Image via Auzzy Byrdsell

By Ryann Phillips, Staff Writer

With over 20 years of experience, Sharif Durhams told journalism students that while journalistic platforms may change, values stay the same. Durhams has seen the industry evolve from handheld newspapers to the current digital age. In the face of such immense change, his biggest piece of advice to students was: “pay attention.” 

“You don’t want to be that surprised. You want to know, things could be going this way,” Durhams said. “I better know a little bit about the next thing that may be coming.” 

Durhams has been on the forefront of change. After beginning his career reporting at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in the ‘90s, he returned almost a decade later as one of the first breaking news reporters for this publication. He also created their first Twitter account and learned how to communicate with readers on the Internet. 

Similar to the initial impact of social media on journalism, many journalists are now discussing the potential role of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. Durhams encouraged students to explore this possibility.

“Playing around with ChatGPT is something valuable to do. Now you are not going to get vetted journalism out of it right now or certainly not a lot of it, but knowing how those tools work…there’s value in that,” Durhams said. 

On top of being a trailblazer in the industry, Durhams said that a key to his success was his network. He told students that he received most of his jobs because of valuable connections that he made throughout his journey. 

“People you know now are going to be around…Those connections are going to come back and provide value to you later,” he said. 

Durhams’ session with these journalism students is evidence of a larger connection that the AJC is creating with Morehouse College. Morehouse now serves as one of the local colleges that has featured stories in the AJC because of reduced capacity at the publication. Student journalists’ are able to get their stories published in a major publication and highlight these experiences for future employment opportunities. 

Copy Edited by: Colin Royal, Managing Editor of Print