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Department Annual Events and Celebrations
CINECULTURE VIRTUAL FILM SCREENINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
FALL 2022
CineCulture is a film series offered as a three-unit academic course (MCJ 179) in the Media, Communications and Journalism Department. CineCulture fulfills General Education Integration Area Multicultural International (MI), a university graduation requirement. CineCulture provides a service to the Fresno State campus students, faculty and staff, and community. Everyone is welcome to attend.
CineCulture is also a campus club. The CineCulture Club promotes cultural awareness through film and post-screening discussions. This fall 2022 semester, Cineculture will bring many exciting new films to our community via virtual cinema.
Links to view films will be posted on the Cineculture website https://cineculture.csufresno.edu/ Subscribers will have to watch the films on their own and prior to the discussions. These films will be available for a period of 3-5 days before and will NOT be with the discussions.
Via weekly email announcements, listserv subscribers will be invited to attend Zoom discussions with guest discussants. As with in-person screenings, viewers will NOT be charged a fee for viewing the films (There is a minimal charge 10/28 & 11/4 for viewers who don’t have access to library databases). Audience members will view the films prior to the discussion dates. We hope you enjoy the films and can join us for the Friday discussions via Zoom!
CineCulture Club promotes cultural awareness through film and post-screening discussions.
Fresno State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and
activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions
about the physical access provided, please contact us in advance to your participation.
For further information about CineCulture: http://cineculture.csufresno.edu/
CineCulture Club invites invite you to like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter,
and check the club website for film updates.
Contact: Dr. Mary Husain (Instructor & Club Adviser) at mhusain@csufresno.edu
Media, Communications and Journalism faculty annually celebrate with MCJ graduates at the College of Arts and Humanities Convocation.
The George F. Gruner Awards for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism annually
recognize outstanding community service in newspaper journalism in the central San
Joaquin Valley. The awards, which honor Mr. Gruner, a former executive editor of The
Fresno Bee, rank among the top journalism honors in the state.
The McClatchy Company established the Gruner awards in 1989. The Department of Media, Communications and Journalism coordinates the awards, including the call for submissions and the judging.
Here are the 2022 winners:
HIGH SCHOOLS
Best feature/profile story
Honorable mention – Stevi Valenzuela
Minarets Press
Winner – Mallory Scott
Sanger Hi-Lights
Best news story
Honorable mention – Sofia Braz, Hazel Taintor
Minarets Press
Winner – Vincent Garcia
Sanger Hi-Lights
BEST COLUMN
Weeklies
Honorable mention – Jon Hammond
Tehachapi News
Winner – Paul Myers
The Sun-Gazette
Small newspapers
Honorable mention – James Ward
Visalia Times-Delta
Winner – Donald Promnitz
Hanford Sentinel
Large newspapers
Honorable mention – Robert Price
The Bakersfield Californian
Winner – Marek Warszawski
The Fresno Bee
BEST SPORTS PHOTO
Weeklies
Honorable mention – David Waters
The Mountain Enterprise
Winner – Nick Smirnoff
Tehachapi News
Large newspapers
Honorable mention – Craig Kohlruss
The Fresno Bee
Winner – Alex Horvath
The Bakersfield Californian
BEST SPORTS FEATURE STORY
Weeklies
Honorable mention -- Ron Stapp
Tehachapi News
Winner – Allen Laman
Mariposa Gazette
Small newspapers
Honorable mention – Shawn Jansen
Merced Sun-Star
Winner – Vongni Yang
Visalia Times-Delta
Large newspapers
Honorable mention – Ron Stapp
The Bakersfield Californian
Winner – Robert Kuwada
The Fresno Bee
BEST NEWS/FEATURE PHOTO
Weeklies
Honorable mention – Nick Smirnoff
Tehachapi News
Winner – David Waters
The Mountain Enterprise
Large newspapers
Honorable mention – Alex Horvath
The Bakersfield Californian
Winner – John Walker
The Fresno Bee
BEST FEATURE STORY
Weeklies
Honorable mention – Allen Laman
Mariposa Gazette
Winner – Claudia Elliott
Tehachapi News
Small newspapers
Honorable mention – Abbie Lauten-Scrivner
Merced Sun-Star
Winner – Parker Bowman
Hanford Sentinel
Large newspapers
Honorable mention – Carmen George
The Fresno Bee
Winner – Steven Mayer
The Bakersfield Californian
BEST NEWS STORY
Weeklies
Honorable mention – Edward Smith
The Business Journal
Winner – Greg Little
Mariposa Gazette
Small newspapers
Honorable mention – Abbie Lauten-Scrivner
Merced Sun-Star
Winner – Joshua Yeager
Visalia Times-Delta
Large newspapers
Honorable mention – John Cox
The Bakersfield Californian
Winner – Yesenia Amaro
The Fresno Bee
PUBLIC SERVICE
Weeklies
Honorable mention – Ben Irwin
The Sun-Gazette
Winner – Edward Smith
The Business Journal
Small newspapers
Honorable mention -- Abbie Lauten-Scrivner
Merced Sun-Star
Winner – Donald Promnitz
Hanford Sentinel
Large newspapers
Honorable mention – Cassandra Garibay and Monica Vaughan
The Fresno Bee
Winner – ChrisAnna Mink and Erin Tracy
The Modesto Bee
George F. Gruner retired in April 1988 after a career in journalism covering 46 years, including 33 years on the news staff of The Fresno Bee. Before joining The Bee, he worked for 10 years as a reporter for the Oakland Tribune and two years as a copy editor on the civilian staff of the European Edition of The Stars and Stripes, the armed services newspaper published in Germany.
After a year on the copy desk at The Fresno Bee, Gruner was named assistant city editor in 1956 and city editor in 1961. He served as assistant managing editor in 1970, became managing editor in 1971 and executive editor in 1981.
Gruner was a figure in a Freedom of the Press issue in 1976 when, as a member of the “Fresno Four,” he was jailed for contempt of court for refusing a judge's order to reveal a confidential source of information used in The Fresno Bee's news stories concerning a city official. He and three other members of The Bee's staff refused to reveal the source and spent 15 days in custody before being released. The “Fresno Four” received wide support from journalists and many other individuals and organizations throughout the United States for upholding the right to maintain confidential sources.
Since his retirement, Gruner has written two books, a history of the battleship USS California and another on the coastal passenger liners Yale and Harvard.
Visit the Alumni Link to view our MCJ Hall of Fame Inductees and look at photos from the ceremony.
MCJ Day is designed to make high school students more aware of the department's five options. Guest speakers and panelists discussed the options and professional development.
Periodically the MCJ Department will host Roger Tatarian Journalism Symposia. These events bring in top-notch national and international journalists to share with the campus and broader community about important issues of the day. The Roger Tatarian Journalism Chair coordinates the symposia.
For more information about the reception or scholarships, contact Dr. Nancy Van Leuven, MCJ Scholarship Chair, at nancyvanleuven@csufresno.edu.