Leigh Landini Wright, student media adviser and associate professor of journalism, won honorable mention in the Best Practices in Teaching competition at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications conference in August.
Wright’s poster presentation focused on her journalism capstone’s digital project, the 270 Stories. The 270 Stories website tells the story of rebuilding, hope and resilience of western Kentuckians following the Dec. 10, 2021 long-track EF-4 tornado that roared through Mayfield.
The poster “Teaching Tornado: Telling the Stories of Rebuilding and Hope” showcased the project that provided coverage of the recovery and rebuilding process in western Kentucky. The class ran like a newsroom with rolling deadlines, students assigned to newsroom roles and a feedback mechanism in lieu of traditional grading. Students produced digital news stories, multimedia stories and podcasts, and several of their digital stories were reprinted in a special section produced by Paxton Media Group.
The competition attracted 69 entries from across the country. Wright’s entry placed in the top six.
