JRN 200: That's All, Folks

Most everything is in. Not much left to do. I'll finish the grading and let D2L do the math on your base grades, and then I'll make any adjustments based on extra credit, and that's that. Your grades will be locked in, and you'll soon be finding out exactly what you got.

The only thing left for you to do (if you haven't done it already) is evaluate this class via the SIRS online teacher evaluation site, to which you can link to right here. The site is live for a few more days. Please take a few minutes to let us know how JRN 200 went, what we should keep doing, and what could be better.

Plus, there's only one thing for me to do, and that's to thank each of you for spending a semester with me. I enjoyed working with each and every one of you. I really did.

Everyone comes into JRN 200 at a different starting point. Some have some journalistic experience; others don't. A few people have a natural talent; others need that talent cultivated a bit before it becomes apparent.

No matter where and how you started, I got to see improvement. Growth. Little everyday victories. Some defeats, but also renewed efforts to overcome those losses.

No matter if you did great in this class or just eked by, remember this is just one step in a larger journey: one toward the day after graduation. Between now and then you'll build on the skills you learned here. You'll improve. You'll get more comfortable doing this. Things will seem more natural as you do them (like AP style).

If journalism was easy to learn, it would be a two-week certificate class at the local community college, and not a four-year major. This is just an early step in that longer trip to your careers and independent lives.

You're on your way. Good luck to everyone in the coming semester, and one last time, thank you.

Cue the music. 

JRN 200: Rules To Remember

I'm always looking for a way to simplify our principles to an easily-understood and effortlessly-followed list. Sometimes I come up with such a formula; other times, I find something that's good to go.

Below is an example of the latter: a list of 22 rules for journalists. It does a nice job of reminding us of some basic precepts that can easily be forgotten amid the daily hubbub: keep it simple, do the right thing, it's about people, ect.

Give it a quick read and think about how these rules can apply to your day-to-day routines now and beyond this semester.

By Robert Mann

Whenever I hear about some press secretary cursing a young reporter, I think, “That’s a press secretary who was never a young reporter.”

That’s one reason some politicians have such poor press relations: the people they hire to manage their press relations know nothing about the daily life of a journalist. They think it’s about intimidation and manipulation when it’s mostly about mutual respect and creating and nurturing trusting relationships.

I discussed this in considerable detail earlier this week in this post about politicians and their spokespeople.

That post prompted a few friends to offer some additional rules.

It also prompted my friend and former LSU Manship School colleague Jay Perkins (a longtime Washington, D.C., Associated Press reporter) to offer some rules for journalists that he’s compiled over the years.

Jay is quick to note that most of these aren’t original to him. But it’s a great collection of wisdom that he once shared with all his students — and that I now share with you:

EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT REPORTING (And most of it I stole)

By Jay Perkins

1. Journalism is an attempt to discern the truth from liars. Don’t expect anyone to tell you the truth. They won’t. It’s up to you to find it. Look for contradictions in what people say. Three words to live by: compare and contrast.

2. Most lies are those of omission. Most people aren’t going to lie totally. They’re just going to tell you the version of the truth that makes them look good.

3. There’s a big difference between repeating and reporting. Repeating what someone said is easy. It doesn’t require much judgment or intelligence. Reporting is a search for the best version of the truth. It requires intelligence, skepticism, hard work and lots of digging. Strive to be a reporter.

4. The last reporter to get the truth from one source was a guy named Moses. Unless your source is God, you’re not going to get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth from one interview. And if you’re getting interviews with God, you’re in the wrong business.

5. Reporting requires common sense – all five of them. It’s not enough to just listen to what someone says. God gave humans – even reporters – five senses. Sometimes how someone looks is just as important as what he or she says. Sometimes the way their voice wavers can tell you a lot. Use your senses.

6. Too many journalists try to climb a mountain from the top down. If you go right to the top and interview the big guy first, you’re dependent on what he wants to tell you. If you interview the little people first, you’ll know what to ask when you get to the big guy. Take it one step at a time. Start at the bottom. Hit the library and find out everything you can about the subject. Interview the little people second. You’ll get to the top quick enough – and you’ll know what to do when you get there.

7. Most business stories are not news stories. But most news stories are business stories. If you don’t understand business, you can’t understand news. Look to see how the news affects business – and why.

8. What someone knows is important. But the real question is how do they know it. Ask them. Beware the person who knows everything – college professors are a good example. They may just be good at talking about nothing.

WRITING

9. Good writing will take you further than good reporting. The reason? Most editors can recognize good writing. But few of them can recognize good reporting. Be a good reporter. But also be a good writer.

10. Writing is like making love – it’s a lot more fun with a partner. Unfortunately, too many journalists think they’re writing for themselves. They’re so interested in satisfying their own ego that they forget about satisfying the reader. Keep your focus on your readers. Tell them the story. They’ll think better of you in the morning.

11. Good writing starts with a KISS. That’s a maxim political consultants live by – Keep It Simple, Stupid. Leave the big words and the complex sentences in your English classes. Your job is not to impress the reader with your vocabulary or your ability to say nothing in 4,000 words. It’s to eloquently elucidate a communique – uh, communicate a message.

12. People are more important than statistics. You tell your reader that 500,000 people went broke in America last year, he’ll yawn. You tell him the personal story of one person who went broke, he’ll listen. Statistics are important and they have to go into the story. But your focus is on people.

THE NATURE OF NEWS

13. News is never new. It is simply recycled for a new audience. The only journalists who think they’ve found something new are those who are too dumb to read and too lazy to research. Read what other reporters in other towns are doing. Read what other reporters have done. Here’s betting the story they covered could be covered in your community. Do it. And then everybody will think you’ve found something new.

14. Anyone can cover an event. But only the good reporter can put it into perspective. Most reporters have an institutional memory of one day. The good ones can relate what happened on any one day to the historical trends that created the event and the ripple event the event will have across society. Don’t be satisfied with covering an event. Stretch the envelope.

15. Reporting and writing are tools that a journalist uses. But what he or she really is selling is knowledge. If you think the Mujahadeen sell ice cream in Beijing, that Khadaffi is the French word for coffee, that Mekong is what a big gorilla once said, you’ve got a problem. Three words to live by: Read. Read. Read.

LAW AND ETHICS

16. Ethics are elastic. It’s easy to be ethical when the story is small. It’s a lot harder when the story is huge. Develop an ethical code that you can live by. And live by it. The rule one reporter lives by: he never does anything to get a story that he would be ashamed to have printed alongside his story.

17. More libel suits are caused by bad manners than by bad reporting. You write something. Somebody gets mad. They call you up to complain. You listen to them, they feel better. You act like an arrogant jerk, they sue. Be nice. It will save you numerous libel suits.

RESPONSIBILITIES

18. Journalists can’t tell people what to think. But they certainly tell people what to think about. What you decide to cover and the way you organize your story all impact on what the reader is going to think about. That’s an awesome responsibility. Think about it.

