Terence Shepherd, chair elect of the Radio Television Digital News Association board, has been elected chairman, the group's first chair of African descent, RTDNA pointed out in announcing the appointment.
Shepherd, who is news director at WLRN Public Media in Miami, has been a board member since 2014 and has been chairman of the Ethics Committee and has been a member of the Murrow Awards Committee.
"I am honored and humbled to be elected to this position, and thank my peers who are members of RTDNA for the opportunity to serve them and our profession in this manner," Shepherd said. "Since joining the RTDNA board, I’ve seen the organization expand high-quality training opportunities for journalists at all levels. I look forward to helping deepen our commitment to being the go-to resource for professionals and students who are interested in sharpening their skills, learning new techniques and growing into management positions.”
One of Shepherds priorities in a time of constant attacks by President Donald Trump and his followers on mainstream media, is to "ensure RTDNA protects journalists against threatening attacks on the profession and efforts to diminish the importance of newsgathering in a democratic society."
He said that at the same time, "those in power are tightening public access to information. The public needs us more than ever to ensure those in power are leading with transparency and the public’s interest in mind."
He also called on journalists to produce more journalism.
