Lyons鈥� journalism professors remember him as a 鈥渃onfident and talented go-getter who was always up for a challenge and never turned down a story,鈥� says NSCM Director Robert Littlefield.

鈥淒ylan鈥檚 passing is a major loss for our entire community, and the media industry and our School are mourning,鈥� Littlefield says.

Lyons joined the crew of Spectrum News 13 as a multimedia journalist in July 2022. He was reporting Wednesday in Pine Hills on an earlier fatal shooting in the neighborhood when shots were fired at him and another photojournalist identified by Spectrum as Jesse Walden. Walden remains in critical condition, Spectrum said.

The Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 Office named Keith Kelvin Moses, 19, as a suspect in the shooting of Lyons and Walden. Following their shooting, police said, Moses walked into a nearby home and shot a woman and her 9-year-old daughter; the girl died. Moses was arrested Wednesday in connection with the initial shooting and will be charged later for the other shootings, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said.

Lyons gained experience as a journalist first at 麻豆原创, where he majored in journalism and political science. Journalism Senior Instructor Rick Brunson worked closely with him for years, equipping him with skills and tools to match his passion.

鈥淗is brain was on fire with curiosity,鈥� Brunson says. 鈥淗e was always working on the next story.鈥�

Lyons鈥� zeal for news reporting led him to three local news internships before graduation. He arrived for election night at WFTV in 2018 dressed in a suit, even though he would spend the evening crunching numbers at a desk not on camera.

鈥淗e showed up ready to play, looking sharp and acting sharp,鈥� Brunson says.

Those internships steered Lyons toward community news as his preferred beat. What he discovered was that he loved lifting up a mirror to the community and saying, 鈥淭his is you, the good, the bad and the ugly,鈥� Brunson says. Covering a story like Wednesday鈥檚 shooting from the perspective of the neighborhood was exactly where he exceled, Brunson says.

He reported and anchored at student-led 麻豆原创 Knightly News. His first job after graduation was Gainesville鈥檚 ABC affiliate WCJB, where he was awarded best Politics/Elections Series by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists. He was a finalist for best Investigative Reporting in 2021.

In a Spectrum News 13 , reporter and friend Josh Miller said: 鈥淗e took his job very seriously. 鈥� He loved the community (and) telling the stories of people.鈥�

Littlefield, the NSCM director, says faculty work hard to share their expertise and knowledge with students so they have the tools they need for their careers. Lyons 鈥渆xcelled and used those tools to do what he loved,鈥� Littlefield says.

鈥淒ylan will be remembered for his professionalism that shined through from the start and led him to accomplish great things,鈥� Littlefield says.

Bianca Fortis 鈥�10, who graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in journalism from 麻豆原创鈥檚 Nicholson School of Communication and Media, was part of the daily data journalism team that created the 罢颈尘别蝉鈥� award-winning COVID-19 database. The system comprehensively tracks and maps coronavirus cases, deaths and other impacts around the country during a pandemic that has killed about 600,000 people in the United States.

In honoring the newspaper with the Pulitzer, the award committee stated that the Times 鈥渇illed a data vacuum that helped local governments, healthcare providers, businesses and individuals to be better prepared and protected.鈥欌��

Fortis joined the team in May 2020, right after graduating from Columbia University with a master鈥檚 degree in journalism with a specialization in investigative reporting. The 33-year-old worked on the Times data project through September.

After she was hired, her first task was to help create around the country.

鈥淭丑别re was no federal tracking system, so the Times was basically trying to fill that gap,鈥欌�� Fortis said recently in an interview with journalism instructor Rick Brunson 鈥�84. 鈥淒ata is so crucial to making public health decisions, and there was just no data, or some gatekeepers made it very difficult to get it.鈥欌��

Initially, the big challenge was collecting disparate data from all 50 states that each had its own way of tracking cases and other statistics. Early in the pandemic, some states, such as Alaska, released no data. Other states released them in different formats such as on PDFs or in complicated charts, which made it challenging to organize and present the data in a uniform, coherent, searchable database for all 50 states, Fortis says.