19. The journalism profession doesn’t need any more bad reporters. It’s got plenty of those already. If you’re going to be a journalist, be a good one. If you’re not going to be a good one, find another field of work.

20. There’s no such thing as objectivity. But there’s something called fairness. If you don’t think your preconceptions influence the questions you ask and the story you write, you’re dreaming. Don’t worry about being objective. But try to be fair. Let everyone tell their side of the story.

21. So now you’ve been fair and allowed everyone to tell their side. Don’t let fairness cause you to miss the target. What’s the point of all this work you’re doing? Finding the truth. And the truth is never fair and it’s never balanced and it’s never objective.

CONSISTENCY

22. And finally, remember: most people will remember you not for your best story but for your worst.

JRN 200: What Journalism Is

A while back, a student asked me to review her personal statement as part of her MSU College of Law admission. And at the heart of her statement was what she learned being a journalist,  which I want you to consider for two reasons: first, it gets to what being a journalist is really about; it's not writing, it's about a responsibility to truth and community and getting out of your own comfort zone to do your job. Second, it's a literal example of how performing journalism can be used to demonstrate skills that apply to things that have nothing to do with journalism, and help you become anything but a journalist. Here we go:

My pen trembled in my hand as it hovered over the notebook and a list of questions.  I had been nervous for days — going over my notes and asking colleagues for tips —

as I prepared to conduct one of the toughest interviews I faced as a journalist. It was for a story about the B.R.A.D. Foundation, which sends out cards promoting safe drinking to young adults a few days before their 21^st birthday. The program was set up by the parents of Bradley McCue, who died on his 21^st birthday from ethanol poisoning. This interview would test all of the technical and interpersonal skills I had gained over the years from work and school.

            I had come a long way since one of my first interviews as a paid staff member of Michigan State University’s The State News. On those occasions, I simply read all my questions and failed to ask any follow-ups, resulting in me missing pertinent information. This taught me the importance of asking questions that build on the others. I had also learned a lot since my first story on a controversial political issue, affirmative action, a topic that I failed to thoroughly research prior to interviewing my main source. This taught me how research is critical before an interview. I made it a practice to come up with multiple ideas – more than I was required to have – every week at work. As a result, I quickly became someone other reporters could rely on for a story idea. The more I researched, interviewed, and wrote, the more I honed by ability to talk to others and be a skillful reporter overall.

             Looking back, I have to say that the interview process was initially the most challenging aspect of journalism for me because it is difficult talking to people who do not want to answer your questions. But, without a human source, the story or article never feels complete. So, I learned to relate to an interviewee, ask the right questions, and began enjoying the interview process. After four years of preparation, I had become ready to take on the toughest interview of my journalism career.

Mrs. McCue answered on the second ring. “Hello?” she said, in a cheery voice that lifted my spirits just a little. “Hi, this is Isabella from The State News. Is now a good time to talk?” I asked, knowing full well there is never a good time to talk about your deceased son. “Yes,” she said. I let out a deep breath, sounding shakier than I had expected.

My pen moved quickly as I went through the simple questions first to ease her into the interview and feel ready to open up, eventually leading up to “What do you think Bradley would make of this program if he were alive today?” Even after 14 years, his mother had a difficult time choking out the answers to these questions. I used a soft tone of voice to convey compassion for Mrs. McCue and make her feel comfortable enough to open up about her son. I paused between questions to give her time to respond and collect her thoughts. I also let her know how impressed I was with the program and all she had done to put her at ease and ensure that she was ready to discuss how the Foundation benefits young adults.

            About two weeks later, the story was published and I received positive feedback from both parents who wanted to send the B.R.A.D cards to their children and fellow students who were touched by Bradley’s story. In October 2013, I received a B.R.A.D. card of my own, which I keep on my bulletin board as a reminder of not only Bradley’s story, but also the accomplishment I felt in writing about him.

The article I wrote about the B.R.A.D. Foundation was symbolic of my personal development. I was first drawn to journalism in high school because of my love for writing, but I was unaware of how the journalistic goal of getting to the truth of a matter could have so much meaning until I started college. Being a journalist was my way of helping others, something I am passionate about. I loved receiving an email or phone call from someone I interviewed or who read my story and was impacted by it. 

            I am now drawn to an education and a career in the field of law in part because, as an attorney, I will be able to use the very skills that enabled me to excel in journalism — engaging in critical thinking, painstaking research and challenging interviews — to help clients with their issues. At Michigan State University (MSU), I would benefit from opportunities to educate myself in a variety of legal fields. One area that I am interested in is animal law, given my lifelong passion for animals, and writing for the Journal of Animal & Natural Resource Law would be an amazing opportunity and a boost to my future legal career. I am also interested in MSU’s unique Indigenous Law Certificate Program, which would enable me to work with and help Native American tribes right here in Michigan. In addition, I plan to join MSU’s Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Board. I shadowed a defense attorney this past summer, and her work inspired me and made me feel more confident in my choice to pursue a law degree. I enjoyed being in the courtroom, and I want to learn and practice courtroom skills in Moot Court. Finally, I have attended MSU for almost four years, and I call East Lansing my home. There is no other school where I’d rather continue my education.

            It has been about a year and a half since I did my interview about the B.R.A.D. Foundation, and I’m now looking ahead to the challenges that I’ll face in my legal career. Five years from now I hope to be prepping for another type of interview — one where I am sitting across the room from a client in need of my legal services. I look forward to researching and sharing information and knowledge as a lawyer.

Getting An Internship: Effective Resumes

By JOE GRIMM

When it comes to selling yourself on paper, you will find that media managers are tough customers. After all, they put information on paper every day. There are no bonus points for correct spelling, punctuation or grammar. Those are givens. A single error can consign your resume to the circular file. Edit your work, proofread the final copy and then double-check everything. Twice. Have someone else go over it. Make sure the editor is notthe first person to see the finished product. Understand the purpose of a resume. It is not intended to get you a job. It is meant to tell prospective employers enough about you so that they’ll look at your work sample or call you in for an interview. Use the interview, tests, tryouts and other steps to land the job. The resume is the earliest of preliminaries. It is Square One.

In a business where word economy is valued, one-page resumes have traditionally been the norm. This is changing, though not with all editors. Even editors with 20 years and several papers behind them limit their resumes to one page. You’re certainly free to exceed that, but it won’t work with everyone, especially when your experience — compare to the editor’s — is modest.

What comes after name, address, phone number and e-mail?

Stating your career objective can help, but only if it matches the opening. An incompatible career objective can eliminate you in a New York minute. It’s OK to omit this.

Put education or experience next, depending on which is more relevant to the job you’re trying to get. If all your work has been outside of journalism, but you have a degree in it, lead with the degree and details about your coursework. If you’re completing a non-journalism degree and have two media internships, list the internships first. The categories’ chronological order is less important than relevance. However, follow chronological order withincategories, most recent to oldest.

