By Ben Sheard
Stacey Messina is an award-winning journalist, professional communicator, published writer, mother and someone with a deep commitment to public service.
From political reporting to directing communications for non-profit organizations, Messina has worn many hats over her career. All the while she has relentlessly pursued her goal of making the world a better place.
Ever since she was a child, Messina has had an interest in politics. She fondly remembers watching the 1980 Carter-Reagan presidential debate and immediately wanting to be a part of one herself. Eventually, Messina’s heart for political discourse drew her to the field of journalism, where she has had over a decade of experience covering numerous topics, ranging from crime to Michigan politics.
As the newspaper industry changed over the years, Messina decided she wanted to pursue her goals in a different avenue.
“I wanted to get more involved in making the changes I wanted to see in society,” she says.
Chief among those goals was to follow her calling to improve the child welfare system, having experienced it both as matter of public policy and as a foster parent.
“My goal was not to become partisan but to make change by working with everyone to find solutions to problems facing kids and families in Michigan,” she says.
Messina went on to found Consilia Communications, a communications consultancy company that works with clients who have a focus on improving the lives of children and their families.
After taking a step back from work in order to focus on her family, Messina wished to further flesh out her skillset with a more formal public relations education. Through a friend, she discovered the StratCom program.
I had long wanted to get my master’s degree and had looked at several options but with young children it’s not always easy to attend classes in person,” she says. “This program seemed perfect – it was online, allowing me the freedom to work on my own time, and the course selections would fill some of the holes in my formal education and toolbox.
As part of her coursework, Messina took Ethical Concerns and Controversies for Emergent Thinkers with Geri Alumit Zeldes. This course proved to be right up Messina’s alley, as she was thoroughly able to apply her interest in and past work with political journalism to the class’ themes.
“The biggest takeaway [from the class] for me was a reminder that there are times when we have to step back and re-evaluate a situation to determine the best course of action, and sometimes consult some of the greatest thinkers to see what they would do in a situation,” she says.
One of Messina’s primary assignments during the course was to write a scholarly article in which the author would contribute to the larger dialogue surrounding an ethics issue in the field of communications. Given her background knowledge, Messina knew her subject for her article would be political reporting on the Trump presidency.
“The news cycle has changed dramatically and the constant demand for new content fueled by the spread of social media has made it much more difficult to truly vet a story before it goes live,” she says.
Recently, Messina’s article was published in the “Journal of Media Ethics,” where she writes about the pressing issue of live broadcasting affecting accuracy of news and information.
"Stacey cracked the code of publishing in a scholarly journal by reviewing past publications to get a flavor for the writing style and format," says Alumit Zeldes, who also is a professor in the School of Journalism. "When you read Stacey's article you'll notice each sentence, each reference is concise and relevant."
When speaking about her inspiration for the article, Messina recalls first hearing about the idea of putting a time delay on news broadcasts.
“The idea was intriguing,” she says. “Reporters had a duty to ensure accuracy, the public has a right to know what’s happening in their government, but which is more important – speed of information or accuracy?
“There had to be other options to consider as well and I wanted to explore those in the context of the ethical frameworks to find an answer.”
Her article, “Airing Live Risks Error: Responsible Journalism in the Trump Era,” delves into this question.
As for her future, Messina looks forward to utilizing her master’s degree to better serve her community and attain her goals.
“Everything I experience in life – good and bad – happens for a reason so that I can try to help others,” she says. “This program is helping to fill in my skill gaps and give me the credentials needed to have an even greater impact for more people.”