The team pulled data from individual state websites and input it into a massive Google spreadsheet.

鈥淎t first it was a lot of data entry, and that was challenging because each state tracked its own data differently,鈥欌�� Fortis says. 鈥淪o we had to develop methodologies for how to count cases and how to count deaths, etcetera. Florida was particularly difficult to work with.鈥欌��

Another challenge was that some coronavirus data 鈥� such as cases at day care centers or churches 鈥� was not tracked at all by some states. Fortis and the team combed through news reports about such cases and crosschecked them against state data, or sometimes called these institutions directly by phone to verify case count information.

Working remotely was another challenge. Right as Fortis joined the Times data team in spring 2020, New York City became the hotbed and epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., averaging more than 900 deaths a day. The city, including The New York Times building, shut down and the staff had to work from home.

Fortis left her Brooklyn apartment and returned to her hometown of Spring Hill, Florida. The data team used a Slack channel to do their work.

In August, Fortis helped develop the 罢颈尘别蝉鈥� coronavirus case tracker for colleges and universities.

鈥淎s the summer was ending, Times reporters had this hypothesis that it seemed very likely that there are going to be a lot of cases on campuses as schools start to open for the fall semester,鈥欌�� Fortis says. 鈥淎t the time, very few universities were publishing their case data online. 麻豆原创 was actually one of the first, so I was proud of that fact. We got a lot of push back from universities that did not want to share their data with us. … But as we started publishing it got easier because schools started understanding what we were trying to do and more of them started being more transparent about their data.鈥欌��

Fortis says contributing to the Times data project was gratifying and deepened her journalism experience. She learned a lot about making public records requests and about what鈥檚 possible with data, especially making it visual in interactive maps and graphics. She adds that what differentiated the 罢颈尘别蝉鈥� database from others was its searchability and ease of use, as well as how granular and detailed it was in presenting clusters of cases in local communities and venues anywhere in the country.

鈥淸For] the Times to take the initiative to accumulate all of that data and create comprehensive, easy-to-use databases I think was really powerful at a time when the country needed it.鈥欌�� 鈥� Bianca Fortis 鈥�10

鈥淭丑别re was no national tracking system, and it鈥檚 difficult, if not impossible, for public health officials to make choices and decisions when there is no data available,鈥欌�� Fortis says. 鈥淸For] the Times to take the initiative to accumulate all of that data and create comprehensive, easy-to-use databases I think was really powerful at a time when the country needed it. We frequently got letters from readers telling us how useful they found it. There was a staffer at the Times who would compile those notes and send them out to us, and it was good reminder that we were doing work that was important 鈥� especially on the days when the work was tedious and boring.鈥欌��

While her work on the project ended in September, Fortis has continued her development as an investigative journalist, being named a reporting fellow at Columbia Journalism Investigations where she produced a story about timber trafficking in the Amazon. Most recently, she received a two-year investigative journalism fellowship with the nonprofit news organization ProPublica.

The Pulitzer marks Fortis鈥� latest achievement in an 11-year journalism career that has included writing for the Gotham Gazette and AM New York Metro newspapers. She was also associate editor at MediaShift.org, a website that tracks new media trends, and was an investigative intern for the CNBC business channel.

Her success surprises none of the Nicholson School faculty who taught and worked with her when she was an undergraduate.

鈥淏ianca is the kind of student you remember,鈥欌�� says Kim Voss, professor of journalism. 鈥淚 have enjoyed watching the important journalism she has done in the years since graduation, and I was so excited for her when I learned she was part of the New York Times Pulitzer Prize team. It鈥檚 an impressive and deserved accomplishment, and I really believe this is just the beginning of a significant career.鈥�

Fortis says data journalism is a fast-growing specialty within the field and she plans to continue developing her data skills.

鈥淩eporting is so much more in depth when you have the numbers behind it,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淭丑别 data adds credibility to your story. You can talk to this person or that person and they can give you different information. You can argue with anecdotes, but you can鈥檛 argue with numbers.鈥欌��

, a project featuring audio, visual and written content, was produced by students in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media to carry on the legacy of the couple.