Go beyond simple job titles
Describe your jobs. Don’t say you were a reporter. Say you were a reporter who covered a school district, two police departments and the local court and that you wrote a Sunday column. Mention the more complicated, difficult or humorous accomplishments you had in those jobs. These accomplishments distinguish your resume from others, tell the newsroom manager something about your interests and abilities and could open the door to an interview.

Use a clean and simple design
Be bold if you can, but not flashy. I have seen cartoon résumés, résumés with little basketballs on them and resumes made to look like front pages. Tricked-up resumes suggest you lack experience or sophistication and do not give you any advantage over other applicants. As more and more companies scan resumes for databases, consider how to make a resume that scans clearly.

Do I include non-journalism jobs?
If you have a short employment history, you certainly may include jobs that are not journalism-related. These help demonstrate that you have worked for others, know how to toil for a living, show up on time and generally are responsible. Emphasize skills that are most similar to journalism: writing, handling information, working with the public, juggling tasks.

What else should I include?Second languages (but you better have more than the obligatory school minimum), awards, scholarships, extracurricular activities that highlight leadership and personal achievements — if they demonstrate relevant qualities such as resourcefulness, tenacity or responsibility. In one case, I was impressed that a student was a full-time care-giver while carrying a full load of classes.

What about references?Before you list anyone as a reference, make sure it’s OK with them. Ask whether they can give you a good word. Once, I called a reference, and the person said, “He listed me? That was a mistake.” The candidate’s chances stopped there.

Don’t assume people will be your references; ask them. But don’t stop there, as most will be polite and say yes. Ask them, “If I were to list you as a reference, what could you say about me?” If you like what you hear about yourself, then ask them to be references.

If your resume is getting crowded for one page, you can use a second sheet just for references. I don’t think there’s any need to say “References available upon request.” We assume so.

Omit personal informationIt is not relevant whether you are married or single, old or young, a smoker — or a non-smoker. Don’t include those facts. They can say you don’t know what’s relevant and what isn’t.

My curiosity is piqued when someone’s resume carries a list of places visited or lived in. Hobbies can intrigue me, too, but they turn others off. Generally, the more relevant it is to the job, the safer you are using it. Being accomplished at a musical instrument, for example, implies precision, discipline and practice. Saying that you have a passion for coffees or that you bake bread may leave some recruiters cold.

Getting An Internship: A Resume Example

Getting An Internship: Cover Letters Are Important!

By JOE GRIMM

Why is it so hard to write a cover letter?

We can figure out which clips, images, links or videos to send, and we can get the resume down, but cover letters are darn difficult. Part of the reason is that there are so many options. This article, and the ones it links to, should help you sharpen your focus and you choose a direction.

Cover letters typically go out with resumes and clips and should be seen as complements, as part of a package.

For journalists, a good cover letter is just one page long, dated, and it has all your particulars — name, address, phone number, e-mail address — in case it gets separated from the resume.

The cover letter should be addressed to a particular person and should have that person’s title. It’s always smart to make a phone call to make sure you have those correct.

You want your letter to stand out from the rest, but you don’t want to go over the edge — of someone’s desk.

So, be specific, write well and tease the editor into your clips or back to the resume.

Here’s one approach: “I’ll eat anything for a good story.” The cover letter goes on to talk about a feature story on edible insects, ethnic cooking and a taste test of a fast-food franchise’s latest venture.

Here’s another: “They said it couldn’t be done, but I did it.” The cover letter describes a story written under extreme deadline pressure when phones and computers went out.

Another approach is to say, in an unexpected way, why you think you’d be perfect for the position. Example: One police reporter wrote that she wanted to come to a major city’s metro because it sounded like “hell with the lid off” — the perfect place for covering crime.

The secret to a good cover letter is to seize on the most interesting work you’ve done, experiences you’ve had or qualities you us and to tell about them in a brief but compelling way. Give your cover letter a strong lead. Remember to use nouns that people can see and verbs that they can feel. Show some passion.

Customize your letter by showing that you know a little something about the company you’re applying to, perhaps by mentioning it in the body of the letter, but spend most of the space talking about your accomplishments, not about everything you’ve learned about the employer.

Finally, the cover letter must be letter-perfect, of course, right down to observing media style.

Looking for a few good cover letters? You won’t find them here. The JobsPage is into strategies, not shortcuts, and we wouldn’t insult you with generic copy. If you want to download free cover letters, go to another site or get one of the jillion cover letter books at the library or bookstore.

A great cover letter is authentic and authenticity starts with originality.

This article is about some bad and great cover letter opening lines. Use them to get your creative juices going, then go write your own cover letter. In truth, we aren’t spilling the very best opening lines we’ve seen out of respect and awe for their creators.

As you look at these lines, also think of combining two into a layered approach. Hedge your bets by opening with a straightforward line that tells editors what position you’re applying for, and following with a second line that shows flair. Here’s an example:

I am very interested in your business reporting job. My clips will show you that I’m made to handle it.

OK, here are some that caught our eye. Some are here because they’re simple and straight-ahead, others are here for being different. No guarantees. The letters that push the envelope and land you an interview with one media manager will land you in another’s recycle bin.

Short, sweet, no nonsense

In response to your ad, please find my resume and clips.

Please accept my application for a photo opening at the Free Press.

I am interested in the mobile journalist position you have open. My resume, clips and references are enclosed.

Please consider my application for your Web producer’s position.

Leading with your experience

I have 20 years experience writing and editing sports.

I am an award-winning reporter …

Arson, murder, rape, torture. These are …

My most valuable lesson in four years at the …

I have covered small-town politics in Texas, crime in Atlanta and environmental issues in New Jersey. I am ready for my next challenge.

Autobiographical

Persistence and patience are two things a reporter needs.

I love my job.

I am a small-town girl with my eyes set on the world.

Every valuable lesson I ever learned about reporting I learned in a taxi — from the front seat.

In my newsroom, they call me the grammar czar. I want to be your next editor.

They said it couldn’t be done, but I …

Sympathetic

It’s a pain in the neck, going through that stack of resumes.

You: Busy editor working late and staring at a growing mountain of job applications. Me: …

No fancy cover letter here. No custom-bound clips or professionally designed resume. Just good, solid …

Let me save you some trouble …

I’m sure the ad for a (job) at the (paper) unleashed a torrent of applications …

So many candidates, so little time. Let me help you cut through the clutter.

Confident

I would be an asset to your staff because …

I meet every one of the requirements in your job posting. (Bullet points follow.)

I saw your advertisements for both a features writer and an assignment editor. If the positions have yet to be filled, please consider the brief resume which accompanies this letter.

Brimming with Confidence

If you haven’t filled the sports writing position, look no further …

Look no further …

Let me save you some trouble …

Confidence gone crazy

You would be crazy not to hire me.

Punchy

You’d have to be crazy to hire me.

The competition hates me.

People watch what I do.

