Schuneman Symposium 2019

Everyone is talking about The Big Story — how climate change produces massive wildfires in California and hurricanes that destroy entire communities, how Native American land rights are being undermined by energy companies and government authorities, how Robert Mueller’s investigation impacts the Trump administration, how caravans of Central Americans seek to cross our southern border in search of asylum and how others seek to build a wall to keep them out, how Rohingya refugees cope with the daily challenges of survival, how opioids damage the social fabric of America’s villages, towns and cities and how our future is shaped by an increasingly powerful China. This year’s Schuneman Symposium on Photojournalism and New Media features experts who will share their unique perspectives on “The Big Story.”

DAY ONE SCHEDULE: Tuesday, March 26

Time	Abstract and Podcast
10:30 a.m.	Dan Horn, Michael Nyerges, Anne Saker, Sarah Volpenhein and Meg Vogel (Cincinnati Enquirer) // Seven Days of Heroin. Horn, Nyerges, Saker and Vogel were part of a 60-person team of reporters, photographers and videographers at The Enquirer that into communities to chronicle an ordinary week in this extraordinary time. Seven Days of Heroin won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Listen to WOUB’s with Horn and Saker.
1:30 p.m.	Jeff Widener (freelance photographer) // When Opportunity Knocks. Widener is best known for his image of a lone man confronting a column of tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown in Beijing, China, for which he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in spot news photography. The “Tank Man” photo continues to circle the globe as a symbol of freedom and democracy, except in China where it is banned. AOL Inc. named the image one of the “Top 10 Most Memorable Photographs of All Time.” Listen to WOUB’s with Widener.
3 p.m.	Matt Zapotosky (Washington Post) // Covering the Mueller Investigation. As a national security reporter who covers the Justice Department and the FBI for The Washington Post, Zapotosky has been covering the Robert Mueller special counsel investigation since its inception and was part of The Post’s team that won a Polk Award for stories on Donald Trump and Russia.
4:30 p.m.	Annette Meade, Ray Soto and Shawn Sullivan (USA Today) // The Wall: Unknown stories. Unintended consequences. Meade, Soto and Sullivan were part of a team led by The Arizona Republic and involving more than 30 USA TODAY NETWORK journalists from California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. “The project used virtual reality, aerial video, 360-degree video, documentary video, photos, podcasts and interactive maps — as well as more than a dozen stories — to examine and explain President Trump's complicated border wall proposal that spans 2,000 miles” — USA Today. The Wall won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism. Listen to WOUB’s with Meade.
6:05 p.m.	The Wall Virtual Reality Experience. (GRID LAB, Scripps Hall 216) “Virtual reality allows you to stand inside a virtual space in real proportions, in this case looking at the terrain and vegetation of border regions, and even hearing original sound from the area” — reporter Anne Ryman, azcentral.com
7:15 p.m.	The Wall documentary. (Anderson Auditorium, Scripps Hall 111) “With rare footage from some of the most remote reaches of the U.S., ‘The Wall’ explores the impact, reveals unknown issues and details the unintended consequences of President Trump’s $20 billion promise to build a wall from the Gulf to the Pacific. Watch as journalists travel the length of the U.S.-Mexico border – by land and air – documenting the possible effects of a wall on security, life, commerce, the environment, smuggling and property rights.” 80 minutes, unrated

