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Department Annual Events and Celebrations

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CINECULTURE VIRTUAL FILM SCREENINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 
FALL 2022

CineCulture is a film series offered as a three-unit academic course (MCJ 179) in the Media, Communications and Journalism Department. CineCulture fulfills General Education Integration Area Multicultural International (MI), a university graduation requirement. CineCulture provides a service to the Fresno State campus students, faculty and staff, and community. Everyone is welcome to attend.

CineCulture is also a campus club. The CineCulture Club promotes cultural awareness through film and post-screening discussions. This fall 2022 semester, Cineculture will bring many exciting new films to our community via virtual cinema.

Links to view films will be posted on the Cineculture website https://cineculture.csufresno.edu/ Subscribers will have to watch the films on their own and prior to the discussions.  These films will be available for a period of 3-5 days before and will NOT be with the discussions.

Via weekly email announcements, listserv subscribers will be invited to attend Zoom discussions with guest discussants. As with in-person screenings, viewers will NOT be charged a fee for viewing the films (There is a minimal charge 10/28 & 11/4 for viewers who don’t have access to library databases). Audience members will view the films prior to the discussion dates. We hope you enjoy the films and can join us for the Friday discussions via Zoom! 

CineCulture Club promotes cultural awareness through film and post-screening discussions.
Fresno State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us in advance to your participation.

For further information about CineCulture: http://cineculture.csufresno.edu/
CineCulture Club invites invite you to like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter, and check the club website for film updates.
Contact: Dr. Mary Husain (Instructor & Club Adviser) at mhusain@csufresno.edu

Media, Communications and Journalism faculty annually celebrate with MCJ graduates at the College of Arts and Humanities Convocation.

GrunerAwardPhotoThe George F. Gruner Awards for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism annually recognize outstanding community service in newspaper journalism in the central San Joaquin Valley. The awards, which honor Mr. Gruner, a former executive editor of The Fresno Bee, rank among the top journalism honors in the state.

The McClatchy Company established the Gruner awards in 1989. The Department of Media, Communications and Journalism coordinates the awards, including the call for submissions and the judging.

Here are the 2022 winners:

HIGH SCHOOLS

Best feature/profile story

Honorable mention – Stevi Valenzuela

Minarets Press

 

Winner – Mallory Scott

Sanger Hi-Lights

 

Best news story

Honorable mention – Sofia Braz, Hazel Taintor

Minarets Press

 

Winner – Vincent Garcia

Sanger Hi-Lights

 

BEST COLUMN

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Jon Hammond

Tehachapi News

 

Winner – Paul Myers

The Sun-Gazette

 

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – James Ward

Visalia Times-Delta

 

Winner – Donald Promnitz

Hanford  Sentinel

 

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Robert Price

The Bakersfield Californian

 

Winner – Marek Warszawski

The Fresno Bee

 

BEST SPORTS PHOTO

Weeklies

Honorable mention – David Waters

The Mountain Enterprise

 

Winner – Nick Smirnoff

Tehachapi News

 

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Craig Kohlruss

The Fresno Bee

 

Winner – Alex Horvath

The Bakersfield Californian

 

BEST SPORTS FEATURE STORY

Weeklies

Honorable mention -- Ron Stapp

Tehachapi News

 

Winner – Allen Laman

Mariposa Gazette

 

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – Shawn Jansen

Merced Sun-Star

 

Winner – Vongni Yang

Visalia Times-Delta

 

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Ron Stapp

The Bakersfield Californian

 

Winner – Robert Kuwada

The Fresno Bee

 

BEST NEWS/FEATURE PHOTO

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Nick Smirnoff

Tehachapi News

 

Winner – David Waters

The Mountain Enterprise

 

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Alex Horvath

The Bakersfield Californian

 

Winner – John Walker

The Fresno Bee

 

BEST FEATURE STORY

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Allen Laman

Mariposa Gazette

 

Winner – Claudia Elliott

Tehachapi News

 

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – Abbie Lauten-Scrivner

Merced Sun-Star

 

Winner – Parker Bowman

Hanford Sentinel

 

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Carmen George

The Fresno Bee

 

Winner – Steven Mayer

The Bakersfield Californian

 

BEST NEWS STORY

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Edward Smith

The Business Journal

 

Winner – Greg Little

Mariposa Gazette

 

Small newspapers

Honorable mention – Abbie Lauten-Scrivner

Merced Sun-Star

 

Winner – Joshua Yeager

Visalia Times-Delta

 

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – John Cox

The Bakersfield Californian

 

Winner – Yesenia Amaro

The Fresno Bee

 

PUBLIC SERVICE

Weeklies

Honorable mention – Ben Irwin

The Sun-Gazette

 

Winner – Edward Smith

The Business Journal

 

Small newspapers

Honorable mention -- Abbie Lauten-Scrivner

Merced Sun-Star

 

Winner – Donald Promnitz

Hanford Sentinel

 

Large newspapers

Honorable mention – Cassandra Garibay and Monica Vaughan

The Fresno Bee

 

Winner – ChrisAnna Mink and Erin  Tracy

The Modesto Bee

 

George F. Gruner retired in April 1988 after a career in journalism covering 46 years, including 33 years on the news staff of The Fresno Bee. Before joining The Bee, he worked for 10 years as a reporter for the Oakland Tribune and two years as a copy editor on the civilian staff of the European Edition of The Stars and Stripes, the armed services newspaper published in Germany.

After a year on the copy desk at The Fresno Bee, Gruner was named assistant city editor in 1956 and city editor in 1961. He served as assistant managing editor in 1970, became managing editor in 1971 and executive editor in 1981.

Gruner was a figure in a Freedom of the Press issue in 1976 when, as a member of the “Fresno Four,” he was jailed for contempt of court for refusing a judge's order to reveal a confidential source of information used in The Fresno Bee's news stories concerning a city official. He and three other members of The Bee's staff refused to reveal the source and spent 15 days in custody before being released. The “Fresno Four” received wide support from journalists and many other individuals and organizations throughout the United States for upholding the right to maintain confidential sources.

Since his retirement, Gruner has written two books, a history of the battleship USS California and another on the coastal passenger liners Yale and Harvard.

Visit the Alumni Link to view our MCJ Hall of Fame Inductees and look at photos from the ceremony.  

MCJ Day is designed to make high school students more aware of the department's five options. Guest speakers and panelists discussed the options and professional development.   

Periodically the MCJ Department will host Roger Tatarian Journalism Symposia. These events bring in top-notch national and international journalists to share with the campus and broader community about important issues of the day. The Roger Tatarian Journalism Chair coordinates the symposia. 

For more information about the reception or scholarships, contact Dr. Nancy Van Leuven, MCJ Scholarship Chair, at nancyvanleuven@csufresno.edu