tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79413182024-03-08T17:22:16.191-05:00A J-School YearA Web log by and for journalism school students - and those thinking of j-school - written by University of South Carolina students.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1124755854946155772005-08-22T20:10:00.000-04:002005-08-22T20:10:54.956-04:00Good Internship Opportunity in Jacksonville<h3><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2006 Summer Internship Program</span></h3> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">The Florida Times-Union is soliciting applications from college students for its annual summer intern program. Internships may be offered in one or more of the following areas: copy editing/design, graphics, photography, reporting.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Applications for internships must be received by December 1, 2005. Interns who are selected will be notified on or before Jan. 1, 2006. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">The intern program extends through the summer months, and exact dates of employment will be negotiated. Interns may expect to be in the program for about 12 weeks. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">The salary scale is as follows:</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Completion of first year of college - $350 weekly. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Completion of second year of college - $380 weekly. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Completion of third year of college - $410 weekly. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Completion of fourth year of college - $420 weekly. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Completion of graduate school - $440 weekly. </span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Interns will draw a variety of assignments. Meetings will be held with various editors to discuss problems and progress. Every effort will be made to match summer work assignments with the interests of the interns selected to work on the staff of the Times-Union. Preference will be given to Individuals who have held summer internships with daily newspapers in the past and individuals proven interested in a career in print journalism. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Applications must be made in writing and should include grade point average, previous journalism experience and at least two references, one from within the academic community. Clips of past work should be included with application. It is not necessary for applicants to be majoring in journalism, but that is desirable. Interns must have their own vehicles. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">We are a drug free workplace. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Send applications to:<br />Cindy Holifield<br />Newsroom Resources Coordinator<br /><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:cindy.holifield@jacksonville.com">cindy.holifield@jacksonville.com</a> </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Mail:<br />Florida Times-Union<br />PO Box 1949<br />Jacksonville, FL 32231 </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> Or for delivery requiring a street address:<br />Florida Times-Union<br />One Riverside Avenue<br />Jacksonville, FL 32202 </span></p>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1123077533520871342005-08-03T09:57:00.000-04:002005-08-03T09:58:53.540-04:00New York Times merging newsroomsI've also posted this on <a href="http://commonsensej.blogspot.com">Common Sense Journalism</a>, but I'm reposting it here for the consideration of students and others who may visit this blog:<br /><br />One of the more significant items to drop into Jim Romenesko's inbox yesterday was the <a href="http://poynter.org/forum/view_post.asp?id=10027">memo </a>from Bill Keller and Martin Nisenholtz that the New York Times is merging its online and print newsrooms.<br /><br />It seemed to me there were two very significant quotes:<br /><blockquote>The reporting and editing staff at the original newsroom is much more at ease with the Web, more eager to embrace it both as an opportunity for invention and an alternative way to reach our demanding audience.</blockquote>and<br /><br /><blockquote>The change embodied in this integration will be gradual but important. For quite a few years now, we've sworn allegiance to the modern-sounding doctrine of "platform neutrality" -- meaning we care only about our journalism, not about whether we transmit it to our audience on paper or via streams of electrons. But in practice most of us have been writing and editing newspaper articles, or taking pictures or making charts and graphs for the newspaper, while a few of us have been taking this work and adapting it for the Web.<br /><br />By integrating the newsrooms we plan to diminish and eventually eliminate the difference between newspaper journalists and Web journalists -- to reorganize our structures and our minds to make Web journalism, in forms that are both familiar and yet-to-be-invented, as natural to us as writing and editing, and to do all of this without losing the essential qualities that make us The Times. Our readers are moving, and so are we.</blockquote>Read that last one carefully. The debate still exists in some quarters as to whether journalists really need cross-media training. End of debate. If you want to work for the one of the premier news organizations, as Keller and Nisenholtz put it, you'd better start rorganizing your mind.