Media Futurist and Journalist Dan Gillmor to Speak at Champlain College

His Talk: 'Transparency in the New World of Social Media and Journalism'

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Dan Gillmor

BURLINGTON, VT (03/15/2013)(readMedia)-- The Vermont Journalism Trust and VTDigger.org are sponsoring internationally known e-journalist, author, and speaker Dan Gillmor at a public presentation 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, at the Alumni Auditorium of Champlain College.

Dan Gillmor is an international expert on citizen journalism and new media. He writes a column about new media and technology for The Guardian, and he is the author of two books about the way in which the Web has transformed the power dynamic between the public and the media. The goal of his latest book and ongoing project, Mediactive, reflects his "strong belief that we need to turn media 'consumers' into active (even activist) users instead of passive receptacles."

Gillmor teaches digital media entrepreneurship and is a founding director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship program at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Center, originally funded by the Knight Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation, is working to help create a culture of innovation and risk-taking in journalism education and in the wider media world. Prior to his career as a professor at Arizona State, Gillmor covered Silicon Valley at the San Jose Mercury News for 11 years. While at the Mercury News, he started a blog -- one of the first by a journalist for a traditional media company. Before covering the high-tech world, Gillmor worked at the Detroit Free Press, Kansas City Times and the Vermont Press Bureau and Times Argus in Montpelier where he covered Vermont politics in the 1980s.

Bill Schubart, chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust, invites Vermonters who have an interest in democracy, transparency and open government to attend the event.

"The health of our democracy depends on a vigorous press scrutinizing the activities of our three branches of government, along with businesses and nonprofits," Schubart said. "It is more important than ever that a well-funded, unbiased and hardworking press corps delve deeply into important policy matters that give citizens and stakeholders the information they need to effectively participate in our democracy. Join us for a riveting event with Dan Gillmor and help raise funds for VTDigger."

Contributions accepted at the door to support VTDigger's Sally West Johnson Fund for Journalism for investigative reporting. VTDigger, a project of the Vermont Journalism Trust, is the state's premier online news organization dedicated to coverage of Vermont politics, consumer affairs, business and public policy.

About the Vermont Journalism Trust

The Vermont Journalism Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to stimulate and commission substantive news content from established journalists. VTDigger.org is a project of the Vermont Journalism Trust. Both organizations were founded in 2009; they merged in 2010.

About VTDigger

VTDigger.org is a statewide news website dedicated to coverage of Vermont politics, consumer affairs, business and public policy. It has been supported by the Vermont Community Foundation, The J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation, Highmeadows Fund, the Knight Foundation, the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, the Johnson Family Foundation, the Lintilhac Foundation, the Fund for Investigative Journalism and The Ethics & Excellence in Journalism foundation, among others. VTDigger.org is a project of The Vermont Journalism Trust, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The two organizations merged in October 2010. The Vermont Journalism Trust became the official publisher for VTDigger.org in March 2011. For more information: www.vtdigger.org

About Dan Gillmor

Dan Gillmor is an American technology writer and columnist. He is director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. For more information: http://dangillmor.com/about/

About Champlain College

Since 1878, Champlain College has provided career-focused education to students from its hilltop campus in Burlington, Vt. Champlain's distinctive educational approach embodies the notion that true learning only occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain offers traditional undergraduate and online undergraduate courses, along with online certificate and degree programs and eight master's degree programs. Champlain offers study abroad programs at its campuses in Montreal, Quebec and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain College will be included in the Princeton Review's "best colleges" guidebook, "The Best 377 Colleges: 2013 Edition." Champlain was named a "Top-Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" and was ranked in the top tier of 2013 Regional Colleges in the North. For more information, visit www.champlain.edu

CALENDAR LISTING:

JOURNALISM AND SOCIAL MEDIA TALK - The Vermont Journalism Trust and VTDigger.org are sponsoring internationally known e-journalist, author, and speaker Dan Gillmor at a public presentation 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, at the Alumni Auditorium of Champlain College. Contributions accepted at the door to support VTDigger.org's Sally West Johnson Fund for Journalism for investigative reporting. Free and open to the public. For information, (802) 482-3287.

For more information:

• Bill Schubart, Chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust, (802) 482-3287 Bill@Schubart.com

• Drew Brooks, Assistant to the President, Vermont Community Foundation, (802) 388-3355, DBrooks@VermontCF.com

• Stephen Mease, Public Information and News, Champlain College (802) 865-6432 smease@champlain.edu