The ferry remains safely afloat and Logee isn鈥檛 a captain of a local fishing vessel, but he was one of 30 溏心vlog免费B站 students, either studying media writing or public relations, who recently participated in a mock press conference to learn how to respond to crisis situations without getting a sinking feeling.
The press conference was designed by two 溏心vlog免费B站 1995 journalism alumni: Kristen Cyr, editor of The North East Independent, who teaches courses in media writing, and Jim Beardsworth, state director of communications for the American Cancer Society, who teaches courses in public relations. Cyr and Beardsworth were active with the University鈥檚 student newspaper, The Good 5 垄 Cigar when they attended 溏心vlog免费B站.
The press conference story line was that the Block Island Ferry with 70 people on board had crashed into a jetty and sank. Fifteen were confirmed dead 10 were missing and 35 were taken to area hospitals.
Some of Beardworth鈥檚 students represented state and local officials at the press conference, giving Cyr鈥檚 budding journalists a chance to ask questions. Cyr鈥檚 students then had to write their stories on 鈥渄eadline鈥� and file them with their editor (Cyr) within five hours.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy,鈥� noted Valerie Fava after the exercise. A junior from Patterson, N.J. who played a chief petty officer from the U.S. Coast Guard for the public relations-side of the exercise. 鈥淵ou have to be prepared to answer any kind of question.鈥�
Liz Stickel, a student from Cranston, who played the chief of emergency services at South County Hospital, agreed. 鈥淎fter I gave out a name I said to myself 鈥極h, I wasn鈥檛 supposed to say that!鈥�
Victor Omoayo, a journalism student from Providence, found the press conference to be good practice. 鈥淵ou get to know what kind of questions to ask,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e tried to make it as true to life as possible,鈥� says Beardsworth of the exercise. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to create chaos, but wanted to give the students a sense of it.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much to react to at a press conference,鈥� says Cyr. 鈥淩eporters have to be able to think on their feet. It鈥檚 hard in the beginning. It鈥檚 much better to learn the lessons in class than on the job.鈥