A J-School Year

Could you pass me the nine iron?

2006-06-09T10:38:00.000-04:00

Did you hear that? In case it wasn't loud enough, that was the glorious sound of me breathing a huge sigh of relief (with angels singing in the background). I've been an intern at Golfweek magazine for officially one week now, and I'm finally sure that I'm on the right path. Despite the fact that I have become painfully aware of my limited golf knowledge, I genuinely enjoy working here. I'm even thinking about learning how to play.

Currently, we're working on a special issue that will be available in September, featuring a college golf yearbook. It's going to cover all NCAA men's and women's golf teams, and we're writing articles to highlight each one in the top 25. There's only one other intern, so we definitely have our work cut out for us. This week we compiled lists of colleges, rosters and phone numbers. Next week we're calling all of the coaches to confirm the information we have. Sounds easy enough, but that's around 500 different people to contact. Hopefully my sanity will remain in tact. It's going to be an interesting summer...

2006-05-16T00:11:00.000-04:00

Usually I'm excited around this time of year. Classes are out, the sun is shining and the pool is calling my name. Usually. But not this time around. Instead I find myself drenched in a puddle of my own nervous sweat. And believe me, the unpleasantness that goes along with this stretches far beyond the obvious physical discomfort.
The beginning of summer means the beginning of a long haul of responsibility. With only one semester to go, I am starting to realize all of the things that go along with graduating. The thought of building a career seems incredibly frightening right now. Thus far, I've delayed actually developing any kind of plan. I don't have the answers. I'm nowhere near being prepared to be on my own. There are so many things to consider. What if I don't get a job right away? What will I do about insurance? Where am I going to live? The amount of pressure I'm feeling is insane. I'm not even sure I know what I want to do specifically.
This minor freak-out has led me to a major realization. It's finally time for me to grow up. I need to learn to make decisions and figure things out for myself. I can't just coast along anymore. I have to make things happen. Hopefully it's not too late.

Adjusting to deadline: harder than previously thought

2006-02-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

As I enter my fourth or fifth week (the weeks begin to run together) of broadcast senior semester, I must admit something: it ain't as easy as it looks.

Never before, in all my schooling, have I experienced the intense pressures of trying to meet deadlines such as the ones that face me now.

During semesters past, we would have two -- or even three -- weeks to turn one story package. Two weeks! While those were semesters of learning, even still, that was a lot of time to produce a 1:30 package. Looking back, I could have produced a Dateline-like show with that amount of time. Two or three days we would spend shooting video, another two or three getting our interviews, five to seven writing and two or three days editing our package.

Now, it's more like two to three hours shooting video, tracking down, setting up and interviewing subjects. Then, I have about 10 minutes to go through 20 minutes of b-roll and logging good bites. Then, if I'm lucky, I'll have 45 minutes to write a script. By now, it's 2:45, and my producer is yelling, "Graeme print to video!" And I yell back, "Umm ... I'm just sitting down to edit, but I promise I'll have it on tape by show open." (And by show open I mean in 45 minutes).

I've missed deadline twice during our beginning weeks, and it's a let down. I promise you will get discouraged. You will say you're not nearly as talented as you thought. And, you will probably want to quit. But, do not. It gest easier. It just takes time. I'm actually beginning to see a faint, though almost nonexistent, light at the end of a daunting hall (or haul).

There's no great ending or some enlightening advice to my story, as what I just described is where I am.

But, I can say this: get ready for a huge change when walking into senior semester. I also suggest (if anyone has actually read this far) to challenge yourself if you're still in 326 or 434. Challenge yourself to getting a package done in two days. I think that's fair. Of course you will have more time, but if you begin setting personal deadlines, things will be much easier for you when you arrive to the pseudo-working world of senior semester.

Good luck!

Good Internship Opportunity in Jacksonville

2005-08-22T20:10:00.000-04:00

2006 Summer Internship Program

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.

Applications for internships must be received by December 1, 2005. Interns who are selected will be notified on or before Jan. 1, 2006.

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.

The salary scale is as follows:

Completion of first year of college - $350 weekly.
Completion of second year of college - $380 weekly.
Completion of third year of college - $410 weekly.
Completion of fourth year of college - $420 weekly.
Completion of graduate school - $440 weekly.

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.

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.

We are a drug free workplace.

Send applications to:
Cindy Holifield
Newsroom Resources Coordinator
cindy.holifield@jacksonville.com

Mail:
Florida Times-Union
PO Box 1949
Jacksonville, FL 32231

Or for delivery requiring a street address:
Florida Times-Union
One Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32202

New York Times merging newsrooms

2005-08-03T09:57:00.000-04:00

I've also posted this on Common Sense Journalism, but I'm reposting it here for the consideration of students and others who may visit this blog:

One of the more significant items to drop into Jim Romenesko's inbox yesterday was the memo from Bill Keller and Martin Nisenholtz that the New York Times is merging its online and print newsrooms.

It seemed to me there were two very significant quotes:

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.

and

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.

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.

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.

Making it happen

2005-05-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

Today marks the eve of my first full work week at Fox News Channel in Washington, D.C., on "Special Report w/ Brit Hume." And what an experience it's been. There are several things I've learned while at Fox. The first is that network news is that much different from local news. The most obvious is the immensity of a network bureau compared to a local shop. The pace and intensity of work for national news is, to say the least, intense. If you don't know what you're doing, people quickly become disgruntled. But, that's when you keep pushing and never take it personally. As disgruntled as these overworked employees become, they're equally as willing to help you learn--that is, when they've turned their package du jour.
Another crucial element to surviving as an intern is that you MUST ask to do things. There are, of course, the occasional yuppie employees who make it their mission to teach you the ins and outs of the news business... which is great. But, the bigger dogs want to see initiative, and quite frankly, as my boss put it today, "seeking out cool and interesting things for the interns to do is not on the top of [their] list." He intended no malice, and none was taken. His philosophy: ask and you shall receive. Once you do ask, you will receive, and you will learn. Hopefully, that's what I've been doing.
A couple of interesting facts from the broadcast aspect of things:
1. Almost all editing is still done tape to tape. Their reason: if Fox upgrades to all digital, they're afraid the technology will have changed so much within three years that they'll once again be "out of the loop." One of the chief editors told me that convergence is inevitable. That means all "packaging" will be done from your desktop, eliminating the need for the conventional editor. I assume all those bays will become mini-starbucks.
2. Reporters don't go "out in the field." Much, anyway. With most of the major events, speeches, press conferences and breefings all on live feeds, the reporter can sit back in his or her office, collect the pertinent news and write their script. I don't mean to belittle the role of the reporter, but it's true that a lot of the work is done in-house and with the help of field producers and videographers. I think that takes some of the fun out of the biz.
To steal Mr. Hume's tag line: That's the report from Special Report this time... I hope you come again next time, and in the meantime, stay tuned for news fair, balanced and unafraid.

Intern's woes

2005-04-26T11:54:00.000-04:00

A college student's column 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 on Romenesko's letters page.

My own take on this: She was just a little presumptuous to begin with. What do our bloggers think?

(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.)

Thanks, Doug

2005-04-25T16:55:00.000-04:00

Doug:

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?

Cheers,

Ernie

The Best of the Best

2005-04-19T22:30:00.000-04:00

Bloggers:

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.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins

Little Fish in a Big Pond

2005-04-18T23:24:00.000-04:00

I'm from small town America.
I don't know big town America.
But, I better find out. That's because in less than three weeks, I'll be on the way to Washington, D.C. to retrieve Brit Hume's coffee for three months--or at least that's what some have told me I'll be doing.
I refuse to believe that. Yes, this is an internship at one of the cable networks, and yes, often times interns do nothing more than the proverbial "gettin' coffee." But I hope I'll be able to get more out of my time at Fox and truly become a better journalist for that. I plan to stick to the proverbial "it's all what you put in" and just pray for the best.

Any thoughts from you who've done internships with the bigger dogs? (or thoughts from you who've worked with the bigger dogs?)

I hope everyone does well on finals.
Have a great summer,
Graeme

At least I didn't cry...

2005-04-13T15:50:00.000-04:00

I thought the biggest feat for today would be getting through all the job fair interviews at the J-school; I was so wrong.

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.

It ran two days late and with a glaring error.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Convergence in Lawrence, KS

2005-04-13T06:58:00.000-04:00

Bloggers,

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: www.npr.org. Click on Morning Edition.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins

Experience Takes Initiative

2005-03-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

This semester I’ve finally started taking journalism classes, which is exciting even if it means I’m stuck in the bottom of the Coliseum several hours a day.

After getting in some pseudo-journalism experience, I really feel as though my desire to be a journalist has solidified. However, I am also feeling great internal and external pressure to move outside the classroom and into the field. The need for experience before graduation has been stressed to me since I was a freshman, so I can’t say I’m surprised. I knew it was coming, but I guess I’m still a little startled that it came so soon.

I’ve had several conversations with other j-school students and they echoed some of the same feelings. There was a time when I thought I would easily get an internship the summer before my senior year, and that would be all the experience I needed. Unfortunately, now it seems like gaining experience from an internship even has its prerequisites. Also, it is frustrating to apply for scholarships to be able to continue studying only to realize the people doling out scholarships are looking for… people with experience!

In my Journalism 202 class Bob Bentley, a guest speaker and a USC alumnus, came to educate us on how we could be more appealing to future employers. Having been the editor-in-chief of six newspapers around the country, he said he has hired a lot of people and that a collection of really good clips meant more to him in those interviews than a master’s degree. He said good journalists had talent and initiative, especially when it comes to gaining experience. He also emphasized the importance of writing for student publications, working for experience instead of money, and becoming a “good reader” of newspapers.

Hearing these things over and over again, and now from someone who has turned down straight A students for jobs, it makes me very anxious to begin what appears to be the long process of gaining experience.

"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. ~H.S.T.

2005-03-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

I know I'm a month late in posting this, but I wanted to lament the loss of one of journalism's greatest minds. Hunter S. Thompson's suicide came as a total shock. A friend of mine who shares in my Thompson adoration, text messaged me with the horrible news the night it actually happened. I'm sure the entire nation thought exactly the same thing: "Of all the craziness Thompson subjected himself to, all the illegal substances he reveled in experimenting with, all the gun-toting escapades he led, how on earth could he die like this?" It's truly tragic, but that's not the important part of the story. Thompson was a legend in his own right.
Some journalists may chuckle at notions that Thompson was a serious journalist -- but I think he was. He added innovation to the job during a time in American history that definitely needed a fresh voice and angle in the field. His reporting of Nixon came in a form unheard of before then. I was obviously not old enough to realize when the birth of gonzo journalism actually occurred, but its effects are indelible. However, I think the latest generations of journalists don't know much about the man who chronicled a journey to the heart of the American Dream. If this generation has read his reports, it's usually his more recent writings for ESPN or Rolling Stone. If his death brings anything, I hope it leads more young reporters to read his works and gain insight into how each journalist can be a fresh voice among the legions.
In a time when media consumers hear the same story told the same way several times in one day, innovators like Thompson showed journalists how their passion for life and for reporting can be revealed simultaneously -- in their work.

Just two more quotes:
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
"Publishers are notoriously slothful about numbers, unless they're attached to dollar signs -- unlike journalists, quarterbacks, and felony criminal defendants who tend to be keenly aware of numbers at all times."
To sample the cruder side of gonzo journalism, visit http://theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4112&n=3&id=4095

Ethics in a blog world

2005-03-24T18:38:00.000-05:00

There is an interesting post on the Mediacenter blog, Morph, in which Taran Rampersad puts a new twist on the ethics framework in which we operate.

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: "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."

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?

Weigh in, please.

The Great Divide

2005-03-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

Bloggers:

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.

