SJMC Weekly Announcements

Week of January 27–31

Kudos

PhD student Aman Abhishek awarded Holtz Center research fellowship

Aman was recently awarded the Holtz Center for Science & Technology Studies' Mini Research Fellowship and will receive $1,500 to further his research project titled "The Technopolitics of Investigating Hacked/Leaked Data." Congratulations, Aman!

Associate professor Kathryn McGarr quoted in NPR

Kathryn was recently quoted in an NPR article titled "Big reveals are unlikely in Trump-ordered Kennedy and MLK document drops, experts say."

"We already know quite a bit about how much the government was surveilling and looking at [MLK] … and how many enemies he had within the government," McGarr says. "I don't think that the narrative is going to significantly change, although of course, we could get some more details here and there." Read the full article.

Madison Commons publishes five essays from UW Odyssey Project partnership

Madison Commons has published five essays from a UW Odyssey Project partnership with Prof. Sue Robinson, who worked with the students in an English class run by Prof. Erin Celello during fall 2024. Shout out to MC Editor Stacy Forster and Managing Editor Louisa Kamps for helping to get the stories edited and posted. The topics offer the lived experiences of these five Madison residents, ranging from life on Allied Drive to life after incarceration. Read all of the stories.

Professor Mike Wagner featured on multiple media outlets

Mike was featured in a range of media outlets discussing Meta's fact-checking decision, local news TV layoffs, Bluesky, President Trump's executive orders and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers' State of the State.

Meta's fact-checking decision

The Hindu: "Meta’s Fact-checking: disinformation experts slam Zuckerberg’s decision"
News Central – Africa: "Meta Faces Backlash Over US Fact-Checking Programme Termination"
Barron's: "Disinformation Experts Slam Meta Decision To End US Fact-checking"
Digital Journal: "Disinformation experts slam Meta decision to end US fact-checking"
Vietnam.vn: "Meta faces criticism for changing content moderation policy"

Local new TV layoffs

WPR: "Lawrence University apartments, Local TV news layoffs, Wisconsin’s new poet laureate"

BlueSky adoption by Democrats

PBS Wisconsin: "Wisconsin Democrats adopt Bluesky as the social media landscape continues to split"

President Trump's Executive Orders

Channel 3000: "What is an executive order?"

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers' State of the State

NBC15: "Gov. Evers to deliver State of the State address Wednesday"

Vilas Hall Happenings

The latest happenings at the SJMC and links for easy sharing with your networks.

Student Spotlight: Anna Schulman

This week’s #StudentSpotlight is Anna Schulman, a senior double-tracking in reporting and strategic communication. Anna is the Media Relations Intern at M Booth, where she has been making significant contributions since starting her internship over the summer, which has since been extended into the fall and spring. After graduation, Anna hopes to work at a public relations agency or for a large CPG/F&B brand, with a long-term goal of becoming the VP of Communications at a CPG/F&B brand.

SJMC Spring New Undergraduate Orientation

Last Wednesday, we welcomed our newly admitted students to the SJMC at our Spring 2025 Orientation session. At orientation, students learned about the exciting opportunities the SJMC offers, degree requirements, various certificate options and tips for a successful career in Vilas Hall. After the session, we gained insights into what students are most looking forward to doing during their time in the SJMC.

Events

Feb. 3: Emerging Scholars Lecture Series with Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin

Join us for the first talk in our 2025 Emerging Scholars Lecture Series on Monday, February 3 from noon–2 p.m. in the Nafziger room (5055 Vilas). Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin, assistant professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information, will present her talk, "Fugitive Media: Black Feminism, Popular Media, and the Political Possibilities of Tension." Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by Thursday, January 30 to secure your meal. You may still attend if you do not RSVP.

Feb. 17: Emerging Scholars Lecture Series with Denetra Walker

Save the date for the second and final talk in our 2025 Emerging Scholars Lecture Series on Monday, February 17 from noon–2 p.m. in the Nafziger room (5055 Vilas). Talk details and RSVP form to come.

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