The Moores were educators and activists in Mims, and he established the first NAACP chapter in the county. On Christmas night 1951 their house was bombed by white supremacists while they slept, causing their deaths. A replica of their home was built on their street, Freedom Avenue, and several markers, a museum and many local residents still carry their message.

Their legacy is something that can be preserved through storytelling projects like this, says Phil Hoffman, W麻豆原创鈥檚 executive director.

Rick Brunson, senior instructor of journalism, said the project started with a Facebook post. Moved to action after reading about the racism and domestic terrorism that gripped Central Florida in the 1940s and 鈥�50s, Brunson visited the Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Cultural Complex in Mims to learn more and pay his respects. When he shared his experience on social media, Hoffman contacted him and suggested the student project.

“W麻豆原创 would not be fulfilling its role as Central Florida’s Storytellers without partnering with community producers to tell even the most difficult stories,” Hoffman says. 鈥淒uring this time of racial reckoning in our country, it is important to tell these stories of people who worked for justice to help educate and engage our audience in this meaningful conversation.”

Brunson says he is appreciative the project came to fruition.

“It was so gratifying for the students and such a privilege to honor the Moores鈥� legacy and the impact their lives continue to have on Central Florida and beyond,” he says.

Sixteen students and 20 radio-television students recently experienced the election rite of passage through a partnership with the Orlando Sentinel on Nov. 3.

Orlando’s flagship newspaper has been operating without a newsroom since August and with a significantly reduced staff, genuinely in need of more reporters to properly cover this massive story. NSCM students came to the rescue and fanned out across Central Florida 鈥� filing dispatches at polling sites and election offices, monitoring social media, capturing photos and videos, and contributing to on-air reporting and broadcasts throughout the night.

鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 student journalists played a critical role in the Orlando Sentinel鈥檚 2020 Election Day coverage.鈥� –Julie Anderson 鈥�84 鈥�89MA, editor-in-chief for the 鈥�Orlando Sentinel鈥�

鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 student journalists played a critical role in the Orlando Sentinel鈥檚 2020 Election Day coverage,鈥� says Julie Anderson 鈥�84 鈥�89MA, Orlando Sentinel鈥檚 editor-in-chief. 鈥淭丑别ir reporting from precincts all over our region about voters鈥� perspectives gave flavor to the results that were coming in on Election Day. They also applied their social media and broadcasting skills to help us inform readers about the results coming in.

In turn, students gained hands-on experience working with a major news organization; garnered feedback from Sentinel editors; earned the chance to land future internships and jobs; shared bylines, shirttail credits and broadcast credits; and 鈥� best of all 鈥� had the unique thrill and adrenaline rush of writing on deadline while covering one of the biggest stories of the year.

鈥淚 learned so much from simply being out on the field and watching how an election is covered. I think this type of learning skyrockets student journalists鈥� abilities and education,鈥� says Natalia Jaramillo, a journalism major who reported from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Some of the highlights for journalism majors include:

• Edward Segarra wrote a breaking news story about the Osceola Supervisor of Election Office’s Internet outage that resulted from a severed fiber cable. He and Jessica Siles reported on voters throughout Osceola County, including a long-time Democrat who voted for Trump because the rest of the family was for Biden.
• Fritz Farrow wrote a story about a former postal worker who voted in person because he didn’t trust the U.S. Postal Service.
• Two reporters, Hector Garcia de Leon and Kai Rodriquez, contributed stories to the Sentinel‘s Hispanic publication, El Sentinel, and received shared bylines.
• Daniela Vivas Labrador and Jenna Erhlich covered Seminole County, including a story about two women, 87 and 70, who have voted in every election since they were 18.

