About
Herd Media is Lipscomb University’s official student media group. We are students from all majors who desire to inform, investigate, and capture stories directly affecting the Lipscomb community. We desire to represent not only our community student body and employees but also those on the margins of our community. We actively seek to tell stories with FAITH (fair, accurate, interesting, thorough, and human).
Herd Media publishes news across multiple platforms. Take a moment to view our other social media sites as well.
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Forrest Maners is a senior sports media major from Jackson, Tennessee. He enjoys photography, video, and sports writing. Besides being a student, Forrest spends time as a student assistant for Lipscomb Baseball. Some of his best accomplishments come from being the Media Ministry Intern at his home church. He developed a broadcast system, podcast studio, and various types of social media content. Forrest hopes that someday he will be working for a professional sports team.
Sports Editor
Alaina Morris is a sophomore who joined Herd Media in 2022. She is a sports media major who focuses her articles around Lipscomb athletics and is an assistant sports editor for Herd Media. Alaina also contributes live sports commentary for the school radio, The Bison. Her favorite sports teams are the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Associate Editor-in-Chief
Brandon Bigsby is a senior at Lipscomb University majoring in Sports Media. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Brandon is an aspiring sports broadcaster and contributes to Lipscomb sports coverage as a commentator for Herd Media’s student radio station “The Bison”. He is also an assistant sports editor for Herd Media.
Features Editor
Micah Barkley serves as Herd Media’s Features Editor and Sports Photographer. She is a Junior Journalism major with a minor in German and a passion for photography. Outside of writing and learning languages, she enjoys riding horses, music, basketball, swing dancing and line dancing, and spending time with her friends, among other things. She has writing experience with The Numismatist – a publication of the American Numismatic Association – and is an aspiring author with two books currently published under the pen name Summer Ryland. When not at Lipscomb, she lives on a communal cattle ranch in the great state of Texas.
Contributors
Hannah is a junior Journalism and New Media major serving as a fellow with Herd Media this year. She is pursuing a career as a rock critic, combining her passions for art, people and storytelling. When she isn’t writing or rocking, Hannah can probably be found reading a good book or annoying her cat Blossom.
Ashlen is a sophomore majoring in Journalism & New Media from Chapel Hill, TN. She works at the Grand Ole Opry and is an aspiring news reporter. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors and horseback riding.
Madison Shelton is a junior Public Relations student from Jonesboro, AR with a minor in Law, Justice an Society. In her free time you will find Madison in a National Park or exploring nature, curled up with a good book or petting the nearest dog!
Ben Butcher is a junior sports media major who is also a member of the cross country and track teams at Lipscomb.
Gracey Parnell serves as staff photographer and writer for Herd Media. Gracey is a senior majoring in Journalism with a focus in music and live entertainment. Her other interests include art, reading, and travel. She is always at a concert, whether that be working a show or attending as a fan. Gracey has written for and managed a few small-scale online music publications, the most notable being Welcome Home Magazine. Originally from Arkansas, Gracey now lives in Nashville for school.
Jeikof Alfaro, a journalism student minoring in management, is passionate about human connections, serving others, and exploring the world of business.
When he’s not busy with school, he’s committed to personal growth by reading and listening to leadership content. He enjoys listening to country music.
Faculty Advisors
Sarah Gibson earned her B.S. in Electronic Media from Abilene Christian University and her MFA in Radio, Television and Film from the University of North Texas. Gibson focuses primarily on documentary production, video editing, new media production, design thinking, interactive storytelling, data and investigative journalism, web and app development, and is a published First Amendment scholar. Students in her classes have produced numerous award-winning projects.
Dr. Jimmy McCollum is professor of communication and journalism at Lipscomb University, where he has taught since 1989. He directs the Tennessee High School Press Association, based at Lipscomb.
Demetria is a career news anchor and investigative reporter who has won some of the professions most prestigious awards . She was primary evening anchor at WSMV-TV from 1984-2017. Demetria was named Professional in Residence (2021) at Lipscomb School of Communication. She is also a producer of documentaries, music programs and videos, public service and other content for her company Genuine Human Productions, headquartered at The Filming Station. She loves junk and thrift stores, vintage anything, history and of course, watching great films. She is married to singer/songwriter Verlon Thompson and has a Cornish Rex cat, Kit.
About the School of Communication
The School of Communication stands at the intersection of digital ethics and innovative media. We believe emerging technologies deeply connect with audiences through the art of storytelling. New media also presents new ethical challenges. Our creative community meets these challenges through hands-on experience informed by a strong liberal arts core. We prepare students to become excellent communicators, thoughtful listeners, critical thinkers, cutting-edge leaders, and responsible storytellers. Our students are challenged to meet new media boldly while building essential principles and values. Learn more about our program here.