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1114531447088772332005-04-26T11:54:00.000-04:002005-04-26T12:04:07.090-04:00Intern's woesA college student's <a href="http://www.thetranscript.com/Stories/0,1413,103%7E9054%7E2830784,00.html">column</a> in a Massachusetts paper last week lamenting how she thought she was a shoo-in for an internship at Spin magazine -- only to be rejected -- has prompted some sharp responses <a href="http://poynter.org/forum/?id=32178">on Romenesko's letters page.<br /></a><br />My own take on this: She was just a little presumptuous to begin with. What do our bloggers think?<br /><br />(On another matter: Thanks for the kind note, Ernie, but you've been a big part of this, too. Let's say we do it again next year and try to get the posts up.)Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1114462608718191962005-04-25T16:55:00.000-04:002005-04-25T16:56:48.720-04:00Thanks, DougDoug:<br /><br />On behalf of all us bloggers who you worked tirelessly to shape into a new media community, I'd like to thank you for your energy and foresight. The leadership you've provided by creating and nurturing A J-School Year, and in innumerable ways for the J-School in general, have garnered major "props," as the kids say, for the students and the program. Thanks for inviting me along for the ride, pal. More to come?<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />ErnieDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1113964260879755272005-04-19T22:30:00.000-04:002005-04-19T22:31:00.880-04:00The Best of the BestBloggers:<br /><br />The 2005 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced: http://www.pulitzer.org/2005/2005.html. I would urge you to take a minute to read the citations for the winners and the finalists: note the newspapers that are represented (not just the elite press, mind you), the kinds of stories these journalists wrote and what the judges said about their work. You might also track down some of these pieces, take a look at the incredible service these serious journalists (the best of the best) have provided for their readers. I'm sure you'll find the work of the Pultizer winners not only instructive but inspirational. <br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1113422801469046032005-04-13T15:50:00.000-04:002005-04-13T16:06:41.470-04:00At least I didn't cry...I thought the biggest feat for today would be getting through all the job fair interviews at the J-school; I was so wrong.<br /><br />I was on my way to my first interview with The State, when one of the SJMC staff stopped me and said my story was in The Gamecock. I was suprised because the last story I submitted to the News editor wasn't even used. And when I looked, it was the last story I submitted. <br /><br />It ran two days late and with a glaring error.<br /><br />I wrote about I-Comm week at the J-school. Not the biggest breaking story ever, but one that mattered to me because this school matters to me and I knew how much time the professors put into the week-long event. <br /><br />When I saw the error, I was horrified. The story listed an event that took place last year. How can people show up for an event that isn't even taking place? I was really angry, and the mistake has followed me all day.<br /><br />Even Dean Bierbaurer has stopped me....and it is never good for a Dean to stop you and know your name because of an error.<br /><br />I know the error was not part of my original story and it was inserted after the fact and out of my control. It just really hurts that my name ran beside a story that didn't even have basic facts correct. <br /><br />In one interview, the editor asked me what was the biggest mistake I had ever made...and I just handed him the paper from today. It wasn't my mistake, but it did have my name beside of it. I can only laugh about it, and usually I cry when I get really upset. So I didn't cry, I learned that my writing will not always be my writing..even with my byline and that this is just a learning experience. It could be worse, I could have made the error on my own.Julia Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06932139272923694605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1113390109204379722005-04-13T06:58:00.000-04:002005-04-13T09:32:54.073-04:00Convergence in Lawrence, KSBloggers,<br /><br />National Public Radio broadcast on Morning Edition today (Wednesday, April 13) a report on the emergence of convergence in Lawrence, KS. Additional reports are scheduled for this week. Here's the NPR link: <a href="http://www.npr.org">www.npr.org</a>. Click on Morning Edition.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1111708319705046332005-03-24T18:38:00.000-05:002005-03-24T18:51:59.706-05:00Ethics in a blog worldThere is an <a href="http://mediacenter.blogs.com/morph/2005/03/the_role_of_eth.html">interesting post</a> on the Mediacenter blog, Morph, in which Taran Rampersad puts a new twist on the ethics framework in which we operate.<br /><br />Rampersad's take, briefly, is that our current media ethics framework evolved because media until now was largely a one-way relationship, and so society had a need to control the media and ensure its accuracy. But now, Rampersad says, that is shifting with the ever-easier ability to interact, criticize and fact-check journalism. Now, Rampersad writes, the onus is on us, society, to play an active role in shaping those ethics: <span style="font-style: italic;">"If you believe something is unethical, unleash your keyboard and say so. If you think something has to be written, write it. The time for blaming the traditional media for slanting the news is at an end. It's society's responsibility to challenge this new molecular media -- and this requires ethics, responsiblilty and accountability on the part of the reader more so than ever before."