Anecdotal

You never know what you might learn when …

I have been yelled at, lied to, kicked out of meetings and threatened — all in the pursuit of journalism. What a great business.

Non-starters

Pursuant to our conversation … (English, please.)

I read with enthusiasm your classified advertisement ion JournalismJobs that that solicits applicants for community reporting positions. (Ditto.)

I am applying for an entry-level, general assignment reporter position. The reason I’m interested in working for your paper is I would like to move back to the area. (Better approach: Tell me how your knowledge of the area can benefit the newspaper. We hire people to make the newspaper better, not out of kindness. And don’t be that wordy.)

I recently spoke with a former professor of mine who sent me a list of various newspapers that are looking now, or in the future, to fill reporter positions. (Will your stories beat around the bush this way? Get to the point.)

I am John Doe and I writing to inquire about the sports reporter’s position which focuses on the coverage of State University athletics at the Sidewalk Scribe. (Ditto. It is not necessary to state the name of the paper you’re writing to — or your own — in your first sentence. These have been pretty much covered on the outside of the envelope.)

I am currently searching for a chance to enhance my skills as a reporter with another television station, and I am hoping that Action News can provide me with that opportunity. (Tell not what the company can do for you; tell what you can do for the company.)

I am a recent graduate … (Congratulations on your diploma, but weren’t you just sitting in a whole fieldhouse full of people who can say the same thing? What distinguishes you?)

With four years of reporting experience under my belt, … (Cliche alert!)

As a writer for a small daily who’s more than ready to move on to an unqualified metropolitan daily, I’m responding to your ad for reporters. (Yes, someone really wrote that.)

Getting An Internship: Cover Letter Examples

Ms. Kathy Best

Editor

The Seattle Times

1000 Denny Way

Seattle, Washington, 98109

Dear Ms. Best:

In 10^th grade, I got an offer to work for a New Jersey-based radio station as a political correspondent in Puerto Rico. Every Saturday for three years, I would go on-air for 20 minutes and report on current issues affecting the island. I was 16 years old at the time, learning by doing and trusting my gut 100 percent. That’s when I realized I wanted to be a journalist.

The radio station was more than a job — it was a school. I was assigned to follow the student-organized protests at the University of Puerto Rico. I covered and witnessed college students get arrested, maced with pepper spray and hit by the Puerto Rico State Police. This helped me understand the social role I would have in the world by being a journalist. Covering the protests taught me to become a better storyteller and to understand that no matter where I was, I needed to be ready to file or to call the station and go on-air immediately. No excuses.

I learned about the importance of understanding the community I was covering and the significance of developing strong relationships with sources who would come to me right away with news. The latter one was the hardest because of my age at the time, but I ended up gaining the respect of my colleagues and sources.

I am currently working toward a degree in journalism at Michigan State University, with a concentration in international reporting and a minor in environmental and sustainability studies. Now I am an editor for “Sustainable Stories,” a student-run blog from MSU’s Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment. I co-founded the International Journalism Association at MSU, and I also am a member of the Environmental Journalism Association.

While holding various positions at The State News, MSU’s student-run newspaper, I’ve covered a range of topics from President Barack Obama’s visit to Ann Arbor, Mich., to the decriminalization of the marijuana to the DeBoer v. Snyder trial — the trial that pushed for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Michigan and one of the cases presented in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. This work involved filing on-deadline content, creating videos, posting to social media and submitting updates for the newspaper’s website.

With my diverse background in radio, newspaper, and online blogs, I see The Seattle Times internship as the next step in pushing me to become a better journalist. I am ready.

*************

Company applying for

Address line one

Address line two  

Dear name of recruiter or company if name is unavailable,

During the summer of 2014, I pictured myself reporting for Michigan State University’s premier college newspaper, The State News. But when I did not get the job, I wound up instead spending my summer driving a forklift at Lowe’s Home Improvement store.

But I did not give up. After working incredibly hard in my classes and achieving a 4.0 GPA, I once again applied was hired as a general assignment reporter the next summer.

Since then, I have worked my way up and have become one of the top reporters at The State News, being promoted twice during my five months as a reporter. I am now the East Lansing city reporter as well as the state capitol reporter. This has given me the opportunity to cover a range of stories.

While other newspapers in the Lansing area wrote about new and improved recycling practices in East Lansing, I found more than 12,000 residents without access to on-site recycling due to city ordinances. I have reported on the health of the Red Cedar River, a landmark at MSU. I sat down with MSU’s President Lou Anna K Simon and explored the plight of sexual assault victims as the university mishandled a number of cases over the past few years. I covered city council meetings, debates and this year’s election. I even rode around East Lansing in the back of an infamous monkey-covered van during my time as a reporter for The State News.

I would love to bring my passion for journalism to your organization. I have valuable experience in the field and believe I would be a great fit at the (name of company). Thank you for your time and attention to my application. I look forward to scheduling an interview with you to discuss the position, as well as my qualifications. Your organization is one I have always dreamed of working at and I believe I have the experience necessary to do so confidently.

JRN 200: From The J-School ...

This is crunch time in the semester, causing stress for many undergraduate and graduate students. They are trying to catch up, create projects based on what they’ve learned and study hard for exams. There is the added stress of the unknown final grade, which may have scholarship, graduation, financial, family and other repercussions. They are trying to plan for next semester. And, have work issues. In addition, some students have things happening in their personal lives that may affect their academic progress.

MSU resources for students are listed below. Most resources are for anyone in need, and are not exclusive. We don’t always know when someone is in need nor do they reach out. Thank you for your help.

For Students

———————

MSU Counseling Center:  http://counseling.msu.edu/

517-355-8270

Student Services Building, room 207

Office hours and walk-in/crisis hours are Monday - Friday

Emergency services outside of office hours are available.

———————

Olin’s Medical, Counseling, and Psychiatry Services: http://olin.msu.edu/

They usually refer students first to the MSU Counseling Center (above), with additional or follow-up Psychiatry Services at Olin Health Center. 

517-353-4660

Olin Health Center

———————

Resource Center for persons with Disabilities (RCPD):  https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/

The Services tab lists temporary conditions, depression, learning disabilities, etc.

517-884-7273

Bessey Hall, room 120

———————

Ele’s Place: http://www.elesplace.org/

For students who are grieving

517-482-1315

1145 Oakland Ave. in Lansing

Job Shadows: What You Saw, Part 3

Here's a sampling of some of the various job shadows done by you all (this will be updated as job shadow reports are turned in, so please check back frequently). Take a look and see what you can learn from everyone's visits. There's a lot of good stuff here to help you decide what you want to do with your lives; what you need to be doing to get there; and what to expect when you do get there.

Please give each one of these a quick read as they come in, will you?

*****

On my job shadow at WXYZ Channel 7 Action News, I shadowed senior anchor and reporter, Dave LewAllen. Dave introduced me to many people at the station in order for me to understand all the people and jobs that go into putting the news together.

