Georgia Southern students recognized by International City/County Management Association
A group of Georgia Southern students won recognition from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for a collaborative event focused on the role media plays in local government.
The award-winning event, “Transparency and Accountability in Government: The Role of Trusted News Media,” was held during the spring semester and hosted by Georgia Southern’s ICMA student chapter. The event featured a panel discussion, co-hosted with the Institute for Vibrant and Engaged Communities, focused on the critical role of media in fostering government accountability and informing citizens.
The ICMA student chapter leadership team including President Olivia Davis-Ryan, Vice President Alisa Dunn, Special Events Coordinator Zamaria Ball and Secretary Frederick Jones organized the event and recruited local media representatives and government officials to participate. Graduate Assistants Edie Grace Grice and Ebow Barton-Ordo moderated the discussion.
Georgia Southern's ICMA advisor and co-director of the Institute for Vibrant and Engaged Communities Candice Pippin Bodkin, Ph.D., shared some insight on the process and the importance of this event.
“The ICMA Student Chapter planned this event around this topic because we realized the importance of trusted and reliable news media sources for well-functioning local government,” Bodkin said. “We reached out to local news agencies as well as local government officials to participate in the panel and discuss how they work to ensure that the community is informed about the work of their local government and how to get involved if so desired.”
Their panel featured Dal Cannady, communications director for Bulloch County, Susan Catron, managing editor of The Current, Jonathan McCollar, mayor of Statesboro, DeWayne Grice, founder of Grice Connect, and Jason Grant, director of advocacy at ICMA. Mayor McCollar discussed the importance of transparency in government, while Catron noted the challenges posed by sensationalism in news reporting. Overall, the panel expressed how the media plays an essential role in a healthy democracy, especially in a time when misinformation can easily spread.
“Many communities around the country have lost their local newspaper and have no local coverage available to them,” Bodkin said. “Instead, they must rely on the news in the nearest metro area, which may or may not have any coverage of what is happening in their local community. People also rely on Facebook and other social media sources that may not be reliable and limit the ability of citizens to meaningfully participate.”
In addition to the team’s success, Zamaria Ball was awarded the Edwin O. Stene Scholarship for $1,500 which supported her travel to the ICMA National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she participated in the Student Policy Proposal Summit “Tackling Wicked Problems in Local Government.”
“Winning this contest is a tremendous honor, and I’m excited to share our story with a wider audience,” Ball said. “This experience has been a whirlwind, and I look forward to creating even more opportunities for our chapter and community.”