Ya'll come.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins

Graniteville Train Wreck discussion

2005-03-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bloggers:

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.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins

Contest winners

2005-03-13T01:36:00.000-05:00

Contest 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!
Doug

Hearst
Kent Babb, first place, sports
Kristin Chandler ninth place, feature

SPJ Mark of Excellence Region 3 (exact places not yet announced)
James Warden, General News Photo
Julia Knetzer, Photo Illustration
Carla Wynn, Online Feature and Online In-Depth
Keita Alston, Online Feature
Eva Pilgrim, TV Spot News (two awards)
Anna Lake, TV General News
Parul Joshi, TV In-Depth
Corey Fulks, TV General News

S.C. Press Association
Tricia Ridgway: first, specialty page layout and design; third, arts and entertainment story
Juia Knetzer: second, feature story
Carla Wynn: second, specialty page layout and design; third, informational graphic
James Warden: second, informational graphic; third, specialty page layout & design
Melissa Ridings: first, informational graphic

It's about evolution

2005-03-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

Bloggers:

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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins

Next generation TV reporting?

2005-03-11T13:10:00.000-05:00

We all saw the satellite phone images from Iraq. Jerky and expensive -- but we all were riveted.

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.

The AP reports that NRK outfitted a reporter with a third-generation (3G) mobile phone "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."

But here's what reporters of all kinds (with the move toward convergence, not just TV) need to pay attention to:

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.

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.

The era of the "techno journalist," "backpack journalist," or whatever we want to call it may be growing closer more quickly than we think.
For more on the multiskilled journalist, see this from the Convergence Newsletter, this from OJR, and this counterpoint from OJR (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.)

(Cross-posted with Common Sense Journalism.)

A dying breed

2005-03-08T15:41:00.000-05:00

This 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

Hunter S. Thompson

2005-03-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

Bloggers:

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.

Cheers

Professor Wiggins

So, any suggestions?

2005-03-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

I've had some difficulty adjusting to being back in school after spending last semester interning full time in Washinton. I'm finished with all my journalism classes, so I'm stuck in Gambrell Hall most of the day trying to satisfy my political science minor, while I daydream about the District and tell people how sometimes the Coliseum and the Strom Thurmond Fitness and Wellness Center remind me of Washington architecture. It's sick.
But last week I made a trip down to the J-School to sign up for senior semester and had the pleasure of hearing some magic words: "That's all you need to graduate."
So now, I wonder if I'd be better off trying to jump into the job market next December or staying in school through next spring to get some more education and experience. I'm here on a scholarship, and my family is supportive of my staying in school. But I wonder if getting out a few months ahead of the crowd will put me ahead in the job hunt . . . And I like reporting better than taking classes. I've come to appreciate journalism so much, because covering stories is the best education. In no class will thousands of people -- potentially with more knowledge on the subject than you have -- scrutinize your papers and hold you responsible for any inaccuracy. But that's the pressure and the power behind the trade, and that's why we can trust it.

I haven't posted lately, but I started freelancing for the Real Estate section of The State. I had to do some reading before I jumped into any reporting, but my first story ran Sunday. I was thrilled to get the work but unsure if I'd enjoy the beat. I'm working on my third story now, and I've loved it so far. Though I've only had positive experiences, I've been warned that real estate agents are like politicians. And hey, maybe that's why I like it so much.

Decisions, decisions

2005-03-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Bloggers:

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.
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?
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.

Cheers,

Professor Wiggins

Watch your backs, reporters

2005-02-28T23:02:00.000-05:00

Hello, all:

I ran across this clip where a Jacksonville, Fla., reporter gets whacked a couple of times by an irate passer-by.

I forwarded it on to Prof. Wiggins and Mr. Fisher, who posted the link to his blog, Common Sense Journalism. And, of course, that's where I got the idea to share it with everyone here.

Check out the clip, and enjoy!
(Windows Media file)

P.S. Would you fight back?

Tamika's job hunt

2005-02-24T10:41:00.000-05:00

The Lost Remote, a widely read industry site, has made mention of Tamika's recent post. The comments are pretty supportive.

So has fvtv.com, 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).

Jobs

2005-02-23T13:40:00.000-05:00

I think that it is interesting that Tamika found a job and turned it down and David talks about how hard it is to find a job. Sometimes I feel like I am wasting my time and money on an advertising degree. Like David said I don't think I will be prepared. If the school of journalism is really trying to find a new major, it needs to be a major that teaches students hands on material. Not the material out of the textbook that doesn't even matter in the real world.

J-School

2005-02-23T13:33:00.000-05:00

Does anybody know if the j-school is really trying to create a new major?

Suck it up, rookies!

2005-02-23T00:57:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

River of Life

2005-02-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

Oyez, J-School Bloggers:

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.)

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)

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.

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?

Let's keep it real.

Professor Wiggins

Ralph Hanson features J-School Year

2005-02-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

Ralph Hanson, who professes journalism at and blogs (Living in a Media World) from the halls of West Virginia University, has featured J-School Year as one of the student blogs on his site.

Thanks, Ralph, and a top 'o the Morgantown mornin' to ya.

Yada Yada Yada

2005-02-11T04:26:00.000-05:00

This is my first post since last semester.

Since then, I have discovered numerous things. First, school is tough, requiring upwards of hours of studying and general preparation for proper learning.

Second, I hate large groups of people that do not allow for me to easily pass through said group.

Third, purchasing a iBook was the best thing that happened to me last semester (including interviewing Mayor Bob). If my PC did not contain my complete 'Seinfeld' collection, I would possibly chunk the machine right into Blossom Street, only hoping that one of the cars that tries to run me over every time I cross destroys the damned 'computer.'

Fourth, if I don't put my nose to the grindstone, I will be working at my part-time job, full time. I'm batting and the count is full; either I strike out or sail on over Jeter's head for a stand-up double. OK, enough with the Curtis Chow sarcasm. That being said, I refocused my academic endeavors away from the J-School, to the more general courses I should have taken my freshman and sophomore years.

Being released to the BA and Gambrell side of campus is somewhat of a relief. I get to see old friends and even make some new ones. Get this, there are even some rooms with windows. The Coliseum is very much like a casino with no windows or clocks; you could be down there for day and never know it.

In conclusion, study hard and often and you can make it. And don't wait to take those classes you should be taking now.

S.K.Bowen III

Writing tool

2005-02-08T13:02:00.000-05:00

I've discovered a tool that will help you detect problems in your writing, at least while doing it on the Web. The Passivator 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.

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.

HS Journalism: a threat?

2005-02-08T11:43:00.000-05:00

When I was reading Mr. Shaw's column, I had flashbacks to my own high school journalism experiences. Though I was never threatened with replacement or displacement from my position as editor-in-chief, as a newspaper we definitely had our share of controversy.
When I became editor-in-chief of our newspaper, The Pitchfork, my senior year, a new principal was hired. I had to meet with him over the summer to get to know him and his policies. To my dismay, one of the first things he told me was that he was for prior review and had disliked some things we had run in the past. Although our paper never shied away from covering controversial issues, we had never reported or uncovered earth shattering news. I had been taught by my passionate and persistent adviser, Kim Stokes, that one should never EVER be censored or prior reviewed. So I decided to fight the principal on his prior review policy. Needless to say, we were never prior reviewed that year, and I eventually became the principal's assistant. Although he was unhappy with some of my decisions to run stories on a teen mother in our school and unnecessary breathalizer tests at the prom, we openly communicated with each other, and we still share a mutual respect for one another.
Because Julia and I are from the same high school, worked on the same newspaper staff and shared the same experiences with censorship, my opinion on the article is the same as hers. Julia and I had an amazing adviser in high school who always fought for our rights as journalists and taught us about the rights we had. If we had been without Mrs. Stokes, I would never have had the courage or knowledge to go against our principal and fight for an uncensored and a true student newspaper. I am disturbed by the trend of "self-taught" journalism teachers, although some are perfectly capable of handling student publications. However, I am probably more disturbed by funding being cut for school programs including journalism. In high school, journalism offered me a way to express myself through writing and designing and also afforded me the means of changing certain aspects of the school.
Journalism was my high school experience not merely a part, and I only wish more students could have the opportunities I had in high school with journalism.

Freedom in print

2005-02-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

I'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.

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.

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.

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."

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?

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.

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.

Student journalists face more restrictions

2005-02-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

Many of you were high school journalists. How do you react to David Shaw's column in the L.A. Times about increasing restrictions on high school journalists?

An excerpt:
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.

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."

Can you Imagine trying to cover the elections in Iraq?

2005-01-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

I am very happy to see the elections are happening there so smoothly. I can remember when I deployed in real-world missions in the Army how I felt about the security. I can only imagine how tight the security is just to go across the street. I admire the reporters for the grit they have shown. They have to live like the troops. I am very sure that the media in country understand that an AK-47 assault rifle round does not care about your press credentials and you are in harms way. I guess what is really scary is all of the car bombings. I think it takes a special person to want to cover this kind of event. What makes all of the difference as an (aspiring) reporter from the outside looking in is seeing the joy the people have after having their first election in more than fifty years.
There is a bit of irony though. I guess in watching Iraq's elections versus ours we see millions of dollars spent to get people to the polls to vote. Outside many threats of violence there was a story I heard of a woman braving these perils to make her vote count and she later gave birth at one of the polling stations. Yet, we still see people who are fickle about voting here. I find that simply amazing. I think that is why reporters go to a place like that, to be amazed themselves.

Wise women

2005-01-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

Entering my senior semester in the J-School has sent emotions through and through. There are emotions within me that are foreign and some that I would rather deny.

There is a pattern and a way of life that I have adapted myself to; my regular job, the way I eat, when I (don't) sleep and my crazy class schedule. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of friends and family that ask where and what I am doing with my life. It seems that I do not know exactly the answer and so I have created a story of what I dream of doing, someday. All I know is it sounds like a well-developed successful career map .

Meanwhile, I stumbled upon a book by photographer, Joyce Tenneson titled, "Wise Women." It's a book that celebrates courage and the beauty of women in their third phase of their lives. I found this book to be wonderfully insightful and something I strive to become. While flipping through this book, in the back of my mind, I thought of what it takes to be wise, a wise woman in today's society. Is it determined by the amount of degrees and academic honors? her employment? her LSAT scores? her university and her rank?

I reevaluated my post-graduation success story and have kept this quote in the back of my mind..."the most important thing it to try and enjoy life-because you never know when it will be gone. If you wake up in the morning and you have a choice between doing the laundry and taking a walk in the park, go for the walk. You'd hate to die and realize you had spent your last day doing the laundry!" -Christine Lee.

Attention broadcasters

2005-01-20T11:25:00.000-05:00

If you want an idea of the way TV news may be headed, check out WLTX-TV's ad for a "backpack journalist."

More on the CSJ Web log.

Finally I am starting to feel like I am a broadcaster

2005-01-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

I am finally in the broadcast side of my academic career. The more I go through the program the more it humbles me. We have quite a heritage here at USC through alumni and our falcuty and I am a step closer to being apart of that "lineage." I have a cousin that came through this program and he is currently at The Weather Channel as a producer. I think that this program has a alot to do with that. He was very prepared as he is smart and USC's name backing him did not hurt. I can't wait to hit the anchoring chair. I will constantly grow more and more as a journalist despite my past work experience in television. I know for a fact that some of what I left behind 3 years ago may not even be in existance now. Every year the G.M. of your station is finding new angles to push the station foward. You will see how he or she is "borrowing" ideas from other markets and BAM you are doing something different. I guess the rewards are doing something hard and reaching the goal. I learned that if your station is to compete, the so-called "hard" is what brings out the best in everyone.

Suits and leather

2005-01-11T22:37:00.000-05:00

School started yesterday, and I began a legislative internship with the Associated Press today. I was an AP intern last year too, so I knew what to expect, but I remember my S.C. State House experience a little differently.
I remember walking into the ornate building last year and feeling overwhelmed, a misplaced nobody in a sea of suits. Coming back from the U.S. Capitol and the White House, this semester I felt better prepared for the job.
The legislative session began today, and a motorcyclist group called ABATE (A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactment) came out in full force to voice opinions on helmet law, seat belt enforcement, etc. I watched men wearing chaps, bandanas and black leather vests that showed off old tattoos wander around the State House right alongside the state legislators. After the security I faced daily in Washington, I couldn't believe my eyes. Here were politicians mingling with constituents, the way it should be.

