Journalism students attend Morelli press conference
MIPA journalism students participating in the Black, White, and Re(a)d Journalism Workshop attended a press conference last Monday at Conrad Hall with Michigan native, and runner-up on the latest season of the weight-loss show Biggest Loser, Mike Morelli. Morelli spoke to the crowd of teenage journalists and their instructors about his time on the show and his inspirational journey from obesity to his current state of fitness. Entering the show with his father as part of a two-man team, together they lost a combined total of over 300 pounds. Morelli also broke a number of Biggest Loser records, such as most weight lost over the course of the show and most consecutive weeks losing double-digit amounts of weight in pounds. Since the finale of the television show on which Morelli achieved his life-changing success, his brother has started his own weight loss and is already down more than 80 pounds.
The press conference was held as both an informational session and a practice tool for the hopeful journalists. Students were tasked with such work as taking a series of photos, recording video and taking notes all as fodder for presentations or projects in class. During Morelli’s speech, students crawled over the floor and around podiums in the search for the perfect shot. After his prepared discourse, there was a short question and answer session held which carried over after the press conference concluded as Morelli was fenced in by a mix of camera wielding kids and fawning fans.
The response to the event has been positive overall. The crowd responded warmly to Morelli’s humor and post-lecture interviews were filled with buzz words like “inspirational”. MIPA students plan to complete their projects relating to the assembly throughout the week.