鈥淭丑别 Orlando Sentinel staff did a wonderful job at preparing us and making us feel welcome and valued,鈥� says Monica Sealey, who worked with four other students to cover 麻豆原创鈥檚 voting precinct. 鈥淚 really like that they didn鈥檛 鈥榖aby鈥� us. Instead, they gave us the guidelines, set us free and trusted us to produce great content.鈥�

鈥淭丑别 ‘Orlando Sentinel’ staff did a wonderful job at preparing us and making us feel welcome and valued.鈥� – Monica Sealey, 麻豆原创 student

As the night went on, students got better at recognizing a story, finding a different angle, interviewing voters, remembering to get the essential details and cutting down on sloppy copy. We witnessed them excel at something they had never done before and become more confident as the night went on.

鈥淚 remember in my first semester at 麻豆原创, I was in the Electronic News Gathering class with [R/TV Program Coordinator and Associate] Professor Tim Brown and something he told me that I have held close to me and tried to apply each and every day in my journalism career was, 鈥榊ou grow most where you鈥檙e uncomfortable,鈥� 鈥� says Matison Little, who covered voting in Lake County with another student.

Behind the scenes, the 20 radio television students earned praise from faculty and Sentinel editors for their steady and calm composure during live broadcasts.

鈥淭丑别y rose to the challenge. They took it seriously. They wanted to be part of it. They wanted a piece of it,鈥� Senior Instructor Rick Brunson says. 鈥淭丑别y treated it like it was show time.鈥�

Together, students and faculty may have built the foundation for more cooperative efforts between the Orlando Sentinel and the 麻豆原创 journalism program.

鈥淚t was a great experience for the Sentinel, and a partnership we hope to extend,鈥� Anderson says.

As a multimedia journalist in Charlottesville, Virginia 鈥� the site of a fatal 2017 confrontation between white supremacists and counter-protesters 鈥� covering the George Floyd protests now have been peaceful compared to many other cities in the United States.

When I was a 麻豆原创 student, I would never have guessed what I would be covering within the first three years of my career in TV news. I鈥檓 grateful to be in a career where I can continue to tell these stories and share these messages on a wider platform.

The first of many recent protests in Charlottesville started May 29 near the University of Virginia. People lined the sidewalks near UVA Hospital holding signs to support justice for Floyd.

In each person, I saw sadness. I saw anger. I saw fear. Most importantly, I saw their mission for justice.

The bigger protest was scheduled for May 30. As a reporter, I felt anxiety about the end result of the protest. Watching some of the other marches turn violent across the country 鈥� and some where reporters were injured 鈥� I felt nervous. I couldn鈥檛 help but plan for every scenario.

When I received the call from another reporter to meet him downtown, my stomach dropped. I rushed to my car and went to the Charlottesville Police Department, where most of the protesters were meeting.

I noticed hundreds of cars with their flashers on and signs heading toward the police department. I quickly found a safe place to park and discovered the cars were part of the protest, peacefully demonstrating with signs out their windows to practice social distancing.

The protest started at 3 p.m. As I walked toward the police department, I started hearing chants echo through the street. I looked up and saw hundreds of people marching down Market Street toward the Sprint Pavilion. I ran towards the crowd with my camera, tripod, and backpack to capture the scene as it was unfolding.

Not knowing what possible dangers to expect in a time when journalists have sometimes become targets, I am feeling more empowered to use the lessons I learned from school to share the community鈥檚 truth.

Hundreds of people filled the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, holding signs and chanting: 鈥淏lack Lives Matter.鈥�

It was one of the most emotional protests I鈥檝e covered. In each person, I saw sadness. I saw anger. I saw fear. Most importantly, I saw their mission for justice.

The protests continued through the downtown area as protesters would stop at different locations to do speeches and prayers. The march continued for a mile, until it reached the city鈥檚 Washington Park. People took turns speaking their truths, their experiences, and their hopes for the future.

The protest continued the next day with a rally organized by the Albemarle High School Black Student Union. More than 100 people lined the sidewalk holding signs and chanting. The organizer said she simply wanted people to listen and take the protesters鈥� messages into account.

This experience has shown me more about the importance of journalism, telling stories, and recording history as it unfolds. I welcomed the opportunity and challenge to cover the Charlottesville community, not only in response to the recent national turmoil, but every day.

