Roseburg High School

This year, the Oregon Journalism Education Association (OJEA) and the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) hosted the 99th annual Fall Media Day for high school and middle school students. Roseburg High School’s Mass Media, Photography and Yearbook classes attended Fall Media Day in Eugene on Tuesday November 4, 2025 to learn about journalism and multimedia skills, and build relationships as a team.After the trip, Mass Media student Xavier Arana “felt amazing, terrific, strong, unstoppable.”

Students Evelyn Eames, Zoe John, Theo Steward and Chloe Brown attended “Covering Traumatic Events and Caring For Yourself In The Process,” hosted by Natalie Pate from Oregon Public Broadcasting. In the session, Pate shared that when talking to people about traumatic experiences, it’s important to talk to them about their senses, like asking, “what did you hear when the event happened?” Interviewees who have experienced trauma may not be able to remember the details of what happened to them, so it’s important to be respectful and careful with what is said; being empathetic is crucial.

Chloe Brown and Zeppelin Hatton were interviewed by students in the SOJC. Brown was asked how she felt about Media Day, and told the student reporter that “it was cool and eye-opening.” Hatton told his interviewer, “I was excited for anything.”Attendance was up from last year, so not all the middle and high school students were able to fit into the EMU Ballroom to watch Joey “Mac” McMurry’s keynote speech.  McMurry is the Director of Broadcasting and Executive Producer of the Oregon Sports Network, conducting interviews and getting an in-depth view of the Oregon games, coaches and athletes. McMurry stated in his keynote that he has one of only 50 such jobs in the country, and is one of the few people who can work full-time as a journalist. He delivered an engaging presentation, walking through the audience and answering questions. Zoe John asked McMurry how he developed his skills to be able to speak to people he was interviewing. “I’m still working on it,” McMurry responded.

Mass Media students Amelia Soloko, Theo Steward, Chace Sullivan, Zoe John, Xavier Arana and Evelyn Eames all encouraged other students to attend. Eames said, “I would recommend it to everyone.” The Mass Media program is looking forward to OJEA’s Spring Media Day in 2026 and will travel to the University of Oregon’s Portland campus for the event.