DAY TWO SCHEDULE: Wednesday, March 27

Time	Abstract and Podcast
9:40 a.m.	Justin Sullivan (Getty Images) // California Wildfires Sullivan’s assignments have included a wide range of stories from national political campaigns and the California drought to natural disasters and international.
10:45 a.m.	Tania Rashid (PBS Newshour) // From Myanmar to Bangladesh: The Plight of Rohingya Muslim Refugees As a special correspondent for “PBS Newshour,” Rashid’s work has focused on human rights and women’s issues. Listen to WOUB’s with Rashid.
11:50 p.m.	Richard Tsong-Taatarii (Minneapolis Star Tribune) // Exodus: Movement, Culture, People In 2018, Tsong-Taatarii was named National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism large market photographer of the year for his coverage of the Rohingya exodus, end of the Standing Rock protests and Black Lives Matter movement.
2 p.m.	Angela Massie (The Weather Channel) // When Weather IS the Big Story Massie received the Dupont and Peabody broadcasting awards and has been nominated for a national Emmy for coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Listen to WOUB’s .
3:05 p.m.	Matthew Sitkowski, Ph.D. (The Weather Channel) // Covering the Big Story: A Scientist’s Perspective Sitkowski is the executive weather producer and also a producer for “Weather Geeks,” a podcast that discusses weather and climate policy, communication failures and successes, and other topical issues of interest to the weather enterprise.
4:10 p.m.	Panel discussion with all speakers

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Dan Horn :: Dan Horn is an 51�� graduate who covers special projects and features for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He’s written about prison riots, hurricanes and floods, financial meltdowns, serial killers, foster kids, pornographers, politicians and a professional wrestler named Shark Boy. In addition to “Seven Days of Heroin,” his recent work includes stories about City Hall corruption and a narrative feature, “Finding Her Way,” about a year in the life of a teenager lost in the foster care system. @danhornnews

Angela Massie :: Angela Massie is vice president of live storytelling at The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves 81 million American households a day. She’s a graduate of the 51�� Honors Tutorial College with a degree in telecommunications. While at OHIO, Massie completed internships at NBC’s “Today” in New York and at local TV stations WOWK and WSAZ in nearby Huntington, West Virginia. Immediately after graduating, she started her producing career at WSAZ-TV, close to her hometown of Ironton, Ohio. Her next stop was CNN Worldwide Headquarters in Atlanta. Massie started as an associate producer and rose through the ranks to become a line producer and executive producer. She led live programming on “CNN Newsroom,” “Live From...” and “Rick’s List.” Massie also served as executive producer at Headline News’ “Evening Express.” She produced live coverage for several CNN special events: the last launch of a space shuttle, the royal wedding of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, and the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Massie joined The Weather Channel in 2014 and served as executive producer and senior executive producer before being promoted to vice president. She is responsible for presentation of content and field coverage during the network’s live programming hours. Massie is a recipient of the Dupont and Peabody broadcasting awards and has been nominated for a national Emmy, most recently for coverage of Hurricane Harvey. She is married to an engineer and is the mother of 5-year-old-twin girls. @AngieMassie

Annette Meade :: Annette Meade is senior project manager for the USA TODAY NETWORK and works with the company’s Storytelling Studio and the Emerging Technologies Team. Her role is to bridge the space between digital development and content creation to help produce top-level and engaging story experiences. Previously at USA TODAY NETWORK, Meade was manager of an innovation team, product manager and website editor. She was graphics editor at the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, New York, and worked for the sports department at the Chicago Tribune. @AnnetteNMeade

Michael Nyerges :: Michael Nyerges graduated from 51�� in 1995 from the School of Visual Communication. He joined The Cincinnati Enquirer in 2003 and has served as assistant graphics editor, graphics editor and his current role as a visual journalist. His primary focus is producing motion graphics and video for Cincinnati.com. Before going The Enquirer, Nyerges worked as a graphic artist and designer at several publications, including The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Cincinnati Post and The Sporting News. @NyergesMike

Tania Rashid :: Tania Rashid is an award-winning journalist who works as a special correspondent for “PBS Newshour.” Her work has focused on human rights and women’s issues. Rashid has also contributed to Channel 4, The National Geographic Channel, Vice, Mic and CNN International. Born in Saudi Arabia to a Bangladeshi father and Pathan mother, she moved to Utah at a young age. Rashid remembers watching Christiane Amanpour on television and being inspired to similarly travel the world to tell stories. Journalism was not an encouraged path in her household since her parents wanted her to be a doctor, engineer, pharmacist or lawyer. During Rashid’s undergraduate years at the University of California Los Angeles, where she studied global studies and history, she started to see opportunities unfold. An internship at ABC’s “Nightline” further ignited her spark for journalism and storytelling. Rashid went on to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she received a master’s in broadcast journalism and documentary. Shortly after she graduated, she moved to South Asia and lived there for four years. While working at Al Jazeera English, Rashid was the first female journalist on the ground at the collapse of “Rana Plaza,” the largest industrial disaster in Bangladesh that killed thousands of factory workers. She also followed the life of sex workers, toxic tanneries and child marriage in the region. Rashid’s work has taken her to South Africa, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. @taniarashid9

