Today, professors, journalists and students are gathering to focus on online media for The Poynter Kent State Media Ethics Workshop, “Next Ethics?”

“We’re looking at online media because it is the future of media no matter what you are doing, whether working in photo, print, broadcast or PR,” said Jan Leach, the ethics workshop coordinator and associate professor at Kent State.

This is the sixth annual conference at Kent State. The first three conferences targeted a variety of print media and the last two targeted online media, Leach said.

Barbara Hipsman, a member of the workshop planning committee and associate professor at Kent State, said this conference is now attracting a different level of speaker.

There is a variety of “top-drawer folks,” as Hipsman describes them, speaking at the conference. Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, is speaking via live feed about “The Future of News.” The list of live speakers includes Adrian Holovaty, the founder and editor of Everyblock.com, a news feed for every block in 16 different cities; Paul Steiger, the editor-in-chief for ProPublica, a non-profit, investigative newsroom; Bruce Winges, editor and vice president of the Akron Beacon Journal and more. All of the speakers have lessons based on online media.

One important aspect that Leach wants students to know about this event is that “we have the opportunity here to talk about issues students will face in their careers … knowing or understanding ethics and values will help when problems surface in the newsroom and on the job.”

“Next Ethics?” is in the FirstEnergy Auditorium, Room 340, Franklin Hall. Admission is free for students, $15 dollars for educators and $25 for media professionals.

There are opportunities to get involved with the conference online, too. “Next Ethics?” can be viewed live for free at http://JMC.kent.edu/ethicsworkshop/2010/. Once each session concludes, it will be archived and viewable for later viewing, as well, Leach said.

Everyone is invited to Tweet about it using the #KSUEthics10 hashtag.

“Next Ethics?” workshop schedule

9 a.m. Welcome, introductions and technical connections.

9:20 a.m. Poynter Sense Making Study Results (Part 2) with Kelly McBride from

Poynter Institute.

10 a.m. Data Mining: You Can’t Always Get What You Want with Adrian Holovaty

from EveryBlock.com, Sarah Cohen from Duke University and Ellyn Angelotti

from Poynter Institute.

11:15 a.m. ONA Panel: Reporters and the Audience: a Two-Way Street

with John Kroll from The Plain Dealer, Michelle Jarboe from The Plain Dealer,

Bruce Winges from Akron Beacon Journal and Denise Polverine from

Cleveland.com.

12 p.m. KEYNOTE- News Issues, Enduring Values: Emerging Ethical Questions for

Journalists with Paul Steiger from ProPublica.

1:30 p.m. PRSA Panel with Michael Cherenson from PRSA, Alan Miller from

Columbus Dispatch, Lindsey McCoy from AkronNewsNow.com, Tara Pringle

Jefferson from Cleveland Foundation and Lauren Rich Fine from Kent State.

3:15 p.m. The Future of News with Arianna Huffington from The Huffington Post,

Kelly McBride and Bob Steele, both from Poynter Institute.

4:30 p.m. Wrap up and Evaluations.

Contact Britney Beaman at [email protected].