Elon University senior Joe Bruno, news director for student-run broadcast news station Elon Local News, attended a national journalism conference with communications professors.
Bruno is the recipient of the Presidents Scholarship from the Radio Television Digital News Association. Three years ago, RTDNA joined forces with the Society of Professional Journalists to hold an annual combined journalism conference.
Rich Landesberg and Anthony Hatcher, both associate professors of communications, attended the conference with Bruno. Landesberg is adviser to ELN and Hatcher is adviser to Elon’s chapter of SPJ.
Bruno, who is also the student president of SPJ at Elon, received the D’Angelo Family Scholarship in April 2013. Established by Drs. Lawrence and Dolores D’Angelo P’02, the scholarship honors the late CBS Newsman Bill Leonard and recognizes the achievements of an outstanding rising senior in the field of broadcast communication.
Lawrence D’Angelo was the college roommate of Fox News Sunday broadcaster Chris Wallace. Bill Leonard was Wallace’s stepfather. Wallace’s father was Mike Wallace of CBS’s 60 Minutes, who died in 2012.
Wallace met privately with Bruno, Hatcher and Landesberg to reminisce and chat about the state of modern journalism. Wallace was at the convention to receive the Paul White Award, an award bestowed upon Mike Wallace in 1991. Chris and Mike Wallace are the only father and son who have received this top honor from RTDNA.
Elon journalism students in broadcast, print and digital media regularly win regional and national awards. Elon’s SPJ chapter was named Outstanding Campus Chapter for Region 2 in 2011 and 2012. Region 2 encompasses the Carolinas, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.