</span><br /><br />I'd be interested in the reactions of those here at J-School Year to that. Are we, the readers up to the task? Is Rampersad being too nirvana -- does such criticism count if it is on a backwater blog somewhere read by three people and not easily discovered? Does his suggestion eveolve to be a cop-out by the media that says, well, someone else will catch it if anything's wrong? <br /><br />Weigh in, please.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1111543137382767582005-03-22T20:56:00.000-05:002005-03-22T20:58:57.383-05:00The Great DivideBloggers:<br /><br />Eric Hancock, the publisher of Free Times, will be in the J-School Wednesday, March 23, from noon to 1 p.m. to talk about the relationship between news and advertising in an alternative weekly. As you're probably aware, these two departments have not always gotten along. SPJ thought Hancock could shed some light on how to successfully manage these two vital areas of a news organization. We will be providing the sandwiches and beverages. <br /><br />Ya'll come.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1110888132983458092005-03-15T07:00:00.000-05:002005-03-15T20:18:06.536-05:00Graniteville Train Wreck discussionBloggers:<br /><br />The train wreck in Graniteville, S.C. on Jan. 6 was national news. Journalists from local and national news organizations reported on this disaster, which happened in our back yard. Even now questions remain about the safety of transporting dangerous chemicals by rail, public safety officials' responsiveness in the hours immediately after the accident, and the quality of life of the residents in that area. The campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will convene a panel of reporters and editors from The State, WIS and WLTX to talk about the challenges of disaster reporting and reflect on their own efforts in covering this story. The meeting will be Wednesday, March 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 209, Davis College. This will be a fascinating discussion. Come join us.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1110695856231075432005-03-13T01:36:00.000-05:002005-03-13T01:37:36.233-05:00Contest winnersContest season is here, and the winners have been announced. I thought it worthy to note how well USC has placed this year. Keep up the good work!<br />Doug<br /><br /> Hearst<br /> Kent Babb, first place, sports<br /> Kristin Chandler ninth place, feature<br /><br /> SPJ Mark of Excellence Region 3 (exact places not yet announced)<br /> James Warden, General News Photo<br /> Julia Knetzer, Photo Illustration<br /> Carla Wynn, Online Feature and Online In-Depth<br /> Keita Alston, Online Feature<br /> Eva Pilgrim, TV Spot News (two awards)<br /> Anna Lake, TV General News<br /> Parul Joshi, TV In-Depth<br /> Corey Fulks, TV General News<br /><br /> S.C. Press Association<br /> Tricia Ridgway: first, specialty page layout and design; third, arts and entertainment story<br /> Juia Knetzer: second, feature story<br /> Carla Wynn: second, specialty page layout and design; third, informational graphic<br /> James Warden: second, informational graphic; third, specialty page layout & design<br /> Melissa Ridings: first, informational graphicDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1110648557052968872005-03-12T12:30:00.000-05:002005-03-12T17:16:12.460-05:00It's about evolutionBloggers:<br /><br />Doug's posting about the Norwegian news operation's use of cellphones to cover public events reminded me of a couple of conversations with journalism educators and professionals. When "backpack journalism" was mentioned, I sometimes sensed confusion and fear. I suspect some students also feel anxious about what they're hearing and reading.<br />Why don't we think about these innovations as part of the natural evolution of our competitive profession, where speed in gathering and distributing news and information is one of the main goals. (THE primary goal is accuracy, of course.)<br />The use of cellphones is the latest development in the transmission of information, which began with the telegraph in the 19th century. In the 20th century, the telephone allowed reporters in the field to dictate their stories to staffers in the newsroom. Every journalist was expected to be skilled in giving and receiving dictation. That might be one reason why many new reporters started out on obits, where information was often phoned in.<br />Dictating information over the phone was common practice for decades. Then newsrooms purchased the clunky predecessors to today's laptops, and reporters and photographers were able to transmit text and pictures by dropping a telephone handset into a cradle and letting the machine chirp away at the mainframe computer.<br />When desktop computers were introduced into the newsroom, some old-timers continued to write their copy on typewriters and turn it over to the composing room to be set, but most staffers were expected to embrace the change or look for other employment.<br />I have no idea what will follow the common use of cellphones to cover public events but I'm confident there will be something because change is the only constant in this business. <br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1110566335546831122005-03-11T13:10:00.000-05:002005-03-11T13:59:30.140-05:00Next generation TV reporting?We all saw the satellite phone images from Iraq. Jerky and expensive -- but we all were riveted.<br /><br />Now, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK has upped the ante a bit for domestic transmissions -- last weekend it broadcast video reports of a ski race from a mobile phone.