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?