Found this on CyberJournalist.net.
Enjoy!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Resumes of the 21st century
I updated my resume today, and I actually put my blog just beneath my contact email.
If you had told me two years ago that blogs would be an important thing to have on a resume, I probably would have laughed in your face. Now, it makes total sense. Wanna find out how much I know already about the industry? How about how much I want to learn about it? Or where I get my information? Or how I go about writing stories or how I approach tasks?
Just read my blog.
It's that easy. You get so much information about me, my work ethic, my enthusiasm, my optimism (or lately, my pessimism) before you even interview me. It's genius. Now for the cover letters... Oy...
If you had told me two years ago that blogs would be an important thing to have on a resume, I probably would have laughed in your face. Now, it makes total sense. Wanna find out how much I know already about the industry? How about how much I want to learn about it? Or where I get my information? Or how I go about writing stories or how I approach tasks?
Just read my blog.
It's that easy. You get so much information about me, my work ethic, my enthusiasm, my optimism (or lately, my pessimism) before you even interview me. It's genius. Now for the cover letters... Oy...
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A monolithic mess gone morose
Flashback to my October 13th post. My editor took me on a tour of our giant news building, and I was aghast at how much space was going to waste at an incredibly high cost. I offered two options: rent out the extra space or sell the entire building.
Well, it looks like selling is no longer an option. According to the AP, newspapers all over the country are starting to put their behemoth buildings on the market, only they're a few months too late. With the credit crunch, potential buyers are scarce if not completely out of the picture. Like we needed more bad news.
But all is not lost. Here are some reasons to be a happy journalist.
Well, it looks like selling is no longer an option. According to the AP, newspapers all over the country are starting to put their behemoth buildings on the market, only they're a few months too late. With the credit crunch, potential buyers are scarce if not completely out of the picture. Like we needed more bad news.
But all is not lost. Here are some reasons to be a happy journalist.
The most wonderful time of the year (for blogging)
Here's what to do with your blog while you're on vacation.
Apparently, most bloggers worry about losing momentum or their fan base while they're away from work.
It's funny; I tend to blog more while I'm on vacation. Maybe it's because I'm a student and not actually employed, but I'm extremely busy up until the holidays and barely have time to write. And when I actually do blog during the semester, I can't help thinking that I should be studying or working on that paper I've been putting off rather than writing in my blog.
Now, I'm carefree! And so the blogs abound. Lucky you.
Apparently, most bloggers worry about losing momentum or their fan base while they're away from work.
It's funny; I tend to blog more while I'm on vacation. Maybe it's because I'm a student and not actually employed, but I'm extremely busy up until the holidays and barely have time to write. And when I actually do blog during the semester, I can't help thinking that I should be studying or working on that paper I've been putting off rather than writing in my blog.
Now, I'm carefree! And so the blogs abound. Lucky you.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Increase in J-school kids
Apparently, J-school is booming with new applicants.
I'd love to be able to say that it's wonderful that there's an influx of new people who will be ready and able to step up and take over the industry.
However, my real question is: do they really know what they're getting into? And are they really going to be willing to dive headfirst into a struggling industry to try their hardest to salvage what's left and turn it into something great?
I don't think there's really a major for that.
Also:
Median starting salary for journalism and mass communication graduates who earned bachelor's degrees in 2007: $30,000
Ay ay ay...
I'd love to be able to say that it's wonderful that there's an influx of new people who will be ready and able to step up and take over the industry.
However, my real question is: do they really know what they're getting into? And are they really going to be willing to dive headfirst into a struggling industry to try their hardest to salvage what's left and turn it into something great?
I don't think there's really a major for that.
Also:
Median starting salary for journalism and mass communication graduates who earned bachelor's degrees in 2007: $30,000
Ay ay ay...
Multimedia journalists
One of D.C.'s TV news stations has the right idea.
The broadcast station is hiring "multimedia journalists," reporters who will shoot and edit their own stories. WUSA's cameramen will also be changing roles, some of which could even land them on-air.
This is the direction that newspapers need to be heading. One-man multimedia journalists. Reporters who not only investigate and write their own stories, but also shoot some video, edit it and even take some pictures. Add in some blogging and you have an all-around multimedia package that will keep people coming back for more.
Yes, it will take a lot of work on the reporter's part, but honestly, I don't think that's a bad thing with newspapers struggling as much as they are. A little hard work and determination certainly won't hurt anything.
The broadcast station is hiring "multimedia journalists," reporters who will shoot and edit their own stories. WUSA's cameramen will also be changing roles, some of which could even land them on-air.
This is the direction that newspapers need to be heading. One-man multimedia journalists. Reporters who not only investigate and write their own stories, but also shoot some video, edit it and even take some pictures. Add in some blogging and you have an all-around multimedia package that will keep people coming back for more.
Yes, it will take a lot of work on the reporter's part, but honestly, I don't think that's a bad thing with newspapers struggling as much as they are. A little hard work and determination certainly won't hurt anything.
Branding the economic crisis
The Great Depression. The French and Indian War. World War I. Watergate. The Civil Rights Movement.
We read about them in history books and use them in everyday conversations. We understand them, connect to them and can talk to someone across the world about them and still maintain understanding and connectivity.
But who came up with the names? And when? And how?
Today, the economic crisis is struggling through its own branding. While there's certainly chaos on Wall Street, there's also chaos in newsrooms trying to establish a common term that newspapers around the country can use and retain understanding among readers, no matter where they live. Right now, possibilities include the "Wall Street Crisis," the "Credit Crisis," and the "Great Recession."
It seems to me that the same struggle continues with the Iraq War - Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq. We all connect with different names that ultimately mean the same thing, but we might miss an initial understanding when we're talking to another person. So who chooses the final brand?
Most of the time, it's journalists. Once newspapers around the country all start using the same terms and names, it doesn't take long before they start to stick. People will use them in everyday conversation and eventually there will no longer be initial confusion about an event being discussed.
It's interesting being in the middle of branding. Sure, I've always been aware of it. Reading about the Civil War, I knew someone must have named it, but I never thought about why they did or how long it might have taken for it to become the "Civil War" rather than the "Union/Confederate War" or the "War Between the North and South."
One day, my children will come home from school talking about the "Great Recession." Maybe I'll tell them how it got its name. Maybe it doesn't really matter. But the process is important and will continue as long as journalism is around (which will be a long, long time).
We read about them in history books and use them in everyday conversations. We understand them, connect to them and can talk to someone across the world about them and still maintain understanding and connectivity.
But who came up with the names? And when? And how?
Today, the economic crisis is struggling through its own branding. While there's certainly chaos on Wall Street, there's also chaos in newsrooms trying to establish a common term that newspapers around the country can use and retain understanding among readers, no matter where they live. Right now, possibilities include the "Wall Street Crisis," the "Credit Crisis," and the "Great Recession."
It seems to me that the same struggle continues with the Iraq War - Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq. We all connect with different names that ultimately mean the same thing, but we might miss an initial understanding when we're talking to another person. So who chooses the final brand?
Most of the time, it's journalists. Once newspapers around the country all start using the same terms and names, it doesn't take long before they start to stick. People will use them in everyday conversation and eventually there will no longer be initial confusion about an event being discussed.
It's interesting being in the middle of branding. Sure, I've always been aware of it. Reading about the Civil War, I knew someone must have named it, but I never thought about why they did or how long it might have taken for it to become the "Civil War" rather than the "Union/Confederate War" or the "War Between the North and South."
One day, my children will come home from school talking about the "Great Recession." Maybe I'll tell them how it got its name. Maybe it doesn't really matter. But the process is important and will continue as long as journalism is around (which will be a long, long time).
Monday, December 8, 2008
A beginning and an end
Things are finally wrapping up here, one by one. Today I finished my last article for the special holiday guide that the paper's been publishing this month. My last day physically in the office will be Friday, I think. Honestly, I'm really sad to leave. I love the energy that comes with working at a newspaper. The hustle and bustle. The daily scramble to get stories written. It's intoxicating.I'll be working for Doug McKillip, Democrat representative from Athens, Ga., starting in January and throughout the legislative session. It's not journalism, but politics are my second love so I'm extremely excited to say the least. I have a feeling that this experience will open many doors for me and I'll learn things that will help me become a better journalist down the road.
The local paper has some ideas for me while I'm living in Atlanta. First of all, I'm going to have my own blog connected with the paper and I'm going to be giving updates and accounts of my experience for the entire 40 days. I'm going to have to be careful about what I say and whose toes I'm stepping on, but it'll be a great learning experience.
Also, the paper wants me to start Twittering from the floor. If anything crazy happens or a controversial bill passes, I'll be using my phone to update the paper's Twitter that goes directly on the home page of the paper's web site. It's a really forward-thinking idea, and it's comforting that people at the paper are finally embracing today's technology and social networking opportunities.
Hopefully these things will help me expand my resume to include more online experience. I'm really looking forward to leaving my comfort zone a little bit and learning new things. It's always a little intimidating, but I think I'm ready.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Aching for analysis, apparently
I've been putting off checking Google Reader simply because of the fact that I haven't been checking it. I didn't want to have to sift through post after post after post. But today I realized that the longer I wait, the more posts I'm going to have to endure, so I might as well get it over with.
After I narrowed down 208 new items to about 20 that I actually thoroughly read, I had a realization about blogging. I've always heard that the more you post, the better your blog simply because shorter, more frequent posts attract more readers. It makes sense, and I've always kept that in mind in regard to my blog. I try to post every day, but it's been over a week since my last entry, and I admit I felt a little inadequate and nervous about not being on top of things.
Well, I knew I wasn't going to read every single one of the 200+ items on my Reader, so I went to the blogs that I value most. Later, I realized that I was more likely to read posts by people who blog less frequently than Romenesko-type blogs.
I knew that whatever I read at yelvington.com or Teaching Online Journalism would be well thought-out, original, personal and relevant to me and my interests. Those are the things that I value in blogs. Yes, Romenesko and Twitter are good for short snippets of information and breaking news. I get much of my information and ammunition from sources like those. However, when it comes to the goals that I hope to accomplish with my blog and what I'm interested in reading on others' blogs, I strike a chord with blogs with less-frequent entries and analysis of some sort.
After I narrowed down 208 new items to about 20 that I actually thoroughly read, I had a realization about blogging. I've always heard that the more you post, the better your blog simply because shorter, more frequent posts attract more readers. It makes sense, and I've always kept that in mind in regard to my blog. I try to post every day, but it's been over a week since my last entry, and I admit I felt a little inadequate and nervous about not being on top of things.
Well, I knew I wasn't going to read every single one of the 200+ items on my Reader, so I went to the blogs that I value most. Later, I realized that I was more likely to read posts by people who blog less frequently than Romenesko-type blogs.
I knew that whatever I read at yelvington.com or Teaching Online Journalism would be well thought-out, original, personal and relevant to me and my interests. Those are the things that I value in blogs. Yes, Romenesko and Twitter are good for short snippets of information and breaking news. I get much of my information and ammunition from sources like those. However, when it comes to the goals that I hope to accomplish with my blog and what I'm interested in reading on others' blogs, I strike a chord with blogs with less-frequent entries and analysis of some sort.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
You've got mail
Lately, I've run into a problem with email addresses. I have two main email accounts: my personal Gmail and my college account. But since I'll be graduating soon, should I really be dishing out my college email if it's going to be stripped from me come May?
Looks like I'm not the only one with a problem. Boston College has decided to stop giving incoming students email accounts altogether. The basis of their decision? Most students already have an Internet identity established before coming to college. I can attest to that. Even though I have a college account, I forward it to my Gmail account so that I manage two emails from one place. And I'm out of touch with technology compared to my 18-year-old brother, who will be entering college next year and is already embedded within the Internet world through Facebook, MySpace, two email accounts, YouTube and other things that I've never heard of.
I support the decision to do away with college email accounts. It'll be a money-saver for the universities and give students more responsibility without making things more complicated for them.
Looks like I'm not the only one with a problem. Boston College has decided to stop giving incoming students email accounts altogether. The basis of their decision? Most students already have an Internet identity established before coming to college. I can attest to that. Even though I have a college account, I forward it to my Gmail account so that I manage two emails from one place. And I'm out of touch with technology compared to my 18-year-old brother, who will be entering college next year and is already embedded within the Internet world through Facebook, MySpace, two email accounts, YouTube and other things that I've never heard of.