<br /><br />The AP <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NORWAY_TV_MOBILE_PHONE?SITE=APWEB&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT">reports</a> that NRK outfitted a reporter with a third-generation (3G) mobile phone "<span class="body">and sent him off with 15,000 skiers who started the race. He stopped six times to provide commentary and images from his perspective of the world's oldest, longest and biggest ski race."<br /><br />But here's what reporters of all kinds (with the move toward convergence, not just TV) need to pay attention to:<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="body"><p>NRK said images were as good as those transmitted by satellite telephone from conflict or catastrophe areas but that 3G was cheaper and easier to use.</p> <p>The broadcaster said it will consider using the technology, especially for fast-breaking news and sports, when there is a reporter or witness at the scene but no camera crew.</p></span>The era of the "<a href="http://newsplex.org/knowledgebase/concepts3.shtml">techno journalist,</a>" "backpack journalist," or whatever we want to call it may be growing closer more quickly than we think.<br />For more on the multiskilled journalist, see this from the <a href="http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/issue12.html">Convergence Newsletter</a>, this from <a href="http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771575.php">OJR</a>, and this <a href="http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771634.php">counterpoint from OJR</a> (written by Newsplex trainer Martha Stone). (Our point at Newsplex has always been that the concept of a backpack journalist as master of all trades is misguided, but that journalists will also have to be familiar with a much broader array of ways to do their jobs and present their material.)<br /><br />(Cross-posted with Common Sense Journalism.)Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1110315930101385932005-03-08T15:41:00.000-05:002005-03-08T16:05:30.106-05:00A dying breedThis past weekend I worked my second Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA) Convention. I went to these conventions all the time in high school, and I realize now how much I missed out on while in high school.<br /><br />There are a few speakers at the conventions that students love...it isn't becuase they have the greatest topics or the best presentations, they just stand out for some reason. I saw one speaker at least 10 times in high school and all he ever taught was column writing classes, and he used the same columns every time. I can probably quote every column by heart.<br /><br />As I was doing my check of classes, I realized how foolish I was to go to the column class all the time. This year, we had a speaker with J-ideas that helped with the study of students and the First Amendment. No one showed up to his class until 20 minutes after it started and then they only came in because their choice class was full. It was an eye opening experience...even student journalists didn't want to go to a class specifically about them and their rights...and he even gave away free copies of the study and T-shirts.<br /><br />His class was not the only class that had hardly any participants or no participants at all. And I thought students not going to class might be because we had failed in providing an adequate program, but I really know it is because some just don't care. Some students were still asleep in the wonderful beds at the Marriott, others were wandering around Columbia and then at least a handful just stood defiantly in the hall saying they weren't going to class. <br /><br />During the awards banquet, students had a chance to say what news broadcasters were doing wrong...and basically all of the students said they were bored. Broadcasters talked in monotone, they didn't do enough in depth stories and they just didn't care to care to hear about issues that they believed did not affect them.<br /><br />In the session I taught about what programs the J-school offered, students didn't even want to know what their future as college journalists held for them...of course they were more worried about the college life in Columbia. When I asked if there were any more questions, there was an exasperated "NO!" from the back. I was so thrilled about my panelists of students and that students actually attended the class, but that "No" killed me. <br /><br />I am proud to say I am a part of SIPA and that I play some role in preparing journalists for the future and I am so proud of the work SIPA does for student journalists, but this weekend made me realize that true passionate journalists are really a dying breed. We can preach all day long about why journalism is so great and why these students should take advantage of these classes and free resources offered....but we can never make them care about journalism more than they want to .Julia Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06932139272923694605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1110214448695207742005-03-07T11:30:00.000-05:002005-03-07T11:54:08.696-05:00Hunter S. ThompsonBloggers:<br /><br />Hunter S. Thompson, the originator of "gonzo journalism," killed himself on Feb. 20. Some of you may be familiar with Thompson's work and that of other "new journalists" of the '60s and '70s. You may have seen the film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," which featured Johnny Depp as Thompson, or you may be familiar with the Doonesbury character Uncle Duke, which is based on Thompson. In any