Fake Press Release

For the first time, professionals will explore both commercial and citizen reporting in virtual worlds on April 6 at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, WSU, Pullman, Wash.

A partnership between Washington State University and the McCormick Foundation will gather leading technology executives and journalists to explore the recent rise of media outlets and distribution within 3D virtual world spaces.

"These emerging 3D spaces offer fascinating new opportunities for storytelling. And as the traditional, newspaper-based world of journalism looks for appropriate new ways to provide the vital checks and balances vital to democracy, this event will provide a very significant catalyst for innovation," Erica Austin, the interim dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication said.

Virtual journalism refers to the phenomena of news reporting within a 3D online space, such as Second Life or Club Penguin.

Both Second Life founder Philip Rosedale and Club Penguin co-founder Lane Merrifield will be among the 8 presenters at the event.

ThinkBalm co-founder Erica Driver, a veteran technology analyst, will present recent research findings on "The Immersive Internet."

Also, Lila King, CNN.com senior producer, will share her experiences with bringing CNN's i-Reports citizen journalism platform to Second Life.

Bernhard Drax, an award-winning virtual world reporter and musician, will share his thoughts on the future of reporting in and around the metaverse from a blogger’s perspective.

"We're excited to bring together many of the leaders in technology and journalism to discuss and explore this new media channel for storytelling. These and other emerging forms of digital news distribution offer both promise and potential for our students and for the future of journalism," Elson S. Floyd, WSU’s president said.

Edward R. Murrow College of Communication is highly regarded nationwide by educators and professionals. It is the only program in the Northwest that offers sequences in all six communication fields.

The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation’s largest charities, with $1.2 billion in assets. It is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening our free, democratic society by investing in children, communities and country.

"The McCormick Foundation is proud to partner with Brett Atwood and WSU's Edward R. Murrow College. Our reporting institutes are designed to be timely, engaging and insightful. This event should certainly fulfill our expectations and serve as a valuable learning platform for the participating journalists," Clark Bell, McCormick Foundation's director of the Journalism Program said.

Related Sites;
www.McCormickFoundation.org.
http://communication.wsu.edu.

For a complete schedule of events, visit the event Web site at: http://communication.wsu.edu/virtualjournalism.

Examples of virtual journalism at the following links:
* CNN IReports
* New World Notes
* Los Angeles Times Article: "Fans Flock to Disney's Club Penguin Times"

Contacts:
Brett Atwood, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication 509-335-0113, batwood@wsu.edu
Maria Ortega, WSU News Service, 509-335-7209, mortega@wsu.edu


My Questions:

How has virtual journalism impacted WSU?
How has virtual journalism impacted the McCormick Foundation?
What is the future of virtual journalism?