Almost Forgot

2005-01-10T20:07:00.000-05:00

I almost completely forgot about writing my posts. I have been scatter-brained lately. I finally have thing in order for Winthrop. I started today and things went well. I've gone from taking all academic classes to all art classes which is different but fun. I'm enthusiatic about this semester and looking forward to all of those times I'll be stressed out of portfolio projects.

It's very different from being at USC. I see a lot of the same people I know throughout the day. Almost all of the art students know all of the professors and the other students. I'm in the same building the entire day and I don't have to worry getting hit by a car while trying to cross the street.

Job-finding resource

2004-12-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

This 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 Jobs Page at the Detroit Free Press.

Joe, who is the Freep's recruitment and training editor, also has started a great Web log 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.

Also, make sure you read Mitch Albom's presentation on writing and on hooking and keeping the reader.

Is blogging your new resume?

2004-12-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

In an interesting article on Tech Central, one writer suggests that your blog may be required reading for any editors who want to hire you. Read more about it at Common Sense Journalism.

As the writer put it:

If you were an editor looking for a new hire these days, what would your first move be after checking your candidate's resume and clips?

To check their blog, of course.

This, of course, is part of the idea behind this J-School Year project.

What do you think, especially since so many blogs are so personal and so woefully unedited? Are you leaving a permanent record that could hurt you down the road?

Update: A thoughtful response from Martin Stabe in the UK.

Restoring confidence

2004-12-07T21:55:00.000-05:00

Hello, Bloggers:

You've no doubt read or heard the latest survey results by Gallup that show journalists have fallen even further on the scale of ethical professions. Topping the list are nurses and elementary school teachers. Journalists are clustered near the bottom with car salesmen and operators of nursing homes. Folks in media think tanks are pondering the significance of this decline in public confidence. (That's what they get paid for.) Those of us on the frontlines of journalism education see this as part of the challenge we face in preparing journalism students for the workplace. What do you think needs to be done? Interestingly, I'm teaching the media ethics class in the spring and of the 32 students enrolled, 2 are journalism majors. Should an ethics course be required for print and electronic majors? Can you learn ethical behiavor in a classroom? What say you?

Professor Wiggins

Fried Turkey and Cousins

2004-11-29T21:40:00.002-05:00

Sweet, the holidays. Fanfreakintastic. I can usually tell the onslaught of the holiday season with the amount of ads that containing massive amounts of green, red and “percent off” graphics.

This thanksgiving took our family to our usual holiday hideaway, Grandma’s. My parents, grandparents and I are usually the only ones who gorge the edibles. This year was different though. Apparently I have cousins - 12 of them. Yeh, you know those people who are related to you that you only see once a year? Well I haven’t see these people in (according to them) 15 years. And I don’t know about you, but my five-year-old memories consist mostly of candy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Along with new people at the main dinner table and numerous satellite tables comes new stories. There’s was one older gentleman, some distant uncle of some sort, who had great anecdotes with superb punch lines. He aurally wowed the table with his unique blend of wit and satire.

But, and I fell bad for saying such, there was another “uncle,” his brother in fact, whose stories bombed completely. He had a new audience and didn’t have enough time to feel out the audience. It was like watching a bad standup comedian fail miserably. My grandmother, who I sit next to for all holiday meals, made eyes at each other and smirked at how horrible the stories were.

Aside from all of the holiday cheer, I failed to register for any journalism classes due to an NHL type lockout. My time was scheduled for Wednesday at 1:00. 121% of the classes I needed were closed. Oh well, it leaves me time to clear up some other general requirements...This is also the first year I only have two finals in my classes. Simply amazing....Wish me luck next semester, I finally nailed down a schedule with no Friday classes...

Over and out good buddy,
S.K.Bowen III

Making choices

2004-11-28T22:44:00.000-05:00

Heading into Thanksgiving weekend I really thought I knew what I was going to do with my schedule next semester. But a long weekend gave me too much time to think, despite the massive amount of homework hanging over me.

How is someone suppose to determine what opportunities are actually best. I have the opportunity to be a part of two amazing internships next semester. They might not be great to some people, but I definitely didn't expect to have a choice in internships for next semester. One is for my minor. I will get six hours class credit, get paid and get to work in the South Carolina state house. The other is with a major news company. I'll get to report, might get paid and I will still work in the South Carolina state house. Normally, the second choice would be a no brainer, getting to report, what I want to do. But for some reason, the one with the class credit keeps popping up in my head as something I should really be a part of next semester.

I'm not asking anyone to make my decisions for me, I am just wondering how do others decide what is best for their future when two really good opportunities are present?

When fluff stories attack

2004-11-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

My most recent article was one of those holiday fluff stories and my first non-political story of the semester. I spent a few days shopping around Washington, looking in gift shops in national museums and federal buildings, writing about the unique gifts out-of-state shoppers can purchase online or by phone. Not a bad gig for a 20-year-old female reporter.
I was warmly received everywhere but at one organization's gift shop. I called ahead to make sure it was open to the public, and then took the train out to Maryland to check it out. I introduced myself to the clerk, who was foreign, and told her my assignment. That's when she freaked out, telling me I couldn't be in the store.
I asked her if the store was open to the public. When she said it was, I tried to explain that I can, in fact, write about publicly sold merchandise. She repeatedly told me I couldn't write but could only shop.
"Why do you have to stick your. . .?" Nose into our business, I knew she wanted to say. I tried to explain that, worst case scenario, the shop gets a little more business as a result of my article.
She defensively said, "We don't need your help." I hung around for a while, checking out the merchandise simply for the sake of doing so. It was nothing worth mentioning in print, so I left without saying anything more to the clerk.
I couldn't help but wonder when the press became the enemy. I can't count how many guest lecturers we've had this semester that recall the days when reporters and senators played cards together in the press gallery, even got silly drinking together after work. Now, the press gallery tables are empty, and everyone carries bottled water. Today, there is an invisible wall between reporters and sources, and I often wish I could've experienced old Washington journalism.
Well, Happy Thanksgiving. I've got a plane to catch.

Approaching the end

2004-11-17T22:36:00.000-05:00

Here I sit, dazed and angry at the turn of events which inevitably seem to manifest themselves toward semester's end--the term paper, the oh-so-lovely roommates, the 'I better kick it up a notch' worries. You all know them. You all have been there. And, if you're like me, you all hate them.

After what I judged a fairly productive majority of the semester, I feel myself not giving a tinker's damn in the last 24 to 48 hours. And here's why:

To begin, I was diagnosed with some heart condition this past week. That, in itself, is not where I'm looking to gain the pity. The pity, my friends, and the root of my frustration is the ramification of having to kick a five-year habit: smoking cigarettes. And to any ex-fellow smokers, you can understand the violent agitation that accompanies being without your little cancer sticks. So, this morning--my first official smoke-free morning--came the first true test. My first break, 8:50-10:05, is when I used to grab a copy of "The Gamecock," find a suitable perch outside and yes, light the first morning cig. But not this morning. Instead, I distracted myself with superfluous tomfooleries until my next class. Then came the second break and time to register for spring classes.

With cravings intensifying and my tolerance level toward humans dwindling, one can imagine the sheer aggrivation of dealing with blackboard, the registrar's office and of course, the unavailability of all journalism classes. After enrolling in only two classes--none of which was journalism-related--I gave up, put myself on the waiting lists and smirked at the entire registering process. If it's meant to be, I thought, then it's meant to be. Besides, what good would it have done to march into the front office and deal with the three daunting ladies who seem to run this journalism school? None. Now, let's move on.

As the afternoon wore on and with no cigarettes and no classes, my mortar board reminded me of my final chemistry test the following morning. Instead of studying that afternoon, I opted to get some advice from Dr. Phil on marital fidelity, see Oprah give millions of dollars away and watch a special on the U.S. Secret Service--interesting stuff. After the six o'clock newscast, it was time to get down to the nitty-gritty. I opened my book, looked at the pages and realized I had no clue how to distinguish a sphingophospholipid from a plain ol' phospholipid. Reasoning like only a burnt-out college student can, I decided an 'F' on tomorrow's test would still leave me with a 'C' in the class. Yes, an average 'C', but looking at the grand scheme of things, what would it matter that I failed one college chemistry test. And perhaps one day, I could relate to my own child's sinister choice just as my dad had done with me that very afternoon. So, my decision was final: no studying and back to the drawing table, my couch.

To top off an already wonderful day, I decided to check my monetary supply. Now, of course, there are negative temperatures and negative feelings, but NOT negative monies. My check, made payable to Sce&g, must have "gone through" a little quicker than expected, leaving me 11 bucks in the hole. Great, that should be a fun call home tomorrow. Indeed, this money mis-hap will further my house confinement of watching Friends re-runs and eating ramen noodles.

The evening was getting late, and I asked myself, 'WWLD?' (What Would Larry David Do). Larry David, of course, was the producer of my all-time favorite sitcom Seinfeld and the star of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiam. I bargained that the master of cynicism and logical world outlook would find solace explaining his ever-so-inconsequential problems to whoever would listen. So friends, thanks for reading!

Graeme

Deserted streets and tumbleweeds

2004-11-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

Hello, Bloggers:

No postings for a week?
We must be approaching the end.
Deadlines. Reports. Examinations.
That's what faculty are up to.
What about you?
Your semester been productive?
Any new revelations to share?
Maybe with the sun setting early
and a chilly wind whistling down,
you've shuttered your windows.
Let's hear from you before you put out the lights.

Professor Wiggins

Interview with a Vicious Reporter

2004-11-08T16:20:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. My name is Shana Till, and I'm an electronic journalism major here at USC. I'm excited about the opportunity to join the j-school year blog.

Now with the campaigning, mud slinging and propaganda of Election 2004 coming to an end, I finally feel America has an opportunity to sit back and release a huge sigh of relief. It's over.

At the same time, I feel I get to take a deep breath and recover from the hectic past two weeks.
I realized it wasn't just that I was being barraged by Tenenbaum and DeMint ads that had me down, but I was still reeling from my very first professional interview. I had anticipated being nervous and overly self-conscious, but I was not prepared for what my interviewer had in store for me that day.

I was shocked to find my interviewer made up his mind about me in 1.5 seconds. I shook his hand, sat down and offered him my portfolio. He skipped to the clippings and frowned immediately.

"So, you just write music criticisms?" he asked.

Trying to hold back my instinctive defense mechanisms, I replied with an explanation that my clippings reflect my main journalistic focus. He cared not one bit that writing about the music business has always been my passion. He showed no remorse in telling me that this type of writing was unnecessary and showed no writing or journalistic skills whatsoever. This is all, of course, without regard to the other parts of my portfolio. I couldn't even get him to glance at my resume and professional experience.

When I tell people that I want to cover the music industry, I know I'm faced with convincing them that it's not simply to "meet the band." I'm compelled to glorify the historical links between music and journalism. I want people to see that music journalism surpasses what Mrs. Britney Spears Federline wore during her latest tour. It instead encompasses a world in which music influences society and vice versa.

I realize the journalism job market is as cutthroat as ever, but every potential employee should be judged fairly. Good writers deserve respect no matter what beat they might cover. If I were to use the same logic my interviewer used, I would not respect him as much because I do not particularly care for the crime reports section of a daily.

My interviewer also expressed his distaste for a new concept referred to as "convergence." If media outlets do not acknowledge growing trends, how can they recruit fresh journalists who have been trained to accommodate these changing times?

Overall, I learned something from this situation. Here are two things my interviewer taught me.
1. Writers should include clippings of all types in their portfolio. In other words, clippings from both news and features sections look better than articles from just one or the other. This also shows you can adapt to all situations as a writer.
2. No one interviewer's opinion should affect your true ambitions as a journalist. Instead, work on what needs improvement and do not allow yourself to be discouraged by one person who does not see eye to eye with your aspirations.

I was extremely upset after this interview, but hindsight has proven that this was simply a learning experience. I realized that today's journalists must fight tooth and nail to receive every bit of respect they deserve.

Eat an oyster

2004-11-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

As the holiday's are rapidly approaching I have to be honest with myself. First of all, Thanksgiving break will consist of more than just a Butterball turkey, mom's sweet tea and overindulgence of nana's double covered chocolate and peanut balls. Oh no...this Thanksgiving I have to get my entire future in one massive pile: envelopes, portfolio, addresses and all. I know, I know, easier said than done.