I support the decision to do away with college email accounts. It'll be a money-saver for the universities and give students more responsibility without making things more complicated for them.
Epiphanies in Kroger
Today I went to the grocery store to buy flowers, kettle chips and green grapes. When I was in the check-out line, my cashier engaged me in a few minutes of polite conversation - what I was doing for Thanksgiving, where I was from, and so on.
Then, she asked me, "So what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Immediately, I responded, "A journalist."
After I thanked her and started walking to my car, I started thinking about that little snippet of conversation. First of all, I realized I wasn't offended by the fact that she didn't consider me "grown up" yet. In my mind, I'm never going to reach a point in my life where I'm like, "Oh, this is what I wanted to be when I grew up." I think I'm always going to be challenging myself and finding new ways to use my skills to help others. The job that I start out with will be nowhere near the job that I'll end with. And I'm more than okay with that.
Secondly, I thought about my response to her question. The first thing that came to my mind wasn't "reporter" or "copy editor" or "ad salesman." First and foremost in my mind, I am a journalist. So what is a journalist and what does that make me?
Wikipedia says that a journalist (or newspaperman?) is "a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for non-bias viewpoint."
In that sense, yes, I definitely consider myself a journalist. But I feel like being a journalist today is so much more than just gathering and disseminating news.
Being a journalist is giving people the tools they need to live life to the fullest. Being a journalist is being a citizen. It's serving your country. It's doing what you know is right. It's providing information in all forms. It's being a neighbor. It's creating a safe haven for people to share their views and talk with each other. It's truth, and it's justice.
And I'm going to continue being a journalist, whether I'm grown up or not.
Then, she asked me, "So what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Immediately, I responded, "A journalist."
After I thanked her and started walking to my car, I started thinking about that little snippet of conversation. First of all, I realized I wasn't offended by the fact that she didn't consider me "grown up" yet. In my mind, I'm never going to reach a point in my life where I'm like, "Oh, this is what I wanted to be when I grew up." I think I'm always going to be challenging myself and finding new ways to use my skills to help others. The job that I start out with will be nowhere near the job that I'll end with. And I'm more than okay with that.
Secondly, I thought about my response to her question. The first thing that came to my mind wasn't "reporter" or "copy editor" or "ad salesman." First and foremost in my mind, I am a journalist. So what is a journalist and what does that make me?
Wikipedia says that a journalist (or newspaperman?) is "a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for non-bias viewpoint."
In that sense, yes, I definitely consider myself a journalist. But I feel like being a journalist today is so much more than just gathering and disseminating news.
Being a journalist is giving people the tools they need to live life to the fullest. Being a journalist is being a citizen. It's serving your country. It's doing what you know is right. It's providing information in all forms. It's being a neighbor. It's creating a safe haven for people to share their views and talk with each other. It's truth, and it's justice.
And I'm going to continue being a journalist, whether I'm grown up or not.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
My brain's on hiatus
I've been feeling guilty for grumbling about being an intern, but at least I didn't break a window.
Our Thanksgiving break is next week, and unfortunately, my brain is already on vacation. It's hard for me to focus. I can't talk or write without making some sort of mistake. I'm irritable because all I want to do is bake cookies and listen to George Winston.
But I have to keep charging ahead. Now that I've recognized my faults, I actually have to try to prevent them. Sure, the first step is admitting a problem, but the problem won't get any better by simply acknowledging its presence. One of the hardest things to do is to take responsibility for yourself and your actions - to fix something if it's not right. Right now, I want to be lazy, but I know I can't.
My plan of action for the rest of the week:
I'm going to wake up on time.
I'm going to get to work a few minutes early and leave a few minutes late.
I'm going to do my required reading before my classes.
I'm going to take care of business first so I can do whatever I want later.
And I'm going to need someone to hold me to all this.
Our Thanksgiving break is next week, and unfortunately, my brain is already on vacation. It's hard for me to focus. I can't talk or write without making some sort of mistake. I'm irritable because all I want to do is bake cookies and listen to George Winston.
But I have to keep charging ahead. Now that I've recognized my faults, I actually have to try to prevent them. Sure, the first step is admitting a problem, but the problem won't get any better by simply acknowledging its presence. One of the hardest things to do is to take responsibility for yourself and your actions - to fix something if it's not right. Right now, I want to be lazy, but I know I can't.
My plan of action for the rest of the week:
I'm going to wake up on time.
I'm going to get to work a few minutes early and leave a few minutes late.
I'm going to do my required reading before my classes.
I'm going to take care of business first so I can do whatever I want later.
And I'm going to need someone to hold me to all this.
Monday, November 17, 2008
People vs. prestige
A few weeks ago, I went to my professor for advice on fixing up my resume (which I will be mailing out very, very soon since this whole not-having-a-job-lined-up thing isn't working for me very well). He handed me the resume of one of his former students (who had an internship with the Washington Post) as a guide and then told me that I shouldn't apply for any newspapers over 100,000 circulation.
Whoa. Hold it. First of all, my professor hands me an intimidating resume. Then he places a limit on my abilities. What the heck do I do now?
Needless to say, I was feeling a little lost and incapable when I left his office that day. It was time for me to reevaluate what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and to determine if I had the drive and the skills to follow through with my decisions.
First, the resume. At first glance, the girl's work experience took up the entire first page of her resume with multiple internships. And at the very top - copy editing intern with the Washington Post. I'm thinking, is this what every graduating senior's resume looks like? Because if so, then I'm totally not up to par.
It wasn't until I got home and examined the resume that I realized that she only had experience with a total of two or three newspapers but had held a few positions at each paper. With four newspaper internships already under my belt, that made me feel a whole lot better. But then there was the question of big, prestigious newspapers versus community papers (which is ultimately what this post is about). Which do employers value more?
When I thought about my professor's second comment - don't try for internships at papers with circulation over 100K - I drew the conclusion that the size of the newspaper matters in some aspects, if not all.
That's when I realized that I don't want a big, prestigious newspaper on my resume.
I love community journalism. It's how I started; it's how I'll finish. It's people and it's communication and it's family and it's hands-on. It's what I know. It's what I do.
The experience that I've had at small and metro-sized papers has been so much richer than what I would've gotten at a big newspaper. Yeah, if I'd worked for the NYT, I'd get the prestige of the paper embedded in my title. But I wouldn't be getting anything else, except maybe coffee (ha!).
I wouldn't get to contribute to the lives of citizens through my writing. I wouldn't get to interview a new person every day. I wouldn't get calls from readers who want to talk about what I wrote and share their stories. I wouldn't feel the pressure and responsibility of being residents' only source of local news. I wouldn't experience crunch-time at the end of the day or one-on-one conversations with the editors.
I wouldn't get what I want.
So I'm not taking offense at my professor's advice. I think he knows what I want and where my skills lie. He knows that there's a paper out there somewhere with my name on it and he's going to keep pushing me until I get there.
Whoa. Hold it. First of all, my professor hands me an intimidating resume. Then he places a limit on my abilities. What the heck do I do now?
Needless to say, I was feeling a little lost and incapable when I left his office that day. It was time for me to reevaluate what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and to determine if I had the drive and the skills to follow through with my decisions.
First, the resume. At first glance, the girl's work experience took up the entire first page of her resume with multiple internships. And at the very top - copy editing intern with the Washington Post. I'm thinking, is this what every graduating senior's resume looks like? Because if so, then I'm totally not up to par.
It wasn't until I got home and examined the resume that I realized that she only had experience with a total of two or three newspapers but had held a few positions at each paper. With four newspaper internships already under my belt, that made me feel a whole lot better. But then there was the question of big, prestigious newspapers versus community papers (which is ultimately what this post is about). Which do employers value more?
When I thought about my professor's second comment - don't try for internships at papers with circulation over 100K - I drew the conclusion that the size of the newspaper matters in some aspects, if not all.
That's when I realized that I don't want a big, prestigious newspaper on my resume.
I love community journalism. It's how I started; it's how I'll finish. It's people and it's communication and it's family and it's hands-on. It's what I know. It's what I do.
The experience that I've had at small and metro-sized papers has been so much richer than what I would've gotten at a big newspaper. Yeah, if I'd worked for the NYT, I'd get the prestige of the paper embedded in my title. But I wouldn't be getting anything else, except maybe coffee (ha!).
I wouldn't get to contribute to the lives of citizens through my writing. I wouldn't get to interview a new person every day. I wouldn't get calls from readers who want to talk about what I wrote and share their stories. I wouldn't feel the pressure and responsibility of being residents' only source of local news. I wouldn't experience crunch-time at the end of the day or one-on-one conversations with the editors.
I wouldn't get what I want.
So I'm not taking offense at my professor's advice. I think he knows what I want and where my skills lie. He knows that there's a paper out there somewhere with my name on it and he's going to keep pushing me until I get there.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Fireside videos?
Remember FDR's Fireside Chats on the radio circa the 1940s?
Flash forward more than half a century and you've got Obama's proposed weekly YouTube updates.
President-elect Obama plans to address the nation weekly not just on the radio, but on YouTube, automatically connecting with the youth of our nation. People will be able to comment on the videos and virtually interact with POTUS.
Cool, huh?
Flash forward more than half a century and you've got Obama's proposed weekly YouTube updates.
President-elect Obama plans to address the nation weekly not just on the radio, but on YouTube, automatically connecting with the youth of our nation. People will be able to comment on the videos and virtually interact with POTUS.
Cool, huh?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The harsh reality of being an intern
I had a reality check yesterday.
I am an intern.
Yes, I know that's probably obvious to all of you and understood among my colleagues. But it's news to me. (ha, get it? news?)
I've been fooling myself into thinking that I'm a "special" intern. I do things no intern has done before. I've been places no intern has ever gone. I casually chat with people no intern has ever attempted to befriend. But the reality is - I'm just an intern.
I do the grunt work - the work no one else wants to do or that no else can do. I contributed more than any other reporter to the Think Pink sections under the impression that I was being given a huge opportunity. The truth? No one else wanted to do it considering they had much more pressing stories to write or breaking news to report.
I covered election night, which I considered an honor, and I couldn't believe they would consider me for such a position. The truth? They couldn't find anyone else to fill that position so I was their last hope.
My editor consistently tells me that I'm overqualified for some of the things I'm doing. The truth? I'm not. So the filing and the Excel spreadsheets and the holiday guides continue because that's what I do. I pick up the slack.
But you know what? That's okay. Because if I didn't do the work, it wouldn't get done. And if it didn't get done, it might mean that people wouldn't have access to certain information they need or someone's voice wouldn't be heard. And that's a heck of a lot worse than filing house ads.
I am an intern.
Yes, I know that's probably obvious to all of you and understood among my colleagues. But it's news to me. (ha, get it? news?)
I've been fooling myself into thinking that I'm a "special" intern. I do things no intern has done before. I've been places no intern has ever gone. I casually chat with people no intern has ever attempted to befriend. But the reality is - I'm just an intern.
I do the grunt work - the work no one else wants to do or that no else can do. I contributed more than any other reporter to the Think Pink sections under the impression that I was being given a huge opportunity. The truth? No one else wanted to do it considering they had much more pressing stories to write or breaking news to report.
I covered election night, which I considered an honor, and I couldn't believe they would consider me for such a position. The truth? They couldn't find anyone else to fill that position so I was their last hope.
My editor consistently tells me that I'm overqualified for some of the things I'm doing. The truth? I'm not. So the filing and the Excel spreadsheets and the holiday guides continue because that's what I do. I pick up the slack.
But you know what? That's okay. Because if I didn't do the work, it wouldn't get done. And if it didn't get done, it might mean that people wouldn't have access to certain information they need or someone's voice wouldn't be heard. And that's a heck of a lot worse than filing house ads.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Truth
My roommate asked me a really interesting question today.
How will George W. Bush's presidency be viewed down the road?
Of course, 69 percent of Americans are happy to see him go. He has the lowest approval rating of any president. He's been virtually snuffed out of the news. No one really cares about him anymore. But what will the history books say?
My roommate's hypothetical situation: Say we ultimately "win the war" on terror. Will Bush be better liked? Or will people still see his decisions as wrong?
My response (after clarifying to her that this is a purely hypothetical situation) was yes and no. I think our generation - mine and my roommate's and anyone older than us - will always see Bush's actions in a negative light, no matter what happens. We're old enough to have friends in Iraq or family members in Afghanistan and those are things you just don't forget. Even if there's a positive outcome to this war, people will still say, "Well, it shouldn't have ever happened in the first place" or "Bush started it but he didn't fix it."