Anne Saker :: Born and reared in Columbus, Ohio, Anne Saker earned a journalism degree at 51�� and built a coast-to-coast career as a versatile daily journalist. She started with United Press International in Norfolk, Virginia. Saker transferred to UPI’s Washington bureau as a night editor and reporter then moved to Gannett News Service as an editor and reporter. She went to The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and among her notable stories was coverage of the 2003 trial of novelist Michael Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his second wife and was later the subject of movies and documentaries. Saker then went to Portland, Oregon, to cover the courts and business for The Oregonian. She spent two years fighting the state for information that led to a revealing series about Oregon’s unique Indigent Burial Fund. In 2012, Saker returned to Ohio and freelanced for two years until she came aboard at The Cincinnati Enquirer as health reporter. She was a part of the team that produced the breakthrough series “Seven Days of Heroin,” which earned the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting. @apsaker

Matthew Sitkowski :: Matthew Sitkowski, Ph.D., is the executive weather producer at The Weather Channel. He works with senior management, meteorologists, on-camera talent and graphic designers to determine and coordinate the production of daily weather stories. Sitkowski is also a producer for “Weather Geeks,” a podcast that discusses weather and climate policy, communication failures and successes, and other topical issues of interest to the weather enterprise. He received his doctorate in atmospheric science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has published several peer-reviewed articles with emphasis on hurricane intensity and structure changes. While earning a Bachelor of Science in meteorology at Florida State University and a Master of Science in meteorology at University of Hawaii-Manoa, Sitkowski worked at the National Hurricane Center in Miami and the Honolulu Forecast Office/Central Pacific Hurricane Center. He has also flown aboard hurricane hunter missions into Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 and was recently named a finalist for the 2019 National Weatherperson of the Year Award. @MattSitkowski

Ray Soto :: Ray Soto is director of emerging technology for USA TODAY NETWORK. His primary role is to revolutionize storytelling with new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality. Beyond leading a team of former game developers (engineering and design), Soto works closely with leadership across the company to define development, editorial and product integration road maps. He led the network’s VR and AR growth and participated in the earliest immersive storytelling ventures with the planning and production of the network’s premiere virtual reality series, “VRtually There,” and flagship projects “USS Eisenhower VR,” “321 LAUNCH” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning multimedia report “The Wall.” Before USA TODAY NETWORK, Soto was associate art director and outsource manager for video game company Electronic Arts, where he led cross-disciplinary teams of artists to define projects’ unique artistic visions and create game assets. @RaySotoTech

Justin Sullivan :: Justin Sullivan is a staff photographer with Getty Images based in San Francisco, California. His assignments have included a wide range of stories from national political campaigns and the California drought to natural disasters and international. Sullivan’s award-winning work has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world. He is a three-time San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographer of The Year. @sullyfoto

Shawn Sullivan :: Shawn Sullivan is editor of interactive graphics and data visualizations for USA TODAY NETWORK. His team of talented visual journalists and newsroom developers has contributed to award-winning work, including the 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Explanatory Reporting and the 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Local Reporting. Sullivan’s career has spanned the business of presenting journalism on the web. Outside the newsroom, he has developed and launched innovative news products, award-winning mobile applications and enterprise-grade technology platforms. @shawnjsullivan