case, Thompson was an idiosyncratic writer, whose work some devour like candy while others, myself included, enjoy only in small bites. That Thompson was called a "new journalist" has always bothered me because he blended fact and fiction, often drug-enduced fiction, in his articles and set aside traditional reportial detachment for subjective storytelling. It might be that our recent troubles with fabrication in news stories can be traced back to Thompson and his celebrated ilk, who were not true journalists though for many their works were edifying. Thompson, Tom Wolfe and Truman Capote, among others, were interpreters of public events who were not above artful embellishment and dramatic recreation. If Thompson's tragic death leads you to pick up some of his writings, I would recommend his relatively straightforward reporting on the Hells Angel.<br /><br />Cheers <br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1109680256574972212005-03-01T07:30:00.000-05:002005-03-01T07:32:44.050-05:00Decisions, decisionsBloggers:<br /><br />Graeme's posting of the on-air assault reminded me that journalism is unpredictable, which for many is part of the profession's appeal. Though fighting off passers-by is, thankfully, uncommon, it's the kind of incident working journalists can't foresee, which makes the job so exhilarating. I would hope your personal standards of professionalism would guide your response and reaction in this case. <br />You may have heard it said that in the news business no two days, no two stories, are the same. Every assignment -- whether spot or enterprise -- requires the reporter to make hundreds of decisions while gathering news and crafting the story. Some decisions are routine: What's the angle? Who do I need to talk to? How do I gain this source's trust? How assertive should I be with a subject who is clearly trying to hide something? But others are not so simple: How do I respond if faced with hostility? Should I intervene if a passer-by were to assault another citizen? Where's the line between covering a story and becomng part of it?<br />No journalism instructor or editor can make these calls for you; it's on you when you're in the field. As my first city editor told me years ago, you must develop the presence of mind to stay focused, keep your wits about you and act responsibly in the public's interest. That's the unique challenge of being a working journalist, and there's no profession like it.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1109259932502679062005-02-24T10:41:00.000-05:002005-02-24T10:45:32.503-05:00Tamika's job huntThe Lost Remote, a widely read industry site, has <a href="http://www.lostremote.com/archives/003843.html" target="_blank">made mention</a> of Tamika's <a href="http://jschoolyear.blogspot.com/2005/02/life-after-graduation.html">recent post</a>. The comments are pretty supportive.<br /><br />So has <a href="http://www.fvtv.com" target="_blank">fvtv.com</a>, though it's a paid site and so we haven't seen the responses yet (though judging from the comments section on her post, most are not positive there).Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1109141015048934222005-02-23T00:57:00.000-05:002005-02-23T01:59:52.293-05:00Suck it up, rookies!All right, students. You want to know what it's like out here in the real world? Let's put it this way: Your first professional gig is akin to the first day of school -- primary, not secondary. You think you're hot sh**? You're ready to set the world on fire? You just wait. Here's a wake-up call for those of you who think you could be the next fill-in-the-blank star journalist, whether print or broadcast. You've got a lot to learn, and many of those things won't be learned until you do this for a living.<br /><br />Let me give you some deep background here. I'm into my second week as a news editor for The Item in Sumter, S.C. The hours are fierce and bound to take their toll on one's established sleeping habits. I'm lucky if I see the curb outside before 1 a.m. The budget meeting happens promptly at 3 p.m., and lasts five minutes at the most, so you'd better show up with an alert mind. An editor is assigned X number of stories per page, and is responsible for a certain page or pages. Everything that goes on those pages is subject to change. Such is the nature of news. As I am not the fastest draw when it comes to computer skills, it takes me much longer to lay out a page than it does my co-workers. Thankfully, they've been gracious to answer the same questions over and over, long after my tolerance level for such antics would have dwindled. Another thing about the nature of news is that it's constantly happening, and the order of importance changes just as quickly. The other night I and a co-worker went through three drafts of a single page before going to press. Be prepared to wipe out the thing you've worked on for three hours, because it might get cast aside for a more important story any minute, and page space is valuable.