A group of Kent State public relations students who are participating in a national competition launched the Common Ground campaign to dig deeper into how media professionals and journalists can help improve civility in discourse.
The 2021 Bateman Blue Team is participating in the annual Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) national Bateman Case Study Competition. The team is actively researching, planning, implementing and evaluating a public relations campaign to raise awareness about the importance of civility. The campaign is targeting Kent State University students who are involved with Student Media as well as freshmen who are a part of the College of Communication and Information. They are doing this in several ways:
- Launching the “Finding Common Ground'' podcast, which is centered on the role public relations, journalism and media have in helping to promote civility. The podcast features faculty within the School of Media and Journalism; episodes air every Monday and can be found on Spotify and YouTube.
- Hosting a virtual panel discussion on Thursday, March 4, where students, faculty and professionals will have the opportunity to discuss finding common ground when producing media. To participate in the event, RSVP here.
- Facilitating a grab and go event in the CCI Living Learning Community (CCI Commons, Olson Hall) where students can grab an informational bag to learn more about how they impact civility and can help others find common ground. This will take place Tuesday, March 2 from 5-7 p.m.
Follow along with the Bateman Blue Team for more information on social media: @KSUCommonGround. The team is made up of public relations sophomores, juniors and seniors: Zach Zdanowicz, Camryn Stephens, Ben Vrobel, Hannah Mayer, Kayla Polansky and Ashley Blood. They are one of two Kent State teams participating in this competition.