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New Knight Center graduate lands editing job, replaces another award-winning alum

Becky McKendry

Becky McKendry


Outgoing Great Lakes Echo reporter and copy editor Becky McKendry has landed a job as the news editor for the City Pulse, Lansing’s alt-weekly newspaper.
McKendry graduates from the MSU J-School this spring with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a concentration in editorial reporting. She was the co-winner of the school’s outstanding senior award and recognized with the Knight Center Service Award.
She has been affiliated with the center through Echo since January of 2013. She was also the assistant bureau chief and a reporter for MSU’s Capital News Bureau for two semesters.
In addition to covering Lansing City Council for the Pulse and writing assorted print and online news stories, she will be assigning and pitching stories, editing freelance contributions, assisting in layout
Andy Balaskovitz

Andy Balaskovitz


duties, assisting with the Pulse’s radio and TV shows and overseeing interns.
She takes over the Pulse’s news section from managing/news editor Andy Balaskovitz, a 2009 graduate of the MSU J-School who won the Knight Center’s outstanding undergraduate award in 2008 and 2009.
Balaskovitz has accepted a position as a Michigan fellow for Midwest Energy News.

Associate director discusses eagles, beer and covering the environment at San Diego State University

Eagles and beer were among the diverse elements of a presentation given by Knight Center Associate Director David Poulson at San Diego State University’s Center for Science and Media.

Knight Center Associate Director David Poulson explains Great Lakes Echo to students in a media entrepreneurship class at San Diego State University. Poulson was invited to speak at the university's Center for Science and Media colloquium.

Knight Center Associate Director David Poulson explains Great Lakes Echo to students in a media entrepreneurship class at San Diego State University. Poulson was invited to speak at the university’s Center for Science and Media colloquium.


Poulson spoke April 17 and 18 as part of the California center’s 2014 Colloquium Speaker Series.
He examined the opportunities and challenges of reporting on the environment with emerging new media tools and discussed how these tools are redefining news communities, news stories and who gets to be a journalist.
That included using drones for an eagle-eye view of the environment and reaching readers by examining the environmental consequences of brewing beer and using the beverage to help define a news community.
He explained how such tools are used in the Knight Center’s environmental reporting efforts at Great Lakes Echo. He also met with students and faculty studying media entrepreneurship.

Echo hits milestone, looks for help with improvements

Echo-logoBy David Poulson
It’s a little more than five years since the Knight Center launched a non-profit environmental news service.
And as we pass the milestone of the 3,000th post on Great Lakes Echo, we’re celebrating with a new look.
We’re setting the foundation for another five years of producing and fostering original environmental news stories about the Great Lakes region.
Here’s what you’ll notice:
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Knight Center students honored at annual awards convocation

Undergraduate and graduate students associated with the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism will take top honors in the 2014 MSU School of Journalism Awards Convocation on Sunday April 14.
The outstanding PhD student, Kanni Huang, the outstanding master’s student, Katheryn Amann, and one of the J-School’s two outstanding seniors, Becky McKendry are all affiliated with the Knight Center.
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