When talking to Dave, he explained what it is like in the everyday life of a reporter. They will go into work and have no idea where or what they will be doing that day. After they receive their assignments, they get into their assigned news trucks with their crew, and are gone for the whole day. He explained that there was a time where they required all reporters to learn how to operate cameras and equipment because they would have to go out into the field alone and shoot their own stories.

Dave showed me around the station and I was able to see where every department works. I also was able to see the two different stages. After the tour, Dave sat me down with others who worked at the station so that I could see what everyone does.

First I sat down and talked to the people behind the news desk. This seemed like a nerve wrecking job to me because they have to listen in on the police radio scanner to find out about breaking news situations as they were happening. What seemed difficult about this was that they had to figure out the codes that the police use in order to understand what is going on. After they catch something on the scanner, they call into the station and hopefully they can get some more information on it. The people behind the news desk alert the station of breaking news situations such as murders, fires, arrests, and so on.

Next I sat down with the producers. Something I found interesting was how they would have to continually shift the schedule of the show on Saturdays due to the football games. For example when I was there UCLA was playing USC and the news was suppose to start at 7 p.m. but considering the game went over by around 15 minutes, the producers had to move segments around in the show and “kill stories” in order to fit the time limit. I feel that their job is difficult because they have to make decisions and change things around even at the last minute. Everything they do is basically written in pencil because it can change so quickly. When I asked them about the stress of this, both of the producers agreed they enjoyed it because of the adrenaline and the ability to make decisions.

After the game finished up, it was time to go on air. Dave was the only anchor that day. I sat on the side and watched as he was on air. One of the things I was amazed at was the technology involved. For all I knew, prior to this job shadow, there was one camera and someone behind. However, I learned this wasn’t the case. There were multiple cameras and to my surprise, no people behind the cameras. With new technology, the cameras actually move on their own, according to codes. This was one of the more interesting things I learned on my job shadow. It was very intriguing to watch Hally Vogel do the weather because of the use of the green screen. I always knew they did that but it was a different experience to see it in action. I also got to watch Brad Galli and Kacie Hollins do the sports segment, which was especially cool because Michigan State had just beaten Penn State that day!

Half way through the show I went up into the control room to get a different perspective. Being in the control room certainly opened my eyes to all the work that goes on behind the scenes. It was interesting to see the last minute decisions that were made in the control room, but they were so calm about everything. In the control room I was watching the teleprompter on the screen and although they change the speed to go at the pace you are talking at, it still seemed to be moving fast, to me. I was trying to read it to myself as if I was on air and I now know that is something I will need to work on if I ever expect to be on TV.

I learned a lot on my job shadow and it got me very excited, and slightly nervous, to be in the field of journalism. I learned about how important accuracy is because if you get something wrong, people will call in and complain a lot. I also learned that I can’t expect to be put behind the camera right out of college. I need to start from the bottom and work my way up. I saw that there is so much that I still need to learn and according Dave’s advice, I need to get as much out of the classroom experience as possible. Every person I talked to at the station mentioned working on holidays, early mornings, and moving out of state. I realized that in order to fulfill my dream of becoming a journalist, it would be necessary for me to make some sacrifices.

********

For my job shadow, I went to WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit where I met up with Alexandra Bahou, digital reporter and web producer. I chose to contact her in the first place because while I have shadowed reporters in the past, her position seemed a little different and I wanted to get another outlook.

Alexandra Bahou has various jobs that she does at the station, but mainly it is her job to post news updates and breaking news to the Channel 7 website in addition to social media. She keeps track of the engagement and ranks stories higher or lower based on that engagement. Her job is a collaboration with her team (digital reporters) and also field reporters. For example, she expressed that for a lot of the stories they need an original photo and that is hard to get sometimes. So the reporters out in the field will take a photo at the scene and send it to the digital team to use. This is just one part of the job that she does. Another part of her job is to broadcast a short live segment in the mornings about the latest tech biz.

After seeing how she works for a little while, I got a tour of the station. At the time I was thinking I want to meet all the anchors I have watched with my mom on those early high school mornings. And I sure did! I saw almost every one that I watched in the mornings and it was so cool. I also got to see the studio and sit in the anchor chair. It is funny how television makes everything look bigger because in reality, the studio and anchor desk are so small in person.

Later on, Alexandra talked with me about Michigan State University as she is a graduate of the journalism school here. When she asked who my favorite professor was I told her, “Bonnie Bucqueroux,” and she immediately smiled! Alexandra graduated from MSU in 2008, so Bonnie was one of her journalism professors as well. We talked about how great of a teacher Bonnie was and while I only had Bonnie for one semester in 2014, she inspired me to be excited for the changes coming in journalism and the world of media as a whole. We then started talking about internships and where she had her start. One thing that was cool to know was that she met Diane Sawyer, one of my idols on the national level.

Overall, I had a nice learning experience with my job shadow at Channel 7! I learned the other side of things besides the traditional TV reporting. After this experience I think that I really want to be a field reporter though. I do not like sitting in a building all day long. Being a television reporter is exciting and full of surprises, discoveries, so on. But while saying that I am willing to start anywhere I can to work my way up the long long ladder.

Alexandra Bahou

Digital Reporter/Web Producer – WXYZ Detroit

alexandra.Bahou@wxyz.com

********

I had the privilege to shadow Ken Palmer, a breaking news reporter for the Lansing State Journal. The day was pretty slow because it was a Friday and many of the staff didn’t have to work or took the day off.

            Starting off Palmer had let me know that the building was mainly empty because the Lansing State journal isn’t what it used to be a few years ago. I went on a short tour around the building where I saw their library with a bunch of news papers that were written many years ago. I was able to see where the photographers worked and a few other rooms with lots of paperwork the office had collected.

            There were some rooms as well that I saw that were totally vacant. This was because of all the people they have lost over the years and there was simply no use for them. I was informed that the LSJ is actually moving to a smaller space in downtown Lansing because they don’t have enough people to fill the space and the building is extremely old.  Once we arrived to the room where Palmer and he other writers worked, I was able to see him and the others at work. The first thing I saw were two big TV screens that displayed how many people were actually on their site, how many were viewing each story and how long they were viewing it. Palmer said that it was their way of keeping track of what people are interested in.

            Since Palmer is a breaking news reporter he has to be alert at all times to make sure he is aware of what is happening so he can figure out what story he needs to write. That is checking his emails, calling out to verify information and sometimes listening to the police radio they have in the office. On a day to day average he writes between 7 and 8 stories. For breaking news, he strives to get the news out before the competition but he noted that although it is the goal he aims to give a better story that is more complete. Just like we are told in class that we have to get everything right he said that he has to make sure he attributes everything.

            I watched as he wrote a story following up on a previous story he had written about a year ago regarding bomb threats at a local high school in Lansing. I was told that they make sure to be precise anytime there is something dealing with threats to make sure the audience knows what’s going on to there isn’t any fear. 

