Media leaders put a positive spin on the future of journalism in a discussion of "Journalism's Future: A View From the Top" during the recent Communication Week at Wayne State University.

The panelists saw a future replete with drastic changes through technology and audience sophistication. They saw a successful future responding to strong challenges in ethics, responsible journalism and relevance to diverse audiences.

Panelists included: Ron Dzwonkowski, associate editor of the Detroit Free Press; Grace Gilchrist, general manager of WXYZ-TV-7; Carol Morton, on-line staff of Detroit Free Press; Moderator Ben Burns, director of Professional Studies programs, Bill Thomas, publisher of the Macomb Daily; Joe Martelle, co-owner of WYUR-AM Radio; and Angelo Figueroa, editor of People Magazine Espanol.

Panel members denied that "newspapers are dead." Rather, Morton said, newspapers will become "information sources." On-line publications, for example, could be brought into the home, dry and convenient, provide an archive of back issues, and offer links to immediate resources throughout the community, the country and the world.

With the use of video and audio added to on-line copy, however, regulations become blurred. The on-line audience will need to become educated to identify credible information sources from the huge commodity of information available.

Dzwonkowski predicted a change in editorial copy as a result of audience sophistication. He said, "Pages with complete data will replace opinion and editorial pages, for example, offering the reader an opportunity to make a personal judgment or selection."

Following the discussion awards were presented. Wayne State Alumni Awards were given to Dzwonkowski and Figuera.

Dzwonkowski of Novi, is heir apparent to replace Joe Stroud, longtime Detroit Free Press editor, who is retiring this spring. Dzwonkowski started at Wayne State in the 1970s and then went to work for the Associated Press in Lansing and Detroit. He joined the Detroit Free Press in 1983 and worked his way up through the ranks to projects editor, where he supervised political coverage, public opinion research and major investigative stories.

Figueroa, a Detroit native who now lives in New Jersey, also attended Wayne State in the 1970s and hosted a weekly one-hour music and talk show on Latino issues on WDET. He later worked for the Miami Herald, the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Examiner before joining People En Espanol as editor in February 1997.

The Ven Marshall Award was given to Berl Falbaum of West Bloomfield, owner of his own public relations firm, for outstanding professional teaching by a part-time instructor. Falbaum has had a 40-year association with Wayne State beginning as a student. He was editor of the student daily while on campus and went on to a career in newspaper journalism including 10 years at The Detroit News. The award is sponsored by WXYZ-TV 7.

Two students were recognized as outstanding graduates for Fall 1997 and Winter 1998. Jennifer Akers of Dearborn, who graduated with a 3.74 average, and Jacquelyn Headapohl of Sterling Heights, who graduated with a 3.94 average, were chosen by the journalism faculty for their outstanding academic and professional work. Akers now works as a reporter at WTOM-TV 4 in Traverse City and worked at WXYZ-TV 7 as a production assistant before graduation. Headapohl has written for the Macomb Daily, Grit, The Source Newspapers, Home Mechanix, and Money Saving Ideas. Her first novel, Killing with Kindness, will be published by Appaloosa Press this year.

Graduate Student Service Awards went to Sandra Svoboda of Arlington Heights, Ill. and John Miller of South Euclid, Ohio. The Elizabeth G. Youngjohn Award for Graduate Student Teaching was presented to Eric Hauser of Queensburg, N.Y., and the Jeanne Findlater Teaching Award to Adrienne Maksymetz Kozlowski of Troy.

Richard Ness of Nevada, Iowa and Robert R. Ulmer of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada received Graduate Student Research Awards.