But my 18-year-old brother and his friends are a different story. If something good does happen, their education will focus on the end, not on the initial years. Slowly, people's perceptions of the war will become composed of facts, not emotions. My knowledge of Vietnam and the Persian Gulf wars is based on the facts that I learned in high school, and they don't teach you how close my friends' fathers came to being drafted or how many lives of kids our age were lost. We become detached. And then we forget. And then we make the same mistakes years later. I don't know how many more mistakes we can afford to make.
I think it comes down to the media's responsibility. Unbiased reporting is the core of any story. Yes, opinions are essential and they are the foundation of this country. But leave the opinions on the op-ed page. We need to give people the facts so that years from now, they'll be able to form their opinions based off of truth and not the opinions of 69 percent of the population, however true they may be.
How will George W. Bush's presidency be viewed down the road?
Of course, 69 percent of Americans are happy to see him go. He has the lowest approval rating of any president. He's been virtually snuffed out of the news. No one really cares about him anymore. But what will the history books say?
My roommate's hypothetical situation: Say we ultimately "win the war" on terror. Will Bush be better liked? Or will people still see his decisions as wrong?
My response (after clarifying to her that this is a purely hypothetical situation) was yes and no. I think our generation - mine and my roommate's and anyone older than us - will always see Bush's actions in a negative light, no matter what happens. We're old enough to have friends in Iraq or family members in Afghanistan and those are things you just don't forget. Even if there's a positive outcome to this war, people will still say, "Well, it shouldn't have ever happened in the first place" or "Bush started it but he didn't fix it."
But my 18-year-old brother and his friends are a different story. If something good does happen, their education will focus on the end, not on the initial years. Slowly, people's perceptions of the war will become composed of facts, not emotions. My knowledge of Vietnam and the Persian Gulf wars is based on the facts that I learned in high school, and they don't teach you how close my friends' fathers came to being drafted or how many lives of kids our age were lost. We become detached. And then we forget. And then we make the same mistakes years later. I don't know how many more mistakes we can afford to make.
I think it comes down to the media's responsibility. Unbiased reporting is the core of any story. Yes, opinions are essential and they are the foundation of this country. But leave the opinions on the op-ed page. We need to give people the facts so that years from now, they'll be able to form their opinions based off of truth and not the opinions of 69 percent of the population, however true they may be.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Volunteer
I was writing a paper until 4 a.m., last night. I'm absolutely delirious right now, so I'm going to cut this short.
Yesterday, my bowling instructor asked us to fill out a survey for some research that physical ed professors are doing on campus. The survey basically wanted to know how willing we are to participate in volunteer events, whether they're fundraisers for charities, health expos, etc.
The question that stuck out to me the most was this:
How many hours each month do you you volunteer?
My own answer shocked me. 50 hours. I volunteer over 50 hours of my time each month. Whoa.
I've never considered myself a volunteer. If you had asked me in high school if I volunteered, I would have told you that I didn't, despite the fact that I was in a million different clubs and gave time to my school every day. All throughout college, I've never thought about what I do as volunteer work. I don't work at the soup kitchen on a regular basis or sing songs to nursing home residents. But with the introduction of this question, suddenly I realized that I am a volunteer.
Every week, I volunteer to help the newspaper that I intern with. I volunteer within my church in many different leadership roles. I volunteer my time to my friends when they need a ride home or help studying. I volunteer myself to my family by putting them first, even when I want to put myself first.
I am a volunteer.
While I don't frequent the soup kitchens or give yearly to national charities, I am a volunteer. I don't hesitate to give up my time for a cause that I feel is important, whether it's journalism, unity, friendship or love.
I am a volunteer.
Are you?
Yesterday, my bowling instructor asked us to fill out a survey for some research that physical ed professors are doing on campus. The survey basically wanted to know how willing we are to participate in volunteer events, whether they're fundraisers for charities, health expos, etc.
The question that stuck out to me the most was this:
How many hours each month do you you volunteer?
My own answer shocked me. 50 hours. I volunteer over 50 hours of my time each month. Whoa.
I've never considered myself a volunteer. If you had asked me in high school if I volunteered, I would have told you that I didn't, despite the fact that I was in a million different clubs and gave time to my school every day. All throughout college, I've never thought about what I do as volunteer work. I don't work at the soup kitchen on a regular basis or sing songs to nursing home residents. But with the introduction of this question, suddenly I realized that I am a volunteer.
Every week, I volunteer to help the newspaper that I intern with. I volunteer within my church in many different leadership roles. I volunteer my time to my friends when they need a ride home or help studying. I volunteer myself to my family by putting them first, even when I want to put myself first.
I am a volunteer.
While I don't frequent the soup kitchens or give yearly to national charities, I am a volunteer. I don't hesitate to give up my time for a cause that I feel is important, whether it's journalism, unity, friendship or love.
I am a volunteer.
Are you?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Election night adventures
Congrats, Obama!
Yesterday, I got to call in to the paper the precinct numbers of a neighboring county. It was a 30-minute drive to the courthouse where I was reporting from, and I got lost approximately four times on the way there. (Who builds their courthouse out in the middle of nowhere? With no signs?!)
The first precincts had already come in when I got there, so I was busy right from the get-go. Everything went without a hitch until the 18th precinct, which were the absentee ballots. Then all hell broke loose. The ballot machine stopped reading the sheets at the same time that they discovered hundreds of torn ballots that had to be duplicated. Luckily, I had a lot of reading to get done, so the six hours went by fairly quickly.
At 1 a.m., the final numbers came in, and I skeedaddled. Then, I got lost again on the way home.
Yesterday, I got to call in to the paper the precinct numbers of a neighboring county. It was a 30-minute drive to the courthouse where I was reporting from, and I got lost approximately four times on the way there. (Who builds their courthouse out in the middle of nowhere? With no signs?!)
The first precincts had already come in when I got there, so I was busy right from the get-go. Everything went without a hitch until the 18th precinct, which were the absentee ballots. Then all hell broke loose. The ballot machine stopped reading the sheets at the same time that they discovered hundreds of torn ballots that had to be duplicated. Luckily, I had a lot of reading to get done, so the six hours went by fairly quickly.
At 1 a.m., the final numbers came in, and I skeedaddled. Then, I got lost again on the way home.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
The mysterious Monitor
This weekend, my dad said to me, "Did you hear the Christian Science Monitor isn't going to be a newspaper anymore?"
Instead of being alarmed, I was thinking, "Who the heck is the Christian Science Monitor?"
I've been heavily involved in newspapers for at least the past two years and no one has ever, ever talked about the Christian Science Monitor. But after some brief research, I found out that it's going to be the first nationally circulated newspaper to forgo its print edition in favor of a completely online publication.
I can tell you that I'm going to be watching its progress verrrry closely. And so are a whole lot of other journalists.
P.S. This blog is beautiful.
Instead of being alarmed, I was thinking, "Who the heck is the Christian Science Monitor?"
I've been heavily involved in newspapers for at least the past two years and no one has ever, ever talked about the Christian Science Monitor. But after some brief research, I found out that it's going to be the first nationally circulated newspaper to forgo its print edition in favor of a completely online publication.
I can tell you that I'm going to be watching its progress verrrry closely. And so are a whole lot of other journalists.
P.S. This blog is beautiful.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Just got back from an amazing weekend. Vacations are bittersweet for me. On one hand, I really need a break in the middle of a semester so that my brain doesn't explode. On the other hand, a vacation usually stops my momentum, and it takes me a while to get back into the swing of things.
But the mountains were beautiful. And I saw snow. And I slipped on ice and landed flat on my behind. And I saw (what could have been) fairies. And I bought a peck of apples that ended up rolling down a hill. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.
Now, it's back to reality.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
By the way...
I'm gonna be MIA for a few days. I'm headed to the Blue Ridge Mountains for some R&R. I'll be back on Sunday with pretty pictures and hopefully enough energy to keep me going until Thanksgiving break.
So, Happy Halloween!
Countdown!!!
Election Day is upon us! Only 4 days, 13 hours, 43 minutes, and 30 seconds to go.
In preparation for this tumultuous event, we've got:
Candidate finger puppets
Candidate Cabbage Patch dolls
Political pumpkin stencils
Palin as president...
I love the Internet.
In preparation for this tumultuous event, we've got:
Candidate finger puppets
Candidate Cabbage Patch dolls
Political pumpkin stencils
Palin as president...
I love the Internet.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I ♥ Bluffton
And while we're on the topic of financial difficulties, I was troubled to see that Bluffton Today will no longer be free starting December 1 of this year. I know Morris (Communications) wanted to keep it running as a free circulation and a model for the new age of newspapers, but unfortunately, this is just not the ideal economy to experiment with right now. Good luck, guys.
Yes, I'm sure
I think I worry people a lot when I tell them what I want to do with my life.
The usual responses:
"Are you sure?"
"Newspapers are dying, Kelly Ann. What do you think you're doing?"
"Do you have a backup plan?"
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket..."
"There won't be a newspaper in 10 years. Where will you be?"
My response:
Chill.
The economy is on its way to hitting rock bottom. People save an average 0 percent of their incomes. (Seriously. In 1998, Americans saved -0.2 percent. Really, America?) The housing market has flopped. Unemployment is up. And you're really worried about newspapers? I think we've got bigger fish to fry.
Let me reassure the weak of heart. Newspapers are in a transition period. Up until a few years ago, newspapers were making a 23 to 25 percent profit margin. Things were good. We built big news buildings, gave away lots of vacations and put out niche publications like there was no tomorrow.
Unfortunately, tomorrow is here. Instead of our usual inflated margins, we're making about a 15 percent profit. Keep in mind that an average business enjoys about a 3 to 5 percent profit margin. So we're still rakin' in the dough; it's just not as much as we're used to. It all boils down to making adjustments. Right now, we're going to whine and scratch our heads because Mommy's not giving us the lollipop we want. Once we figure out why she's not giving it to us and what we can learn from it and then learn to live with it, we can come out of this with renewed passion for the industry and ideas to take the "newspaper" to new heights.
Give newspapers five, maybe 10 years. We'll come out of it. People will always need information. Journalists will always provide that information.
The usual responses:
"Are you sure?"
"Newspapers are dying, Kelly Ann. What do you think you're doing?"
"Do you have a backup plan?"
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket..."
"There won't be a newspaper in 10 years. Where will you be?"
My response:
Chill.
The economy is on its way to hitting rock bottom. People save an average 0 percent of their incomes. (Seriously. In 1998, Americans saved -0.2 percent. Really, America?) The housing market has flopped. Unemployment is up. And you're really worried about newspapers? I think we've got bigger fish to fry.
Let me reassure the weak of heart. Newspapers are in a transition period. Up until a few years ago, newspapers were making a 23 to 25 percent profit margin. Things were good. We built big news buildings, gave away lots of vacations and put out niche publications like there was no tomorrow.
Unfortunately, tomorrow is here. Instead of our usual inflated margins, we're making about a 15 percent profit. Keep in mind that an average business enjoys about a 3 to 5 percent profit margin. So we're still rakin' in the dough; it's just not as much as we're used to. It all boils down to making adjustments. Right now, we're going to whine and scratch our heads because Mommy's not giving us the lollipop we want. Once we figure out why she's not giving it to us and what we can learn from it and then learn to live with it, we can come out of this with renewed passion for the industry and ideas to take the "newspaper" to new heights.
Give newspapers five, maybe 10 years. We'll come out of it. People will always need information. Journalists will always provide that information.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thrill-ride of 2008
I get to cover election night!
I just found out yesterday. I am so EXCITED. I covered the primaries two years ago for the newspaper I was working for and it was amazing. The thrill that comes from being the first to watch the numbers come in. Being able to watch the reactions of the candidates as their fates are determined by us (citizens) right before their eyes. Watching them interact with each other and their families after the results are determined. I love being a provider of information. It's so fulfilling.
And I get to do it again! November 4th is going to be crazy.
I just found out yesterday. I am so EXCITED. I covered the primaries two years ago for the newspaper I was working for and it was amazing. The thrill that comes from being the first to watch the numbers come in. Being able to watch the reactions of the candidates as their fates are determined by us (citizens) right before their eyes. Watching them interact with each other and their families after the results are determined. I love being a provider of information. It's so fulfilling.
