July 23, 2009

“The Internet’s Impact on Traditional Campaign Communication Methods” will be explored during a panel discussion Friday, Oct. 5, at the 2007 Roger Tatarian Symposium at California State University, Fresno. McClatchy Company newspaper columnist Dan Walters will be the keynote speaker .

The panel members are Fresno Bee editorial page editor Jim Boren, ABC30 reporter Christine Park and Fresno State professors Dr. David Schecter (Political Science) and Dr. Sally Tannenbaum (Communication). Dr. Diane Blair, a communication professor, will be the moderator.

The free symposium, "Politics and the Digital Age,” will run from 9 a.m. to noon in the Satellite Student Union (2485 E. San Ramon Ave.). While it is primarily for the university community and journalists, the event is open to the public.

The panel discussion will be followed at 10:30 a.m. by Walters, whose topic is "The State of the State.” His focus will be on “the things that the governor didn’t tell you.”

The university professors on the panel frequently offer analysis for local and national news media outlets.

Schechter’s research interests include American politics, political behavior and state and local politics. In the mid-1990s, he served for four years as a city councilman in his hometown of Ormond Beach, Fla. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from University of Florida and joined the Fresno State faculty in 2001.

Tannenbaum is president of the Fresno County Board of Education, to which she has been elected three times since 1996. Her expertise is in political campaign communication, communication and learning and service-learning. She joined the Fresno State faculty in 2002.

Park, the consumer and morning reporter for KFSN, has won an Emmy for her reporting. She graduated with honors from UC Berkeley and received a master’s degree from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Fresno State.

Boren began his career in 1972 as a general assignment reporter at The Bee. In 1980, he became The Bee’s principal political writer until he was appointed editorial page editor in 1995.

Walters has been a journalist for more than 40 years. His columns are published in more than 50 California newspapers.

The symposium is sponsored by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism and the Roger Tatarian Endowment for Journalism, which honors the late Fresno State journalism professor, who once was editor-in-chief of United Press International.
Free parking will be available in Lots N, O and P near the Satellite Student Union. For information about conference registration, call Tommy Miller at 559.278.2087 or e-mail tmiller@csufresno.edu.