At the same time, I feel like our jobs as journalists have become a target for some in the community. I often hear statements concerning 鈥渢he media鈥� and the poor coverage of events. That hurts because I know from my own experience that I and many other journalists work diligently to get the facts and report what鈥檚 accurate. That鈥檚 the job I aim to achieve every time I walk in the newsroom.

Covering these recent stories also has opened my eyes to the hurt that people are still experiencing in the community. In every person I can see why they were marching and the desire they have to make change happen. Every step was taken with a purpose to make change happen.

These moments have changed me, both as a reporter and human. I鈥檓 more aware of the suffering our community is experiencing and their demand for change. Every day isn鈥檛 easy, but it鈥檚 worth it in the end.

A key lesson I learned from my classes with Professor Erica Rodriguez Kight is to focus your story on a human element and the rest will fall into place. Little did I know this lesson would make a big impact on me starting out in Charlottesville and during the protests.

Every day I meet wonderful people willing to share their stories with me. Each story carries a lesson and a new perspective to see. No matter how many negative comments I might get about 鈥渢he media,鈥� I know I have succeeded whenever I鈥檓 able to tell a person鈥檚 story.

Because in every person, I can see why they are marching and the desire they have to make change happen.

Every step is taken with a purpose.

This is part of a series of columns about race and racism written by members of the 麻豆原创 community.

Desiree Montilla is a 2017 麻豆原创 graduate with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in radio-TV and a minor in Latin American studies. She is a reporter covering the news in Charlottesville, Virginia, for CBS19 News.

A new grant-funded website 鈥� 鈥� was set up by the school鈥檚 journalism program to help inform citizens of publicly available data and augment the region鈥檚 media, which is becoming increasingly stretched thin by new approaches to covering news. The website includes easy-to-access city commission minutes, voting and financial records, grants, contracts, salaries, public works, campaign contributions, financial-disclosure statements and other items.

News staffs at many organizations have shrunk while reporters鈥� beats and responsibilities covering government and other topics have been doubled up, says project director Rick Brunson 鈥�84, an associate instructor of journalism.

鈥淯niversities are in a position to help fill this gap with creative solutions. We think this is one of them.鈥澛� 鈥� Rick Brunson, associate instructor of journalism

鈥淯niversities are in a position to help fill this gap with creative solutions. We think this is one of them,鈥� Brunson says. 鈥淥ur site is a database designed to equip, inform and empower citizens to fully participate and engage in their representative democracy at its most local level. That鈥檚 right in line with the mission of journalism and our journalism program.鈥�

Preparation on the project began in May to develop the research-based website of public records and data with a focus on public accountability.

Launching of the site 鈥� funded by a two-year, $125,000 grant from Winter Park philanthropist Glen Salow and the Salow Transparency Project 鈥� coincided with Sunshine Week in Florida, an annual media initiative to educate the public about Florida鈥檚 Government in the Sunshine laws, the importance of open government, and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy.

In addition to the already-posted information, more data sets will be added over time as the research team collects and curates more records, Brunson says.

Along with Brunson, the project is overseen by Alex Glover, a Winter Park website developer, and Nicholson graduate research assistants Raby Tall 鈥�15 and Lindsay Manganiello.

In addition to the editorial side of this project, Nicholson lecturer Erica Kight will lead the research of the project, which will include surveys with Winter Park residents and users of the site to determine how useful it is to them and how much of an impact the site is having. The site鈥檚 analytics also will be used to determine how much it鈥檚 being used and in what ways, so that hopefully the results can be published in peer-reviewed communication journals and presented at conferences.

鈥淭丑别 Nicholson School holds as the first point of its mission to promote 鈥楩ree inquiry, free speech and the free flow of information and ideas,’鈥� Brunson says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what this project is about.鈥�

I could answer that I teach journalism because there still are students who are curious about the world; who want to make a difference; who need to give voice to the voiceless; who find the lives of other people interesting and worth telling; who get their kicks exposing wrongdoing; or who want a job that pays them to write. All the same things that motivated me, and my former colleagues, to go into journalism.

