Link here to the Missouri School of Journalism page for Barbara S. Cochran, who is a very interesting woman in her own right, being a pioneer as a women at top levels of US newspapers, TV, Radio; a trailblazer if you will.
We, who would also claim dreams of trailblazing in media, could perhaps learn from her example. Plus, she’s my first cousin =^)… and if we can ask nicely with a fancy little “prezi presentation” explaining a bit what we’re doing….maybe she could facetime into our modest little studio for a few minutes someday, to answer a few questions we might have, and perhaps lend her face to a minute or two of our video.
Are we feeling lucky punks? =^)
For example, she’s testified before Congress on various bills about the issue of “privacy” and “standards” for “the media”, and I’d be curious what her perspective is on the correct national policy for internet access now before the FCC. You might just want to ask her what presidents are really like up close, do they wear cologne, what happens if they pass gas, or burp on set? or how much fun it was to produce at NPR, CBS, and NBC.
Or perhaps about the opportunities today for women in media fields, as you might note in the link above, she’s co-chair of the “International Women’s Media Foundation“.
Personally, I’d like to ask her what she thinks of Marshal McLuhan’s ideas these many decades later, and who she might suggest as a similar guide in today’s media world.
Cochran served for 12 years as president of the Radio Television Digital News Association, the world’s largest organization serving the electronic news profession. At RTDNA, Cochran championed the First Amendment rights of journalists, launched initiatives in ethics and diversity and led the association’s inclusion of digital journalists in its membership. RTDNA received the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism during her tenure.
Previously, Cochran served as managing editor of the Washington Star, vice president for news for National Public Radio, executive producer of NBC’s Meet the Press and vice president and Washington bureau chief for CBS News. She has supervised coverage of stories from Watergate to the Persian Gulf War and played a leading role in the coverage of every election and political convention for 24 years. At NPR, she directed the creation of Morning Edition, the program that cemented NPR’s position as an essential national news provider. During her tenure, NPR won two DuPont-Columbia Awards.
Cochran has been recognized with a number of awards, including The Media Institute’s Freedom of Speech Award, The AWC Matrix Foundation’s Edith Wortman First Amendment Award, the Library of American Broadcasting’s Giants of Broadcasting Award and RTDNF’s First Amendment Award.
Cochran has served as a judge for the DuPont-Columbia, George Foster Peabody and Hearst Collegiate Journalism Awards. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Cochran is co-chair of the International Women’s Media Foundation.
Barbara is a former Ohio state spelling bee champion, and my grandmother loved her; oddly enough my grandmother also loved me, who was off doing things completely unsanctioned by “the establishment” at the time. Grandmothers are something very special. They are key parts of many of our first experiences of SLC, and Grandmothers can be very good “role models” for effective process support. You can look it up, or hopefully you have/had personal experience of same.