Second of all, I must decide where I will send these massive envelope's. Should I think small businesses? Should I focus on a larger scale? The answer that I am going towards is both; I want everyone in the south to know who I am and what I have to offer. As if we were making a wedding invitation list, my mom and I are going to sit down and compile a list of companies.
As a senior, I often am asked about my experiences with Journalism here at USC. I am often asked if I feel prepared to face the big, ugly world out there. The honest truth is that I don't think anyone is ever prepared, how can one ever be prepared enough? What is enough?

From the words of a US Congress woman, Shirley Chrisholm,
"Be as bold as the first man to eat an oyster."

Annual employment survey

2004-11-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

The report on the annual survey of journalism and mass comm. graduates, their employment prospects and salaries is out from the University of Georgia. Sobering news. Any thoughts? (See related Common Sense Journalism entry.)

How students get information

2004-11-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

From Doug: I belong to a journalism professor's list, JOURNET, and last week a poster started a thread by posing the question (paraphrased): We talk a lot about students' difficulty with writing, but should we also be talking about their diffculty in reporting -- especially their reluctance to go and talk with people and an overreliance on electronic sources?

That prompted a post from University of Alaska student Chris Luth (one of the querying professor's students) that I thought was very insightful. I've reproduced it here with his permission. I'd like to get reactions:

Well, I'm not an instructor, but I thought I'd give a student's
perspective. (My experience is limited, so don't take me too seriously.)

I think your first contention is correct. We are an impatient generation. I've got Google searching (Googling?) down to a science. If I'm eating eggs for breakfast and suddenly am struck with the question of which came first -- the chicken or the egg -- I can have the answer (or at least some interesting opinion) within three minutes. (This happens a lot.)

My computer never shuts down, and my Internet is always on. So I type "Chicken egg first" right in my Google toolbar, and within a half a second I get 647,000 matches, the first of which is -- well, that's a bad example.

But you get the idea.

I even have Google set to display the first 1-100 matches instead of the default 1-10. My eye is trained to quickly skim for (relatively)reliable results.

Conversely, finding people to interview is slow work. First, finding the right person is much harder than Googling. Sometimes a phone number or email address will appear on a Web page, but often you end up spending a few hours hopping from one referral to the next.

Second, you actually have to converse with a person. Sometimes it's a nice, easy, natural conversation. Other times, especially when you're new, you're not sure what to ask. I'm getting better, but I still feel inarticulate when I'm interviewing. I would have felt much more comfortable if my journalism teachers would have worked more hands-on with me in interviewing. I remember being sent out on my first practice assignment in my media writing class and not having a clue what to ask people. I came back empty-handed and with a belief I wasn't any good at interviewing.

But that's me.

Third, online communication is competing with face-to-face communication. E-mail and instant messaging is very common. Today's generation writes much more like they talk, at least in those media.(Of course, that's no excuse for "ppl writnig 2 uthers liek this." That duzn't du it 4 me.) I communicate with most of my friends via e-mail or
in a chat room we've set up, and online communication satisfies most of my needs. I tend to subconsciously think that if an online communique won't work, it's not worth following up on. There are easier fish to catch.

Fourth, today's culture is so bombarded with information and analysis that we can sometimes err on the side of not forming our own ideas. I saw a newspaper article recently that said people with cell phones are shown to be more reliant on others to help them make decisions. (Why does a guy need to worry about deciding between Best Foods mayonnaise and the in-store brand when he can call his wife and ask her what she wants?) There's a balancing act between satisfying curiosity and information overload.

As I said above, I can quickly Google anything I want to know. I'm still curious. I look up a lot of information every day. But that information can quickly become too much, and the Internet can sometimes think for me. There's so much analysis already done that sometimes I don't need to analyze it for myself.

I don't think your second idea is as true. I can recognize the difference between newsworthy and non-newsworthy material, and I'm developing that sense even more through journalism classes. Your first hypothesis has to do with students lacking a desire to act while your second one has more to do with a fundamental lapse in students' ability to perceive. I don't think that this generation is less aware -- if anything, we're trained to see everything all of the time -- as much as it is just lazy.

I hope I've given you some good food for thought. Hope your article goes well!

Chris Luth
Journalism/Public Communications junior
University of Alaska Anchorage

Journ Burn

2004-11-04T11:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Southwest Missouri State's Journ Burn for cross-linking with us.

Election Day

2004-11-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

So, I worked for The State newspaper on election day. It turned out to be a lot different than I imagined, primarily in the aspect that everything seemed so calm. Not that I was expecting a "chaos in the newsroom" type deal, just a bit more excitement. I mean, it was only the day when the fate of our country for the next four years would be decided, which, correct me if I'm wrong, makes for a big news day. I guess I just thought the overall atmosphere would seem a little bit more energized.
It was an amazing experience, nonetheless. We got to go out in teams to a couple different precincts and interview people coming out of the polls. People were a lot nicer than I thought they'd be. Everyone we approached seemed pretty willing to talk to us. After being out in the heat for about three hours (It's not supposed to be above 80 in November!), we came to the conclusion that there really wasn't much diversity in the areas we were sent. We ended up talking to about 30 people and had to narrow the list down to our best six quotes. This was probably the hardest part because people had some really great things to say.
Luckily, we made our deadline. It was in the afternoon, so the craziness of election night had yet to set in. The relaxed environment probably also made it easier for the people to get the job done with as little stress as possible. Four of our quotes actually made it into the paper today. I was happy to see our work materialized in hard copy and excited to read what others had come up with. All in all, I was extremely pleased with the successful outcome. Besides being a tremendous opportunity, it makes for a pretty cool by-line.

Moblogging ... Another soon-to-be-added entry in Webster's

2004-11-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

This election season has been filled with many ups and downs, including scandals, speeches and mudslinging only appropriate for elementary school playgrounds. It finally climaxed last evening – and even early into this morning – with the presidential and more locally, the state Senate race.

A few fellow journalism major compatriots and I had a unique opportunity to cover the election in its final days with the use of camera-phone technology. The Wireless Election Connection sponsored by Cingular put high-tech phones in the hands of students to get a close-up view of the election.

Run from Newsplex in Columbia, S.C., the WEC received hundreds of posts from students from American University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, and the University of South Carolina throughout Monday and Tuesday. Teams were sent out with Motorola and Nokia camera-phones to capture candid shots of any aspect of the election.

Team “Frat Boy,” as we were jokingly dubbed by the Newsplex editors, included fellow blogger Graeme Moore and me. We covered the Jim DeMint post-election party at the Adam’s Mark on Hampton Street in Columbia, S.C. Graeme did the interviewing while I framed the shots and took the pictures.

We met many different people throughout the evening who were at the party for many different reasons. College students, residents from around the state and many politicians filled the Capital Ballroom. We met the top five South Carolina Republicans including Gov. Mark Sanford, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, U.S. Reps. Jim DeMint (now senator-elect) and Joe Wilson, and Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The media-to-attendee ratio was probably near one to three. They were confined to the back of the room securely held behind a velvet rope. Having the phones allowed us to roam throughout the room without being corralled. We even had an episode of investigative journalism that will be explained in a later post.

All in all, the evening was a great time and Graeme and I learned a lot about covering something of this nature. We were even secretly excited when DeMint announced his victory, although we had to hold such celebration back. The WEC was deemed a great success and if you ever get a chance to participate, please do so.

By the way Graeme, write that down.

'So what is that college thing?'

2004-11-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

I have never been so thankful for my future profession and how it makes me aware of my government.

This weekend at my second job, some of the girls I worked with asked me to explain the Electoral College. They said they knew it existed, but other than that they were clueless. So, in the middle of our store I explained the Electoral College and then we started talking politics.

I don't usually like talking specifics about politics because I try really hard to be independent of partisanship, but I felt this was one of those times where talking would do some good.

We talked about the upcoming election and the girls I was working with didn't understand why the senate race was so important. I'm not sure if they even knew about local referendums and races that will be on the ballot, the ones that will have a direct effect on the community first. From my poli sci class that studies voting behaviors, I knew all the stats on why people didn't vote and how much of the population was uninformed about elections, but I had never seen it at first hand. I grew up around people who always researched candidates and their issues. My family has never voted straight party ticket, and they sure as heck weren't going to vote on personality; they voted for who would represent them and constituents in the best manner.

I realized how fortunate I am to constantly be forced to stay on top of issues and know what is going on around me. And because of this, I know there is more behind a campaign than ads and trash talk.

I know there are people who aren't like these girls, but a vast majority of our country is uninformed, and if they even bother voting at all, they probably don’t know everything about the person they are voting for.

So, if you aren't sure about who you are voting for, look up some information, away from their websites and other biased sources (I know, there aren't many out there), but don't be an uninformed voter, for this election or future ones.

Oh yeah, just in case you have been living under a rock, GO VOTE TOMORROW!!!!

Being that pesky reporter

2004-11-01T11:32:00.000-05:00

I could tell by the way the woman called her husband to the phone that I had pronounced their last name incorrectly, and now I'd been relegated to that most odious batch of human beings -- telemarketers.
The husband was the tough sell I expected at this Tuesday dinner hour. I explained that I was calling from Washington --working on a story about campaign donations in Lynchburg, Va. -- and trying to speak to some donors.
"So what?" he replied.
I didn't really know "what." As I asked if he had time for an interview, I knew I wouldn't be much more receptive to someone calling from Washington and asking to print my personal finances and political preferences in my local newspaper.
Gearing up for the election, I had pitched presidential campaign contribution stories that would analyze Federal Elections Commission reports for the towns of our smaller newspapers. I started with Florence, S.C., and found that for the town's 238 Bush contributors, only seven people were donating to the Kerry campaign. Lynchburg proved less interesting, with about twice as many Bush contributors than Kerry contributors -- an unsurprising disparity for a Southern state.
My stories ran 1A in both towns and made enjoyable writing, despite the spreadsheet work. But I couldn't write those stories too often. I went from feeling unnecessarily intrusive to feeling excited about the final product, and it was hard to keep those conflicting feelings from affecting my mood. I wrote in my internship diary that I kept thinking, later in life, I wouldn't want my kids to hear me doing this. So I'll have to be sure not to take my work home, especially if I'm taking it into someone else's.

'Nader alley got a blog, too!

2004-10-29T17:52:00.000-04:00

A University of Kansas journalism student stopped by to pay us a visit. She offered a link to KU's online producing class blog, which piqued (thank you, Mr. Fisher) my interest. And as I was peeking (again, thank you, Mr. Fisher) through their weblog, I discovered it indeed gave some great insight into the future of online journalism, something I know little about. We've discussed some of the online/convergence-type media in JOUR 325, but it was interesting to read their chronicles of hands-on experiences. A credible site, one similar in format to ours, that I recommend. 3 1/2 stars out of four.

Have a great weekend.
Graeme

Pondering the Future

2004-10-27T21:11:00.000-04:00

This is my first post on the blog. After two months I have finally made the time and effort to write something. Whether or not what I have to write is any interest to anyone is another subject entirely. As an English major and merely a Public Relations and Film Studies minor, I feel like the minority of the bloggers with j-school. Actually, my relationship to the j-school is the subject of this post. The other day my fellow blogger, roommate, and best friend asked me why I am minoring in PR and what exactly I want to do with it when I graduate. When she asked me this question, I was stumped. What do I want to be when I "grow up"? Am I spending my four years wisely? Since I graduated high school (actually since my junior year in high school), my plan was to go to college (more specifically the USC Honors College) and major in English and/or Journalism. But I have never actually thought about what comes after that. So when she asked the question that never crossed my mind but now plagues my dreams, I simply answered, "I don't know." I can tell you all the things I really want to do, all the dreams that I secretly have and all the ideas bouncing in my brain about my future, but all my dreams seem impractical, unrealistic. The one thing I truly want to do with my life is to write creatively; it's as simple, as unadorned, as unimpressive as that. But that takes time, effort and, most importantly, connections. Maybe I will end up as the PR representative of a publishing company, or maybe, my second choice in my future career, I will be a film reviewer. But as of this moment, as of my sophomore year in college, I still have no realistic idea about what I want to do or what I want to be.

