Media Fellows learn from Pulitizer winner

This past week, a Hollywood actor walked on campus, though many people may not have recognized his face. R.B. Brenner, the Sunday editor of the Washington Post and deputy editor of the Universal News Desk, spoke to students Tuesday night about his career in both journalism and Hollywood.

Brenner won a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his work on the coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting. Besides being an award winning journalist, he also had a big say in the movie "State of Play," where he served as the journalistic consultant. He made sure the role of journalists were portrayed properly in the movie.

Along with cast members Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams, Brenner also had a small appearance in the movie.

"I was a bean counter: a business person that worries journalists are spending too much money," he said. "I went and sat in make-up before, and they filled my bald spot with a combination of what looked like a salt and pepper mixture."

According to Brenner, he thought this was a stroke of luck.

"The older you get, the best things that happen in life are out of the blue," he said. "It was my responsibility to see my profession not get betrayed by Hollywood."

The freshman Media Fellows class had the opportunity to talk with Brenner in class Monday and Wednesday. He offered advice to students about journalism careers, as well as offering professional advice in general.

At his lecture, Brenner talked a lot about the article for which he won the Pulitzer and even though he was off work at the time, he said he needed to help.

"When in doubt, act. Do something," he said. "One of our editors sent a reporter all the way to Virginia [from D.C.] and said maybe it was worth them travelling four hours to get there."

The reporters were asked to attempt to talk with students and parents, distraught by the situation. Brenner said it was better for the younger reporters to try to talk to them.

"Empathy is a good quality of a journalist," Brenner said. "Our reporters befriended some of the students on Facebook and asked them if they could call them and ask a couple questions. It wasn't like an old aggressive journalist, knocking on doors."

David Bohmer, director of the Eugene S. Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media, said R.B. Brenner stayed with professor Bob Steele, a 1969 DePauw graduate. Brenner met Steele while studying at the Poytner Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Bohmer also said that not as many people showed up to the lecture as he thought.

"It was a lower attendance than I expected," he said. "A lot of people missed a great opportunity to talk to someone who's important in news and involved in a movie."

Bohmer said Steele is planning to invite other speakers to campus.

Sophomore Mira Yaseen attended Brenner's presentation, and was impressed to hear about Brenner's journalism career.

"The stories he had to cover and the incidents along the way were really cool," she said.