VSU Journalism Class Attends News Conference With New ValdostaMayor

VALDOSTA -- Dr. Ted Geltner’s Journalism 3510 News Writing class attended a news conference hosted by the new mayor of Valdosta, John Gayle, at City Hall on Thursday, March 22. Mayor Gayle talked about an upcoming recycling event for the city and allowed the students to ask questions on a variety of subjects concerning the city of Valdosta.

“I found Mayor Gayle to be very personable and kind,” said Jennifer Gleason, assistant features editor for the Spectator. “Although he is new to politics, I enjoyed hearing about his background in business and his plans to bring more business and positive traffic to Valdosta.”

Geltner, who is an assistant professor of journalism, has coordinated this conference with his news writing class for the past few years with the help of Sementha Mathews, the public information officer for the city. This was the class’s first news conference with Mayor Gayle, and Geltner thought he was a great sport and seemed to enjoy speaking with the students.

"This was the first time I have met a mayor in any capacity, and Mayor Gayle was very different than I would have expected,” said journalism student D.J. Davis. “He seemed like a genuine man that even had the time to speak to me one on one for a while."

Geltner gives his students this opportunity because he believes it to be a great learning experience for them to be able to ask a question of a public official in a professional setting. To find out more about the Journalism 3510 News Writing class, contact Geltner at tageltner@valdosta.edu.