            One thing that stood out to me was having a conversation with him about they way journalist there really have to do it all now. Since their add-funding went down they no longer have a copy desk or a coach/editor to over see things before they are published. Palmer said that we are in a time of rapid change and that now they have to not only get the information right without an editor, but he has to get the visuals on his own. They used to have about five to six full time photographers but they now only have one. When he writes a story he has to have an image so when a story he is writing breaks, he has to get the image on his on rather than waiting on their photographer.

            They have a meeting every day at 9:30am and then 4pm to discuss things they want in the paper and website for the following day. When I was there I was able to sit in on the 4pm meeting and was able to see them communicate with each other about how far along they’ve gotten on stories, what stories they were planning to write and what issues they were having regarding stories as well.

            Palmers advice to me was to make sure journalism is something you really want to do before going into the business, because although there will be good days there will also be down days. We talked about many different things that you can get into through journalism and that branching out is always a good idea. Palmer mentioned that you shouldn’t come into journalism thinking you’re going to be rich because that just isn’t the case. Of course when you have been in the business you will be able to make a decent living but but normally it is the people who are over the whole entire thing that are the money makers.

            Although the day was very slow I can say that I learned a lot. I was able to see all the steps it took to get a story written, edited, published and sent out to be printed for the daily news paper. Since I am a student who has just gotten started learning about all things journalism, I was glad to be able to see some of the things I would be doing as I get further in my journalism career.

-Ken Palmer

k.palmer@lsj.com

517-377-1032

*********

For my job shadow, I chose to shadow at ABC 12 in Flint. Originally I was going to shadow meteroliogist Christina Burkhart, but she had the late shift that day and we came in during the morning shift. Considering this, when we got to ABC 12, they let us follow a few different people so that we could learn about different jobs specifically. We went to the reporters early morning  meeting where they all bounced around different story ideas that they could cover because they were having a slow news day. We spent the most time with Mike Mcpherson, a photojournalist at ABC 12. He took us out to cover the story of the Flint police department receiving a dog for their K9 unit donated by a local company. While we were there Mike had the job of videotaping b-roll for the news segment and also interviewing the chief and company owner. Much to our surprise, Mike threw us right into the job and asked us to come up with questions to ask the chief and company owner and interview them ourselves. After that, Mike went outside to get some b-roll of the dog and allowed us to videotape some b-roll also. He then took us back to ABC 12 where he showed us how to edit his video for the upcoming news segment.

            I learned such a vast amount by doing this job shadow. During the reporters morning meeting, I learned that there is a big pressure to always keep ideas on hand for new stories. I also learned that you always have to be ready and prepared because you will get sent out to cover the story on the fly, so you always need to know your facts. While going out to cover the story with Mike, I learned to always be thinking of questions to ask a subject wherever you go. In our case, Mike told us to come up with questions on the spot and it really taught me to always be prepared. Overall, I learned that the news is extremely fast-paced and you have to be fast-paced with it too, our you will be left behind. It was a great experience that prepared me for my future!

Mike McPherson: 810-233-3130

****** 

For my job shadow assignment, I got to interview Chuck Goudie from ABC 7 Chicago. A Michigan State University alumnus, Chuck Goudie attended the school from 1973-1977. Goudie has worked with ABC 7 since 1980 and currently has the role of head crime investigative reporter for the station.

            My day began upon arrival at the studio around noon the day before Thanksgiving. I already knew that this day would be filled with hectic behaviors throughout the newsroom as a Chicago police officer had been charged with murder of an African American teenager the day before my shadow. The station had released the video of the shooting the previous day showing the officer taking 17 countless shots at the suspect, as he lay on the ground helpless of his own life.

            I checked in with the front desk and they sent me through security. The lady at the desk told me to have a seat in the lobby and that Chuck would be down in five minutes to get me. I sat in a lobby filled with awards that the station had gained recognition for throughout the years. I knew it was going to be an exciting day.

            The elevator doors to the lobby opened and out came Chuck Goudie. I could already feel a presence of fame upon myself. He has a very distinct deep voice and it projected amazingly throughout the lobby. We greeted each other and he brought me upstairs. The first thing I saw was the newsroom that was filled with around 50 men and women. The phones were ringing off the hook and you could feel the sense of a hectic environment floating throughout the room. Chuck introduced me to the desk and newsroom editors and had me hang out with them for an hour.

            The two ladies showed me all the awesome gadgets they had to use to help them obtain news materials throughout the day. They had many different computer programs, police monitors, news boards with slugs on them, walky-talkies, and many other ways to get news tips. In one case, I observed one of the ladies receiving a phone call from an anonymous subject saying that a SUV had jumped a curb and hit two girls walking home from school. After the phone call had ended, the ladies called in for the station’s helicopter to go and see if they could go get a visual confirmation of this event. This was a very exciting time for me as I got to see these people constantly on their toes trying to obtain information. They definitely always have to be on top of their game with this job.

            Next, Chuck introduced me to the station’s head editor and then took me into the video editing room where they created packages for the news segments. I spent about two hours in this room as Chuck had many voiceovers in which he had to add to the newly obtained videos of the shooting that was made public the day before. ABC 7 planned to release this newly obtained video during that nights broadcast. It was an unreal experience to see how they received this video, edited it so it could be viewer approved, and set up the entire package. I was watching a video that the entire city of Chicago had not seen yet. Being one of the first definitely was such a cool feeling to have.

            As Chuck quickly tried to make it through his day by typing numerous scripts in which he would use, filming voiceovers, sharing news via social media, and interacting with his co-workers, the time really flew by quickly. It was already time for the special 6 p.m. broadcast that they had planned for that day.

            While Chuck went to the makeup room to get ready for the show, I sat in the studio as the reporters and anchors came filing in, each introducing themselves to me. This was a surreal feeling as I had watched them all on countless occasions report breaking news on ABC 7. It was so amazing and they were all great people. As the broadcast began, I was the only person who was allowed to stand behind the camera to watch the broadcast. During one of the commercials Kathy Brock and Jerry Taft asked me questions about my life and what my goals were and gave me great advice on never giving up. I watched as Chuck gave his segment of news and directly after the broadcast he showed me via his personal Twitter on how many people were instantly reacting to the news of the breaking new videos.

            Overall, this is one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever been a part of in my life. It was truly amazing to see all the elements and hard work put in to create a single news show. This definitely made me so excited to continue learning and getting stronger in all aspects that my major bring. I am very excited for the furture!

*******

For my job shadow, I went to ABC 12 News in Flint, Michigan. We started the day by attending the morning meeting, and observed the employees go over the schedule for the day. This was interesting to me, because right away I started to notice little things and vocabulary that I have recently learned in JRN 200. For example, on the top of their schedule, there was a category named “story slug”, and it was very intriguing to see everything come full-circle.

