Demetria Kalodimos, prize-winning local journalist, joins School of Communication

Demetria Kalodimos, prize-winning local journalist, joins School of Communication

Nashville journalist and former longtime WSMV anchor Demetria Kalodimos will be joining Lipscomb’s School of Communication during the incoming school year. Through her role, Kalodimos is expected to share her experiences and expertise alongside developing “digital media ethics” workshops and programming. In addition, Kalodimos will co-teach a class with Chair Alan Griggs. “She [Kaladimos] is one of the best journalists I have had the honor and privilege to know,” said Griggs in a press release issued by the university. Griggs and Kalodimos worked together at WSMV for 20 years. “With her experience and knowledge, our students will benefit significantly, and so will I.” Kalodimos has been a trusted and recognized figure in Middle Tennessee media for nearly 40 years, receiving 16 Emmys, three Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) National awards, three Edward R. Murrow Awards for investigative reporting and the Gracie from American Women in Radio and Television. As well as being inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame and the NATAS Silver Circle. Recently, Kalodimos has produced award-winning documentaries, music videos and other visual content through her company Genuine Human Productions. Her songwriter series, Barnegie Hall, aired nationally on PBS stations across the country. “Educating future journalists about the state of the industry and how to navigate that well while training them to be good storytellers, utilizing the many tools they have available to them, is critical,” said Kalodimos. “While content delivery methods continually change, the fundamentals of good storytelling will never cease to be important. So, I am excited to be able to share my knowledge and experiences with students and to have an impact on the next...
Anchorwoman Demetria Kalodimos shares stories, advice at Media Masters

Anchorwoman Demetria Kalodimos shares stories, advice at Media Masters

Former WSMV news anchor Demetria Kalodimos visited campus to speak to students at Monday evening’s Media Masters hosted by Lipscomb’s communication and journalism department. Senior journalism and new media major Erin Franklin interviewed Kalodimos about her experiences working in broadcast news and her perspectives on the journalism industry. Kalodimos’ career in journalism began after she earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Illinois Wesleyan University. During her time in college as a music major, Kalodimos said she realized she had a passion for journalism. She went on to get a master’s in journalism from the University of Illinois. In a virtually unheard-of situation, Kalodimos immediately began her career working as a weekend anchor and weekday reporter. “That first big break was super important,” Kalodimos said. Kalodimos joined WSMV in Nashville in the 1980s, and said that although the news climate has changed over the years, she thinks there’s still good to come. “Some of these nonprofits that are forming to do news without a slant or do more in-depth or real news, that’s maybe where the future is,” Kalodimos said. “When you take the dollars out… I think you can get back to the real mission, which is informing people and questioning what’s not right.” Currently, Kalodimos is continuing journalistic work — documentary-style. “I’ve been running around doing longer form stories — just things that I’ve always wanted to do that weren’t necessarily ready for primetime…it’s just part of me. I can’t see a good story and ignore it.” Most of those in attendance were communication students, and despite the changes facing the news business today, Kalodimos said...

Morality in the Media informs young journalists

The Lipscomb University Department of Communication and Journalism hosted the inaugural Morality in the Media conference Friday. The conference consisted of a variety of journalists and speakers who talked about different aspects of the media. From the changing dynamic of the media and its consumers, to sessions about how to cover gun control issues and gay marriage. Department of Communication Chair Alan Griggs opened up the conference with a welcome to introduce the first speaker Kelly McBride. McBride is the Vice President of Academic Programs at the Poynter Institute. She discussed how the media has changed since the 20th century, and different trends in the media as it relates to consumers. “Students who are going into journalism, or any other form of communication, need to know that our ethics are changing,” McBride said. “They’re changing because the audience is changing.” McBride wanted to make it clear that young journalists need to be aware of their surroundings and paying attention to the changes in the world. “They constantly need to be developing new knowledge about how that audience is changing, and you do that by watching what technologies does the audience adopt,” McBride said. “In addition to all the knowledge you gained in your studies, you have to be adept enough at looking at what the audience is doing, how they’re doing it, particularly around technology.” Following McBride’s speech, there was a panel of guests who discussed the way the media covers controversial issues. The first issue was gun control. The speakers were: retired editorial page editor for The Tennessean Dwight Lewis, WREG-TV news director Bruce Moore, WSMV-TV news reporter...