Creating Chaos

2004-10-27T07:05:00.000-04:00

Julia's post about the disruption in her class troubles and puzzles me. What she describes has been reported, to one degree or another, at other universities -- including the so-called elite institutions. I believe I've seen the seeds scattered about here: Students blowing off classes, negotiating with instructors the number of excused absences or reasons for missing exams, appealing for grade changes because they're in danger of being disqualified for scholarships, coming to class hung over and reeking of alcohol, cheating and plagiarizing. What's going on, bloggers? Are we, faculty, too willing to reward the least amount of effort? Do large classes foster slackness? Does the course material lack challenge? Have standards of performance and rules of accountability become so blurred that they've lost their meaning? And when students act out in class, as Julia describes, do you feel robbed?

Professor Wiggins

Chaos in the Classroom

2004-10-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

So this post isn't about anything necessarily tied to J-school, but the appalling nature of students in one of my classes deserves a rant or two.

Our professor was going over the answers to our test we had just taken, so this is one of three or four days during the semester when the lecture hall will actually be filled. While giving the answer to a question, the class began to boo him about the answer. BOO HIM! How can you do that to a professor? And the outburst wasn't from just one unruly kid tucked in the back corner, this was a majority of the class acting out.

The question that received the outburst was about current battleground states for the election. The question was:
The key "battleground" states in this year's presidential election include:
a. New York, California and Florida
b. Colorado, Kansas and Wisconsin
c. Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio
d. Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi

(The answer is C, and the question isn't really relevant to my rant, but I want bloggers to see how ridiculous students are.)

When the professor asked how many students answered A, over 75 percent of the class raised their hand. But, in the professor's defense, since most of the class has a political science or journalism major, they should have known the answer just from keeping up with current events.

When the professor tried to calm the class down, they just kept booing. It was like being stuck in the student section during a Gamecock football game, next to a lot of intoxicated guys, when an official makes a bad call.

Okay, to my rant. So the students in the class should be at least 17 or 18 years old. I'm pretty sure some even want to be future politicians. How can these so called adults treat a professor in such a manner? And this isn't even a professor that students loathe his class, but can't avoid taking the class. This is a wonderful professor who loves "The Daily Show", gives so much extra credit you could fail every test and not fail the class and doesn't take attendance.

Even if the question seemed tricky and students thought they should get credit for it, they should talk to the professor, email, phone, anything would have been more appropriate than booing. I know there are times when we as students get frustrated with tests and professors, but we are not 5, we don't boo them in class for a multiple choice question. I just think that students need to respect their professors, well just learn respect period. Professors deserve better than being booed, a lot better.

P.S. If you haven't spent the colder months in the Coliseum, it is always 20 degrees colder in the dungeon they call a J-school than it is outside. So even though it might be balmy and a nice 70 degrees, it is 50 degrees inside. So bring your coat and gloves and welcome to an early winter.

A "thanks" and a "reply"

2004-10-26T11:54:00.000-04:00

Having Brock Meeks comment on A J-school Year was a flattering experience, and I assume that's a collective feeling among all of the "bloggers."

I am a staunch believer in the "contact theory." True in almost every business and especially important in journalism is the ability to make contacts. If we continue to post engaging, intellectual pieces, I believe we will attract and maintain healthy relationships with professionals-- and therein lies our opportunity. Of course, I realize that ultimately your job is only as good you are, but if you are good and want to get out of Tim-buck-two, it's all about who you know. Maybe I'm wrong and being overly optimistic, but I've had some firsthand experience with this scenario and found it to be true. It's one of the cold, hard facts of life.

With that said, I felt compelled to e-mail Brock Meeks to establish a sort of contact, thank him for his insightful thoughts, and urge him to continue commenting. I found it particularly interesting in his reply that Brock is educated with only a high school diploma. Read on.

And, I quote:

" Hi Graeme,

Please, call me "Brock"... "Mr. Meeks" is still my Dad's name and I'm not ready to steal the title from him just yet.

I will be back to the blog; I'd like to take some time and poke around inside. I think it's a worthwhile exercise, particularly if people are going to be candid and can do so without fear of reprisal from faculty.

J-school sort of fascinates me on a number of different levels; I never attended j-school. In fact, all I have is a high school diploma.

Now there's grist for discussion, eh? I learned all my chops--both the shoe leather reporting and the high tech side of it--simply by doing and never looking back. I choose good mentors and hounded them until they took me under their wing.

Ah, but that's a long story and one best told over a bottle of JD.

Cheers -- Brock"

Until next time folks, so long!
Graeme

Why all the fuss? Here's why.

2004-10-26T00:50:00.000-04:00

The notices from the media cognoscenti about Doug and the bloggers are well-deserved.
I suspect, however, that some might be wondering why all the attention, all the fuss?
I see two main reasons. One is practical; the other, philosophical.
As Doug has written before, using this medium to engage students in an exchange about their lives moves journalism instruction into an unexplored zone. That, in turn, interests media professionals and academics who are looking for innovations that might complement their own efforts. In addition, because many of you are posing questions that have a familiar ring to media folks, hashing them out is especially intriguing. Please keep it up.
The free exchange of ideas is civil society in action. Here at A J-School Year, the marketplace is open. And, as we've seen, what you post here -- be it about senior semester or student media -- resonates beyond this group of bloggers. But how far? Just imagine. The senior semester posting spurs someone to reflect on his own level of commitment to "the group" which in turn positively affects others' performance in his class, dormitory or neighborhood. Or, after reading the student media posting, a young lady reflects on her commitment to free speech / free press issues and decides to start a community group that critically reviews local and national media. The members of this group go on to be wiser and more capable media consumers and decision makers. The point is, we have no idea how far out the ripples will radiate.
For that reason, please continue to be as sincere and thoughtful in your postings as you have been. Craft them carefully, leave space for others and room for doubt.

Peace

The Real World

2004-10-25T20:07:00.000-04:00

I have to admit it, this is my first post. I can't even make excuses for myself. Ah, the real world. Oh what it would be like to be a Gamecock again...Football games, 5 points and copy editing with Doug Fisher. Now I am gainfully employed at a small ad agency back here in Connecticut. Yes Connecticut, the little state next to the other little state of Rhode Island. Well, the preface of the job was to be something temporary until I move on to "big and better" things. I am getting paid, which is not helping in the motivation category. To make a long story short, I hate it. The agency is in the basement of a home, with a staff of 4 (including myself), and about 15 clients. Although the business appears to be successful, this is not what I pictured myself doing. I am not doing public relations, which is what I majored it! Not even close people. I mostly spend my days created Excel worksheets and emailing friends because I am so bored. I would much rather be busy all day long, then have time to kill. So, for everyone who is looking forward to leaving college and making money, it's not glamorous or exciting. Yeah, you aren't doing homework and going to class at some ridiculous hour, but you could be stuck doing something that you thoroughly despise. Hope all is well in South Carolina...My regards from Connecticut.

Senior Semester is Driving me Crazy

2004-10-24T22:08:00.000-04:00

Okay I really need to blow off some steam. Senior Semester has its bad days and good days but it seems lately more bad than good. You know the saying one bad apple spoils the bunch? Well we have at least one bad apple in our class. This person pulls the disappearing act all the time. There are 18 of us in the class and we all must contribute everyday to produce a half way decent newscast. But how can that be if Houdini likes to pull a disappearing act at least once a week. Hey, for those of you who decide to do the senior semester thing, there is no “I” in team. Get your hair done after class or on the weekend. Don’t go to MTV campus try outs at the last minute and then make it all hush, hush like you are covering some news enterprising story. MTV “wanna be a VJ” isn’t newsworthy. It doesn’t even deserve a package maybe a VO or a VOSOT.
Another thing, there will be different personalities to deal with so take my advice and deal with IT!! When you get to your first shop, everyone isn’t going to like you and your not going to like everyone but if you pull your weight on a daily basis, you will be respected in the newsroom. There will be some arguing, personality clashes and sometimes you may feel as if you don’t belong but that will pass and you will feel better after you vent a little. While you are in senior semester, please check your ego at the door I know I said this before but check your EGO at the door. After all, you are still a STUDENT. Listen to the instructors that will guide you through the program. They actually done this before…a little secret…they know more than you do. Check out their bios before entering the class and you will see what I’m talking about.
One more thing while some people may not take this course seriously others are depending on this experience to land them their first job as a producer, reporter, or anything relating to the journalism field. So please be on time to story meetings, have story ideas, and be ready to work.Oh yeah and you need to get some “thick skin” because criticism comes at you from every direction whether you want it or not. However, don’t give criticism unless you are asked some people take offense to it. In addition, if you feel the need to give constructive criticisms make sure it’s not infront of the rest of the class. After all, you are just a STUDENT. AHHHHHH that feels better. I will let you all know how things are going in Senior Semester. Don’t forget to vote.

H.S. journalism

2004-10-24T17:54:00.000-04:00

The American Society of Newspaper Editors has a new site, highschooljournalism.org, devoted to high school journalists and designed to recruit more students into the business. Anyone want to comment on what you see there? Would it have helped you?

There also are resources for teachers.

There's a companion site at which high school newspapers can submit work. The listings are by state, and there's some S.C. work on there.

Print v. Electronic -- Some thoughts

2004-10-24T14:14:00.000-04:00

I was just going to add a comment to Tecla's earlier post and to the comment from the concerned high school student, but this is a subject so dear to my heart that I wanted to do a general post so that more people would see it.

First, you must understand that I am Exhibit 1 for crossing media. I started in radio (all-news KYW as summer help and after a short stint in Dayton out of school, moved to WOWO, another 5o kw Westinghouse powerhouse), moved to TV where I was an assignment editor and producer/anchor (and reporter/shooter when needed), then to a newspaper, where I covered environment/transportation/urban affairs and legislative matters, and then to 18 years at AP, where you do print and broadcast. I now blog and code Web pages, do a monthly column for press associations in various states, etc.

So I find this concern often expressed that somehow there is this gulf between print and electronic to be piffle. Those who stick to that belief are looking to become obsolete. Consider that ESPN expects its talent to also be able to contribute to its magazine and Web site, when necessary. CNN expects its talent to be cross-media when required. One large chain I know is preparing to make its broadcast reporters in smaller makets also shoot much more video and file for its Web sites, the latter of which requires print knowledge (by smaller, we're still talking Top 100). The Tribune Co. encourages its print reporters to appear on TV, and they do in greater numbers. During the early days of the Iraq war, at least one Chicago Tribune reporter was doing video phone reports. And scan some of the job ads -- more and more are requiring a commitment to work across media (it is actually being written into some performance reviews).

Now, TV is not print and print is not TV, and the Web is a little of both but its own thing as well. Darn few are going to become Jedi masters of all of this, and they shouldn't. For some further info on this, look at the Lessons from Newsplex series on my Web log, Common Sense Journalism. But shifting among them need not be all that difficult.

Why do I say that? Because for years, the AP hired primarily print people and gave them shifts on the broadcast desk. It still does. If you join the AP, chances are that within the first three months you will pull some shifts on the state broadcast desk. (Probably night shifts.) And for years, I and other news editors and broadcast editors (some, but not all, of whom were former broadcasters) effectively trained those AP people to produce serviceable broadcast copy.(Your reward for all this? Significantly higher salaries in the $600+-a-week range to start and quickly rising to almost $1,000.)

Is it polished? No, often it isn't. Is it usable? Ask the thousands of stations that still "rip and read," including our own SCETV Radio. Is it "TV"? Hardly. But it gets used by TV stations. And then again, much of TV isn't really good TV ... and video on demand is going to radically change its model in the next decade, which could mean much diminshed roles for anchors. (Check out WXXA in Albany that allows you to assemble your own newscast, or Feedroom's video on demand.)