            After the morning meeting, we shadowed Mike Mcpherson, a photojournalist at ABC 12. We went with him to cover a story about the Flint jail receiving funding from a company to add another dog to their K-9 unit. Mike had us help out a lot, and had us learn everything by actually doing it. We were asked to carry the tripod, sign us in at the police station, etc. After Mike was done filming the press-conference, he decided to do a few one-on-one interviews with some of the subjects. Mike said that they were short on reporters for the day, and he actually had my sister and I ask the questions/conduct the interviews, which was something that I totally did not expect to happen, but it was an awesome learning experience.

            Following the one-on-one interviews, Mike went outside to shoot some B-roll of the dog from the K-9 unit playing in the grass. Once he was done getting some shots, he had me give it a try. It was very cool learning how to work the very large camera that they film with, because I am only used to working with smaller cameras.

            When we got back to the station, Mike then had us help upload the footage, and he taught us how to edit the footage in the editing room and make sure to hit the deadline because this specific story was supposed to air on the 12 o’clock news that day.

            Overall, I learned so much by job shadowing at ABC 12 News. It was a wonderful experience, and it has really taught me that the skills I am learning here at MSU in the Journalism school are skills that will be extremely useful to me in my future career as a journalist.

           

********

 For my job shadow, I went to WLNS in Lansing, Michigan on Friday to follow one of their top reporters, Alexandra Ilitch.  Alexandra was very busy the week leading up to the job shadow that her communication skills were very limited.  However, we agreed on a time and day that worked for both of us.

Alexandra was very busy that day and did not have time for a job shadow to follow her, so she me to two reporters who had enough time to talk to me.  Neha Sheth and Alexis Rosado were both working on their assigned packages for the 5 o’clock news.  In the broadcast news language, packages mean their story in an allotted time slot.  From her editor, Sheth was given one minute and 20 seconds. 

Sheth’s story was about the East Lansing Police Department preparing for the possible riots in Cedar Village following the Michigan State football game on Saturday.  Sheth spent the whole day putting together her story.  I found it interesting that she had to shoot the footage herself on her own camera.  When she did stand-up in the footage, she had to film herself independently.  When I arrived, Sheth was editing her footage on a program called Edius, which most news stations use to edit their films nowadays, she said. 

Edius, to me, looked similar to iMovie but was more high tech and used more buttons to piece together footage.   You never know how much work goes into one minute of footage.  When Sheth was finished with piecing together the footage she shot, she had to write down everything she heard as a script and then she had to track her voice for the voice over, which took her about 20 minutes.  Sheth said it’s always best to give yourself one hour before your deadline so you have enough time to edit and perfect everything. 

The amount of pressure in the newsroom was very high; even I was getting stressed out, considering it was 4:35 p.m. and everyone had to get his or her stories in by 5:00.  Many people were running around all over the place trying to finish their work on time and get approved by their editor and sending it off to the control room

After I watched Sheth put together her piece, she led me to the studio, where the magic happens.  I was able to sit in and watch Jane Aldrich anchor the 5 o’clock news.  After the program as over, I was able to talk to Aldrich and ask her questions about being an anchor.  She showed me around the entire building; the dressing room, the editor’s office, and the control room. I got to talk to Norm Stangland, one of the editors of WLNS. 

Blair Nelson, a cameraman, showed me around the control room, showing me how much work actually gets put into what you see on television.  From the moving of the cameras to the switching scene to scene of the different stories and working the commercials and whatnot, it seems like a ridiculous amount of work. 

Jane Aldrich invited me to sit and watch the 6 o’clock news from inside the studio, this time Aldrich co-anchored with Sheri Jones.  Jones was also able to answer many of my questions too.  Jones does that 11 o’clock news so she has to stay in the building all day and most of the night.

One thing I found funny was while watching the 6 o’clock news; one tag line had the word Letter in it, spelled “Leter” which, in terms of Journalism, is considered a fatal. 

The entire day was definitely learning experience.  I knew preparing for a broadcast would be stressful, but I never knew how stressful it could be.  Everyone was running around and the tension was incredibly high.  There were some times when I didn’t think they would be able to finish their work before the deadline.  They said that this sort of tension happens everyday, which seems to me a little too much.  I would love to be in broadcasting, but I think before I get to that point, I’m going to need to learn how to control my stress level.  Journalism is all about stress and working hard, which I know I can accomplish, but I need to be able to handle it at a professional level. 

In hindsight, this experience was amazing.  I am so happy I got to experience what exactly goes into preparing the news for viewers.  I never would have thought how much goes into just one minute of footage and information.  I hope to learn enough in my journalism classes to prepare myself what is ahead in the broadcasting/reporting field.  I am very excited to see where this can take me and looking forward to learning more as times passes. 

*******

I did my job shadow at WLNS news station right in Lansing, Mich. The original plan was to meet with news reporter Alexandra Ilitch. Unfortunately, when I got to the station, things were very hectic. Due to this, she did not have time to work with me. Instead, another news reporter and producer named Neha Sheth, had me come to the editing stations and have me watch her and another reporter named Alexis Rosado put all the magic that happens together.

            Watching the two of these girls work made me stress in place for them. They were editing different segments they had filmed and put together themselves on a program named EDIUS. It looked very complicating, compared to the editing software I use (Windows Movie Maker). You could feel the anticipation levels raising in the rooms from everyone working because they all had a certain deadline to meet. Also, I noticed while this was all going on, there was always a lot of commotion occurring. This reminded me of back when we would be working on our story assignments and had to have them finished at a certain time before class ended. Omar would purposely make noise to distract us because he said that is how it is in the real journalism world. Being at this news station showed me that this was indeed true.

            Sheth also talked to me about the difference between her soundbites she had and the tracking she had to do. Her soundbites were the clips of her interviewees talking and the tracking is the speaking of her own script she would then do after the video was all put together. I asked her about all the b-roll she got and she said that this was the most important thing to get when recording. Once she went to go track, a news anchor named Jane Aldrich came and brought me out to the news set itself. This was a cool experience for me due to the fact that I have never been on an actual news set before. I got to see how everything works behind the scenes; all the different cameras they have displayed, the teleprompters, the bright lights, etc.

            The first news show I got to be behind the scenes for was the 5 p.m. news. For this, Aldrich was reporting by herself. I liked how she could distinguish between her normal talking voice to her “on-air” voice. Also, it was interesting to try and keep up and watch the teleprompters as she read along with them. It seemed like it was going at a fast pace, so it was cool to see her be able to handle reading it at the pace that she had to read it at.

            After the 5 p.m. news was over, Aldrich took me and showed me all of the different control rooms. All of the equipment they had look very complicating as well, as to be expected. After that, Aldrich then took me and introduced me to the 6 p.m. anchor named Sheri Jones. They asked me to stick around for the 6 p.m. news as well. In this news, I would be able to see the segments I had previously been watching Sheth and Rosado working on just an hour and a half earlier.

