The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, a center of the Merill College, released a study today on the effectiveness of Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds to read about the latest and breaking news.

The study found that the RSS feeds provided by most news outlets work very poorly for anyone who uses news as more than an entertainment medium or for more than an alert when a major event has occured.

Read the full study here.

Elizabeth Suh (BA ’04) was a member of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for The Oregonian. The story, which is the paper’s seventh prize, covered the confusing search for the family of James Kim who were snowbound in the Siskiyou Mountains.

Kim’s wife and their daughters were rescued near their car on a remote road nine days after the family left the interstate on attempted shortcut to the coast. James Kim was found two days later dead of hypothermia after hiking 10 miles in an effort to seek help.

“A high purpose of journalism is to reveal systemic problems in public policy or procedures,” Oregonian Editor Sandy Rowe said after the announcement. “That’s what we did with the Kim coverage. I’m grateful our work helped spur improvements.”

Read the Oregonian’s coverage here.

Prof. Gene Roberts and Atlanta Journal Constitution Managing Editor Hank Klibanoff won the Pulitzer Prize in History for their book “The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation.”

As executive editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Roberts oversaw a staff that won a remarkable 17 Pulitzers in 18 years. This, however, is the first award to him personally.

This award brings the number of Pulitzer winners on the full-time faculty to seven. Roberts is also the first sitting professor to win a Pulitzer at the University in more than 20 years.

Read the full release here.

The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda released a study today that correlates the coverage of Pakistan to the confusion in the “War on Terror” constructed by the White House. Dr. Susan Moeller, an associate professor of the Merrill College and the School of Public Policy, was the primary author of the study. The study found journalists often referenced all terrorism as a single bloc, perpetrated the myth that all madrassas are breading grounds for terrorism and the defined a “good Muslim.”

Read the full study here.

Richard Eaton Chair and Professor Lee Thornton has won two ICA awards for her “A Moment With…” shows featuring Bob Edwards and Haile Gerima.

Edwards, the former National Public Radio host and now with XM Satellite Radio, reminisced about his years at NPR; how the late Red Barber helped Edwards become the broadcaster he is; his new work producing radio documentaries at XM; and his book about Edward R. Murrow.

Gerima, an independent filmmaker, discussed his life’s work, his many honors and the tribulations of making independent film. He shared his belief that the truest and best work in film today is being done outside Hollywood. The show featured numerous clips of Gerima’s work, including the award-winning “Sankofa.”

Thornton’s three shows, “Front & Center,” “Changing Media,” and “A Moment With…” have won a total of 12 ICA awards and nearly as many Telly awards. All air on the university television station, UMTV, and the Research Channel consortium.

Two Merrill College students finished in the top 10 of the spot news competition of the Hearst Journalism Awards program. Seventy-five students from 48 universities across the nation participated in this month’s competition, the last monthly writing competition for this academic year.

Senior Ben Block took sixth place and freshman Steven Overly won seventh place. Both will also receive a $500 scholarship with a matching $500 grant to go to the Merrill College.

Widely considered the Pulitzers of collegiate journalism, this year’s competition finds the Merrill College once again in the top 10 of journalism programs with total accumulated points.

The Washington Post reports this morning that alumna Kiran Chetry (BA ‘96) will replace Soledad O’Brien and Miles O’Brien on ‘American Morning.’ Former CBS Anchor and correspondent John Roberts will be her co-host.

Read the full story here.

J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism announced today the results of the New Voices contest.

Ten new ideas for amplifying community news will receive $12,000 grants to launch news sites for under-covered communities, embed TV reporters in neighborhoods, network regional radio programs, and map the local impact of climate change.

Read the full release here.

Students of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland took home more first-place awards in the Region 2 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence competition than any other school in the region. The results, announced at Saturday’s regional SPJ conference in Richmond, Va., included 11 first place honors, 10 second and four third.The nods included work in online news and features, television production and reporting and radio programs. The campus independent student daily newspaper, The Diamondback, placed second in all-around excellence.

Read the full release here.