It was never about the money. It鈥檚 possible to make a good living doing journalism, but nobody then 鈥� nor now 鈥� goes into the profession with the idea of getting rich.

I could say that I come from a family of journalists, so I鈥檓 just carrying on the family tradition.

But what I tell those who question why I teach journalism is this: Because journalism is more important now than ever.

And that鈥檚 all I need to say because they know what I mean.

I heard a story on NPR about a newspaper that was going out of business. The paper was a family business handed down from generation to generation and the current owner, who wanted to retire, could not find a buyer.

The owner said watching the decline of the newspaper was like watching a person die and not being able to do anything to save that life.

鈥淭丑别re is no democracy without journalism.鈥�

鈥� CBS journalist聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽Scott Pelley

And then somebody made this point: When that paper dies, so does an element of our democracy.

鈥淭丑别re is no democracy without journalism,鈥� said CBS journalist Scott Pelley, during a recent visit to 麻豆原创.

You can鈥檛 be a journalist these days without fearing for the future of our democracy when the president of the United States characterizes the press as the enemy of the people.

鈥淭丑别 quickest way to destroy a democracy is poisoning the information,鈥� Pelley said. 鈥淛ournalism is what pushes back against that.鈥�

As Pelley knows, a dictator鈥檚 playbook begins with attempts to vilify, denigrate and delegitimize the press. A free press is a threat to despots for many reasons: It challenges authority, it holds public officials accountable, it speaks truth to power, it gives voice to the opposition.

In our democracy, the press is often called the Fourth Estate. The original three estates 鈥� clergy, noblemen, commoners 鈥� were the power structure of Medieval Europe. But in modern America, our power structure is the organization of government: the legislative, judicial and executive.

The role journalism plays in our democracy is to hold those other estates accountable to the public; to challenge lies and misinformation with truth and accuracy; to uncover and expose corruption. Basically, keep everybody honest.

In a democracy, an informed public is the antidote to authoritarianism, the cure to the cult of personality, the balance to bombast. If the press is the enemy, the enemy of the press is ignorance and fear.

I teach journalism because in these fearful, divisive times 鈥� where not only is the press under attack, but higher education as well 鈥� we鈥檙e more important than ever.

Jeff Kunerth is a faculty member in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Nicholson School of Communication and Media. He can be reached at Jeff.Kunerth@ucf.edu.

The聽麻豆原创 Forum聽is a weekly series of opinion columns from faculty, staff and students who serve on a panel for a year. A new column is posted each Wednesday on 麻豆原创 Today and then broadcast on W麻豆原创-FM (89.9) between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Sunday. Opinions expressed are those of the columnists, and are not necessarily shared by the 麻豆原创.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Nicholson School of Communication and Media and W麻豆原创-TV partnered with Central Florida鈥檚 WMFE 90.7FM to bring the program to Orlando from April 29-May 3. Four of the six students selected to participate in Orlando鈥檚 鈥渂oot camp鈥� were from 麻豆原创: journalism majors Hern谩ndez Caraballo and Monica Sealey;聽interdisciplinary studies major Rhyan Grant; and聽English major Emily Lang. The other two students were from Valencia College and Full Sail University.

NextGenRadio is a week-long 鈥減op-up鈥� digital journalism training experience. It is designed to give competitively selected participants interested in podcasting, audio storytelling, radio reporting and visual journalism the skills and opportunity to find and produce their own multimedia story. Each selected participant is paired with a professional journalist, and together they find, report and produce a non-narrated story as well as use stills and video to fill out their story.

The theme of the week鈥檚 stories was immigration, specifically 鈥淔irst Days in America.鈥�

鈥淲e are fanning out around Central Florida to locate, capture and tell the stories of immigrants who have arrived here and are making a new life.鈥� 鈥�Rick Brunson ’84, associate instructor in the Nicholson School

Rick Brunson ’84, associate instructor in the Nicholson School, represented the university in the partnership and is mentoring one of the students.