<br /><br />Speaking of which, here's another point: Ads rule. This is not to suggest that I love advertisements, only that they take precedence. You fit the news around the ads. If the ad space eats up the story you've been given to put on the page, tough. Ad wins, every time. <br /><br />Another thing is this: Unless you simply have a massive self-esteem issue, if you don't think you're very good at this thing called journalism, well ... maybe you're not. On the other hand -- without getting gender-specific -- if you think you're THE MAN, well ... you're definitely not. Here's a key word: Professionalism. People better than you do this job every day. To get to their level, you have to do what they do. That means you meet deadlines. That means you arrive on time and ready to work. That means no diva-like attitudes. I heard so many people in the halls of higher learning say they could be the next Oprah, the next Katie Couric, etc, ad nauseam. Guess what? They can't. They don't have the polish, the seriousness of tone, the look of determination. They're just star-tripping. That's not what this profession is about. It's about getting the truth and presenting it in a way that grabs the reader's or viewer's attention. <br /><br />Lest you think I consider myself superior to anyone at my job ... think again. I've had my a** handed to me already. Each night, prior to sending our pages to film for pressing, we print out the entire news section, one page at a time. Each of us gets a look at the other's work for proofreading. Believe me, there's nothing like getting back a page full of red marks. You look at these errors all over the place and say, "How did I miss that?" If such an exercise doesn't instill a little humility, nothing will. It's happened to me. It'll happen to you. Don't take it personally, because you've got to go back in there and do it all over again tomorrow. Every day is a new chance to get it right. <br /><br />This isn't meant to discourage anyone. I have aspirations, just as you all do. Some of those who are in school at the moment, who even ply their trade on the side in local free rags, have a leg up on the game. What they don't know, however, is that they haven't REALLY been subjected to the madhouse that is a full-time job in journalism. Many of these are reviewing jobs, which are fine and dandy, but -- sorry -- reviews aren't reporting. You're just giving your opinion, not going out to gather information from multiple sources. Such work requires you to get off your a** and go after something. <br /><br />Just do me and all your future co-workers a favor: Do this for the right reasons. Do this because you love the news-gathering process. Do this because you want to make a positive contribution. Do this because Jason Blair and "Jeff Gannon" have put a pockmark on your choice of profession and you want to prove to the world they're the exceptions, not the rule. (By the way, if you don't know who those people are, find another field NOW.) If you wanna be a star, join the f****in' circus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1108908787835290232005-02-20T09:10:00.000-05:002005-02-20T09:16:39.176-05:00River of LifeOyez, J-School Bloggers:<br /><br />Doug has prodded and pleaded to let the world hear more from us but so far few have responded. He and I have posted prompts but I suspect we might be asking the wrong questions, poking the wrong ribs. Let me take another stab at it. (Warning: Extended metaphor ahead.)<br /><br />If getting a J-School degree, or any college degree, is like crossing a river, many students are wading along with relative ease, while others feel the water is too wide, fierce and possibly unfordable. For some, life on the other side appears increasingly unappealing and not worth the effort. Still others are waist-deep, fearing any moment they'll be swept away by the rushing current or wiped out by passing debris. Though tempted to turn back, they stay the course because the clock is ticking and starting over from another point or finding another way to cross would be costly. (End of metaphor)<br /><br />If this is what you're experiencing, well, dear blooger, "That's life." Even after you've graduated, it will appear that for some life is a breeze; for others, a wicked nightmare of uncertainty and dread. Nothing mystical determines who is who, however. I believe those who are most successful and happiest -- regardless of station or profession -- have goals that help them make wise choices. They don't live life on the fly. They're more deliberate and sure-footed. More than that, to them, life is not just earning enough to buy a nice home or raise a family, although these are important. To them, what they do for a living matters, and this, in turn, fuels their grit and stiffens their backbones.<br /><br />Eventually, all of you will step out of the river and into the real world. What are you going to do then? Do you hope to make a difference? If so, what's your plan? What are you going to do to ensure that at the end of your professional life you will have done more than collect paychecks for 30 years? Even if you don't want to work in the media, we all must contribute. What is your plan for making sure your professional life matters?<br /><br />Let's keep it real.<br /><br />Professor WigginsDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1108856393629329452005-02-19T18:33:00.000-05:002005-02-19T18:39:53.630-05:00Ralph Hanson features J-School YearRalph Hanson, who professes journalism at and blogs (<a href="http://users.adelphia.net/%7Erhanson40/blog/">Living in a Media World</a>) from the halls of West Virginia University, has featured J-School Year as one of the <a href="http://users.adelphia.net/%7Erhanson40/blog/#student_blogs">student blogs </a>on his site.<br /><br />Thanks, Ralph, and a top 'o the Morgantown mornin' to ya.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1107886085221592162005-02-08T13:02:00.000-05:002005-02-08T13:08:05.220-05:00Writing toolI've discovered a tool that will help you detect problems in your writing, at least while doing it on the Web. The <a href="http://www.ftrain.com/ThePassivator.html">Passivator</a> over at F-Train will detect all "to be" constructions and "-ly" adverbs and highlight them. That's a good place to start considering a tweak here and there.