Richard Tsong-Taatarii :: Through his documentary photography, Richard Tsong-Taatarii brings attention to the joys and tribulations of Minnesotans as a staff photographer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a contributing photographer to ZUMA Press. He also enjoys covering communities within the larger society that escape the attention of mainstream media. Tsong-Taatarii’s traveling monograph “Lakota Resistance: The Bison, Horse, and the River” is a five-year documentary on the legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge Reservation and his extensive coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests on the Standing Rock Reservation. In 2018, he was named National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism large market photographer of the year for his coverage of the Rohingya exodus, end of the Standing Rock protests and Black Lives Matter movement. He also received a World Press Photo award in general news for his picture of Philando Castile’s best friend, John Thompson, as Thompson mourned the life of his friend after a police officer was acquitted of all charges in the shooting death of Castile. The photo highlighted the long-term impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. rtsongphoto@instagram

Meg Vogel :: Meg Vogel is a visual journalist at her hometown paper, The Cincinnati Enquirer. She graduated from 51��’s School of Visual Communication in 2013. During her college career, Vogel interned at The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wisconsin, and National Public Radio in the nation’s capital. For the past four years at The Enquirer, she has focused on stories about the transgender community, Syrian refugees, sexual assault on college campuses and the heroin epidemic. Vogel’s work has been recognized by World Press Photo, National Press Photographers Association, Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Ohio News Photographer Association and The Associated Press. She was the associate producer and visual journalist on the Pulitzer Prize-winning project “Seven Days of Heroin.” Vogel was recently named one of 30 female emerging photographers under the age of 30 in the world. @megvogelphoto

Sarah Volpenhein :: Sarah Volpenhein is a watchdog reporter with The Marion (Ohio) Star. Before joining The Star in June 2017, she was a reporter at the Grand Forks Herald in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where she covered breaking news and the criminal justice system. Volpenhein was a fellow with the City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2015. She has won numerous awards from the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors, North Dakota Newspaper Association and Minnesota Newspaper Association. Volpenhein graduated from 51�� in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.@SarahVolp

Jeff Widener :: Jeff Widener is best known for his image of a lone man confronting a column of tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown in Beijing, China, for which he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in spot news photography. The “Tank Man” photo has circled the globe for three decades as a symbol of freedom and democracy, except in China where it is banned. AOL Inc. named the image one of the “Top 10 Most Memorable Photographs of All Time.” At age 17, Widener won the 1974 Kodak/Scholastic National Photography Scholarship out of 8000 students from across the United States. The award included a safari to East Africa, which inspired him to become a photojournalist. Widener began working as a staff photographer on The Whittier Daily News in California and later joined the Las Vegas Sun, The Evansville (Indiana) Press, The Miami News and The Honolulu Advertiser. At age 24, he joined United Press International in Brussels, Belgium, as a staff photographer, and in 1987, Widener was named the Associated Press Southeast Asia picture editor in Bangkok. He has covered assignments in over 100 countries: the 1991 Gulf War, ethnic fighting in Northern Sri Lanka, Khmer Rouge hostilities in Cambodia, Pope John Paul II visit to Papua New Guinea and two summer Olympics. Widener also has the distinction of being the first photojournalist to transmit digital images from the South Pole. Awards and citations include the DART from Columbia University, The Overseas Press Club, The New York Press Club, Pictures of The Year International, The National Press Photographers Aassociation Best of Photojournalism, The National Headliner Award, the Scoop Award in France and World Press Photo. He has given lectures or talks at Harvard University, 51��, Utah State University, The University of Hawaii, Hong Kong University, The Brilliant Minds Conference in Madrid and The Royal Geographical Society. Widener has appeared on PBS’ “Charlie Rose Show,” MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper show, CBS News and BBC Television. He is a contributing photographer with ZUMA Press and lives in Hamburg, Germany. @JeffSWidener

Matt Zapotosky :: Matt Zapotosky is a national security reporter who covers the Justice Department and the FBI for The Washington Post. He has been covering the Robert Mueller special counsel investigation since its inception and was part of The Post’s team that won a Polk Award for stories on Donald Trump and Russia. Zapotosky has been at The Post since 2008 and spent much of his career covering law enforcement and the court system in Maryland and Virginia. He grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and is a graduate of 51��. @mattzap

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