鈥淲e are fanning out around Central Florida to locate, capture and tell the stories of immigrants who have arrived here and are making a new life,鈥� he says. 鈥淭丑别 training is highly structured with tutorials in audio reporting, web production, social media production, photography, video and more. Our stories will be richly layered, textured and multimedia in nature.鈥�

Hern谩ndez Carabello, a junior, recounts that she had been in a car crash that left her unable to walk during the NextGenRadio application process. When she found out she was a finalist, she had a very short window of time to submit her story proposal.

鈥淭丑别 program is intense and I knew the deadline had to be met 鈥� these are professionals. I had to step it up.鈥� 鈥� Lillian Hern谩ndez Carabello, journalism student

鈥淭丑别re I was, no car (just got wrecked), no way to walk or hardly move, no way to get up, put the work into it and get my story. But I wanted it,鈥� Hern谩ndez Carabello says. 鈥淚 hired a driver and went in my wheelchair and crutches and hobbled around downtown Orlando for hours until I found my story. I was outside a closed Starbucks leaching on their WiFi on my dying laptop trying to submit my pitch in on time. It was due at 11:59 p.m., I got it in at 11:41. The program is intense and I knew the deadline had to be met 鈥� these are professionals. I had to step it up. And, I guess, accident or not, that is the major challenge of the program, as well as its reward. Learning to be professional, timely, and focused enough to fit into the team and produce a story of the caliber of NPR.鈥�

The stories are available to view and hear at聽. They will also air daily May 13-17 on WMFE 90.7FM at 6:44 a.m. and 8:44 a.m.

鈥淚鈥檓 pleased and proud to be part of it鈥攁nd more to see our students part of it,鈥� says Brunson.

The three will be honored during a conference at the National Press Club in Washington.

Sotloff, a freelance journalist who traveled the world while working for TIME magazine and other publications, was captured in 2013 and beheaded last September. He attended 麻豆原创 2002-04 and worked for the campus newspaper.

Others to be honored are: James Foley, a freelance photojournalist who was captured and killed by ISIS in Syria; and Austin Tice, a freelance writer who was abducted in 2012 and is believed to be held captive.

“These three men represent the highest values of journalism: Courage, sacrifice and a firm commitment to the truth,” said Randy Dotinga, president of the society. “Their bravery and dedication are especially inspiring to us as fellow independent writers.”

The award was first presented in 1975, and has only been awarded 11 times due to its high criteria. According to the journalists鈥� organization, the award recipients must knowingly have taken a risk that goes beyond the normal call of duty.

“The Conscience in Media award recognizes journalists who knowingly have endured great personal costs while pursuing the highest tenets of their profession,” said Sally Wendkos Olds, interim chair of the society鈥檚 First Amendment Committee.

The award ceremony will be 9 a.m. at the conference for independent writers.

Sotloff, who was 31, grew up in South Florida before attending 麻豆原创. His family established the Steven Sotloff Memorial Endowed Fund through the 麻豆原创 Foundation to provide scholarships to students majoring in journalism, as well as funding for symposiums, lectures and other programming to advance journalism and journalism education. For additional information or to contribute to the fund, visit .

His family also established the 2Lives Foundation in Miami, which creates endowed scholarships for students seeking a career in journalism.

Students have returned to campus after the Thanksgiving break, bellies full of turkey and trimmings, heads full of anxiety as big tests loom and grades hang in the balance.

For faculty, there鈥檚 a heady rush of knowing the semester is almost over and a much-needed break is just around the corner. There鈥檚 also a sense of relief for some: Faculty are not required to hold office hours during finals week.

Ah, office hours. It can be a touchy subject. That designated time during the week when faculty are required to be available to students for advising 鈥� usually in their campus offices but sometimes online 鈥� is often viewed as a mixture of pleasure and bane.

There鈥檚 that great scene in 鈥淚ndiana Jones and the Last Crusade,鈥欌�� when Harrison Ford鈥檚 iconic character 鈥� an archaeology professor who鈥檇 rather be in the field or the library 鈥� escapes out of his office window during his office hours to avoid his clamoring, cloying, malcontented students. Every faculty member can relate. At some point, we all wish we had such a window.

