CM Lifers from near and far celebrate 100 years of student media
The Chippewa Marching Band plays Central MIchigan University's "Fight Song" at the Central Michigan Life Centennial Celebration Nov. 16 at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Rezendes discussed the importance of investigative journalism and his experience on The Boston Globe's Spotlight Team to Central Michigan Life alumni and current staff members.
“Investigative journalism really is about holding powerful people and powerful institutions accountable to the rest of us,” said Rezendes, who now works for the Associated Press. “Sometimes we find wrongdoing, we suspect wrongdoing and it’s our job to get to the bottom of it and really protect our fellow citizens by arming them with the truth about what people may be doing to them or doing to our civil society.”
Rezendes spoke as the keynote speaker at the Central Michigan Life Centennial Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort.
He shared his experiences working on The Boston Globe Spotlight Team when it broke a series of stories exposing the Roman Catholic Church for covering up clergy sexual abuse. He mentioned the struggles and the process that the team went through while writing the story.
“We did not discover the phenomenon of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church, what we discovered was the cover-up,” Rezendes said.
The process and investigative journalism that went into the reporting was made into the 2015 award-winning film "Spotlight."
According to Rezendes, "Spotlight" was an extremely accurate depiction of how the events played out and really brought out the importance of investigative journalism.
“It’s tough out there, but the truth has never been more important,” Rezendes said. “This country and our democracy has never needed you all as much as it does today.”
The celebration brought Central Michigan University alumni, students and journalists together to reminisce about their time at CM Life and celebrate their success during and after college.
“I came to see a whole bunch of friends I accumulated over the years and bring back a whole lot of positive memories,” said Jim Wojcik, former CM Life adviser and current journalism faculty member.
During the event, CMU President Bob Davies spoke to audience about how the Freedom Forum Institute, the Newseum and the Student Press Law Center declared 2019 the Year of the Student Journalist.
“The Year of the Student Journalist is absolutely essential because of the skills and traits you are learning at CM Life,” Davies said. “You have also learned the thrill, the fear and the excitement of deadlines.”
A variety of alumni spoke at the celebration about the work they did while at CM Life and what the organization means to them.
“CM Life is a place that gave me a career and a foundation for experimentation and leadership,” said Mark W. Smith digital social and operations editor of The Washington Post, and a former Editor-in-Chief of CM Life.
Chad Livengood, senior editor at Crain’s Detroit Business and former CM Life Editor-in-Chief, looked back on his conversations with and coverage of the old president and vice president of the university.
“The stories I loved most at CM Life are the ones that crawled under the skin of administrators,” Livengood said.
Like Livengood, Leanne Gilbert, MLive news leader spoke fondly about her time on staff and the memories that she made.
“I was a sportswriter at CM Life, and I found a family and I found the people who were like me and found a home,” Gilbert said. “We shared good times in the basement of Anspach Hall and at Sea Breeze parties at Park Place Apartments.”