So my thoughts:

Anyone who wants to be successful in journalism in the future still should get really good at one or two things. (If you want to do broadcast, for instance, learn how to do TV really well; if in print, learn multiple writing styles and, just as important, learn how to drill down deep into information fast.)
But you also need to be familiar with the other aspects. If you are a print reporter on a story, you will need to develop a visual eye. It not only will help your writing, but you might also have a photographer with you who shoots not only stills but video. Both of you working together instead of staying in your own "silos" will produce a much more effective story. If you are a TV reporter, you need to think about the Web and maybe print. You need to get more information than that 15-second SOT. Getting documents might be very important for the Web, where an interactive database using data you've gathered might be the better "story." And who do you think is writing those "headline" crawls? Both print and broadcast may have to think in terms of "sound," as the Web turns into the new radio.
The key term for the new information age will be rapid relevance -- the ability to get relevant information to your audience quickly and in whatever form that individual consumer desires. That means learning still other new things that we just now are exploring -- moblogging, effective link discovery/sorting/presenting, etc.

Little of this is here yet. But then again, the Web really wasn't "here" until a decade ago. And digital video is just becoming "here" at many stations. And newspapers didn't think they had to publish continuously on the Web or "daypart" information, both of which are becoming more common. You're training to get a job now, but to thrive in 10 years. Are you willing to take the chance?

As for salaries and job prospects: Sadly, it remains true that if you expect to get rich quick, go into biotechnology or some similar field. Lee Becker at the Unversity of Georgia, does annual surveys of the journalism job market. Here's the latest headline: Job Market for Journalism Graduates Remains Weak
The median salary has remained steady at about $26,000. Broadcast salaries remain among the lowest starting salaries (link to report on "salaries by employer type" (PDF document)).

Now, having said that, let me leaven it with this: The reason to go into journalism is not the writing (or the money), but the reporting. The writing is a tool, albeit an important one, to convey that information. You must love to get information -- to have doors slammed in your face, to be told no, to press on because finally getting to the bottom of it is an adrenaline rush. And we're not talking just investigative reporting here. Any story, if done well, has some aspect of that. In TV, it may be as simple as capturing just that right visual. But the principle is the same across media -- the true pros know how to get just the right stuff, no matter what medium they are working in.

I have seen too many who got into it for the "writing" only to fail to understand that reporting underpins all the writing, and when they came to realize that, it terrified some to the point close to nervous breakdown. Others rose to the challenge.

In college, take challenging courses. Stay alert. Know what's going on in all of journalism. Snatch at whatever opportunities come along to broaden and deepen your knowledge so that you get better and faster at what you do. Do not be myopic. In any field, those who really know their stuff will always do better because they will be fast and accurate. Maybe not at first. But in the long run, the race goes to the swift.

In General

2004-10-23T18:00:00.000-04:00

Being a journalism major and a great fan of media, in particular student media, I was happy to pick up the latest G&B magazine -- Carolina's student run quarterly. During my general page-flipping, I read what was hot (or not), viewed some student art and read a humorous bit about bar-hopping in 5 Points.

But then I turned to an article about the relation between South Carolina's STD rate and religion and saw the most disgusting and inappropriate pictures. One featured a girl straddling her male friend with her shirt half off and his hands in her thong underwear. Congratulations Garnet & Black for a stellar job in taste and decency.

Now I'm probably not the one to preach general decency -- I just drank a beer while taking a shower -- but these types of pictures are not needed in any magazine that is not sold in a plastic wrapper. The "lovers" faces cannot be seen and I'm pretty sure their parents are glad that their public romping is masked in anonymity.

I usually complain about where my student fees go (past rants have included WUSC and Student Government), but this takes the cake.

Is there a standard of decency followed in this "sex all the time in your face" culture? What is our level of responsibility? In my JOUR 202 class, we learned to not make people look like idiots....Apparently the "G&B" staff was absent that day.

I'm sure glad that the magazine is free, because I sure would have the first in line for a refund....Am I in the wrong here?

Dichotomy of Print Versus Electronic Journalism

2004-10-22T16:18:00.000-04:00

I have a question.

I used to have a theory that a Print Journalism major can do broadcast journalism with fair ease: that it is just a bunch of wiring know-how and field experience. I was convinced that if you can write, you can do anything, including reading your writing to a camera and crew. But now I'm not so sure. Eventually, I want to do both. Or at least avert the proverbial "slamming door" of not getting the right degree for undergrad. I want to produce news.

1. What are the pros/ cons of Electronic to Print Journalism and vice-versa? Is one more marketable than the other? I've been told that the most money could be made in the newspaper business, is this true?

2. What direction is the news headed? Are "newspapers" on the verge of extinction? Should I consider this into my curriculum?

Another thanks

2004-10-22T13:36:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Steved Rubel at Micro Persuasion for his nice post about J-School Year.

Micro Persuasion is a blog every journalist should check from time to time, but especially anyone in J-school planning to go into PR. Steve does a great job of tracking how the rise of micro publishing and citizen journalism is affecting marketing and PR. Check out this post, for instance, on a Mazda stealth marketing blog.

An abstract legacy

2004-10-21T20:30:00.000-04:00

It's difficult to write a legacy about someone you've never had a conversation with.
Two Sundays ago the Florence Morning News ran a piece I wrote for them about retiring Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-S.C.) -- front page with photos. The Richmond-Times Dispatch picked it up too. I was just glad to see it out there and off my computer.
The story began as a side project for me to work on when I had down time. I read up on Hollings and tried to pick out his biggest accomplishments, but we're talking about 56-year political career.
I started calling Hollings' press secretary weeks in advance of my deadline, but Hollings wouldn't talk to reporters. The press secretary told me to keep calling back, and before long, Ilene and I were on a first-name basis.
Since Hollings wouldn't agree to meet with me, I decided to go to him. After staring at biography photos for weeks, Hollings had become more a mythical creature than a senator, and it was time to move from research to stake outs. I sat through an environmental conference, hurried to the door as he exited and was the first reporter to grab him. I introduced myself, told him what I was writing and rushed to the most obvious question.
"Senator, is there anything you're most proud of in your career? What do you consider your biggest achievement?"
He gave me a look that said, "Who the hell are you?"and then jokingly answered, "Getting re-elected." He waved me off soon after and walked off, while half a dozen other reporters followed him with less colossal questions.
Ilene told me Hollings wasn't going to talk until after Congress recessed. In the meantime, my mentor, Gil, had helped me define my angle. We decided to have a cooperative second stake out, each covering one exit from the Senate floor. Gil called me and said to rush over to his side. I made it there just in time to see the back of Hollings' glistening white hair as he walked back into the chamber -- and Gil holding a tape recorder with his quotes.
With little material from Hollings, I talked to plenty of academics and people who had worked with him. Three days before my piece ran, Ilene called and said Hollings might be ready to talk the next week. The piece was already on our wire, so it was too late.
My story ran on a Sunday, and The Washington Post ran a personality piece, heavy with Hollings quotes, midweek. I called for the interview that week anyway, possibly for a second story, but Hollings was packing. And the next week he had to go to Charleston. And now I'm still planning for that interview -- maybe after the election, but I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks ... and another j-blog

2004-10-21T14:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Tim Porter at First Draft for the nice comments about A J-School Year.

And as a result, we discovered another j-student group blog, jschool05.

That ol' poll

2004-10-20T13:03:00.000-04:00

Just about everywhere you look these days, there's a poll. A poll for this, a poll for that, ratty-tat-tat, it's all about the polls. Want to know how many Americans bite their toenails? Well, why don't you just take a -yep, you guessed it-poll.

And being that it is an election year, the media is in poll overload. It's nearly impossible to find a newscast that doesn't mention some poll, whether it be a general-interest or, more probable, presidential poll. The problem? Just how accurate are these polls? And with thousands of different ones being thrown at viewers, which should they believe? My opinion is none, primarily because of their historical inaccuracies and biased motives.

For example, polls released today from ABC, Survey USA, and Fox News surveying which candidate is "leading" Ohio all have different outcomes. ABC and Survey put Sen. Kerry ahead, while Fox has Pres. Bush leading. Hmm...could it be a ploy by some of the major news organizations to further try and influence their viewers' opinions on the election? It's time for journalists to return to what they are meant to do- sort fact from fiction. If news organizations continually churn out biased news, then turn around and poll their victims, the viewers, I wonder how that poll might turn out? Take a guess.

So, my fellow citizens, this election season I ask that you be a tad more skeptical of the pollsters and their little bag-o-tricks.

Graeme Moore

P.S. I was just thinking that, uh, maybe I could take a poll of your opinions on this post?

No time for ZZZ's

2004-10-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

I have to agree that sometimes classrooms are full of student's who assume its time to nap or get caught up in the latest Cosmo. On the other hand professors are stuck answering their own questions and reteaching the information to the same four or five students on the front row. It may have evolved this way due to intimidation by some professors or the fact that some massive lecture halls are jammed with students and professors ask that questions be asked after class or in his/her office.

However, I am reminded of my Media Law class in which we are forced to speak our opinion and read before coming to class. The professor does not allow anyone to sit on the back 2 rows in the auditorium and he calls random students and forces one to think critically about the subject/law case and relate it to a term. To put it bluntly: he puts you on the spot, he points his finger, he is demanding and he does everything but allow you to fall asleep in HIS classroom. He may even ask you to leave if he happens to catch you doing anything but listening. This is what I call an effective teacher, he challenges and he forces learning to take place. He also forces me to sit on the edge of my sit, always thinking, always prepared because I never know...

Now, that is what teaching is all about.

Dancing without a partner

2004-10-12T16:30:00.000-04:00

Doug and I agreed that our postings to the blog would be limited to stimulating prompts and the occasional responses to intriguing comments. Now that we're closing in on mid-term, I'd like to take the liberty, once again, to share some thoughts from the other side of the desk.

Nothing delights university teachers more than a class of engaged, eager minds. Conversely, few things fill us with more dread than teaching the disengaged. It isn't the amount of work involved in teaching the latter group that we dread. It's the fear that what we, as teachers, have devoted our lives to leaves our students cold and we fear the lengths to which we'll go to warm you up.
Imagine you're at a party when a tune comes on that you really like and nobody will dance with you. You make a pass by all potential partners, but no takers. Your choices are clear. You can stand by the wall, nodding your head and snapping your fingers in a desperate attempt to keep the groove alive or you can go to the middle of the room and, with total abandon, spin around like a dervish, hoping that somebody will join you or at least those who turned you down will envy your joy.
Too often professors are the party nerds dancing without partners, even in a room of 200. To be fair, sometimes the class can't figure out the rhythm; it's too complex. Sometimes the beat is too fast, or too slow. Some instructors will break a sweat going over the steps. If after all this we still get no signs of life, we will change the record, hoping another tune will get you out of your seats.

Some instructors resort to theatrics or treats: execute handstands, enter the classroom on a skateboard, dress in period costumes or pass out pizza slices. Still others scream, curse like soldiers on furlough or pull on hand puppets -- just to raise a pulse in their students.

Dear bloggers, should it take all of this to get you to dance with us?

CONTROL ROOM

2004-10-11T21:09:00.000-04:00

Whoa. I just got out of the Nickelodeon and am feeling slightly stunned.

Control Room is a movie made in the spirit Fox News-hating journalism junkies everywhere. The movie rejuvenated my sense of journalistic idealism. It made me truly believe that unbiased news is possible in our complex global community. Cough. But in truth, the movie was a pep talk. Like two hours of Pilates, it gave me a sense of strength, empowerment to incite change in the world around me and an overwhelming sense exhaustion.

The current state of media affairs is a bit shotty and we all know it.
When we finally become journalists, we are going to have to hire a lot of very intelligent people in order to solve this problem of spin. We have a lot of work to do to obtain absolute neutrality in our reporting, and it may never happen.

The movie successfully captured snapshot upon snapshot of how cultures and societies (especially those at war) clash when talking about whats happening. In the first five minutes of the movie it is made clear by a producer at Al Jazeera that any military leader worth his AK-47's knows that at the heart of any regime is good propaganda. A few penetrating posters and unceasing media dominance is the fountain of youth for any regime. Duh.

The picture did make a few (albeit cleverly embedded) suggestions for change. Take notes.

I'm sure the movie really pushed some buttons and ruffled some feathers. A stuffy conservative like my father would lead an angry mob to melt the film in its canister. However, it's poignancy remains non-negotiable. A wise man once wrote that the best defense is a good offense and I think the production crew of the movie got the point across.

