OSU alumni Cosgrove speaks at annual Paul Miller lecture series
Friday, April 14, 2023
Media Contact: Jordan Bishop | Editor, Department of Brand Management | 405-744-7193 | jordan.bishop@okstate.edu
Students, faculty and staff of Oklahoma State University’s School of Media and Strategic Communications (SMSC) gathered in the Student Union Theater on Thursday for the 34th annual Paul Miller lecture series.
This year’s keynote speaker, Jaclyn Cosgrove, assistant city editor at the Los Angeles Times, gave their presentation titled, “How to Succeed as a Good Human (And Journalist).”
Through times when they reported on lives lost in Oklahoma tornadoes and even a story they wrote about the family of a victim of Charles Manson, Cosgrove stressed the importance of being kind and respectful when in the journalism field.
“You are a human first and journalist second, that is really important to remember,” Cosgrove said.
Recalling a time when they had to break the news to families whose relatives passed away while in prison, they emphasized the importance of reporters taking care of their own mental health.
“I had to be the one to tell them that because I was going to print that in the newspaper,” Cosgrove said. “To this day, it’s a tie for the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Cosgrove, a 2009 SMSC graduate, is originally from Arpelar, Oklahoma, They began their career as a journalist from a young age, interning at the McAlester News-Capital in high school. During their second week of freshman year at OSU, they applied to write for the O’Colly, spending the next four and a half years there.
Cosgrove said they found their experiences with the O’Colly and a public affairs reporting course instilled a passion for investigative reporting. Upon graduation, they went on to work for the Sand Springs Leader as a general assignment reporter, while also reporting on women in prison for Oklahoma Watch. Then, Cosgrove joined the Oklahoman as a public health reporter where they earned several awards for their work on mental health.
Cosgrove joined the Times in 2017 covering breaking news and in 2022, they obtained a Master of Legal Studies degree from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law.
The Paul Miller lecture series was established by the 1931 OSU graduate of the same name who headed the Gannett newspaper chain and the Associated Press in his career. It is funded through OSU and the College of Arts and Sciences to continue Miller’s legacy of ethical and accurate journalism. Dr. Jared Johnson, professor and interim director of SMSC, said he is grateful the school continues to have the lecture each year.
“It's really important in today's world, because we need good journalism more than ever,” Johnson said. “And this is a way to teach the incoming journalism students that they can make an impact in the world and especially given this last lecture, do it in a way that is humane and kind.”
Story By: Sam Milek | smilek@okstate.edu