And I get to do it again! November 4th is going to be crazy.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Anxious to be 100% journalist
I'm aghast that I haven't posted in a week. I feel like the antithesis of a journalist, who's supposed to be a provider of information. I haven't been providing any information. Of course, I'm technically only a journalist about 25 percent of my time. The other 75 is split among classes, two choirs, National Issues Forums, being the coordinator of the Catholic Student Association, and working in a lab for the computer science department. When I put it on (virtual) paper, it's kind of overwhelming.
But enough of my excuses. Let's get down to business.
First of all, this lady is amazing.
Secondly, I got a little taste of reality last week. The newspaper company that I worked for this summer and that I basically pledged my allegiance to is having major financial issues. It's no question that they'll pull out of it. They can definitely weather this economic storm; they just made a few mistakes that are hurting them now. No, I'm confident in the company. The question is, when will they pull through? Will they be able to financially support me when I enter the job market in May? Let's just say I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket.
So I've gotten some resume advice and as soon as I have a free minute, I'll sit down and document all of the amazing opportunities I've been given in this field. I'm not going to exhaust any of my contacts. I'm going to send out resumes and emails and phone calls until the cows come home. I don't care where I end up - Alaska, New Jersey, Arkansas, Florida, Texas (actually, the cows may actually come home there). I'm not picky at this point. I just want to find a place to plant my journalism roots - all of my roots, not 25 percent of them - and get a firm start on the management track that I've chosen for myself.
But enough of my excuses. Let's get down to business.
First of all, this lady is amazing.
Secondly, I got a little taste of reality last week. The newspaper company that I worked for this summer and that I basically pledged my allegiance to is having major financial issues. It's no question that they'll pull out of it. They can definitely weather this economic storm; they just made a few mistakes that are hurting them now. No, I'm confident in the company. The question is, when will they pull through? Will they be able to financially support me when I enter the job market in May? Let's just say I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket.
So I've gotten some resume advice and as soon as I have a free minute, I'll sit down and document all of the amazing opportunities I've been given in this field. I'm not going to exhaust any of my contacts. I'm going to send out resumes and emails and phone calls until the cows come home. I don't care where I end up - Alaska, New Jersey, Arkansas, Florida, Texas (actually, the cows may actually come home there). I'm not picky at this point. I just want to find a place to plant my journalism roots - all of my roots, not 25 percent of them - and get a firm start on the management track that I've chosen for myself.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Passion
Since my internship this summer, I've been talking about how passion is key. The profession you're passionate about is the one you want. The people who are passionate are the ones you want. The life that's passionate is the one you want.
DigiDave has the right idea.
DigiDave has the right idea.
Monday, October 13, 2008
A monolithic mess
Sorry I still haven't posted the news forum stuff. It's gonna be sort of a big project, so I need to do it right. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have some of the results up.
First of all, my heart goes out to the KTRK-Houston pilot and photographer who were killed in a helicopter crash this afternoon. Keep their families in your thoughts.
And now to the main feature!
The other day while talking with my editor, we hit on a problem currently faced by newspapers within the company and apparently nationwide. What do we do with these giant news buildings now that we're having to cut back extensively on pretty much everything?
While walking around our own "monolith" (my editor's word, although I wish I could claim it), I couldn't help but notice that around 50 percent of the building is not in use. Yeah, it used to be. There were photography studios, a helicopter pad, meeting rooms, desks, and computers, all with signs of wear and tear. But now the halls are empty. It was a little creepy and apocalyptic, actually.
When I heard how much it costs to operate a building the size of ours each month, I almost had a heart attack. Newspapers can't afford to be paying for these monoliths when they've got bigger problems. So what can we do to monetize these buildings that aren't being used? I've heard of a few options.
1. Rent out part of the space. One of our papers in St. Augustine was throwing this idea around. If you can consolidate your newsroom, advertising and circulation to one floor (not really much of a problem if you look at all the cutbacks happening these days), then that leaves an entire floor in a beautiful, grandiose, brand spanking new building up for grabs. People would kill for that - small businesses, law firms, governmental bodies. As long as you establish a solid line between the newspaper operation and whatever business shares the space with you (so as to eliminate any room for accusations of bias), all that's left is to reap the benefits. And if your building isn't rental-ready, it might be worth it to install a few walls and some extra outside stairwells if it means saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in utilities.
2. Just flat out sell it. That's what The Columbian is thinking about doing. If you've built a gigantic freaking Parthenon, people are bound to place some value in it, especially since most news buildings also come with great locations that usually facilitate a quick dash over to the chamber of commerce or some other downtown political unit. Maybe right now isn't the perfect time to try to sell, but as soon as the economy starts turning around, businesses are going to be more willing to invest in a beautiful, convenient and spacious building.
First of all, my heart goes out to the KTRK-Houston pilot and photographer who were killed in a helicopter crash this afternoon. Keep their families in your thoughts.
And now to the main feature!
The other day while talking with my editor, we hit on a problem currently faced by newspapers within the company and apparently nationwide. What do we do with these giant news buildings now that we're having to cut back extensively on pretty much everything?
While walking around our own "monolith" (my editor's word, although I wish I could claim it), I couldn't help but notice that around 50 percent of the building is not in use. Yeah, it used to be. There were photography studios, a helicopter pad, meeting rooms, desks, and computers, all with signs of wear and tear. But now the halls are empty. It was a little creepy and apocalyptic, actually.
When I heard how much it costs to operate a building the size of ours each month, I almost had a heart attack. Newspapers can't afford to be paying for these monoliths when they've got bigger problems. So what can we do to monetize these buildings that aren't being used? I've heard of a few options.
1. Rent out part of the space. One of our papers in St. Augustine was throwing this idea around. If you can consolidate your newsroom, advertising and circulation to one floor (not really much of a problem if you look at all the cutbacks happening these days), then that leaves an entire floor in a beautiful, grandiose, brand spanking new building up for grabs. People would kill for that - small businesses, law firms, governmental bodies. As long as you establish a solid line between the newspaper operation and whatever business shares the space with you (so as to eliminate any room for accusations of bias), all that's left is to reap the benefits. And if your building isn't rental-ready, it might be worth it to install a few walls and some extra outside stairwells if it means saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in utilities.
2. Just flat out sell it. That's what The Columbian is thinking about doing. If you've built a gigantic freaking Parthenon, people are bound to place some value in it, especially since most news buildings also come with great locations that usually facilitate a quick dash over to the chamber of commerce or some other downtown political unit. Maybe right now isn't the perfect time to try to sell, but as soon as the economy starts turning around, businesses are going to be more willing to invest in a beautiful, convenient and spacious building.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thanks to Wordle, my favorite word is pretty predictable
My mom made a Wordle of my October 6th post. I think it's pretty cool, actually. (She's pretty cool, too.)
I attended one of the National Issues Forums tonight. The topic: News media and society: how to restore the public trust? More on that tomorrow when I'm not exhausted.
I attended one of the National Issues Forums tonight. The topic: News media and society: how to restore the public trust? More on that tomorrow when I'm not exhausted.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The funnies are people, too
Today I was exposed to another element of journalism that honestly I hadn't given much thought to previously.
I walked into my editor's office early this morning expecting to sit in on a campaign endorsement interview, which would have been interesting but not incredibly stimulating at 8:45 a.m. Instead, my editor says, "You wanna come in and talk comics?" Um, of course?!
And so the process of pitching comics, games and applications was revealed to me. I had never really thought about where Blondie and Sudoku and Word Jumble come from. They just appear on the page, and they're fun, so it was really interesting to see how the process works. The salesman pitched various comics, columnists and puzzles, listened to what my editor had to say about them - whether he was interested or whether something wasn't an option, and was very convincing and organized. My editor really only had eyes for online games, but all of the products that were unveiled to us were top-notch and fun. It'd probably be easy to sucker me into some of that stuff...
I walked into my editor's office early this morning expecting to sit in on a campaign endorsement interview, which would have been interesting but not incredibly stimulating at 8:45 a.m. Instead, my editor says, "You wanna come in and talk comics?" Um, of course?!
And so the process of pitching comics, games and applications was revealed to me. I had never really thought about where Blondie and Sudoku and Word Jumble come from. They just appear on the page, and they're fun, so it was really interesting to see how the process works. The salesman pitched various comics, columnists and puzzles, listened to what my editor had to say about them - whether he was interested or whether something wasn't an option, and was very convincing and organized. My editor really only had eyes for online games, but all of the products that were unveiled to us were top-notch and fun. It'd probably be easy to sucker me into some of that stuff...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Hey! I got OBAMA! What's my prize?
I am obsessed with debate bingo! It's always been like pulling teeth to get me to watch the debates, but President Bingo is genius. What better way to make a whole bunch of boring speeches, usually ones that you need to watch, fun and interesting? I had oodles of fun with the VP debates- Palin Bingo was hilarious. Now, I can't wait to get home tonight and nestle into my couch with my McCain card.
Absolute genius.
Absolute genius.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Aztecs - beneficial to journalists?
My editor is fascinated with the fact that I'm in an Aztec class.
I really am. I'm taking "History of the Aztecs and Maya" as an elective because I'm enthralled by ancient civilizations. Egypt, Italy, Greece, Mesoamerica - if it's BC or early AD, I'm happy. However, I never considered that my silly history electives would actually give me a leg-up in my career.
In a conversation with my editor, the VP of editorial for the company, and the Norwegian journalist I met, the topic of my class came up. As I promptly tried to change the subject, the Norwegian journalist wouldn't have it. He said that all journalism majors should have to take an Aztec class.
Of course, he didn't just want all journalists to know about the Aztecs (although, they were cool enough that it could potentially be a requirement). He wanted journalists to emerge from college with a well-rounded view of the world. A journalist should have his or her finger on the pulse of all aspects of society, whether it's a collapse on Wall Street or an epidemic in Nicaragua. One of the greatest things about America is its diversity, and to be a journalist in America means to be diverse. We have so many different cultures and histories represented in this country that in order to best serve citizens, we have to know where they come from - not literally every person, but figuratively. We have to be aware of existence outside of our own little bubbles.
So here's your homework. Go learn about the Aztecs or the Muses. Find something that you're interested in and stretch your knowledge beyond the Civil War.
I really am. I'm taking "History of the Aztecs and Maya" as an elective because I'm enthralled by ancient civilizations. Egypt, Italy, Greece, Mesoamerica - if it's BC or early AD, I'm happy. However, I never considered that my silly history electives would actually give me a leg-up in my career.
In a conversation with my editor, the VP of editorial for the company, and the Norwegian journalist I met, the topic of my class came up. As I promptly tried to change the subject, the Norwegian journalist wouldn't have it. He said that all journalism majors should have to take an Aztec class.
Of course, he didn't just want all journalists to know about the Aztecs (although, they were cool enough that it could potentially be a requirement). He wanted journalists to emerge from college with a well-rounded view of the world. A journalist should have his or her finger on the pulse of all aspects of society, whether it's a collapse on Wall Street or an epidemic in Nicaragua. One of the greatest things about America is its diversity, and to be a journalist in America means to be diverse. We have so many different cultures and histories represented in this country that in order to best serve citizens, we have to know where they come from - not literally every person, but figuratively. We have to be aware of existence outside of our own little bubbles.
So here's your homework. Go learn about the Aztecs or the Muses. Find something that you're interested in and stretch your knowledge beyond the Civil War.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Localization, parte dos
I went camping at Unicoi State Park last night, and it was amazing. The weather was beautiful - cool and crisp. We slept in "squirrels' nests" (a.k.a. tree houses!) and hiked a few trails in the morning. It was a much welcomed haven of relaxation and self-introspection.
The adventure was made extra special by the company I kept. We spent the trip talking about literature, inner thoughts, society - a refreshing retreat from some of the petty things that I get caught up in around campus.
One of the things we discussed over coffee in a nearby mountain town was the future of language throughout the world. We were split 50-50 - two of the belief that due to the spreading of globalization, the whole world will one day speak basically the same language. And two of us believed that language would do just the opposite - it would become very localized so that individual areas would speak with their own individual vocabularies.
While I first embraced the idea of localization as a positive impact on newspapers, I've come to realize that localization will have a similar impact worldwide and in many aspects of society. We were all star-struck by globalization at first. Being able to conduct business and relationships on an international level is a very thrilling concept and can add excitement to an otherwise monotonous life.
