People had their doubts when David Carlson started working on an “electronic newspaper” in the early 1990s.
There was only one such newspaper in the world at that time, and it had taken millions of dollars to design. Carlson had $5,000 to work with, and he succeeded.
The Albuquerque Electronic Tribune became the first online destination where people could search public records outside a courthouse or a police station.
Carlson, now a UF journalism professor, has been recognized for his innovation with the Wells Memorial Key award, given Monday by the Society for Professional Journalists.
Carlson said he is humbled by the honor.
“The people who receive this award are not usually the household names in journalism,” Carlson said. “But, they are the people who have done the work in the trenches. They are the icons of my world.”
Meg Wagner, a UF journalism alumna and former president for SPJ, for which Carlson is the faculty advisor, wasn’t surprised.
“The joke of the night was that this should have happened years ago,” said 22-year-old Wagner.
In 2009 when Wagner started studying journalism, she said she was adamant on becoming a print reporter. She credits Carlson, the executive director of UF’s Center for New Media Research and Innovation, for making her rethink digital journalism.
For many students, Carlson helped pave the way for careers in the online field.
Carlson will teach one of UF’s first “massive open online classes,” or free online classes open to anyone in the world, whether they are UF students or not. His “MOOC” will cover rock ‘n’ roll and American society.
A version of this story ran on page 9 on 8/30/2013 under the headline "UF professor wins Society of Professional Journalists award"
