Celebrate 125 years of independent student journalism with The Daily Tar Heel. Join us for a full weekend of events, including a gala dinner at The Carolina Inn, professional development sessions at Carroll Hall, a storytelling night and more. Cocktail attire is requested for the gala dinner. All other events are casual.
Welcome to The Daily Tar Heel’s 125th birthday celebration! We’re so happy you joined us. To kick off the weekend’s festivities, we invite you to take a walk around campus and complete our DTH Scavenger Hunt. Be sure to take photos as you go and post them to Facebook on the alumni page or to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #DTH125. The person with the most points by Saturday’s gala — or the person to finish all of the challenges first — will win a 125th anniversary T-shirt!
12 – 5 p.m., Arrive in Chapel Hill, Wilson Library, Former and Current DTH Offices
Self-guided activities including DTH archives on display at Wilson Library and tour of current and former DTH offices.
5 p.m., Happy Hour, Linda’s Bar, 203 E. Franklin St.
Meet up with old friends and make new ones at Linda’s.
7 p.m., Print News and Raise Hell Book Signing, Graham Memorial
Historian Kenneth Zogry’s book on the DTH will be out in early 2018. Meet the author and get your copy signed. You must register separately for this event.
8:30 a.m. Breakfast, sponsored by DesignHammer – Carroll Hall, Room 305, Freedom Forum Conference Center
Fuel up for the day with bagels, biscuits, and coffee.
9 a.m. Leading Newsroom Change — Carroll Hall, Room 305, Freedom Forum Conference Center
In 2018, newsrooms cannot be stagnant. Daily Tar Heel General Manager Erica Perel leads a conversation with Robyn Tomlin, who has overseen many newsrooms, including Digital First Media’s Project Thunderdome, the Dallas Morning News, and now, the News & Observer and other regional McClatchy publications, and Melanie Sill, who has held leadership roles at the Sacramento Bee, the News & Observer, and Southern California Public Radio/KPCC about the hard work of reinventing a legacy newsroom. Come prepared with questions and insights to share in this engaging session.
10 a.m. Breakout Panels
Beyond the DTH: How Skills in Journalism Translate to Other Careers — Carroll Hall, Room 340A
The Daily Tar Heel is a breeding ground for journalists—but not just journalists. This panel will cover the transition out of journalism, and how the skills learned at a news organization can be valuable in other careers. Panelists include Peter Roybal, who oversees video product management at LinkedIn, David Minton, the managing partner of DesignHammer, and Emily Schifter, a labor & employment associate attorney. DTH Managing Editor Jessica Swanson will moderate.
Pop! Goes the Culture: Q&A on Writing and Editing — Carroll Hall, Room 283
Dan Kois, the culture editor at Slate, and Jennifer Abella, the copy chief for the Washington Post Magazine, are both pop culture aficionados. DTH Arts & Culture Editor Karyn Hladik-Brown will lead a conversation about how they’ve transformed their love of movies, TV, and books into a career, how to write well about culture, and what they’re reading and watching.
So You Want to Be a Foreign Correspondent? — Carroll Hall, Room 305
Nahal “Halley” Toosi has reported from and/or served as an editor in Islamabad, Kabul, London, Iraq, Egypt, Thailand, and Germany, and is now a foreign affairs correspondent at POLITICO. Ann Peters, a former correspondent for United Press International, has reported from places like Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Egypt, and South Africa. She now oversees the Pulitzer Center’s Campus Consortium program, which helps journalists and students explore global issues and offers international reporting fellowships. Ann and Halley will share their career trajectories from the DTH to abroad, how the field of foreign affairs reporting has changed over the years, and what stories aspiring foreign correspondents need to be paying attention to. DTH University Editor Leah Asmelash will moderate the conversation.
Giving Back to the DTH — Carroll Hall, Room 338
The Daily Tar Heel has given so much to all of us. Now, newsroom leaders will share ways that you can give back. This session will cover how to include the DTH in estate planning, monthly giving, and more.
11 a.m. Breakout Panels
So You Want to Start a Podcast? — Carroll Hall, Room 283
Everybody loves podcasts. But how do you make a show that’s unique, relevant, and meaningful? Nick Andersen, a podcast producer for WGBH’s MASTERPIECE and senior podcast producer for the Ministry of Ideas, Dan Kois, who was previously on Slate’s podcasts “Culture Gabfest” and “Mom and Dad Are Fighting,” and Sam Sabin, the creator and host of the autobiographical podcast “Good Grief,” will share insights to starting, producing, and hosting a podcast. Cole del Charco, the Daily Tar Heel’s audio desk editor, will moderate.