However, now it's losing its appeal. It's become too costly and inefficient to maintain a high volume of global businesses and relationships. It's like the expansion that's been happening for decades is slowing to a stop, and pretty soon we'll start receding back into our local centers - back into our small towns and our daily newspapers and our farmers' markets.
Though people crave innovation, you can't underestimate the power of community.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Hyperlocal, an international movement
Another revamp! This thing's starting to look pretty damn sharp if I do say so myself.
Also, I was talking to a Norwegian journalist yesterday (how often do you get to say that?!) about changes in the industry here in America versus across the pond. He mentioned a newspaper in a small town in Finland (I think) that has launched an online site devoted specifically to local history.
He said it's a branch of the newspaper's web site, and the paper is slowly going back in time and cataloging the town's history. It's apparently a huge hit. People have the option to comment on whether they were at a certain event or what significant things happened to them during a specific time period. They're encouraged to share their family lineage - if grandma helped stock the food bank during a crisis or if great-grandpa served in war. It helps bring pride to the town, and it's probably a big boost in ad sales for the paper, too....
I found this interesting because it sounds to me like there's an international focus on the localization of information. All over the world, newspapers aren't zeroed in on the big picture anymore. Of course, "big picture" news needs to be and will still be covered, especially through sources like the AP, the NYT, CNN and a handful of others. But ultimately, local news is where it's at - even in Finland!
Also, I was talking to a Norwegian journalist yesterday (how often do you get to say that?!) about changes in the industry here in America versus across the pond. He mentioned a newspaper in a small town in Finland (I think) that has launched an online site devoted specifically to local history.
He said it's a branch of the newspaper's web site, and the paper is slowly going back in time and cataloging the town's history. It's apparently a huge hit. People have the option to comment on whether they were at a certain event or what significant things happened to them during a specific time period. They're encouraged to share their family lineage - if grandma helped stock the food bank during a crisis or if great-grandpa served in war. It helps bring pride to the town, and it's probably a big boost in ad sales for the paper, too....
I found this interesting because it sounds to me like there's an international focus on the localization of information. All over the world, newspapers aren't zeroed in on the big picture anymore. Of course, "big picture" news needs to be and will still be covered, especially through sources like the AP, the NYT, CNN and a handful of others. But ultimately, local news is where it's at - even in Finland!
The importance of print
Usually when I walk to class in the mornings, I'm totally oblivious to everything. At 8:30 a.m., it's enough for me to put one foot in front of the other, let alone take in my surroundings. However, this morning I happened to notice some bright pink newsprint flapping in the breeze on the sidewalk in front of me.
Alas! It was my newspaper's Think Pink experiment. Every Wednesday, we're printing a special section on pink newsprint in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's quite a contrast to the regular newsprint - I mean, this paper is PINK. Really pink.
It wasn't until I passed the newspaper (planning on picking it up and recycling it, of course), that I realized the paper was open to the middle section, and lo and behold, there were the profiles of the women I interviewed. Their smiling faces and amazing stories were face-up for everyone to pass by and to ponder. And beneath each profile? My name in bold. It's not every day your name's displayed on the sidewalk for everyone to see.
So I left the newspaper there. Hopefully, someone will eventually recycle it. Hopefully, somebody will pick it up and read about the heroic lives these women have led. Hopefully, a girl who will face breast cancer in the future will catch a glimpse of them and later be able to draw on their experiences. Hopefully, someone who knows and loves someone who's battling breast cancer - a mother, a daughter, an aunt - will see it and know that there's hope.
Hopefully, this is why print journalism will never die.
Alas! It was my newspaper's Think Pink experiment. Every Wednesday, we're printing a special section on pink newsprint in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's quite a contrast to the regular newsprint - I mean, this paper is PINK. Really pink.
It wasn't until I passed the newspaper (planning on picking it up and recycling it, of course), that I realized the paper was open to the middle section, and lo and behold, there were the profiles of the women I interviewed. Their smiling faces and amazing stories were face-up for everyone to pass by and to ponder. And beneath each profile? My name in bold. It's not every day your name's displayed on the sidewalk for everyone to see.
So I left the newspaper there. Hopefully, someone will eventually recycle it. Hopefully, somebody will pick it up and read about the heroic lives these women have led. Hopefully, a girl who will face breast cancer in the future will catch a glimpse of them and later be able to draw on their experiences. Hopefully, someone who knows and loves someone who's battling breast cancer - a mother, a daughter, an aunt - will see it and know that there's hope.
Hopefully, this is why print journalism will never die.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Our secret weapon? Responsibility.
It's been interesting watching this economic mess unfold.
I feel like I'm sort of on the outside looking in. I haven't yet run out of gas trying to find a gas station that still has fuel in its tanks. I still get a paycheck every two weeks. I still go to the grocery store once a week and spend roughly the same amount of money. I'm living my normal life, and I think I'm in denial.
I realized I have to start making adjustments because things certainly aren't normal. Five gallons of gas cost me $24 today. Gas stations and convenience stores are devoid of any activity, like those abandoned 1940s gas stations that you find on old highways in Florida. In fact, the entire country feels like it's a little devoid of activity right now. At least for me, it's like we're all holding our breaths, just waiting to see what's going to happen. Maybe if we sit tight for a while - take a rain check on that camping trip, postpone buying that new lawn mower for another week or two - maybe then things will settle out and we can get back to normal.
Things aren't going to get back to normal.
We've got to stop waiting for someone else to step up, and we've got to start being responsible. We have to learn to say no to things we don't need. We have to respect each other. And we have to respect this country.
I feel like I'm sort of on the outside looking in. I haven't yet run out of gas trying to find a gas station that still has fuel in its tanks. I still get a paycheck every two weeks. I still go to the grocery store once a week and spend roughly the same amount of money. I'm living my normal life, and I think I'm in denial.
I realized I have to start making adjustments because things certainly aren't normal. Five gallons of gas cost me $24 today. Gas stations and convenience stores are devoid of any activity, like those abandoned 1940s gas stations that you find on old highways in Florida. In fact, the entire country feels like it's a little devoid of activity right now. At least for me, it's like we're all holding our breaths, just waiting to see what's going to happen. Maybe if we sit tight for a while - take a rain check on that camping trip, postpone buying that new lawn mower for another week or two - maybe then things will settle out and we can get back to normal.
Things aren't going to get back to normal.
We've got to stop waiting for someone else to step up, and we've got to start being responsible. We have to learn to say no to things we don't need. We have to respect each other. And we have to respect this country.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Ah, so that's why I do what I do
Happy First Day of Fall! It's officially my favorite season.
So I haven't posted in a while. I don't know how my head is still attached after last week and looking into this week. I've had three tests and I have a total of six performances this week between the two choirs that I sing with. (Side note: Ending sentences with prepositions is a pet peeve of mine, but I didn't see any way around that one.) I'm also serving as a "citizen journalist" for a health care forum Thursday that's part of the National Issues Forums. Quite a busy schedule.
However, today I remembered why I love being a journalist.
In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our paper is embarking on a Think Pink campaign. We're going to print a special section every Sunday on pink paper (trust me, it looks better than it sounds!), feature profiles of local women's struggles with breast cancer, and include some statistics and advice about how often women should get mammograms, perform self-checks, etc. It's a big deal.
I've been put in charge of the local profiles, so I've spent the past two weeks struggling to get a hold of somebody, anybody, at the local hospitals. Finally last Friday I got two leads, and I had my first interview today. It feels good to be getting somewhere.
The interview was like none I've ever done. My experience has been with small community papers where an interview means asking questions about the exact measurements of the YMCA's longest ice cream sundae or the rezoning of a controversial chicken plant. (And yes, those are based on real events.) All of a sudden, I'm talking to a woman about the hardest thing she's ever been through - the turning point in her life - and I still have to get the answers to the deep, personal questions that I've typed up on Microsoft Word without sounding impersonal. How do you find the perfect balance?
It's all about the approach. First off, I let her know exactly what I was doing and how I would be using her information. I see it as a way of reassuring her that I'm professional and trustworthy. I also set the speed of my interview a little slower and more relaxed. If you blaze through the questions like a robot, she's not going feel like expounding on anything and her true feelings and persona won't break through.
It's all about the tone. Maintain sentimentality without condescending or pitying. This is a woman whose life has been turned upside down by what she's been through, but she's also a woman of strength and courage. Treat her like the heroine that she is.
It's all about the story. Every woman's experience is different, and every woman's experience is incredible. Take in every detail and every side note, even if the conversation strays from your initial questions. Though you may not be able to publish the complete story, you can't do this woman's story justice without having all of the facts.
Ultimately, it's all about hope. Millions of women worldwide have been diagnosed with breast cancer and must battle the second-leading killer of women with only courage and friends and family beside them. It's scary. But it's also preventable and if you catch it early enough, you can beat it.
That's why I love what I do. I get to share the stories of women who have been through this, and can give better advice than maybe even their doctors can, with the public. Readers could include women who may have just been diagnosed, women who are nervous about getting their first mammogram, or women who may one day have to struggle with the disease. I can provide hope for all of them by allowing one woman's voice to be heard.
At the end of the day, I don't think I could ask for a better job.
So I haven't posted in a while. I don't know how my head is still attached after last week and looking into this week. I've had three tests and I have a total of six performances this week between the two choirs that I sing with. (Side note: Ending sentences with prepositions is a pet peeve of mine, but I didn't see any way around that one.) I'm also serving as a "citizen journalist" for a health care forum Thursday that's part of the National Issues Forums. Quite a busy schedule.
However, today I remembered why I love being a journalist.
In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our paper is embarking on a Think Pink campaign. We're going to print a special section every Sunday on pink paper (trust me, it looks better than it sounds!), feature profiles of local women's struggles with breast cancer, and include some statistics and advice about how often women should get mammograms, perform self-checks, etc. It's a big deal.
I've been put in charge of the local profiles, so I've spent the past two weeks struggling to get a hold of somebody, anybody, at the local hospitals. Finally last Friday I got two leads, and I had my first interview today. It feels good to be getting somewhere.
The interview was like none I've ever done. My experience has been with small community papers where an interview means asking questions about the exact measurements of the YMCA's longest ice cream sundae or the rezoning of a controversial chicken plant. (And yes, those are based on real events.) All of a sudden, I'm talking to a woman about the hardest thing she's ever been through - the turning point in her life - and I still have to get the answers to the deep, personal questions that I've typed up on Microsoft Word without sounding impersonal. How do you find the perfect balance?
It's all about the approach. First off, I let her know exactly what I was doing and how I would be using her information. I see it as a way of reassuring her that I'm professional and trustworthy. I also set the speed of my interview a little slower and more relaxed. If you blaze through the questions like a robot, she's not going feel like expounding on anything and her true feelings and persona won't break through.
It's all about the tone. Maintain sentimentality without condescending or pitying. This is a woman whose life has been turned upside down by what she's been through, but she's also a woman of strength and courage. Treat her like the heroine that she is.
It's all about the story. Every woman's experience is different, and every woman's experience is incredible. Take in every detail and every side note, even if the conversation strays from your initial questions. Though you may not be able to publish the complete story, you can't do this woman's story justice without having all of the facts.
Ultimately, it's all about hope. Millions of women worldwide have been diagnosed with breast cancer and must battle the second-leading killer of women with only courage and friends and family beside them. It's scary. But it's also preventable and if you catch it early enough, you can beat it.
That's why I love what I do. I get to share the stories of women who have been through this, and can give better advice than maybe even their doctors can, with the public. Readers could include women who may have just been diagnosed, women who are nervous about getting their first mammogram, or women who may one day have to struggle with the disease. I can provide hope for all of them by allowing one woman's voice to be heard.
At the end of the day, I don't think I could ask for a better job.
Monday, September 15, 2008
The downside of instant gratification
I have at least five things running through my head at the same time right now, and I love it!
I love being busy. Probably the most horrible thing in the world is having nothing to do. Now don't get me wrong - I do like to relax every once in a while, maybe sleep in a little bit. But I can't do it for more than a day because then I get bored. And when I get bored, it's a very bad thing.
One of the things I've got stewing in my head is an op-ed piece about some credit card cloning that's been going on in the area. Consumer education is kind of a pet project for me so I was really excited about the assignment. On top of that, I specialize in consumer fraud, especially identity theft, so I'm all over this. Turns out some grad student copied credit card numbers that he stole from a local liquor store onto dozens of gift cards and used them to buy merchandise that he'd turn around and sell for a profit. These guys seriously need to rethink their careers and use their supreme intelligence for good rather than evil.
