to overcome hurdles posed by language and geography. However, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that how […]

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