As an aspiring journalist, it makes me happy to think that someone still has the balls to make a movie like Control Room and broadcast it to American audiences. Unlike Fahrenheit 9/11 it will not stir up dissent against what is happening today in the Middle East. Instead, the opinions of the people interviewed on the film are straightforward and new ideas are brought forward. An example of which is the link between the current events in Palestine and the current events in Iraq. The press officer in the movie made the astute observation that to the American public the two happenings are in no way related and may as well be on opposite ends of the world. I thought that was interesting.

My mind is racing. Seeing movies like this is really wonderful in the sense that I really feel boosted in spirit and I.Q. I'm dating an anthropology major and so much of my brain is now wrapped up in identifying ethnocentrism as it occurs. A movie like Control Room lends an hour and half to pinpoint the concept of "spin" and how sneaky it can be.

GO SEE IT!

Webster can take his definition of success and.....change it.

2004-10-11T08:02:00.000-04:00

The definition of success, like many immeasurable things, varies with whom you ask. Many people base success on money -- the thought that whatever money you receive is a sliding scale on how you perform and your inherent worth. Your family members may compare you to Cousin Richard who works on Wall Street making a cool million a year, while you’re living in what your daddy calls the “low-rent” district of McBee, SC, editing copy for the local daily. Journalists aren’t exactly pullin’ home what Labron James calls “money.” But their job is important nonetheless, and as long as it is done to the fullest, success is achieved.

The key to making sure that success does not fail you, is to change your definition of success. Shifting from money as the indication of success is tough. Think about the following:

Charles Schwab -- President of the largest independent steel company, died broke.

Ivar Kreuger -- Great Swedish financier and industrialist, who in 1929 was worth around 100 billion, committed suicide

These examples are from John Maxwell’s “Your Road Map for Success.”

Changing your personal definition of success, instead of adopting and following what society has put on you, is essential. Model your definition around you --- you’re the one who knows you best. It’s not a cop-out, it’s realistic.

If you work at a job you love, like someone said before, it’s not a job, it’s a hobby you’re paid for.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

S.K. Bowen III

Helen Thomas

2004-10-08T10:34:00.000-04:00

The National Press Club forgot to publicize a roundtable discussion with Helen Thomas on Thursday, so three girls from my program and I got to sit directly across the table from her. Thomas, known as "The First Lady of the Press," is a former United Press International White House bureau chief who closed White House press conferences with the signature, "Thank you, Mr. President." From 1974 to 2000 she followed American presidents, asking them the tough, straightforward questions. In doing so, she changed the way the world looked at female journalists.
Thomas now writes a semiweekly column for Hearst News Corp. After practicing balanced journalism her whole life, Thomas said her columns initially read like news. She's over that now -- and just the spitfire columnist you'd expect.
She said journalists take the information they're fed at press conferences without question. She encouraged us, as young journalists, to simply stand up and ask "why?" For the past few days, I've been looking through Washington reporting and noticing what she was talking about.
A lot of the stories read like insider information -- leads loaded with political jargon and followed up with an obligatory quote. I found myself reading further and further into the stories just to figure out what all that stuff in the lead actually meant. Perhaps becoming a Washington insider is a disadvantage if you lose a perspective readers can connect to. Helen Thomas made Washington reporting seem like any other reporting, and it should be.
In response to something I was pitching, my mentor at my bureau said a lot of people will stop reading when they see the words "soft money." I just worry they might stop reading when they see the dateline "Washington."

Journalism: A Deep Space Portal!

2004-10-06T16:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok! So maybe it isn't exactly a "deep space portal" persay... but it definately is a portal into a large part of the business world.

Unless you are one of those "know exactly what you want to do and your whole life revolves around it happily" people, you are probably a lot like me. And before you hurl yourself off the side of a building in fear of the previous statment, let me clarify what I mean.

Throughout highschool, and most of my childhood in that case, I loved to write. I would write on anything and everything from over-imaginative adolescent zombie stories, to more, dare I say, sophisticated screenplays. So when it came time to bubble in that faithful 'Intended Major' circle that would shape the rest of my life, I did what any self-respecting teenager would have done... I went and watched cartoons.

Over time, approximately two episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants (don't even try to say you haven't watched it), I decided the field of Journalism would suit my need to write. I didn't really know much about Journalism other than it usually involves make-up, big hair, and the news. But through these first month(s) of JOUR201, an introduction to journalism, I've come to the conclusion that I can write without wearing make-up and a tie. Whether it be for newspaper opinion columns, magazine exclusives, or publishing a New York Times Best-seller - there are an abundance of opprotunities to suit everybody's talents.

What about me? Where am I headed? To the bathroom in about five minutes. But after that.. well, I guess we'll see. Atleast I can rest well at night knowing that there is indeed a place for my talents somewhere in this big, big world.

Thoughts about success

2004-10-05T22:39:00.000-04:00

You're all asking so many important questions. Here are my thoughts about measuring success.
No doubt about it. When compared with some other "professionals," print and broadcast journalists will not make much -- at first or maybe ever. Newly graduated B.A.'s in journalism often find themselves in the trenches in places like Altoona and Zanesville, but many, if not most, eventually work their way up to larger operations and pretty decent salaries. A page designer I know with four years experience at small-to-medium-size dailies now makes 50G at a major West Coast daily.
Why wasn't he pulling those dollars right out of school?
Unlike medicine or law (professions with which we should NEVER be compared, by the way), journalism has no licensing examination or board certification and, in the case of medicine, no gruelling internship and residency requirements. (That's a good thing, by the way.)
Journalists, like professional baseball players, "qualify" for the big leagues by building a solid record of performance in the minors. Even then, the competition for spots at the major dailies and large market stations can be fierce and are subject to market and economic factors.
Some folks never make it out of the minors; others choose to stay in Altoona, where they take on greater responsibility and perhaps, eventually, become editors of newspaper or directors of news rooms. (That, too, is a good thing.)
In the end, talent will get you that first job, but where you go after that will be partly about luck but mainly about you. I've followed the careers of former students and co-workers and all of them who have gone on to the majors have done the following: Learned to HONESTLY assess their skill set and played to their strengths, studied the work of those who wrote or reported better than they did, made the most of every opportunity they were offered, never let "good enough" become their motto, accepted criticism thoughtfully and gracefully, and kept a sense of humor.

Success

2004-10-04T23:26:00.000-04:00

I've recently been pondering the question, 'how do I measure success as a journalist?' I would imagine the knee-jerk answer most would give is, money. Well, that ain't it.
For the most part, local print and broadcast journalists don't make squat, comparatively- unless of course, you make it to the top. As much as I will aspire to do that, I must check back into reality. My chances of ever anchoring NBC nightly news are slim to none. If I were to do that, I could then most likely tell you a little about success.
Coming from a family of business people, it has been easy to measure or see success; or don't see it. Most businessess and their cohorts have tangible successes: good money, top sales, company prestige, etc. But as journalists, that's pretty hard to come by.
So, my question to all: how do you or will you measure success? I don't want to die the death of a---journalist.

I need help

2004-10-03T16:22:00.000-04:00

I am beginning to sink my teeth into the wonderful world of applying for internships, and I have no idea where to begin. I know the whole "make yourself look great on a resume" routine, but what is necessary to send to set yourself apart from other applicants? I feel like I am in high school again applying for scholarships, only this time the stakes are a little bit higher, so I feel more pressure. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Anyone to offer ideas???

2004-10-03T16:13:00.000-04:00

I have been asked to write a brief article concerning our blogs. Anything you guys think is too important to leave out? Anything else you would like to say? Thanks for your help; it is appreciated.

Hard news is necessary

2004-10-01T16:34:00.000-04:00

One bit of disappointment I've experienced with my fellow senior semester-mates is their unwillingness to cover hard news stories. Some of them say they're simply uninterested in the events of the day, but I guarantee if something horrible were to happen close to home--a fire, a natural disaster, some unforeseen tragedy--they'd be glued to the television or newspaper for updates.

We take media for granted until we need it for information. At the point at which they need it, people become impatient and suddenly demand that the media devote attention to the issues they deem important. How often do we hear someone say, "Why hasn't there been any coverage of (insert issue here) in the paper lately? Why haven't there been any news reports on (again, insert)?"

The fact is that while some stories are no-brainers--a fire, a natural disaster, some unforeseen tragedy--others tend to slip under the public radar. A particular issue might lose its luster over time, but be no less important now than earlier.

Here's one observation: It's easy to see the shocking news of now but less easy to disern the questions surrounding the event. Is it my imagination, or is the "why" or "how" being obscured from news? The "who/what/where/when" is vital, but the underlying factors seem to be glossed over. It requires a reporter dedicated enough, and an editor willing enough, to dig into the layers of an issue, if any exist.

So many journalists want their own column, which often is only a forum for one's opinion with no facts given to support it. That's the easy way out. It's what I used to want, but I'd rather learn a few new things than merely spout off about what I already know. Hard news isn't boring news for either the reporter or the reader/viewer.

Mentor

2004-09-30T17:27:00.000-04:00

Today I met my mentor.

I saw a flier in the Humanities Bldg. some weeks ago and contacted Women Student Services. The process was simple: I filled out a form that took five minutes and slapped down my interests and major information.

I couldn't be more excited. My new mentor is an older version of me. She has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Texas... While she has a similiar education as the one I'm working on, she doesn't really work in the field, which broadens my views on career possibilities. This isn't about a new friend or maternal figure. This is about networking.

My inner-nerd is on Cloud 9.
Yesss!

Washington reporting

2004-09-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

I was marveling at the extensive coverage of the new D.C. baseball team in today's Washington Post, when the team hasn't been named and doesn't have a manager.
Meanwhile, the gay marriage amendment and the 9-11 legislation are rightfully hot topics in Congress. We've got a candidate debate tonight and an election in a little more than a month, and there was a blimp hovering over the Pentagon yesterday that could supposedly zoom down to street level and evaluate us all as potential terrorists.
But they want baseball, just like they wanted the new American Indian Smithsonian Museum. And that's because these stories aren't politics.
They really know how to overkill politics up here. In Washington everyone is chasing after the same story. There are stakeouts in the Capitol -- in front of the senators-only elevator and at the Ohio clock -- where reporters can nab senators in hopes of getting that one quote, that one reaction, for that one graf that will seal the deal on that one story. And so they cluster there between velvet ropes, while the guards keep an eye on them and the senators hurry past.
The journalists move around in a great network of press conferences and phone trees. They know one another, because they're at the same events. Sources know what to say to them, because they've already said it to plenty of their colleagues.
And in an effort to not overkill politics for the day, they end up overkilling stories like baseball and the Smithsonian when the opportunity arises. We interns are the ones who don't understand why newspapers are sending teams of reporters to cover these lighter pieces and only one reporter to watch people like John McCain and Hillary Clinton work on legislation, like they do every day. Facing a throng of reporters staking them out at elevators and clocks for that one quote for that same story, like they do every day.

As a side note, I went to my first White House press conference last week. I wrote about it on the J-School homepage, so I don't want to overkill it (haha). But here's a link to the brite that ran in a few of our papers: http://www.jour.sc.edu/people/students/bird/release1.html

Finally!!!

2004-09-29T18:40:00.000-04:00

I say finally because this will be my first post ....not only as a "J-School Year" blogger, but as a blogger period! I've never done this before, so I don't really know if there is a "right way" to do it! Here goes nothing! I'm a sophomore in J-school, and I absolutely love it! See, when I truly enjoy something and my heart is really there, that's when I succeed! I think that's true for everyone! So, my heart is definitely in journalism, and I truly enjoy this field! So far, I've completed 3 official journalism courses, and am working on 2 more this semester. Right now I'm in media research (304), and media law (303). I had my first test in media research today...it actually went well!!! I was nervous about it because I had to work Tuesday night and didn't get off until 11pm. I had studied previously, but I'm the type who always likes to have the night before to study hard. So, needless to say, Tuesday was a late study night for me! I think I did well, though, like I said...we'll see! I won't lie, media law is a difficult class. Professor Collins hasn't given us a test yet, but I know that it will take a lot of preparation and studying to get ready for his tests. I always describe that class to my friends as a "keeps-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat" class. I literally have to sit on the edge of my seat and lean foward so that I can catch every word that he says! I don't want to miss something important! It's a fun class! That's a little info on the journalism classes I'm in right now! One last thing and I'll close this one out...I just wanted to give those of you who are reading this a heads up on my college career plan. I am trying to graduate in 3 years rather than 4! I know, I know.... plenty of people have told me that it will be impossible, but don't worry...I 've got a plan laid out! It will definitely keep me on my toes, but I'm ready for the challenge! I'll keep you updated on my progress! So, did I do it? Am I an official blogger? I hope this is right! I'll write again soon!!!!

