Missouri School of Journalism

10/13/2026

Today, Missouri School of Journalism announced the Schmedding Family Journalism Scholarship, which will provide assistance to students with financial need. The scholarship was established with a $200,000 gift from the estate of Gary Schmedding, BJ ’60, a Kansas City native who spent 40 years in broadcast journalism and ultimately served as president of Lee Broadcast Group. Schmedding died late last 2025.

“He believed so strongly in the truth, in fair and accurate reporting, and he wanted to help students with those same ideals get through college and go out into the world,” said his daughter Teresa Schmedding, BJ ’89, MA ’09. “It means a lot to me that he wanted to not just help kids and give back to Mizzou, but that he wanted to involve me and the rest of the family in that, because those values are important for all of us.”

Gary Schmedding, right, poses with daughter Teresa at the statue of comic-strip icon Beetle Bailey inside Mort’s, a restaurant in the MU Student Center. By Austin Fitzgerald Today…

10/13/2026

NEWS MEDIA HELP DESK ADDS HUMAN-POWERED LIVE CHAT FEATURE

The News Media Help Desk, which provides free educational resources and fractional support to news organizations, today launched a new live chat feature. News professionals can now instantly ask questions while browsing the Help Desk, which is a partnership between the J-School's Reynolds Journalism Institute and the Local Media Consortium.

Chat responses are provided by real people with experience in journalism — not AI — to help users with questions around sustainability, digital technology and other topics.

“News organizations are facing complex challenges, so supporting them means answering complex questions on a human-to-human level,” said Randy Picht, executive director of RJI.

Product Director Leah Becerra said the live chat bolsters the Help Desk’s functionality as a one-stop shop; users can continue to send questions to a dedicated help email if they prefer, or they can use the chat without having to leave the website.

“This is an evolution of something we have been doing since the Help Desk launched,” Becerra said. “The goal is to make it easier to ask us when something comes to mind — with more options, we can do more to support people.”

Currently, the chat will be staffed from 9 a.m.-noon, Monday through Friday. Questions submitted after hours will be answered on the next business day via email.

The chat service is only the latest feature added to the Help Desk, which includes a Learning Center with case studies and guides, a Tools Scorecard that ranks third-party tools across dozens of categories, and Digital On-Demand Services.

Since launching less than a year ago, the Help Desk has already supported nearly 90 local news publishers with answers to their questions and affordable fractional support through Digital On-Demand Services, which is operated by the Local Media Consortium.

Story by Austin Fitzgerald.

10/12/2026

"Which journalism school best prepares students for a career in TV news?" asked Josh Helmuth in “The 2026 State of TV News” survey. "According to the 284 TV newsers who took the anonymous survey, Columbia, Missouri, is the best place to study TV news. Go Tigers."

As home to KOMU 8, mid-Missouri's NBC affiliate, the Missouri School of Journalism operates the only university-owned commercial station in the U.S. that doubles as a working lab for students.

Learn more about Helmuth’s survey and his respondents' candid responses: https://joshhelmuth.substack.com/p/mizzou-84-syracuse-62-tv-news-insiders.

10/11/2026

10/09/2026

Congratulations to Bob Ahlfeld, BJ ’91, who won the 2026 Outstanding Sports Coverage Award in Small Market Radio from the New York State Broadcasters Association on Sept. 30, 2026. He was recognized for WSNN-FM’s broadcast of Clarkson University’s 4-3 comeback win over top-ranked Quinnipiac University in the ECAC Hockey playoffs on March 14, 2026. The Potsdam, New York-based voice of Clarkson Hockey since 1996, Ahlfeld shared the honor with his son, Scott, who joined him on the broadcast.

Congrats to Bob Ahlfeld, awarded the New York State Broadcasters Association's 2026 award for Outstanding Sports Coverage in Small Market Radio for his Clarkson ECAC Men's Quarter Final coverage.

10/09/2026

Sydney Olsen, BJ ’18, director of marketing and PR for Central Bank of Boone County, and Kelsey Hammond, executive director of the Columbia Art League, recently visited “The Daily Blend with AC,” a daily KBIA 91.3 FM program recorded in the RJI TV studio. They spoke about The Boone County Art Show, an upcoming Central Bank-Art League collaboration that will turn the downtown bank location into an art gallery.

The partnership dates back more than 60 years, bringing together local art and the community since the Art League was established in 1959. This year’s show will be held Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, featuring works from paintings to ceramics created by local artists ranging from students to professionals.

The episode featuring Olsen and Hammond aired this morning on KBIA. Olsen was previously the City of Columbia’s engagement and public communications manager and before that a weeknight reporter and weekend anchor at KMIZ-TV, also in Columbia.

Not pictured: Travis McMillen, director, and sophomore Elle Bateman, production assistant.

Watch today's episode: https://www.kbia.org/show/the-daily-blend/2026-10-09/the-daily-blend-w-ac-kelsey-hammond-and-sydney-olsen-2026-boone-county-art-show.

Photo captions:
(1) Host Adonica Coleman, left, enjoys a light moment with guests Kelsey Hammond, center, and Sydney Olsen as KBIA's T'Keyah Thomas adjusts Olsen's microphone.

(2) Camera operator Destiny Ghirardi, left, uses a ceiling-mounted monitor to verify name spellings and website URLs that will appear on the lower third of the screen during the episode.

(3) Kelsey Hammond, left, Adonica Coleman and Sydney Olsen pose for a photo after recording the episode. 📷: Nate Brown

10/09/2026

Randy Picht, executive director of the J-School's Reynolds Journalism Institute, welcomes Adriana Lacy to "RJI Momentum." Lacy, CEO of Field Nine Group, built the STEPP Framework — standards, transparency, engagement, platform native and public service — to help newsrooms and independent creators collaborate ethically, and it’s now being used across the country.

Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jwCVtxx5zc.

10/08/2026

Forty states now have laws protecting citizens and newsrooms from meritless lawsuits designed to sue them into silence. What are SLAPPS and how do they impact journalists? J-School doctoral student Ian McKenzie explains.

Forty states now have laws protecting citizens and newsrooms from meritless lawsuits designed to sue them into silence.

10/08/2026

Congratulations, Future Tigers!

10/07/2026

American hurdler and Olympic gold medalist Grant Holloway and triple jump champion Euphenie Andre, BJ '23, stopped by Professor John Anderson’s class Oct. 5, 2026, in the Futures Lab.

Senior Abrah Taggart, who's studying Reporting and Writing, was among those inspired by Holloway's visit.

"I remember watching Grant in the Olympics because I'm a huge fan of the Olympics," Taggart said after class. "I just felt very inspired by his mindset, his accomplishments, and just his love for life and his love for the sport."

Taggart added, "I just thought he was a really awesome guy and I'm very thankful John brought him in today."

📷: Nate Brown