Well, I found out last weekend that someone bought $200 worth of stuff at Wal-Mart in Clearwater, Fla., with my credit card. I wasn't too happy about that. And then I thought about it - with all of my expertise in identity theft and credit card fraud, am I really practicing what I preach?
The answer is, unfortunately, no. I use my debit card at the gas station all the time because it's easier than paying cash. I don't own a shredder, so documents with my identity all over them are just floating around out there for anyone to pick up. I hand my credit card to a waiter in full confidence that he won't clone my card before he gives it back to me. I'm a disaster waiting to happen. And I'm just like every other American, except maybe worse since I know better.
So here's a question for you.
What do you value more - safety or convenience?
I love being busy. Probably the most horrible thing in the world is having nothing to do. Now don't get me wrong - I do like to relax every once in a while, maybe sleep in a little bit. But I can't do it for more than a day because then I get bored. And when I get bored, it's a very bad thing.
One of the things I've got stewing in my head is an op-ed piece about some credit card cloning that's been going on in the area. Consumer education is kind of a pet project for me so I was really excited about the assignment. On top of that, I specialize in consumer fraud, especially identity theft, so I'm all over this. Turns out some grad student copied credit card numbers that he stole from a local liquor store onto dozens of gift cards and used them to buy merchandise that he'd turn around and sell for a profit. These guys seriously need to rethink their careers and use their supreme intelligence for good rather than evil.
Well, I found out last weekend that someone bought $200 worth of stuff at Wal-Mart in Clearwater, Fla., with my credit card. I wasn't too happy about that. And then I thought about it - with all of my expertise in identity theft and credit card fraud, am I really practicing what I preach?
The answer is, unfortunately, no. I use my debit card at the gas station all the time because it's easier than paying cash. I don't own a shredder, so documents with my identity all over them are just floating around out there for anyone to pick up. I hand my credit card to a waiter in full confidence that he won't clone my card before he gives it back to me. I'm a disaster waiting to happen. And I'm just like every other American, except maybe worse since I know better.
So here's a question for you.
What do you value more - safety or convenience?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Online-only vs. print pub - who will emerge victorious?
I was very, very amused with all of the Large Hadron Collider paranoia today. Maybe it's the geek in me, but when I heard that Earth might get sucked into oblivion by teeny tiny black holes, I got pretty excited. And I have to admit, a small part of me was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see a black hole today.
GateHouse, a company that's pretty much flown below the radar in media news, has gone and done something rather rash. While they don't have a print product in Batavia, NY, they've launched an online-only news site that will directly compete with The Daily News, Batavia's print newspaper. Just looking at The Daily News' online presence makes me shudder.
I think it's a genius idea. This is the beauty of the Internet in action. No longer do you have to have mile-deep pockets in order to launch your own news/information product. The Batavian can give The Daily News a run for its money without having to incur the costs of a printing press or ink or distribution - just the cash that it takes to hire a tech guy and a couple reporters. Then, once The Batavian establishes its presence and starts to give the residents of Batavia what they want (not what The Daily News thinks they want), it can expand its operation and really go for the gold. I wish I could be up there to see it in action.
So who will win? Firmly-established print product or brand new online-only publication? I'm betting on The Batavian. Go get 'em, tiger!
GateHouse, a company that's pretty much flown below the radar in media news, has gone and done something rather rash. While they don't have a print product in Batavia, NY, they've launched an online-only news site that will directly compete with The Daily News, Batavia's print newspaper. Just looking at The Daily News' online presence makes me shudder.
I think it's a genius idea. This is the beauty of the Internet in action. No longer do you have to have mile-deep pockets in order to launch your own news/information product. The Batavian can give The Daily News a run for its money without having to incur the costs of a printing press or ink or distribution - just the cash that it takes to hire a tech guy and a couple reporters. Then, once The Batavian establishes its presence and starts to give the residents of Batavia what they want (not what The Daily News thinks they want), it can expand its operation and really go for the gold. I wish I could be up there to see it in action.
So who will win? Firmly-established print product or brand new online-only publication? I'm betting on The Batavian. Go get 'em, tiger!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Pay it forward
My latest endeavor is to explore every possible angle of this industry in order to be the best journalist/manager I can be. I want to know everything. (Well, okay, not everything...)
I suppose I have a little bit of a head start. I can cover small town community news in multiple forms. I can whip up an article outlining the main points of a local government meeting. I can type up birth and wedding announcements and compile obituary information.
But I want to sell ads. I want to plan and organize a marketing event. I want to write an editorial. I want to shoot audio and video and post it online. I want to blog on my paper's website and acquire a following. I want to write advertorial pieces for a special section. I want responsibility. I want to be put to work.
And I think I've scored an internship where I can accomplish about 90 percent of those goals.
My first day was Wednesday. Since then, I've been given the task of writing profiles about breast cancer survivors for our big Think Pink campaign that we're going to be kicking off in October (which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month). I've been extended an offer to write an editorial or two while our opinions editor is on vacation. I've been given sole responsibility for providing content for our holiday section in November. I said hello to the CEO. I went on four sales calls with the marketing director. I have my own company desk, e-mail and phone number. I'm on cloud nine.
The people within this industry continue to amaze me. I've had multiple journalists go out on a limb for me when it wasn't necessarily in their best interests. When I applied for my first internship as a reporter, my boss hired me with no experience at all - no high school publications, no college newspaper. Nothing. And the best journalism professor I had in college extended me an internship opportunity after reading my first research paper he'd assigned in class. These journalists had no evidence of work ethic or compatibility or lifelong goals. I'd like to think that they must've seen something in me, maybe a spark of some sort. But they really did take a leap of faith, and now they've done it again.
It's journalists like these guys (and gals) that make me proud to be part of this industry. And it's encouraging to know that there are other journalists investing in other young people like me all over the country. I am eternally grateful to them for the opportunities they've given me, and it is my hope that I can turn around and extend those opportunities for others somewhere down the road.
I suppose I have a little bit of a head start. I can cover small town community news in multiple forms. I can whip up an article outlining the main points of a local government meeting. I can type up birth and wedding announcements and compile obituary information.
But I want to sell ads. I want to plan and organize a marketing event. I want to write an editorial. I want to shoot audio and video and post it online. I want to blog on my paper's website and acquire a following. I want to write advertorial pieces for a special section. I want responsibility. I want to be put to work.
And I think I've scored an internship where I can accomplish about 90 percent of those goals.
My first day was Wednesday. Since then, I've been given the task of writing profiles about breast cancer survivors for our big Think Pink campaign that we're going to be kicking off in October (which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month). I've been extended an offer to write an editorial or two while our opinions editor is on vacation. I've been given sole responsibility for providing content for our holiday section in November. I said hello to the CEO. I went on four sales calls with the marketing director. I have my own company desk, e-mail and phone number. I'm on cloud nine.
The people within this industry continue to amaze me. I've had multiple journalists go out on a limb for me when it wasn't necessarily in their best interests. When I applied for my first internship as a reporter, my boss hired me with no experience at all - no high school publications, no college newspaper. Nothing. And the best journalism professor I had in college extended me an internship opportunity after reading my first research paper he'd assigned in class. These journalists had no evidence of work ethic or compatibility or lifelong goals. I'd like to think that they must've seen something in me, maybe a spark of some sort. But they really did take a leap of faith, and now they've done it again.
It's journalists like these guys (and gals) that make me proud to be part of this industry. And it's encouraging to know that there are other journalists investing in other young people like me all over the country. I am eternally grateful to them for the opportunities they've given me, and it is my hope that I can turn around and extend those opportunities for others somewhere down the road.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
New gadgets!
I'm channeling my inner nerd right now. I seriously can't wait to get home and download Chrome, Google's new web browser. Lately I've been getting tired of Firefox, so it'll be nice to try something new. I hope it lives up to my expectations! However, it'll be interesting to see what critics have to say about its Incognito Mode.
I also discovered Hulu. I'm not really sure how I feel about it yet. It's definitely upscale YouTube, but there's not that much content right now. I'm assuming it'll grow and hopefully at a pretty decent pace. I'll be honest - I was looking for old school X-Files episodes and was severely disappointed when I couldn't find any...
Also, I find that it's easier to study for my Aztec class when I'm listening to Ilyas Ahmed.
I also discovered Hulu. I'm not really sure how I feel about it yet. It's definitely upscale YouTube, but there's not that much content right now. I'm assuming it'll grow and hopefully at a pretty decent pace. I'll be honest - I was looking for old school X-Files episodes and was severely disappointed when I couldn't find any...
Also, I find that it's easier to study for my Aztec class when I'm listening to Ilyas Ahmed.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I've got a lot of work to do....
I just spent the better part of the last two hours Twitterizing and RSS-ing myself. And yes, I just turned those into verbs. If Google can do it, then by golly, so can I....
I also spent the better part of the last two hours realizing how completely and utterly unmarketable and far behind I am in the journalism world. Seriously, I'm going to be putting on my journalist cap in eight months, and I don't know squat.
Twitter wasn't a word in my personal dictionary until March of this year when my API conference in D.C. was "twittered" by Steve Buttry. I sat next to the online developer for the Houston Chronicle who introduced me to Google Reader and RSS feeds. But I had no idea what they were. I had no idea how to use them. (I honestly still don't, but now at least I'm learning!) I've had four internships at this point with four great newspapers and I'll have had a fifth by the time I graduate, but yet I'm still unprepared to enter the industry with guns blazing. How did this happen? Why am I just now getting my hands dirty in the online community?
A few possibilities:
1. My J-school professors are all curmudgeons. Well, not all of them. I've had two amazing professors who encouraged blogging and the importance of online journalism, and both helped me score ridiculously beneficial internships, including the one that I wrote about this summer.
However, the rest of my professors were way behind and a waste of my time (and lots of money!). Instead of requiring us to write as much as we could, expanding our basic journalistic skills, letting us extensively explore examples of important cases that have affected media and accentuating the ever-growing importance of digital media in the industry, professors kept us busy with true/false tests, assignments that gave us no sense of accomplishment and pica sticks.
The peak of my frustration arrived when, in response to a paper in which I emphasized the importance of knowing and catering to your audience, no matter who they are, my professor told me I was wrong. WRONG. "We cover what's newsworthy. Audience doesn't and shouldn't matter. News is news - there's nothing you can do to change that." Maybe I'm too forward-thinking, but I believe that the "news" has become information and vice versa. Our job as journalists is to inform - through whatever medium necessary, with whatever resources we can get our hands on, and by personalizing everything - so that an individual can get what he needs when he needs it. That's our job. And in this innovative environment, the absolute worst thing that you can tell a journalist is that she's wrong.
2. Things are still evolving. It's hard for newspapers to know which ideas are gold and which aren't. It's hard to advocate for something when you don't know its outcome. We can't predict the future. Journalists are afraid to pass along information and publicize ideas because the risk of failure is high. But we can't play the game without the pieces. It's important to give us (young journalists) as much information as possible so that we can sort through it and determine what's important. Think of the future of journalism as a garden and we're the gardeners. We have to know every type of weed as well as every type of crop so that when the time comes to weed our garden, we'll know what stays and what goes.
3. I'm scared, too. I have no experience in the digital world. I've never been a techie by any means. I know enough HTML to get by and I have a blog, but there's so much out there that I haven't learned. And I have to learn it fast. And since I have to teach myself, it's all up to me and the effort I'm willing to put into my own education. Up until now, I haven't really had the motivation and courage that I'll need to take on a task like this. But now? Now, I'm more determined than ever.
I also spent the better part of the last two hours realizing how completely and utterly unmarketable and far behind I am in the journalism world. Seriously, I'm going to be putting on my journalist cap in eight months, and I don't know squat.
Twitter wasn't a word in my personal dictionary until March of this year when my API conference in D.C. was "twittered" by Steve Buttry. I sat next to the online developer for the Houston Chronicle who introduced me to Google Reader and RSS feeds. But I had no idea what they were. I had no idea how to use them. (I honestly still don't, but now at least I'm learning!) I've had four internships at this point with four great newspapers and I'll have had a fifth by the time I graduate, but yet I'm still unprepared to enter the industry with guns blazing. How did this happen? Why am I just now getting my hands dirty in the online community?
A few possibilities:
1. My J-school professors are all curmudgeons. Well, not all of them. I've had two amazing professors who encouraged blogging and the importance of online journalism, and both helped me score ridiculously beneficial internships, including the one that I wrote about this summer.