Changes coming soon

2004-09-29T15:54:00.000-04:00

Since we're almost at the midpoint of the semester, I thought it was about time to post. School is going well, as well as it can. I'm just trying to get by right now. When I first got here this semester I did a lot of thinking about what I'm doing and why I'm here. I didn't really feel like I was doing what I wanted to do and I haven't been too happy here. I will be transferring next semester to pursue a commercial photography degree. That is my passion and I am looking forward to it. I do think that the journalism program here is wonderful. I know that my roommate and I were fortunate enough to get involved last year (our freshman year) with covering the Democratic Primaries for a moblog. I think there are many opportunities here and everyone should get involved when and where they can because any experience always helps.

Worldviews and fishbowls

2004-09-29T07:42:00.000-04:00

Research suggests that many working journalists -- maybe because of their constant exposure to information and competing viewpoints -- consider themselves moderate to liberal, politically and socially. I suspect they appreciate the nuances of life. This isn't to say they don't have strong opinions; those I know do. They are probably less inclined than most to be rigid in their worldview, understanding that Truth is often elusive.
Young people (university students) too often insulate themselves in fishbowls of comfortable cliques and viewpoints even though their college years should be filled with explorations of new and challenging ideas. If your professors aren't offering these to you, we're doing you a disservice. We should be pushing you outside of your comfort zones, challenging you to try different paths and assuring you that discovery (especially for journalists) is the key to a rich and rewarding career and life.
College is the time to cut loose (intellectually) but I sense too few students do.
Do you feel free to make mistakes or misalliances? Do you fear being reproached or condemned by your instructors or peers, or veering off your career path? If so, then, once again, we're not getting the job done.
I'm reminded of the time a co-worker and I, both greenhorn newspaper reporters, were having one of our famously ill-informed arguments. The managing editor -- a blustery, profane and occasionally wise man -- sauntered up and said (I'm paraphrasing), "You're both full of it. You'll change your minds 10 times before you're 30. Relax. What's your rush?"

One of those always-debated ethics questions

2004-09-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

The recent posts about bumper stickers raise an aspect of the frequently debated (at least every four years) question of can you be a journalist and a civilian, too.

This Sept. 25 article by John Temple, editor of the Rocky Mountain News lays out the debate pretty well with a lucid explanation of why Temple comes down on the restrictive side. The issue was whether staffers could go to concerts where the proceeds clearly were to benefit a candidate or party.

A short excerpt:

I believe our allegiance has to be to you, our readers. We should avoid doing anything that would raise a question in your mind about our ability to be fair. (We journalists already are fighting an uphill battle, as witness the Dan Rather apology this week.)

I believe we should err on the side of caution, that we should do everything we can to maintain and build your trust and should do nothing to damage it.

My approach doesn't necessarily sit well with everyone here, especially those who believe the only issue is whether our work is fair and accurate, not whether our actions outside the newsroom raise questions in a reasonable person's mind about our ability to be fair and accurate. Outside activities don't matter; the quality of our work does, the proponents of this view argue.

But I believe appearances matter. Journalists have to give up certain things for the sake of their job. Of course, normally they should be able to go to concerts or movies of their choosing. It's important for us to be curious and to be exposed to different ideas.

But journalists shouldn't become part of the story.

Reactions?
Addendum:
Came across this story later from the Daily Pennsylvanian (University of Pennsylvania) in which the writer argues that The Daily Show might well be one of the most honest and most informing shows, especially this election season, by abandoning the idea of balance. He uses what has become a more fashionable argument lately -- that not all truths are equally balanced and that the media must make judgements.

G.O.P. - Greek Ole' Party? Nah...

2004-09-28T13:19:00.000-04:00

The recent coverage of the blog in The Gamecock was very close to the DHEC rating at Bates House - Poor. Although it did not make me suffer the same physical consequences as Bates food, it still made me mad that such an easy article was flubbed so badly. You would think that they would check out some information pertaining to the school of journalism, you know, being a paper and all. But moving on....

Political preference should not be as secretive as, oh let’s say, your medical history. I too am part of the Greek community, and I am a Bush supporter with a sticker on my car. I agree that we should have a secret ballot -- so every now and then I can vote for that Democratic Coroner -- but who you support tells a little bit about who you are. If we eliminated bumper stickers, go ahead and take down the lawn signs and you can forget billboards.

This may be a little broad and stereotypical, but stereotypes are partly true for a reason. Think about the community that inhabits the Greek Village -- and what those traditions and values usually encompass -- they are mostly Southern, mostly middle to upper class, mostly Republican. A recent S.K.Bowen survey conducted from the intimacy of my own vehicle of cars and their adhesive friends, yields that citizens of Greekland USA also support many other issues including state level Democratic and Republican candidates.

And I don't think anyone has been called cool becuase they have a school board sticker...

Aside from why Greeks may or may not be Republican, you should put whatever stickers on your car to try and influence anyone you can. If you look at my car, you know I support fishing, Bush, Costal Conservation Association, Half-Moon, and Yakima. I put my full trust and faith behind these organizations andproducts. By someone putting on a sticker, it’s just saying that I give them my stamp of approval. One thing that really can’t be argued -- Greeks are trendy, just not mainstream trendy.

How can USC students be original? By voting for the third party?

“Vote for a third party candidate? Go ahead, throw your vote away. “ - Kang The Simpsons

Press clippings

2004-09-28T11:38:00.000-04:00

Well, we got a nice mention in a Gamecock story on blogging (reg may be req.). Unfortunately, the facts were close, but ...
To clarify: This blog's not just for seniors. As well-evidenced by the posts, it's for everyone. We even have someone lined up who's out in the real world but just has a couple credits to finish (if he'll post - hint, hint )

And the contributors are across all sequences, not just ad, PR and vis com.

So, OK, budding journos. React in your postings. How does it feel to be the subject of a story that sorta almost gets it right, but ...

Republican or Greek?

2004-09-27T13:45:00.000-04:00

As Election Day is rapidly approaching, I am beginning to notice that being a George Bush fan has become very trendy around campus, especially in the Greek community. First off, I don't want anyone to think that I am against fraternities and sororities. I am very proud to be a member of one of the most elite greek organizations on campus. However, I feel that it is a tad unnecessary to broadcast political preference to the entire campus and to the whole world. My main example is the "W. The President" sticker that a large percentage of the Greek community has chosen to display on their cars.

Politcal preference is a private subject and I for one am a little uneasy about telling my closest friends who I vote for. If we were supposed to advertise our voting preference, then it wouldn't be such a secretive process. It seems as if to a be a Republican is almost as trendy as owning a Vera Bradley handbag. I would like to challenge people on the USC campus to be original this November.

Don't let the sticker choice of someone else influence the way our country is run for the next 4 years.

A Word From A Slacker

2004-09-26T18:55:00.000-04:00

Well folks, I certainly haven't been the picture of responsibility when it comes to the blogs, so sor that I apologize. But, here we go....first words of advice - do not take Jour 364 and 438 at the same time! One is an introduction to the other, and although I knew and agreed to this, it can be a quite difficult transition from novice to advanced graphic design.
A point on our field today...I had an interesting talk with a man from our nation's capital yesterday concerning journalism and its ethics in today's society, and while I do not agree with all he had to say, I will give you a couple of his better points. He emphasized the fact that he 1) was an outside source who does not work in the business and 2) is a distinguished man who was an avid media follower. We were speaking of the recent Dan Rather / CBS fiasco, and the primary point we spoke of was whether rivalry (with no better word to use) was hurting the media's credibility. Now, with such pressure by the public and producers / editors to find and break important stories, how often are small stories being bulked up? Should we place our trust in certain networks, papers, or individuals? We even looked back to such instances as the Stone Philips episode of enhancing explosives to add more interest to a story concerning defective car parts around 1992 (Dateline?). It's actually a quite humorous story if you want to check it out.
All in all, this man wanted to point out the fact that, as tomorrow's media, we should establish a definitive sense of ethics before we allow a select few journalists to tread on all of our reputations. Trust is the key to reliability.

The Week that Never Ends

2004-09-25T01:45:00.000-04:00

Mid-September has arrived. It's that time of the semester I like to refer to as "the first wave," where every class you're taking has either a test or project of some sort planned, all within 2 days of the others. It's inevitable, yet somehow it always seems to sneak up on you. Actual work is tricky that way. You can't trust it, so be on the look out. One day you're obliviously coasting along wasting hours on end in front of the tv, and the next you're completely bombarded. There's no time for movies, friends, or even sleep. Your only care in the world suddenly shifts to that paper on Southwestern China that's due in 9 hours. Studying becomes your life. And just when you think it can't get any worse, something else happens. Either you oversleep for an exam worth 30% of your grade or you're late because you can't find a parking space. So after what seems like an infinite amount of time, you follow someone you think might be leaving. You put on your turn signal and wait patiently for the gleam of white lights coming from the back of the other person's car, only to find out they just came out to get a book. But, if your perseverence is somehow stronger than your desire to drop out of college and move to Hollywood, you'll be able to breathe a sigh of relief when the week finally ends. After you reintroduce yourself to your friends, you can resume your normal Tuesday night line-up of watching 5 episodes of The Real World on MTV...that is until next month comes around...

So what do we do in college?

2004-09-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

Well, here's one example: the latest edition of Cyberhemia, the online publication by Professor Wiggins' writing class.

And another link -- this one to the online site for our senior semesters: the Carolina Reporter and the Carolina News.

College, internships, and sitcoms...

2004-09-24T19:08:00.000-04:00

Reading over the past few blogs brings me to take a look at my collegiate life and where it may or may not be going. I woke up one morning and realized that I am a junior with a year or two left before I am released into the world to fend for myself not only in the journalist world but to live on my own as well. The latter doesn’t really bother me, I’m an only child and independence is my forte. The former however sort of scares me. I need an internship for this summer like USC needs a 20 floor centralized parking garage.

I’ve tried nothing and I’m all out of ideas. I don’t even know where to search for an internship. It can’t be that hard to find someone to let me work for free at their station. This kills the possibilities of living the summertime carefree high life in Charleston or Ponte Vedra, FL. Low internship stipends plus high costs of living kills the total profit margin.

Well, I’m starting to get on the right track for school work. The scales of school and fun have tipped in favor of school. Time management has become a big priority of mine which I have been working on for the past month. Wish me luck, I have a short attention span.

I suppose I’ll just sit back and watch Seinfeld reruns.

What? Me? Graduate in 2 Years?

2004-09-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

Hello again to the world of "bloggers." Here I am again... about to begin my journal I should start referring to as my "Venting Corner." As I sit here, typing my blog, listening to "Hurricane Ivan" on 93.5 FM, only one thing crosses my mind....

Where am I going from here?

Allow me to be a little bit more specific: Where am I going with my college education? Where will I be working after I'm through (what? NO! I can't be through soon! college is my life!) with my schooling? Who is going to hire me? What major should I stick with? (pathetic... I'm a junior and I'm still doubting myself... anyone out there feel the same way I do? please email).

I'm so frustrated. I know I still have 2 years left... but man, the past 2 years flew by in a frenzy. I want to get my name out there. I want to do internships, but at the same time, I feel so unprepared for the "Real World." I love Journalism... and I know this is what I want to do. But then again, I'm terrified: Is this the right field for me? Am I making the right decision? Should I be a Journalism major? Or, should I be a field botany major? (random... I hate science.)

More posts to come. When anxiety levels are up, the writings come a'pouring.