Three Of A Kind

No matter what the field of study is, the hope of every student is to have an opportunity to meet with people who are successful in that given field.

On Wednesday afternoon, Columbia College showcased three journalism aces.

The Chicago Tribune's Dan McGrath, Jet Magazine's Melody Huffman and WTMJ's Rod Burks all were put under the ultimate pressure cooker: being introduced by Mr. Howard "Unpredictable" Schlossberg. Once that was over, the incredible stories began.

For Dan McGrath, the one that really struck my attention was the backlash given to a teacher who he named in a Chicago Tribune article. Another reminder that decisions of whether or not to name a supporting person in a story are not as easy as it may seem.

In the case of Melody Huffman (who as many remarked was the quietest of the panelists), it was talking about women breaking into the field of sports journalism and the challenges she faced at the beginning adjusting to locker room behavior.

As the old adage goes, save the best for last. In this case, it would be the liveliest personality in Rod Burks. He had many stories and many comments, but the one that stood out had to be him calling the PR man for the Bears time after time, refusing to take no for an answer. That is what true bloody knuckles journalism is all about.

When the topic of how the economy will affect the field of journalism came up the message from all three panelists were clear: don't be afraid, remain positive and be persistent.

That motto, more than anything, is what makes all three of them the professionals that they are.