Is It Real? Communicating in a World of Fake News, December 5
Social media has shaken the communications industry, and staying informed in an always-on media world is more challenging than ever. Any story, good or bad, can go viral at any time. Understanding how to identify fake news and ethically fight back is an important skill for every professional communicator.
Join Yankee Chapter PRSA for a discussion on successfully delivering messages in a world filled with “fake news,” followed by our annual meeting and networking with professional colleagues.
When: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017, 3–6 p.m.
Where: New Hampshire Institute of Politics, Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH
Cost: $25: PRSA Members; $30: Member & Guest; $35: Not-Yet Members; FREE: Students/Interns/Saint Anselm Staff
Meet Our Panelists and Moderator
Randall Mikkelsen
Randall Mikkelsen, Managing Editor North America, Enterprise Risk Management, Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence
Randall Mikkelsen has worked as a financial and political journalist with Thomson Reuters since he joined Reuters in 1988. He has covered many of the major stories of the era, including the fall of the Soviet Union, the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, the war on terrorism and the financial crisis.
Randall was a front-row member of the White House press corps for nearly seven years. He also covered the Justice Department, CIA and other agencies in Washington and served postings in Philadelphia and Stockholm, Sweden. As a desk editor in Washington, he handled major stories from around the globe.
He has won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and the North Dakota Newspaper Association.
Randall has lived in Plaistow since 2009. He founded the Friends of Education at Timberlane and the New Hampshire Theater Spotlight pages on Facebook and writes press releases as a volunteer for the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth.
Melissa Albano-Davis
Melissa Albano-Davis, Founder & President, Grapevine Marketing
Melissa is an inbound marketing-obsessed entrepreneur working with financial, healthcare, and higher education organizations to help them grow and thrive. She helps businesses build proven, trackable campaigns so that they know what works and what doesn’t, using that knowledge to launch remarkable programs. Melissa holds certifications in inbound marketing and SEO from Google and HubSpot. She writes a monthly marketing series for the New Hampshire Business Review and contributes to various publications. She is a member of the Entrepreneur’s Fund of New Hampshire advisory board and the Boston Women’s Leadership Council. Melissa holds a BS in Marketing from Northeastern University and has mastered the fine art of running conference calls and webinars while juggling her toddler son and his toys on her lap.
Melissa Zimdars
Melissa Zimdars, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media, Merrimack College
Melissa Zimdars is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Media at Merrimack College. She is currently working on a co-edited anthology of essays entitled Fake News: Mis/Disinformation in the Digital Age.
Moderator
Roz Whitaker-Heck, APR
Dr. Roz Whitaker-Heck, APR, has been an associate professor and associate dean in the Division of Communication and Creative Media at Champlain College in Burlington, VT since July 2015. She also serves as the faculty advisor for the Champlain PRSSA chapter which she helped to reinstate in January 2016.
She earned a B.A. in Communication from Howard University (Washington DC), an M.S. in Media Management from Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Va.) as well as a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from George Washington University (Washington, D.C.). Her research project examined the tactical and strategic roles of public relations officers employed in U.S. higher education institutions.
Her professional career spans 20 years and includes time at Penn State University as a PBS producer/director; a media spokesperson for the Newport News (Va.) Public School District; as well as serving in faculty and administrative positions at Hampton University, and Old Dominion University in the state of Virginia.
She has been an active member of PRSA national since 2000 and has served in various officer positions with state chapters. She was most recently elected as a YPRSA board member.