Oscar-winning actress visits PR class

Anna Pearce, best known by her stage name, Patty Duke, told UI public relations students Feb. 15 that finding the perfect spokesperson for a cause is not as difficult as it might seem. “Don’t be afraid to ask,” she told the Nonprofit Public Relations class. “If you don’t try, you will never get the person you really want.” Pearce made the following suggestions:

• Know all about your cause and provide the information.
• Be completely professional with your communication.
• Give details of your expectations.

Pearce has been an active spokesperson for mental health causes for nearly two decades. She also has voiced support of women’s rights and AIDS research.
The Academy Award winner also had suggestions for those who interview: Be punctual; Have your questions ready and above all: Listen. “If you are getting your next question ready, and not listening, you will miss some valuable information,” she said.
This is the second semester that Sue Hinz, our public relations professional in residence has taught Nonprofit Public Relations as a Special Topics course. Students choose a local nonprofit organization as a client.
Pearce most impressed JAMM juniors and seniors with her excitement at being a part of the University of Idaho family. As her connection with the UI's theater program grows, more students will be able to listen to the actress who, as one biographer reported, “is one of the few stars who has survive child stardom and went on to become a successful and respected adult actress.”
Pearce starred in “Billion Dollar Baby,” a one-act play that was part of the New Works Festival that ended Feb. 17 at the Hartung Theatre on the UI campus. Among the students who met with Pearce were (from left): Matt Strange, Lindsay Egginton, Jessica Brown, Ryli Hennessey, (Ms. Pearce), Kim Dahl, Lauren Harrie, Amanda Kent and Robert Taylor. Photo by Sue Hinz

Jack Bannon recalls his 'Lou Grant' days

Actor Jack Bannon, who had a major supporting role on the “Lou Grant” television series, visited the University of Idaho on Feb. 6. Bannon, who now lives in Coeur d’Alene, spoke to our “Hollywood Portrayals of Journalists” about his five-year stint (1977-1982) on the city desk of the fictional Los Angeles Tribune. Bannon portrayed Art Donovan, the suave assistant city editor, who was a counterpoint to the gruff city editor, Lou Grant (Ed Asner).

This is the second time that Glenn Mosley (pictured above, with Jack) and I have teamed up to teach this seminar. Our goal is to show how the entertainment media help to shape public perceptions of journalism. We showed two episodes of the program: the pilot, called “Copshop,” which introduced the major characters and depicted a police reporter’s ethical dilemma, and a show from the second season in which Donovan’s mother Peggy (Geraldine Fitzgerald) was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Bannon told how the directors and cast worked to create a realistic depiction of the newsroom, including several evenings spent observing the city desk of the Los Angeles Times. “Jack was down to earth, friendly and open with the students,” Glenn said. “He shared with them a genuine love for work done well, which is always a valuable lesson for young people.”

Nearly 30 years after CBS first broadcast the show, “Lou Grant” still has devoted fans and a Web site that includes a guide to all 114 episodes. Douglass K. Daniel, a former faculty member at Kansas State University, wrote a book about the series published in 1996. “The impact of Lou Grant on viewer’s perceptions of journalists and their profession cannot be measured, only surmised,” Daniel wrote. The book is available in paperback from Syracuse University Press.

We’re grateful to Bannon for his willingness to take us behind the scenes of this program that inspired many journalists of my generation.