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<br />It won't work in the posting box on Blogger and similar services. But if you use preview mode after you've written, it will run.
<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1107832801749909892005-02-07T21:54:00.000-05:002005-02-07T22:20:01.750-05:00Freedom in printI'm glad I went back and read the Times article instead of just reacting to the post. I thought the author was for censorship when I first saw the post.
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<br />I was a high school journalist, and had to fight the district office on many of my stories. I believe the 1st amendment and the rights it gives us as citizens and journalists is probably the one thing in life I am most liberal about, and I will always defend those rights.
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<br />The censorship issue is not what I found the most interesting about the article though. David Shaw summed up perfectly what is wrong with journalism and the teaching of journalism. Shaw wrote that the journalism adviser had been pulled from the English department to advise the program.
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<br />Shaw said, "[...]it is typical of what is happening in high schools nationwide. As budgets are cut, journalism programs are often eliminated or combined with English departments, where teachers — their skills in literature and grammar notwithstanding — often lack the journalistic background to give students proper guidance in the practice and, especially, the ethics of newspaper work."
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<br />It is one thing for the administration and faculty to belive the student was wrong in publishing the story, but how can they judge the student or the adviser when proper education was not provided? Parents would expect any teacher and administrator to have a proper education to teach their students and make decisions for them about their education, so why shouldn't the same be demanded of a program that is more than just an elective?
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<br />Journalism in high school is suppose to challenge students to ask the questions not asked and to seek the truth, which is often hidden in school districts. If journalism was treated as an academic subject and taught with certified journalism teachers, I believe the new reports on the 1st amendment and high school would be dramatically different and the school district would be more understanding.
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<br />Until half the nation has been censored though, I really don't expect the administration or anyone else to truly understand the student, the press or their rights.
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<br />Julia Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06932139272923694605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1107791967103320292005-02-07T10:57:00.000-05:002005-02-07T10:59:27.103-05:00Student journalists face more restrictionsMany of you were high school journalists. How do you react to David Shaw's <a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/cl-ca-shaw6feb06,0,4948729.column?coll=la-home-utilities">column</a> in the L.A. Times about increasing restrictions on high school journalists?
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<br />An excerpt:
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The most recent manifestation of the crackdown on school papers came in Fullerton last week when officials at Troy High School placed Ann Long on a leave of absence from her job as co-editor in chief of the Oracle.</span>
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<br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"> Long's "crime" was writing and publishing a story about two bisexual students and one gay student in what she called "an attempt to raise awareness on campus that people with different sexualities go through more emotional stress than the average teenager."</span>
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<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1106238393307517632005-01-20T11:25:00.000-05:002005-01-20T11:26:33.306-05:00Attention broadcastersIf you want an idea of the way TV news may be headed, check out WLTX-TV's ad for a "backpack journalist."
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<br />More on the <a href="http://commonsensej.blogspot.com/2005/01/backpack-journalist-wanted.html">CSJ Web log</a>.
<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941318.post-1103570403816780832004-12-20T14:15:00.000-05:002004-12-20T14:20:03.816-05:00Job-finding resourceThis is one of those job-finding resources (and all-around good sites on journalism writing, reporting and careers) that's worth mentioning from time to time: Joe Grimm's <a href="http://www.freep.com/jobspage/">Jobs Page</a> at the Detroit Free Press.
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<br />Joe, who is the Freep's recruitment and training editor, also has started a great <a href="http://jobspage.typepad.com/jobspage/">Web log</a> that answers career questions -- those "mundane" things like how many clips, should I move to the features desk if I want a future features editing job, how do I get out of being pigeon-holed, etc.
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<br />Also, make sure you read Mitch Albom's <a href="http://www.freep.com/jobspage/academy/albom01.htm">presentation</a> on writing and on hooking and keeping the reader.
<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16156896794811327893noreply@blogger.com0