            In my opinion, although the 6 p.m. news was very similar to the 5 p.m. news, it still seemed more interesting to me because there was a lot more going on. Both Jones and Aldrich were the anchors together this time. Also, Ilitch was an anchor as well and then Jay Sarkar was the sports reporter. Everyone just seemed like they were having a good time and really enjoyed their jobs. In between commercial segments or when the camera was airing off the scene, everyone would just talk about arbitrary topics and seemed really close. It was really entertaining seeing this.

            Overall, coming to this news station made me quite confident that this is the profession that I want to go into. Being on the actual set just gave me a sense of security and it was like I knew I belong in a field like this one. All of the different reporters and producers I talked with were very helpful towards me and made me feel welcome. Hopefully in the future, I could possibly do an internship with WLNS news as well.

*******

For my shadow experience, I observed Judy Putnam, an advocacy columnist at the Lansing State Journal. After I had arrived, she introduced me to the staff there, and then I joined their morning staff meeting. They reported their processing work to the editor and coach. She took me to the Tim Horton’s and met a veteran. It’s a vet who is upset with the state for denying long-term disability. It’s a difficult story for me, but Judy said she understands. Judy said she hoped I can join the conversation and ask the questions instead of just sitting there and listening. Finally, the vet explained to me his problem with a vivid explanation: If you go to a restaurant, what you ordered is free but the restaurant only offers you the cheapest one but not the expensive one.

Judy then told me she would have another interview in the afternoon and asked if I want to join the event. I said yes. It’s a meeting with Mrs. and Mr. Santa. They have a lovely house in the Christmas style. From the interview, we learned their love story and the life after choosing to be Santas.

What surprises me is I meet the Matthew Dae Smith, a great photojournalist, who taught me in JRN 310 for one week. It’s an honor to learn how he made the film and took photos during the interview.

Before the interview, I asked Judy a question: before the interview, would she feel nervous? She said, sometimes  she will because there are people they will be mean to you in person.

I also learn a new phase: “off the record.” She said politicians know the rule.

If they tell the journalist something, but they add “off the record,” journalists may still report it because they cannot take the words back and they understand the rules. But if someone doesn’t know the rules, journalists may help them keep the secret. 

When I arrived at the LSJ, Judy showed me some materials she is working on. Even though she is the Sunday columnist, she still can publish her work on the website because of “Digital first.”

She was thinking how to get more people reading her pages and get more attention. She sent the link on her Twitter and Facebook. She told me a journalist should promote himself or herself.

I learned a journalist should ask questions 0n all aspects because you may miss critical information by missing one question. Judy chooses to record the simple stories by her pen. She said when she meets a major issue, she would record the conversation with voice memos. 

I also have learned from two interviews is a journalist can know many things from different people. We can use our pen to help people or to expose an unfair phenomenon. It’s crucial to us to get information from various aspects. 

There is a sad thing; Mr. Santa is not a professional Santa. He chooses to be a

Santa because he likes children and wants to bring happiness to everyone. He did most of his work for free, but now he has a severe disease. Matthew is the one who brought the story to Judy, trying to help the old man. However, Mr. Santa told us he hopes Judy doesn’t report his disease. He hopes to be a Santa in everyone’s heart forever, and Santa would not get an illness. Sometimes, we just cannot help others because we have to respect their wishes. The truth makes you heart-broken.

********

For my job shadow I went to WLNS-TV 6 News, I was able to meet a wide range of different journalist and reporters. I got to learn how professional journalist went about developing their articles, and videos for their sections of the news segment.  I did not have a central person that I was assigned to shadow however, I was given the chance to just go around, and see what everyone did.

One of the News Anchors I meant was Jane Aldrich who allowed for me to go with her on set when channel 6 went on air. Aldrich along with her co anchor Sheri Jones told me that for news anchors reporting on live television you don’t have to worry about messing up. There are prompters that have the dialog that can be read from so you don’t forget your place. I also got to meet Alexis Rosado who was also there during the live shooting of the show. After her piece for the show was done she showed me how to put together packages for stories that would be shown on air.

I was also their when they got word about the shootings that happened in San Bernardino, California. Their sister channel in California was covering the story live and everyone in the station stood quietly watching the events unfold. The channel 6 team had to make sure that they were ready to go on air after the national coverage of the tragic events. Rosado told me that it didn’t matter if they were told they might not have a show they still had to be ready.

Before my visit to channel 6 I was still on the fence about the journalism world, but after visiting them I remembered why I wanted to do in the first place. I know that I still have a long way to go and many things to learn but I am excited about the journey.

*******

On October 17 I had the opportunity to job shadow Koco McAboy of Grand Rapids’ WOOD TV8, and it was an experience I will never forget.

            My morning started out not so bright and early as I arrived at the station in downtown Grand Rapids just before 7 a.m. Koco is both an anchor for the weekend morning show and a reporter so I wanted the chance to get to see her do both. When I arrived, the associate producer met me at the door and brought me down to the studio where McAboy was on a commercial break so I was able to sit with her for a few minutes and introduce myself and meet a few other people.

            Seeing how anchoring works was such a cool experience. I watch it on TV all the time, but never actually see how it’s all put together. It was even cooler to be able to be right there watching it all and seeing it on TV at the same time. I watched Koco anchor for about a half hour then she took me down to the newsroom and sat me down at a computer.

            I met even more people in the Newsroom and Koco showed me all the programs that WOOD uses and where all the scripts are and how to edit them. I didn’t fully understand it all, but it was really cool to see how it all came together.

            After about an hour, Koco and the photographer were ready to go out and do some reporting and I was more than excited to be able to ride along with them. We stopped for Panera before leaving Grand Rapids which was an added bonus to my already awesome day and then the three of us hit the road in one of the station’s vans.

            The story that Koco was covering that did was in the city of Vicksburg, which is just south of Kalamazoo. There is a Christmas tree farm there that was closing down for good because the growing deer population decided that the trees were a nice food source.

            It was about an hour drive so I was able to ask a lot of questions and both Koco and the photographer gave me some great advice.

            I learned that Koco went to Central Michigan University and graduated with a Broadcast degree with a minor in Spanish. She started working part time for WOOD when she was a senior and her Spanish minor is what landed her a full time job after graduating. She told me that internships help a lot and to not be surprised if when you do land a job that it’s totally different than you think. You have to be very dedicated, expect no’s and have a really good demo reel.

            Koco also told me that one of the most important things to remember in the Journalism field is that time management is huge and be early with deadlines. She also said that writing is super important. Also, you won’t always be working with your own story but you need to always seem interested and make it worthwhile for the audience.

            Both Koco and the photographer gave me advice on internships and some of the key things included don’t interrupt, know when to be quiet, ask to shoot stand-ups, make a video reel, talk to other photographers, get to know how to speak to law enforcement, and get to know police jargon. They said the only way you’ll get better is to keep doing it and to be comfortable about how you are because there will always be someone who doesn’t like you.