By Rachel Lium, Two Rivers Marketing
How can ag journalists and communicators stay relevant and credible in an era when the media is scrutinized more closely than ever, and news is not taken seriously if a reader disagrees with the story topic or slant?
As trained journalists and professional communicators, how do we make sure our stories and the organizations we represent are taken seriously when the internet allows anyone to be an “expert” on any given topic?
Join us Thursday, June 15 at 12 p.m. CST for a webinar with seasoned agricultural journalists Chris Clayton, Willie Vogt and Betsy Freese on their thoughts about “fake news,” how to advocate for trust in ag journalism and writing for rural America. Participants will hear from Clayton as the guest speaker for the first 20 minutes, followed by a 20-minute panel discussion featuring all three panelists. The last 20 minutes will be a Q&A session.
Learn more about our featured panelists:
Chris Clayton is thepolicy editor for DTN/The Progressive Farmer where he has worked since 2005. Clayton has been recognized as writer of the year by the AAEA and won story of the year multiple times from the organization. He also has won the Glenn Cunningham Agricultural Journalist of the Year Award from the North American Agricultural Journalists and served as the group’s president in 2012-13. The National Farmers Union and American Coalition for Ethanol also named Clayton communicator of the year.Clayton graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1993 with a journalism degree. He has worked for news organizations in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Nebraska.
Willie Vogt is theExecutive Director for Penton Agriculture. He has been covering agriculture for more than 37 years from his early days at a weekly farm paper to his current position at Penton Agriculture, where he oversees an editorial business that includes 22 content brands and 27 websites. Vogt has covered key developments in agricultural technology during his career including the rise of precision agriculture, crop biotechnology, UAVs, and big data. Vogt graduated from Iowa State University in 1980 and eventually ended up in Minnesota. He joined Farm Progress fulltime in 1996 as technology editor, becoming Editorial Director in 2004. He was named to his current position in 2013.
Betsy Freese is an Executive Editor for Meredith Agrimedia. She has an agricultural journalism degree from Iowa State University and is a past president of AAEA and NAAJ. Freese is the recipient of an Oscar in Agriculture, an AAEA Master Writer and Writer of Merit and was named a 2017 Folio: Top Women in Media Honoree for Industry Leadership. Freese grew up on a farm in Maryland.
*This webinar brought to you by the AAEA Young Professionals Taskforce