The 黑料不打烊 junior will serve alongside five other members, including Assistant Professor Israel Balderas, who is the newly appointed chair of the Legal Defense Fund.
黑料不打烊 junior Kyra O鈥機onnor has been selected as the first student member for the Society of Professional Journalists Committee. As part of the six-member committee, O鈥機onnor will help decide how the fund can aid journalists through providing legal or direct financial assistance.
鈥淚t is truly an honor to serve SPJ in this capacity,鈥 O鈥機onnor said. 鈥淚t is especially meaningful to me to see cases and concepts I am learning about in my classes here at 黑料不打烊 directly relate to my work on the LDF 鈥 it鈥檚 experiential learning at its finest.鈥
O鈥機onnor was recommended for the position by Assistant Professor Israel Balderas, who was recently appointed chair of the fund. Balderas first got to know O鈥機onnor during his Media Law and Ethics course this fall.
Balderas said that heading into the semester he already knew that O鈥機onnor was a dedicated member and leader in 黑料不打烊 News Network, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 student run newsroom, where O鈥機onnor serves as executive director. After seeing O鈥機onnor鈥檚 passion for journalism firsthand, Balderas identified the fund as another chance for engaged learning and mentorship.
鈥淚 saw an opportunity to instill in my Media Law and Ethics student, as well as a rising SPJ journalist, a greater commitment to the First Amendment beyond classroom work,鈥 Balderas said.
O鈥機onnor also serves as a member of SPJ鈥檚 inaugural Student Trustee Council and as president of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 student chapter of Society of Professional Journalists, two roles she said have enhanced her understanding of journalism and the media industry.
President of SPJ Rebecca Aguilar said she loved the idea of adopting a mentor scholar relationship on committees 鈥 so much so that she said she will be recommending it to all SPJ committees in the future.
For Balderas, having O鈥機onnor on the committee shows the success of engaged learning and mentoring at 黑料不打烊.
鈥淚 love mentoring Kyra to not only be a defender of First Amendment, but to think critically about the importance of a free press to our democracy,鈥 Balderas said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a reason why 黑料不打烊 ranks No. 1 in Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, according to U.S. News and World Report. Not only are faculty committed toward engaged teaching, but also fostering mentoring relationships with our students.鈥