Newswise — To celebrate its 25th anniversary, USA TODAY, the nation's largest circulation newspaper, is partnering with American University's School of Communication on a series of events to be held Sept. 10 through Sept. 14.
"Our school has a long standing connection with USA TODAY," said Larry Kirkman, dean of AU's School of Communication. "Three of our professors were editors or reporters there. Many of our alumni work there now and our students intern regularly, earning bylines. It's natural that we celebrate this milestone. The school shares USA TODAY'S commitment to innovation and public service."
The events, hosted by AU's School of Communication, will cover a range of topics including the First Amendment, reinventing the news business and how USA TODAY changed the media industry. Participants include Founder Al Neuharth and Editor Ken Paulson.
The anniversary events kick off Sept. 10 with a special, week-long exhibition of 25 USA TODAY front pages and news photos at the university's Katzen Arts Center. The week continues with a series of events featuring some of the most distinguished journalists in the United States, including Helen Thomas, Bob Schieffer, Jim Lehrer, Judy Woodruff and John Seigenthaler, among others.
"USA TODAY was way ahead of its time," said Amy Eisman, one of the founding editors of USA TODAY and director of writing programs at AU's School of Communication. "It was derided in its early days, but it revolutionized the way journalism is presented."
Lynne Perri, former deputy managing editor of graphics and photography at USA TODAY and now journalist-in-residence at AU, is using her experience at the news organization to develop a new program in visual journalism for the school. "USA TODAY was the first newspaper to see color as something readers could enjoy, but still take stories seriously," said Perri. "The newspaper took color graphics and photography to the next level."
On Sept. 15, 1982, USA TODAY was launched as the Nation's first national newspaper. It was the most expensive and closely watched newspaper debut in history. Twenty-five years later, USA TODAY is the nation's top-selling newspaper with a daily readership of 4.4 million readers and an average circulation of 2.3 million; its Web site, http://USATODAY.com, is an award-winning news site with almost 11 million visitors a month. American University's School of Communication is a laboratory for professional education, communication research and innovative production across the fields of journalism, film and media arts, and public communication. Patrick Butler, vice president of The Washington Post Company; Susan Zirinsky, executive producer for CBS's "48 Hours Investigates" ; and Tony Perkins, morning anchor for WTTG Fox 5 and former meteorologist for ABC's "Good Morning America" are among the School of Communication's alumni who maintain close relationships with the school.
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