Category Archives: David Poulson

David Poulson is the senior associate director of Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.

Knight Center goes to the Society of Environmental Journalists conference

Andrew Blok, Dave Poulson, Brian Bienkowski and Andy McGlashen

Knight Center director Eric Freedman and senior associate director Dave Poulson represented MSU at the recent annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the conference Poulson finished his second three-year term as the academic representative on the SEJ’s board of directors.

 

The MSU team included, in alphabetical order:

  • Alaska fisheries and environmental reporter Margie Bauman, a Journalism School alum who visits the Knight Center each fall to speak to our classes and network with our EJ students.
  • Environmental Health News senior editor Brian Bienkowski, a Knight Center master’s alum.
  • Detroit Public TV news director Natasha Blakely, a former Great Lakes Echo staff writer,
  • EJ master’s student Andrew Blok, a staff writer for Great Lakes Echo.
  • Audubon magazine associate editor Andy McGlashen, a Knight Center master’s alum.

Margie Bauman and Natasha Blakely

The SEJ conference, “Headwaters to the Plains: Where Rivers, and Politics, Change Directions,” took place October 9-13 at Colorado State University.

Knight Center students provide real news now

Members of Capital News Service picked up this story through a network of relationships established by the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. Image: Barbara Miller

By David Poulson

The journey of a recent story with roots in Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism shows how journalism schools play important news roles.

Nowadays. students, alumni and university-based news networks aren’t only about education. They play a direct role in the rise of public service, nonprofit news reporting.  There are stories — like the one I’m about to tell you — that wouldn’t be reported or have the same impact without these university connections. Continue reading

Knight Center faculty gives advice on explaining research

Knight Center Associate Director David Poulson was cited recently in an article on expanding possibilities for STEM students.

His advice on explaining research: “You only need 2 sentences. Tell people the most interesting thing you do, then tell them why it’s important.”

The article was written by Ellie Louson of MSU’s Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology. Poulson is a Hub Fellow this year.  He and Louson were on a recent science communication panel put on for MSU’s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

Going wide is going deep in journalism, academia, science, life

David Poulson

By David Poulson

It’s a strange quirk of the news business that the most demanding job often goes to the least experienced reporter.

General assignment reporting often is what entry-level reporters endure until they land a beat, one allowing them to deeply learn a subject.

Those on general assignment lack the luxury of specialization. You have to be ready for anything. And what you don’t know, you learn.

Fast.

I well remember my first few weeks on general assignment.  Continue reading