However, the rest of my professors were way behind and a waste of my time (and lots of money!). Instead of requiring us to write as much as we could, expanding our basic journalistic skills, letting us extensively explore examples of important cases that have affected media and accentuating the ever-growing importance of digital media in the industry, professors kept us busy with true/false tests, assignments that gave us no sense of accomplishment and pica sticks.
The peak of my frustration arrived when, in response to a paper in which I emphasized the importance of knowing and catering to your audience, no matter who they are, my professor told me I was wrong. WRONG. "We cover what's newsworthy. Audience doesn't and shouldn't matter. News is news - there's nothing you can do to change that." Maybe I'm too forward-thinking, but I believe that the "news" has become information and vice versa. Our job as journalists is to inform - through whatever medium necessary, with whatever resources we can get our hands on, and by personalizing everything - so that an individual can get what he needs when he needs it. That's our job. And in this innovative environment, the absolute worst thing that you can tell a journalist is that she's wrong.
2. Things are still evolving. It's hard for newspapers to know which ideas are gold and which aren't. It's hard to advocate for something when you don't know its outcome. We can't predict the future. Journalists are afraid to pass along information and publicize ideas because the risk of failure is high. But we can't play the game without the pieces. It's important to give us (young journalists) as much information as possible so that we can sort through it and determine what's important. Think of the future of journalism as a garden and we're the gardeners. We have to know every type of weed as well as every type of crop so that when the time comes to weed our garden, we'll know what stays and what goes.
3. I'm scared, too. I have no experience in the digital world. I've never been a techie by any means. I know enough HTML to get by and I have a blog, but there's so much out there that I haven't learned. And I have to learn it fast. And since I have to teach myself, it's all up to me and the effort I'm willing to put into my own education. Up until now, I haven't really had the motivation and courage that I'll need to take on a task like this. But now? Now, I'm more determined than ever.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Voices singin' let's be jolly.....
deck the halls with boughs of... reporter pads?
With the future of media currently hanging in the balance, some journalists are finding it hard to be positive about this whole situation. Fortunately, I'm not one of them. (Otherwise I'd be seriously thinking about changing my major...) But to reassure those who are apprehensive about declining circulation or diminishing credibility, I found the top ten reasons to be a "jolly journalist".
Check it out and embrace the positivity!!
With the future of media currently hanging in the balance, some journalists are finding it hard to be positive about this whole situation. Fortunately, I'm not one of them. (Otherwise I'd be seriously thinking about changing my major...) But to reassure those who are apprehensive about declining circulation or diminishing credibility, I found the top ten reasons to be a "jolly journalist".
Check it out and embrace the positivity!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
"Is she talking about the future AGAIN?!"
I know I sound like a broken record, but as a newsie entering the market in the midst of a recession, I feel like it's important to anticipate where media is headed in the next five years or so.
The state of the economy right now is presenting this industry, as well as many others, to reexamine the way that we do things. It's an opportunity to weed out the inefficiencies within the industry and to find and hire only the best of the best, who will then create innovative ways to approach journalism that will enable the industry to prosper when the economy picks back up again.
As inspiring as that sounds, it scares me to death. I have to be the best of the best. Otherwise, I'll get thrown out with the rest of the garbage and tossed into a roiling economy.
So the more I'm able to foresee regarding the future of journalism, the more prepared I'll be when it's my turn to start coming up with answers to media's many problems.
Today's topic: the reality of an all-digital product.
I know what you're thinking.
"You can't take away my newspaper! I read it every morning. I carry it with me on the subway. If I can't hold the paper in my hands and leaf through it, I don't want anything to do with it."
The idea of going digital is definitely intimidating, even for the child of a generation that isn't used to a paper product. For years, I hung on to the perception that print would last forever because that's what was comfortable to me. But now, the odds have changed with the invention of one product: the iPhone.
I've talked about the importance of hyperlocal coverage and being the interactive hub for your community. Well, think about being able to access that interactivity at any time, in any place on a BlackBerry. All of a sudden, the possibilities of a digital product become endless.
Take the issue of convenience. Most people like print products because they're light and portable. You can whip out a newspaper on a subway or bus or even during gridlock traffic and absorb the news. Now with iPhones and BlackBerrys, we're talking about being able to have that same portability, only with even more convenience because you won't be elbowing your neighbor in the face trying to get to the business section.
But the convenience doesn't stop there.
Imagine the day when everyone has some sort of smart phone (and such a day isn't here yet, but it's just around the corner). Say you live in Small Town, Texas. Every day, you can use your phone (or personal computer or whatever) to listen to music, read the paper, email your coworkers, blog with your friends. Then, say you decide to vacation in Chicago for a change of scenery, but you've never been there before. Well, the minute your airplane touches down, you can use your phone to find restaurants, museums, theater listings, parks, attractions, anything within walking distance from your hotel. Lost? Your phone has a GPS system installed so that you can find your way back or stop in for a drink somewhere instead. The possibilities are absolutely endless.
There's the future of newspapers. We want to be the providers of all of that information. A one-stop shop. Instant gratification. A virtual guide to places and to people. We want to be your personal digital handbook to life.
Unfortunately, that future isn't here yet. Right now, only a small percentage of people find value in or can afford this kind of technology. But that percentage is growing every day. Until then, we're going to have to incur some costs without any immediate returns in order to be ready, which is probably the biggest challenge facing our industry today, especially in light of the recession.
Growing pains are necessary and inevitable, but who ever said they were easy? Newspapers aren't going anywhere. Not on my watch.
The state of the economy right now is presenting this industry, as well as many others, to reexamine the way that we do things. It's an opportunity to weed out the inefficiencies within the industry and to find and hire only the best of the best, who will then create innovative ways to approach journalism that will enable the industry to prosper when the economy picks back up again.
As inspiring as that sounds, it scares me to death. I have to be the best of the best. Otherwise, I'll get thrown out with the rest of the garbage and tossed into a roiling economy.
So the more I'm able to foresee regarding the future of journalism, the more prepared I'll be when it's my turn to start coming up with answers to media's many problems.
Today's topic: the reality of an all-digital product.
I know what you're thinking.
"You can't take away my newspaper! I read it every morning. I carry it with me on the subway. If I can't hold the paper in my hands and leaf through it, I don't want anything to do with it."
The idea of going digital is definitely intimidating, even for the child of a generation that isn't used to a paper product. For years, I hung on to the perception that print would last forever because that's what was comfortable to me. But now, the odds have changed with the invention of one product: the iPhone.
I've talked about the importance of hyperlocal coverage and being the interactive hub for your community. Well, think about being able to access that interactivity at any time, in any place on a BlackBerry. All of a sudden, the possibilities of a digital product become endless.
Take the issue of convenience. Most people like print products because they're light and portable. You can whip out a newspaper on a subway or bus or even during gridlock traffic and absorb the news. Now with iPhones and BlackBerrys, we're talking about being able to have that same portability, only with even more convenience because you won't be elbowing your neighbor in the face trying to get to the business section.
But the convenience doesn't stop there.
Imagine the day when everyone has some sort of smart phone (and such a day isn't here yet, but it's just around the corner). Say you live in Small Town, Texas. Every day, you can use your phone (or personal computer or whatever) to listen to music, read the paper, email your coworkers, blog with your friends. Then, say you decide to vacation in Chicago for a change of scenery, but you've never been there before. Well, the minute your airplane touches down, you can use your phone to find restaurants, museums, theater listings, parks, attractions, anything within walking distance from your hotel. Lost? Your phone has a GPS system installed so that you can find your way back or stop in for a drink somewhere instead. The possibilities are absolutely endless.
There's the future of newspapers. We want to be the providers of all of that information. A one-stop shop. Instant gratification. A virtual guide to places and to people. We want to be your personal digital handbook to life.
Unfortunately, that future isn't here yet. Right now, only a small percentage of people find value in or can afford this kind of technology. But that percentage is growing every day. Until then, we're going to have to incur some costs without any immediate returns in order to be ready, which is probably the biggest challenge facing our industry today, especially in light of the recession.
Growing pains are necessary and inevitable, but who ever said they were easy? Newspapers aren't going anywhere. Not on my watch.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Future of newspapers in circulation?!
It's been a long day, but I want to touch briefly on something that I never thought I would develop a passion for: circulation.
During our monthly staff meeting, I had the pleasure of sitting with the VP of circulation for the company. He helped guide me through the day-long, in-depth meeting with ease. Now, I've never been interested in circulation, but some of his guidance must have rubbed off on me.
Following lunch break, he began to give his monthly report and was promptly attacked by a coworker for significant decreases in circulation. I understand where the coworker was coming from; he's worried that we're not doing enough to fight for our subscribers and to continue to support the value of our product. While advertising may keep newspapers afloat, it's circulation that forms the base of the entire industry. No readers, no newspaper.
However, in this case, I disagree.
Declining circulation is just one of the many changes that newspapers will go through as we move into a new age of journalism. Particularly, the future of journalism means lower circulation than we've been used to since...well, since forever.
All I've been hearing since I threw myself into this industry is hyperlocal, hyperlocal, hyperlocal. The future of newspapers is hyperlocal. And I'm a complete supporter of this. So it's common sense to assume that the more local we try to make newspapers, the more we're going to need to start tightening up circulation by pulling out of areas that are beyond each paper's optimum market.
First of all, the more local our coverage gets, the less it will appeal to people the farther from a market you get. One of the company's newspapers in Jacksonville, Fla., was still sending papers to a small rural town in Georgia more than three hours away. People in Vidalia don't care about what's happening in Jacksonville. They care about what's happening in their own area. I haven't researched Vidalia enough to determine how well its newspaper serves its readers, but I suspect that if it decides to go hyperlocal as well, Vidalia will be even less inclined to purchase a Jacksonville paper. We finally pulled circulation from Vidalia, but there are still people who want to hang on to that kind of dead-weight circulation. The fact of the matter is, if people aren't reading the paper, why provide it?
Secondly, with the economy taking a downturn, it's no longer efficient to send newspapers in trucks for hours out into the field. Gas prices are skyrocketing along with newsprint. It just makes sense. Pull in circulation. Print fewer papers. You'll use less gas and less newsprint, but still be able to maintain a tight-knit community through a credible journalism product.
And the final factor to consider in this circulation roundabout is the push for online journalism. The more we develop online, the more available news will become for people who don't live directly within the market without the cost of sending them a print product. Pretty soon, online coverage will be completely local and totally in-demand. People will be begging for more video coverage of their child's soccer games or audio clips of their high school's marching band. This will bring in not just local viewers, but grandparents and talent seekers and all kinds of viewers from around the world. "Circulation" may need to add a new component: page views.
To sum it all up, decline in circulation is healthy, natural and necessary. It is my firm belief that circulation in every paper will continue to decline until each paper reaches its optimal market size.
During our monthly staff meeting, I had the pleasure of sitting with the VP of circulation for the company. He helped guide me through the day-long, in-depth meeting with ease. Now, I've never been interested in circulation, but some of his guidance must have rubbed off on me.
Following lunch break, he began to give his monthly report and was promptly attacked by a coworker for significant decreases in circulation. I understand where the coworker was coming from; he's worried that we're not doing enough to fight for our subscribers and to continue to support the value of our product. While advertising may keep newspapers afloat, it's circulation that forms the base of the entire industry. No readers, no newspaper.
However, in this case, I disagree.
Declining circulation is just one of the many changes that newspapers will go through as we move into a new age of journalism. Particularly, the future of journalism means lower circulation than we've been used to since...well, since forever.
All I've been hearing since I threw myself into this industry is hyperlocal, hyperlocal, hyperlocal. The future of newspapers is hyperlocal. And I'm a complete supporter of this. So it's common sense to assume that the more local we try to make newspapers, the more we're going to need to start tightening up circulation by pulling out of areas that are beyond each paper's optimum market.
First of all, the more local our coverage gets, the less it will appeal to people the farther from a market you get. One of the company's newspapers in Jacksonville, Fla., was still sending papers to a small rural town in Georgia more than three hours away. People in Vidalia don't care about what's happening in Jacksonville. They care about what's happening in their own area. I haven't researched Vidalia enough to determine how well its newspaper serves its readers, but I suspect that if it decides to go hyperlocal as well, Vidalia will be even less inclined to purchase a Jacksonville paper. We finally pulled circulation from Vidalia, but there are still people who want to hang on to that kind of dead-weight circulation. The fact of the matter is, if people aren't reading the paper, why provide it?
