Missouri College Media Association & Missouri Press Association

Missouri College Media Association
Cottey College is a member of the Missouri College Media Association, which comprises student newspapers from across the state. The association provides student journalists with an organization that supports their development as pre-professionals in the field through educational activties. It also creates the opportunity for student journalists from a variety of colleges and universities to network, share relevant news, support one another’s efforts to create and develop jounalism initiatves in their own communities and teach one another about best practices.

According to the MCMA Constitution, “the purpose of the Missouri College Media Association shall be to further the interests of college journalism in the state of Missouri; to promote cooperation among the editors, managers, and advisers of collegiate publications; and to provide a free market of ideas to further improve their respective publications; also to create an atmosphere in order to achieve the highest standards of journalistic professionalism, effort and achievement among college students.”

MCMA works closely with the Missouri Press Association and, as a result, is able to benefit from its many resources, including access to the MPA resources about open meetings/open records issues, advertising regulations and other legal matters. MPA also supports MCMA by inviting student journalists to attend its annual fall conference.

Each year, MCMA hosts a two-day spring conference designed to provide further development opportunities to students. In 2004, the MCMA conference was held in Lee’s Summit, just south of Kansas City. Several Spectrum staffers attended the event and educational sessions that included a panel on first jobs and internships and sessions conducted by professionals in the field on the challenges of reporting live from crime scenes, courts, etc., newspaper design, the press and the law, writing a column, writing good headlines, photo ethics, opinion writing and interviewing. In the past five years, conferences have been held in Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield.


Missouri Press Association

The Missouri Press Association (MPA) was founded on May 16, 1867, by Missouri editors and publishers to serve its member newspapers (nearly 300).

For student journalists, the Missouri Press Association regularly provides internship opportunities during the summer through the Missouri Press Foundation. The Missouri Press Foundation is supported by private contributions and memberships. Contributions come from individuals, corporations, foundations and others both inside and outside the journalism fraternity.

In 2005, summer internships at 16 newspapers were funded. Newspapers receive $1,000 for eight-week internships, $750 for six weeks and $500 for four weeks to pay their interns. Newspapers agree to match the grant in pay.

A list of newspapers is sent annually to the communications departments of Missouri colleges and universities, including the journalism department at Cottey. It is up to students to apply to the newspapers for the internships. Newspapers then will interview applicants and hire the one they want.

In the past two years, two Cottey students have completed internships with Missouri newspapers through this program.

For more information about the Missouri Press Association and its support of student journalists, visit its website at www.mopress.com

Department of Journalism

• Mr. John Kendrick
  
• Mr. Steve Reed
  

Course Descriptions

The Spectrum Newspaper

• Missouri College Media Association & Missouri Press Association
  

The Retrospect Yearbook