‘Boring’ Subject. Killer Story. — Carroll Hall, Room 305
Three hard-hitting journalists—Michelle Jarboe, the real estate reporter at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Janet Roberts, the data journalism editor at Reuters, and Kaarin Tisue, an investigations editor at the Chicago Tribune—will discuss how to dig into the unsexy subjects and turn out compelling, groundbreaking stories. Eric Garcia, a reporter with Roll Call, will moderate.
How to Write About Data When You’re Not a Data Journalist — Carroll Hall, Room 340A
Every reporter needs to know how to incorporate data into their stories, no matter their title. Data-savvy journalists—David Raynor, the database editor of the News & Observer, Billy Ball, the education reporter at N.C. Policy Watch and Lindsay Carbonell, a reporter and web developer at Education N.C.—will share tips and tricks to finding and reporting on datasets. Ryan Thornburg, a data journalism professor at the UNC School of Media and Journalism, will moderate.
Giving Back to the DTH — Carroll Hall, Room 338
The Daily Tar Heel has given so much to all of us. Now, newsroom leaders will share ways that you can give back. This session will cover how to include the DTH in estate planning, monthly giving, and more.
12 p.m. Lunch
Working Lunch, Sponsored by EducationNC: Engaging Communities: Connecting to Sources and Audiences — Student Union, Room 3408
Naming 2018 the “Year of Listening,” Molly de Aguiar of the News Integrity Initiative writes, “With the smoke bomb of 2017 now clearing, newsrooms can see that better listening and engagement are no longer ‘nice to have,’ but are absolutely critical priorities for making good on their democratic obligations, as well as for their financial well-being.” EducationNC senior reporter Alex Granados and managing editor Laura Lee offer new ideas for ways to engage audiences through tech and non-tech methods. Learn practical, daily engagement practices for journalists of all experience levels.
1:30 p.m. Breaking Silence and Holding Those in Power Accountable — Genome Sciences G100
The past year saw powerful reporting dismantle silence and bring down the careers of several high-profile people, from Hollywood to Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Investigative journalists will discuss how to best hold those in power accountable to the public. Panelists include Ian Gordon, the managing editor of Mother Jones; Alia Smith, a media lawyer who defended Gawker, along with other news outlets; Sarah Frier, who covers social media companies for Bloomberg and Businessweek; Emily Steel, a media reporter for the New York Times; and Tarini Parti, who has covered Capitol Hill and now covers the White House for Buzzfeed News. DTH Director of Enterprise Corey Risinger will moderate.
3 p.m. A Conversation With Frank Bruni — Genome Sciences G100
Frank Bruni, a Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist (and a DTH alum!), will discuss President Donald Trump, the political landscape, and the rest of the news of the day with John Drescher, the opinion and solutions editor of the News & Observer.
4:30 p.m. A Tour of Carroll Hall — Meet in Carroll Lobby
See what the School of Media and Journalism looks like these days, in a guided tour by student ambassadors.
6:30 p.m. Gala Dinner – The Carolina Inn, 211 Pittsboro St.
Join us at The Carolina Inn for a gala dinner celebrating 125 years of The Daily Tar Heel and looking ahead to the next 125 at a cocktail hour and dinner. We’ll honor award winners including the 2018 Distinguished Alumni, Young Alumni and Distinguished Service Award. Cocktail attire is requested for this event.
9:30 a.m. Breakfast — Carroll Hall, Room 305
Fuel up for the day with bagels and coffee.
10 a.m. The Last 125 Years: A DTH Retrospective — Carroll Hall, Room 305
The Daily Tar Heel has been witness to countless pivotal moments of history, both at UNC and outside of the university. Current editor-in-chief Tyler Fleming will lead a conversation looking back among alumni who span several generations.
11 a.m. The Next 125 Years: Update on the DTH Today — Carroll Hall, Room 305
The Daily Tar Heel is in financial crisis. General Manager Erica Perel and Board President Matthew Queen will update alumni on the current state of the DTH and ask for their ideas on ways forward. This will be an active session of brainstorming where alumni and DTH leaders will tackle some of the challenges facing the beloved student newspaper.
12 p.m. Mentors Meet With Mentees — Student Union, Room 3408
Mentors will have an opportunity to talk with their mentees over pizza lunch, sponsored by Joe Exum. Mentees, bring your resumes and any clips you’d like to discuss.