The university鈥檚 Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning 鈥� the heart and hub of faculty assistance at 麻豆原创 鈥� carefully handles the topic on its website when advising newcomers to 麻豆原创鈥檚 teaching ranks: 鈥淭丑别 University does not have a set policy for minimum number of office hours to hold, though instructors are required to post their office hours. Some colleges and departments do have individual requirements; check with your department chair for guidance.鈥欌��

The fact that we want to know the minimum number of hours we have to devote to this duty instead of the maximum suggests how much of a priority office hours are on our very crowded, ever-growing list of responsibilities.

Here鈥檚 the thing: What I did not anticipate when I arrived at 麻豆原创 as a new faculty member 鈥� later in life after a 20-year career as a practitioner in my field of journalism 鈥� was how gratifying and important the role of advising would play in my job. I am an instructor, which for me means 88 percent of my job is teaching and 12 percent involves service 鈥� to my department, college, university, profession and community. I arrived at 麻豆原创 11 years ago ready to teach, to stand and deliver knowledge, to spark imagination, to work side-by-side with students in the classroom or lab to achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams.

What I did not anticipate was the magic that would happen in my office during those six hours a week I was required by my department to be there for students. I did not anticipate the laughter, the tears, the connection I would make with young people half my age who show up and seem honestly grateful for just a few minutes of my time. I didn鈥檛 anticipate the weekly conversations about 鈥渓ife stuff鈥欌�� 鈥� balancing school, jobs, relationships 鈥� that seem more important to them than talking about the grade they got on the last test. Most fulfilling have been the multiple 鈥渁ha鈥欌�� moments when it all clicks and a student moves from declaring their major to becoming captivated by it.

Here鈥檚 a recent example. A young woman from one of my classes, an introductory Principles of Journalism course, showed up to my office hours at 9:15 on a Friday morning. For a student, Friday morning is an ungodly hour to see a teacher. But here she was with something to tell me:

“Mr. Brunson, I’m an introspective person and I process things. This is what I have come to believe. Journalism is about curiosity 鈥� but everybody’s curious. It’s more than that. So what is it? Red Huber [an Orlando Sentinel photographer who was a recent guest speaker] turned the key for me in our class. This is all about public service. He uses his camera to tell other people’s stories 鈥� people whose stories need to be told. He doesn’t do this for himself. He does it for other people. It’s about service. It’s about something larger than yourself. I want to do that 鈥� whether it’s with a camera or a computer. So I’m declaring my major for journalism.”

I felt myself crumpling in my chair as she spoke, undone by the sincerity in her voice, despite my repeated warnings about how hard and heartbreaking the news business can be. Decades as a reporter and editor 鈥� and now as a college instructor 鈥� have installed a well-calibrated bs-detector in my brain. It was not going off. She wasn鈥檛 there to negotiate for a few more points on an assignment or to request to take a test early because she ignored the syllabus and Mom got a great deal on plane tickets for the holiday break. She was there because she had an epiphany and wanted to share it with someone she hopes believes in her and can guide and equip her to make it a reality.

For me, it was an almost holy moment.

Sure, office hours can be a pain. And this time of year the student excuses swirl about my office door like so many autumn leaves piling up around a Vermont cabin.

But those six precious hours a week 鈥� when I鈥檓 not lecturing but listening 鈥� have become the most meaningful part of my job.

My journalistic hero, the guy I wanted to be when I grew up, is CBS News reporter Bob Schieffer. His advice to aspiring journalists is also great advice for those who teach those aspiring journalists 鈥� as well as those who teach in any discipline: 鈥淭丑别 most important thing a reporter needs to know is how to listen.鈥欌��

Rick Brunson is an associate instructor of journalism in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Nicholson School of Communication and is a recipient of the national Society of Professional Journalists鈥� David L. Eshelman Outstanding Campus Adviser Award. He can be reached at richard.brunson@ucf.edu.