Who is Gena Asher?

As your J201 instructor, I consider myself your writing coach and editor. What qualifies me for this job? First, I have had a lifelong passion for news. I was hooked on newspapers as a grade schooler, especially columnists such as Ann Landers and a wonderful Indianapolis columnist, Tom Keating. Next, I spent a summer babysitting job glued to the Watergate hearings on TV and shushing my little clients so that I could hear every word. I marveled that the whole episode had started with two intrepid journalists.

Naturally, I began working as a reporter in high school, came to the IU School of Journalism and, later, joined the staff of the Bloomington Herald-Times. There, I covered many areas of the community, from business to news to feature stories and special projects. I didn't break any Watergate-type stories, but I practiced and improved my reporting skills, learned what makes a story newsworthy and met a host of fascinating people.

As the Web evolved into a medium to be taken seriously, I became interested in the dissemination and presentation of news in electronic media. I enrolled in the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) master's program in order to explore the creation of electronic resources and to understand how people use and rely on such resources.I received two master's degrees, in information science and library science, and two certificates, in school media specialist and library management technology.

I shifted to freelance status professionally in order to spend more time on Web development and other interests. My freelance work includes occasional writing for The Herald-Times, SLIS publications and the SLIS Web site, some magazine work such as IU Alumni Association's magazine, promotional writing for Bloomington Hospital Foundation and for the Indiana University Press, and, most importantly, teaching classes here.

I also edit the School of Journalism Web site and the School of Journalism Convergence Forum for journalism educators.

I've been lucky to win a lot of awards for reporting and for Web development from several organizations, but what I'm really proud of are the former students who have gone on to make their mark in this way as well -- some of whom win awards before they even graduate.

Samples of my work:

• Alpaca possibilities, a business story that won first place in the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists 2002 contest (best business feature) and first place in the Woman's Press Club of Indiana 2002 contest (best business article).
• Museums count on sales revenue, a story that won first place in the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists 2005 contest (best business feature).
• Crosses of comfort: roadside memorials, a feature story that won first place from the Woman's Press Club of Indiana, "best feature story," 2002, and third place, "best print feature," Society of Professional Journalists Indiana contest, 2002.
• Government document destruction: censorship or security? appeared in the School of Library and Information Science alumni magazine, Spring 2002.
• Breast Cancer: FYI is a Web site I created and maintain that won a first place in the National Federation of Press Women contest (2004), first place in the Woman's Press Club of Indiana 2002 and 2004 contests for Best Web Site, and a third place in 2002 in the Society of Professional Journalists' Indiana contest. This site also won a silver award from WWW Health on the Web, an organization which sets high standards for quality, online health-oriented sites.
• College Mall Veterinary Hospital Web site, created and maintained since 1999 for a local animal hospital.

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URL: http://www.kiva.net/~glasher/j560/index.html
Problems? Questions? Contact Gena Asher at eulasher@indiana.edu

Updated Aug. 2006

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