Secondly, with the economy taking a downturn, it's no longer efficient to send newspapers in trucks for hours out into the field. Gas prices are skyrocketing along with newsprint. It just makes sense. Pull in circulation. Print fewer papers. You'll use less gas and less newsprint, but still be able to maintain a tight-knit community through a credible journalism product.
And the final factor to consider in this circulation roundabout is the push for online journalism. The more we develop online, the more available news will become for people who don't live directly within the market without the cost of sending them a print product. Pretty soon, online coverage will be completely local and totally in-demand. People will be begging for more video coverage of their child's soccer games or audio clips of their high school's marching band. This will bring in not just local viewers, but grandparents and talent seekers and all kinds of viewers from around the world. "Circulation" may need to add a new component: page views.
To sum it all up, decline in circulation is healthy, natural and necessary. It is my firm belief that circulation in every paper will continue to decline until each paper reaches its optimal market size.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
A novice's attempt to read journalism's palm
The interns are being featured in one of the company's publications, so we had to write a couple paragraphs about the "future of journalism." So, here's my forecast. I only call 'em as I see 'em:
This is an extremely exciting time to be a journalist. I know you’re thinking, “Is she crazy?!” Maybe. But fresh out of college and brimming with new ideas, I can’t think of another environment I would rather be thrown into. The challenges that this profession currently is confronted with allow journalists to come together, pool their knowledge and completely renovate the entire face of print journalism itself. It will take the combined wisdom and innovation of every reporter, copy editor, sales rep, accountant, publisher and CEO to find solutions to the problems faced by newspapers today. The key to saving newspapers is cooperation.
The newspaper is not headed for disaster, though many people are quick to condemn it. Newspapers have been around since ancient Rome when the news was chiseled into stone tablets. Since then, metal, silk and, finally, paper have served as mediums for the distribution of news. Now, it’s time for the news to choose a new medium: the Internet. While I once swore that the print newspaper would be around forever, I am beginning to embrace the fact that the newspaper is changing. No longer is it profitable or efficient to provide a print product. With the prices of gas and newsprint rising exponentially and advertising revenue decreasing due to an economic downturn, it is no coincidence that huge advances are being made in online journalism at the exact same time. An online news product is the future of journalism, and so many doors will be opened that journalists won’t know where to begin.
I currently don’t have the answers to lowering expenses or raising ad revenue, but I have confidence that the problems will be solved sooner rather than later. There are so many innovations in online journalism waiting just around the corner. In the near future, technology will permit newspapers to take demographic information from online subscribers and allow each subscriber to create his or her own individual, unique news product. And being able to target a specific market is an advertiser’s dream, so advertising will start picking up and so on. An online product has the ability to become the local information hub of any area. We have all of the building blocks to make it happen, but they’re scattered around the globe. Our job right now is to figure out how to put them all together to create the new face of journalism.
This is an extremely exciting time to be a journalist. I know you’re thinking, “Is she crazy?!” Maybe. But fresh out of college and brimming with new ideas, I can’t think of another environment I would rather be thrown into. The challenges that this profession currently is confronted with allow journalists to come together, pool their knowledge and completely renovate the entire face of print journalism itself. It will take the combined wisdom and innovation of every reporter, copy editor, sales rep, accountant, publisher and CEO to find solutions to the problems faced by newspapers today. The key to saving newspapers is cooperation.
The newspaper is not headed for disaster, though many people are quick to condemn it. Newspapers have been around since ancient Rome when the news was chiseled into stone tablets. Since then, metal, silk and, finally, paper have served as mediums for the distribution of news. Now, it’s time for the news to choose a new medium: the Internet. While I once swore that the print newspaper would be around forever, I am beginning to embrace the fact that the newspaper is changing. No longer is it profitable or efficient to provide a print product. With the prices of gas and newsprint rising exponentially and advertising revenue decreasing due to an economic downturn, it is no coincidence that huge advances are being made in online journalism at the exact same time. An online news product is the future of journalism, and so many doors will be opened that journalists won’t know where to begin.
I currently don’t have the answers to lowering expenses or raising ad revenue, but I have confidence that the problems will be solved sooner rather than later. There are so many innovations in online journalism waiting just around the corner. In the near future, technology will permit newspapers to take demographic information from online subscribers and allow each subscriber to create his or her own individual, unique news product. And being able to target a specific market is an advertiser’s dream, so advertising will start picking up and so on. An online product has the ability to become the local information hub of any area. We have all of the building blocks to make it happen, but they’re scattered around the globe. Our job right now is to figure out how to put them all together to create the new face of journalism.
Excitement! In picture format, anyway.
Here's my latest adventure.
I went on a 10-day trip to England, Wales and Scotland in May. We spent three days in London, visited my best friend who's been studying abroad in Wales and stayed in Edinburgh for three days, throwing in a hiking trip in the Highlands somewhere in there.
It was such an eye-opener and if I thought my wanderlust was bad before, it's only gotten worse since I returned to the States! I can't wait to travel more. Actually, it made me want to travel to Asia. Random, I know. But I've never had a desire to go there at all. Suddenly, I want to visit China and Japan and Indonesia just because I know that it would be an entirely different culture and experience.
At least I've chosen a profession that might facilitate my desire to travel, even if it's just in the United States.
One thing I'll say, though - a seven-hour plane ride is much more enjoyable when you have people to talk to.
I went on a 10-day trip to England, Wales and Scotland in May. We spent three days in London, visited my best friend who's been studying abroad in Wales and stayed in Edinburgh for three days, throwing in a hiking trip in the Highlands somewhere in there.
It was such an eye-opener and if I thought my wanderlust was bad before, it's only gotten worse since I returned to the States! I can't wait to travel more. Actually, it made me want to travel to Asia. Random, I know. But I've never had a desire to go there at all. Suddenly, I want to visit China and Japan and Indonesia just because I know that it would be an entirely different culture and experience.
At least I've chosen a profession that might facilitate my desire to travel, even if it's just in the United States.
One thing I'll say, though - a seven-hour plane ride is much more enjoyable when you have people to talk to.
Monday, June 2, 2008
A breath of fresh air
Today was refreshing.
I never thought I'd have the opportunity to have lunch in a room with 100+ people who share the same passion as me. Now I can check that off my list.
I feel so honored and even unworthy to be treated like a queen by executives who have been in this business since before I was born. The moment we (the interns) walked in the door, everyone smiled and called us by name. The company held a luncheon in our honor and introduced us by asking us questions Tonight Show-style. Everyone went out of their way to say hello or pop their head into one of our meetings to catch another glimpse of us. It's unreal.
One of the executives took some time out of her day to speak to us briefly about the problems the company is grappling with in the face of a changing industry within a struggling economy. Sounds kinda boring when I put it like that.
But she said everything that I've been thinking in my head for the past two years or so. She talked about how the economy is bad right now, but that's normal. It's part of the cycle. It's nothing to get worked up over or obsessed with. Yeah, it means we have to work a little harder for a while, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
And she also talked about how she is in the profession for the long haul because she believes in it. Just like me, she believes that the work we do as journalists benefits everyone. We are the voice of truth. No matter how bad the economy is or how difficult things may get, we are the ones who give the people what they need and what they want. And that makes us better people. Right now, journalism is no place for those who are in it for the money. The only people that this profession has room for are people who believe in it.
I've never felt such a sense of purpose before. And it's only Day One! This summer is going to be amazing.
I never thought I'd have the opportunity to have lunch in a room with 100+ people who share the same passion as me. Now I can check that off my list.
I feel so honored and even unworthy to be treated like a queen by executives who have been in this business since before I was born. The moment we (the interns) walked in the door, everyone smiled and called us by name. The company held a luncheon in our honor and introduced us by asking us questions Tonight Show-style. Everyone went out of their way to say hello or pop their head into one of our meetings to catch another glimpse of us. It's unreal.
One of the executives took some time out of her day to speak to us briefly about the problems the company is grappling with in the face of a changing industry within a struggling economy. Sounds kinda boring when I put it like that.
But she said everything that I've been thinking in my head for the past two years or so. She talked about how the economy is bad right now, but that's normal. It's part of the cycle. It's nothing to get worked up over or obsessed with. Yeah, it means we have to work a little harder for a while, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
And she also talked about how she is in the profession for the long haul because she believes in it. Just like me, she believes that the work we do as journalists benefits everyone. We are the voice of truth. No matter how bad the economy is or how difficult things may get, we are the ones who give the people what they need and what they want. And that makes us better people. Right now, journalism is no place for those who are in it for the money. The only people that this profession has room for are people who believe in it.
I've never felt such a sense of purpose before. And it's only Day One! This summer is going to be amazing.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The quest continues
Well, I'm off on another adventure!
Or at least that's what my mom calls it. I never really considered a summer management internship an adventure. But then I took into account the fact that, only a week after returning from a trip to Europe, I'm moving to a new city where I don't know anyone and won't see my friends and family for almost two months. Then, I started to agree with my mom.
But I like being out on my own. And I like being in a new place and not knowing what to expect. I'm a restless twenty-something - what's new?
I'm really beginning to like it here. After braving the intimidating I-20 construction and locating Wal-Mart without a GPS, I feel pretty confident in my ability to adapt to a new environment with ease. Even now, I'm deprived of Internet and cable and yet I can't find a single thing to complain about.
I have an amazing (free!) apartment, an awesome internship, some great fellow interns, the nicest bosses ever and a possible job offer at the end of all this. It's just all kind of surreal.
So tomorrow's my first day. I'm honestly not that nervous. Maybe I should be. Our HR contact told us little about what's going on tomorrow except to mention that at some point we're going to be sitting on a stage and answering questions...hmm....
So, it'll be interesting. But I definitely feel like I'll come away from this internship with a renewed interest in my profession and reassurance that journalism is my calling.
Management, here I come!
Or at least that's what my mom calls it. I never really considered a summer management internship an adventure. But then I took into account the fact that, only a week after returning from a trip to Europe, I'm moving to a new city where I don't know anyone and won't see my friends and family for almost two months. Then, I started to agree with my mom.
But I like being out on my own. And I like being in a new place and not knowing what to expect. I'm a restless twenty-something - what's new?
I'm really beginning to like it here. After braving the intimidating I-20 construction and locating Wal-Mart without a GPS, I feel pretty confident in my ability to adapt to a new environment with ease. Even now, I'm deprived of Internet and cable and yet I can't find a single thing to complain about.
I have an amazing (free!) apartment, an awesome internship, some great fellow interns, the nicest bosses ever and a possible job offer at the end of all this. It's just all kind of surreal.
So tomorrow's my first day. I'm honestly not that nervous. Maybe I should be. Our HR contact told us little about what's going on tomorrow except to mention that at some point we're going to be sitting on a stage and answering questions...hmm....
So, it'll be interesting. But I definitely feel like I'll come away from this internship with a renewed interest in my profession and reassurance that journalism is my calling.
Management, here I come!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
And so it begins...
I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome myself to the blogging community.
I'm a budding young reporter with a tiny bit of experience under my belt and monumental plans for my future. My favorite color is purple. I have an obsession with rabbits. A consumer journalism student at the University of Georgia, I have approximately one more year before I step out into the real world. Yikes.
A few days ago I attended an API conference in D.C. only to come back feeling completely behind the times and compelled to change. Probably the best advice I was given while surrounded by newspaper editors and managers from around the country (including Ken Paulson, editor of USA Today!) was to create a blog. But not just a blog - an introduction to my journalism career. A professional blog that I'll hand over to potential employers and fellow journalists. No pressure, right?
So here I am. I'm excited, to say the least. And a little bit scared of learning new things, but who isn't?
I'm a budding young reporter with a tiny bit of experience under my belt and monumental plans for my future. My favorite color is purple. I have an obsession with rabbits. A consumer journalism student at the University of Georgia, I have approximately one more year before I step out into the real world. Yikes.
A few days ago I attended an API conference in D.C. only to come back feeling completely behind the times and compelled to change. Probably the best advice I was given while surrounded by newspaper editors and managers from around the country (including Ken Paulson, editor of USA Today!) was to create a blog. But not just a blog - an introduction to my journalism career. A professional blog that I'll hand over to potential employers and fellow journalists. No pressure, right?
So here I am. I'm excited, to say the least. And a little bit scared of learning new things, but who isn't?
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