Poynter Institute's Al Tompkins to Deliver UK Creason Lecture

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 17, 2013) ― Al Tompkins, senior faculty for broadcast and online at the Poynter Institute, will deliver the 36th annual University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications' Joe Creason Lecture at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the Worsham Theater of the UK Student Center. The lecture, titled "We Have Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, do we REALLY Need Journalists?" is free and open to the public.

Tompkins is one of America's most requested journalism and multi-media instructors. After nearly 30 years working as a reporter, photojournalist, producer, investigative reporter, head of special investigations and news director, Tompkins joined the Poynter Institute.

He is the author of Aim for the Heart a textbook about multimedia storytelling that has been adopted by more than 90 universities worldwide.  He has taught in 48 states, Canada, Egypt, Denmark, South Africa, Iceland and the Caymans. 

Tompkins is the recipient of some of journalism's highest awards including the National Emmy, the Japan Prize, The American Bar Association's Silver Gavel, the Peabody, seven National Headliner Awards, the Robert F. Kennedy Award and the Iris Award. He was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2008 and honored with The Governor's Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 

Tompkins helped author the national codes of ethics for both the National Press Photographers Association and the Radio and Television Digital News Association. 

He has taught workshops for hundreds of clients in the last dozen years including NBC, The Weather Channel, Telemundo, Univision, Entravision, CBC, CNN, Fox, ABC, KING, KHOU, WFAA, WFTV, WTSP, KY3, WTKR, WTVF, KTUU, National Public Radio, Bay News 9, News 8 Austin, WTHR and many more. He has also taught at college campuses including Harvard, Boston University, Western Kentucky University, Indiana University, University of Texas-Austin, University of Nebraska, Kansas University, San Jose State, Belmont University, Indiana State, Ball State, Middle Tennessee State and many others. 

Tompkins is a graduate of Western Kentucky University.

"We’re delighted to welcome Al Tompkins back home to Kentucky," said Beth Barnes, director of the School of Journalism and Telecommunications. "Al has been on campus several times during the last few years to conduct workshops for our faculty.  He is a tremendous advocate for journalism and has important insights to share.”

The Joe Creason Lecture Series brings an outstanding journalist to the university to meet and talk with students, and to speak before an assembly of students, faculty and the general public. The lecture series honors the memory of Joe Creason, a Kentuckian who wrote for the Courier-Journal and The Courier-Journal Sunday Magazine. The lecture series was made possible through a matching grant from the Bingham Enterprises Foundation of Kentucky and gifts donated by UK alumni and friends of Joe Creason.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Ann Blackford, ann.blackford@uky.edu