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Journalism

Allison Messner leans against a porch railing with a landscaped yard behind her.

Five Questions with Yardzen CEO Allison Messner

After a devastating megafire destroyed her yard, Allison Messner cofounded an online landscaping design platform that is gaining national attention.

Todd Bishop sits in the studio for his podcast

5 Questions with Distinguished Alum Todd Bishop

Todd Bishop (Journalism, Business Administration, ’96) is a co-founder and editor at GeekWire, a Seattle-based news site covering national technology trends.

Chico State graduate Mark Nielsen works at Pixar Animation Studios.

5 Questions With Alumnus Mark Nielsen

Mark Nielsen has transformed a childhood love of movies into a remarkable career at Pixar Animation Studios, most recently working as a producer on "Toy Story 4."

North State Public Radio's Sarah Bohannon poses and smiles in front of a rust-colored fence with leaves from bushes behind her.

5 Questions with Alumna Sarah Bohannon

When Sarah Bohannon (Journalism, '13) began covering the Camp Fire for North State Public Radio, the already-accomplished news director was about to embark on a new project: the National Edward R. Murrow Award-winning program "After Paradise."

Alexa Benson-Valavanis sits in a chair in her light-flooded office.

When Community Calls

The local foundation Alexa Benson-Valavanis shaped to support area nonprofits suddenly went global last fall as one of the main places to donate during the Camp Fire.

Alex Grant looks into the viewfinder of a camera as he records a press conference.

Next-Level News

In the crisis of the Camp Fire, The Orion reporters were not only learning the job on the fly, but providing critical updates to their community.

The reporting staff of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat erupts in celebration as they learn that the Santa Rosa Press Democrat captured the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in April 2018 for their coverage of the October 2017 fires in Sonoma County.

From the Ashes: Alum’s Coverage of Wine Country Fires Earns Highest Award in American Journalism

Randi Rossmann has made a career of covering some of the most grueling, ghastly, and demanding stories in the Sonoma Valley. After the Communications alum helped lead coverage of the 2017 Sonoma County fires at The Press Democrat, her team was rewarded with journalism's highest honor.

Patrick Pace is seen with his parents in 2014, as a prospective student deciding to "Choose Chico," and four years later as as a graduate.

Oh Snap! Grad Caught on Camera Before and After Chico

Coincidence captures Patrick Pace on camera for the second time in four years—bookending his time as a Wildcat with images as both a prospective student and college graduate.

The inside of a VR viewer headset as it's prepared to be placed on the head, from the photographer's perspective.

VR Class Brews up a Hit with Big-Name Partner

To further prove virtual and augmented reality's place in University curriculum, a new collaborative class partnered with a Chico legend: the world-renowned craft brewery Sierra Nevada.

Malaika Fraley, Rick Hurd, Katrina Cameron won a Pulitzer Prize for journalism

Path to a Pulitzer

Journalism alums and reporters Malaika Fraley, Rick Hurd, and Katrina Cameron earned a Pulitzer Prize for their team coverage of the devastation and aftermath of the "Ghost Ship" fire in Oakland in 2016.

#WhyITeach, Chico State Style

Fifty-one new faculty members joined the Chico State family in August. Each were asked to describe their motivation to teach. Here’s a sampling of what they said.

A banner showing the construction of Kendall Hall in 1929 outside of Kendall Hall

#internlife

Quinn Western, a senior journalism major, tells about her summer internship at The Sacramento Bee.

Ben Mullin: The Man Behind the Paper

By Ben Mullin, Editor-in-Chief, senior, Journalism and English literature major Ask any journalist what they’re proudest of and you’ll get different answers. Some will break out their old stories and tell you how they tracked down each breathtaking scoop. Some will regale you with tales about how they stood their ground when some infuriated reader […]

Proof Positive: My Summer Internship at the Sacramento Bee

By Kacey Gardner, Senior, Journalism Stanford. LSU. UC Davis. USC. Yale. If my esteem for The Sacramento Bee wasn’t enough to make me nervous, seeing my name and “Chico State” on the roster of impressive summer interns certainly was. And as the sole copyediting intern among 10 reporters to be working at the paper, I […]

orion twitter feed

The Orion’s Going #DigitalFirst

By Ben Mullin, Journalism and English Literature major Managing Editor, The Orion When The Orion news team convened for the first meeting of the semester, I told them all to take a deep breath and close their eyes. Some raised their eyebrows. Some cracked hesitant smiles. But they humored me while I began my speech: […]