Keynote speakers announced for College Media Convention in Dallas

Four outstanding keynote speakers whose expertise spans police work, broadcast journalism, the John F. Kennedy assassination, public radio and more will join thousands of student journalists at the National College Media Convention in Dallas this fall.

The Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association are proud to announce David O. Brown, Hugh Aynesworth, Bob Schieffer and Stella Chávez as keynote speakers for the convention from Oct. 25-29, 2017.

David O. Brown, who will speak Thursday, Oct. 26, is a 33-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. After retiring last fall, he joined ABC News as a correspondent and serves as an adviser for Texas organizations that support early childhood education, mental health awareness and treatment and assistance for people who have been incarcerated.

Four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Hugh Aynesworth, who presents Friday, Oct. 27, has been bureau chief of Newsweek and Washington Times, investigative team leader for ABC’s 20/20 and has authored or co-authored six books. As a 32-year-old Dallas Morning News reporter, he gained widespread recognition for his coverage of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Jack Ruby’s trial and the following conspiracies — and earned two Pulitzer Prize nominations for that work. Aynesworth also recently won an Emmy for a documentary in which he interviewed more than 20 people involved in the coverage of the tragedy.

Bob Schieffer, who will address students on Saturday, Oct. 28, served as anchor of the CBS evening news for two years — during which time the network saw the largest ratings increase in more than a decade. Schieffer has been designated a “living legend” by the Library of Congress, inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame, moderated three presidential debates, and won nearly every award in broadcast journalism, including eight Emmys. Schieffer retired from “Face the Nation” in 2015 — after taking it to No. 1 in ratings — but still offers political analysis for CBS, hosts a weekly podcast called “About the News,” and his fifth book (“Overload: Finding Truth in the Deluge of News”) is set to be released in October. His says his most meaningful recognition was when his alma mater, Texas Christian University, named its communication college the “Bob Schieffer College of Communication.”

Award-winning reporter Stella M. Chávez, who will give the keynote on Sunday, Oct. 29, covers education for KERA, the NPR affiliate in Dallas. She has also contributed to major news stories such as the shooting of five police officers in downtown Dallas, the Ebola case in Dallas and more. Before pivoting to radio, she worked as a newspaper reporter for nearly 13 years, including at the Dallas Morning News, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida. Chávez has won several awards, including the 2007 Livingston Award for Young Journalists in National Reporting for her entry of the seven-part series she co-authored, “Yolanda’s Crossing,” which reconstructs the 5,000-mile journey of a young Mexican sexual-abuse victim from a small Oaxacan village to Dallas. That piece won several other national awards. Her essay about her sister who suffers from a mental illness, “Growing up with Silvia,” was published in the literary journal Ten Spurs in 2012.

The National College Media Convention, a partnership between Associated Collegiate Press and the College Media Association, will be held Oct. 25-29 at the Sheraton in Dallas. Hundreds of sessions will be offered, with topics encompassing all aspects of student journalism. The early-bird deadline for convention registration is Oct. 4. For more information on the schedule, location and registration, visit collegemedia17.org.