Longtime CM Life adviser Jim Wojcik inducted into Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame
Jim Wojcik's devotion to accuracy and forming lasting relationships in journalism has led him to the ultimate honor: Induction into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
On April 15, the department of journalism instructor was inducted during the annual ceremony. Wojcik said he is still walking around in a state of shock from the tremendous honor.
"It's not anything I saw coming or expected," Wojcik said. "When you’re recognized by your peers, that’s the ultimate respect."
According to the journalism mentor, Wojcik said that when people ask him why he's still doing this, it's because of students themselves. In his 30 years as a Central Michigan Life advisor, Wojcik did everything in his power to "make students think."
"I tried to challenge them and I tried to get them to ask all the questions," he said. "I tried to make sure they got both sides of an issue. It wasn’t so much what I told them to do, it was more making them think of following all the steps that they needed to in order to be successful."
Wayne Kamidoi, 1987 journalism alum and an art director of The New York Times, told CMU News that his time at Central Michigan Life was the toughest job he ever had.
"Jim expected top-notch journalism," Kamidoi wrote in his nomination letter, "and we hoped to deliver through hard work and respect for the craft. Trickle-down advice from senior editors to know-it-all underclassmen: Do things 'The Woj's Way,' which meant no cutting corners."
As for his end goal with Central Michigan University, Wojcik says he doesn't have one.
"When I quit having fun or the students tell me I'm not effective, I’m out of here," he said.
To aspiring journalists, Wojcik advises that accuracy and balance matter the most, and that old-school journalism is still relevant today.
"Journalists need to understand that they have tremendous power," he said. "But with that tremendous power, there’s an awesome responsibility. You cannot put a premium on accuracy. You need to represent both sides and question everything, gather as much information as possible. That’s how I was raised, that’s how I believe. It’s more necessary than it’s ever been today than it was 20 years ago."
While Wojcik couldn't list any specific accomplishments of his own that he was proud of, he did believe his enjoyment came from watching his students be successful.
"What I have is a long time of great relationships with people who started as students and are now highly successful professionals in both journalism and public relations," he said. "That’s my high. I don’t know that I had a seminal moment."
Other 2018 Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame inductees were freelance writer and former Detroit Free Press columnist Susan Ager, automotive journalist John McElroy and WDET-FM news director and host Jerome Vaughn.
The event was Sunday at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center at Michigan State University.
