Spring Break
Founder of Salon.com to highlight event
Kimberly Lapham, Daily Staff Writer
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Keynote speaker David Talbot launched Salon.com in 1995 and has worked for publications such as the San Francisco Examiner, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Playboy, Interview and Mother Jones.
Talbot is a leader in the field and anyone who knows anything about publications knows about Talbot, said Magazine Day's adviser, Harvey Gotliffe, a professor of journalism at SJSU.
"This is a man who's on the front line of what's going on in online," he said.
Talbot is scheduled to discuss the future of online publications for about 35 minutes and will then field questions from the audience, Gotliffe said.
In addition to Talbot's speech, there will be panel discussions featuring 20 industry professionals. Panel topics include internships, ethics and the media, freelancing and women, minorities and the media.
Discussions are scheduled to feature professionals from publications such as Metro, Guitar Player and Newsweek, among others.
The professionals at Magazine Day bring their practical knowledge to make students more aware of what their field is all about, Gotliffe said.
Magazine Day is an opportunity to learn things they won't find in textbooks, he said.
Gotliffe began Magazine Day in 1987.
"I started it to let the professional community know that a magazine program exists," Gotliffe said.
The event focuses attention on the journalism program, which in turn directs attention to the students, he said.
Through the years, Magazine Day with its guest speakers has added to the prestige of the journalism program at SJSU, he said. Past speakers have included editors from Time, Glamour, Details, Spin and National Geographic.
The event offers an educational experience and a chance for students to make professional contacts outside of the classroom, Gotliffe said. Contacts are often made for internships, jobs and freelancing.
He also said students attending the luncheon have the opportunity for some one-on-one time with the professionals. It gives students a good solid feeling of belonging, he said.
About 90 tickets were sold to the lunch, Gotliffe said. It's the most that have ever been sold.
"It's amazing we got 90 people for the luncheon," he said.
Faculty members, alumni and professionals also bought tickets to give to students, Gotliffe said.
He said he likes that there's a connecting point with students, faculty and professionals.
"I get to watch students and professionals interact," he said. "I get excited every year, but I will be happy when it's all over."
Tickets to the luncheon are sold out but all other activities, including the panel discussions and Talbot's speech, are free.
The activities begin at 9 a.m. in the upper level of the Student Union, and Talbot is set to speak at 1 p.m.
Magazine Day is organized by the members of Mu Alpha Gamma, the journalism program's student magazine group. SJSU's magazine journalism program has more than 50 students and 140 alumni.
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