Column: Scripps Students Face the World Head On

Senior year is a busy time for every Scripps student. After almost four years of newswriting classes, unpaid internships, and lectures from our parents about the real world, it’s time for us to try it out for ourselves. The long holiday break is over and final tuition payments are coming due. It finally feels like the beginning of the end of college. It’s enough to make us want to sign up for another year … or three.

Last quarter I was lucky enough to get a taste of the real world a little bit early. Like many Scripps students, I took a quarter off for an internship. The change to intern with NBC’s Today Show in New York City was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was gone all fall quarter, getting accustomed to both the brand new task of living in America’s biggest city and working for a national morning news program.

For college students in general, the thought of working in the so-called “real world” is intimidating. It feels like a big change. Even though we work hard in our classes and strive to learn more in our extracurriculars, nobody really knows what to expect. The 6 a.m.’s seem daunting, a stark contrast to the 11 a.m. or noon starting times we’ve been able to schedule as upperclassmen.

But if the experience I had last quarter is any indication, there’s good news for Scripps students: we’re far more ready than we think we are. Working with shining stars in the field (like former OU student) Matt Lauer and Ann Curry, it was hard not to feel a little intimidated at first. I had experience internships beforehand, but never on a national scale.

I was smart to brace myself; they kept our schedules packed. No busy work for us. The other interns and I accompanied reporters and producers on local shoots, answered wacky calls from viewers at the front desk, and logged hours of tape. We came early and stayed late, learning firsthand about the time demands required in the news business. We were all lucky enough to spend at least two early mornings a week in the control room, running errands and watching the senior producers coordinate a four-hour show. I can’t say I got much sleep during my time in Manhattan, but I’m not sorry about it. It was the best way to learn.

Tackling the Transition

Scripps faculty members discuss the benefits and challenges of the transition

Ohio University will transition from quarters to semesters in 2012. For some, that sounds like a broken record, but for others it is scary, unfamiliar, territory.  Whatever your take on the switch, have no fear, Inc. is here!  This week, Inc. spoke with E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Director Bob Stewart  and Professor Hans Meyer to set your questions to rest.

What is the purpose of creating a plan with my advisor?  Does this plan lock me in until I graduate?  And when will I be notified to create one?

Scripps School of Journalism faculty gather to discuss the logistics of the transition.

“Scripps is being required by the university to show a pathway to graduate under semesters, in essence, if the student follows the plan then they are guaranteed to graduate at that time,” Stewart said. However, it is important to keep in mind that it is difficult to plan these things because it relies on numerous factors.”

By “numerous factors,” Stewart essentially means that “life happens.”  Things come up, classes become full, and sometimes students are just not able to take on the course load they anticipated.  However, the plan is simply to show people that they can graduate on time, Stewart said.

Free Press brings media awareness to Scripps

Sarah Grothjan, Contributing Writer

Free Press CEO Craig Aaron discusses the future of public media.

Last Thursday, Ohio University students and faculty filled the seats of Baker University Theatre to discuss the future of public media and the quality of journalism.

Craig Aaron, CEO and founder of Free Press, a nonprofit organization working to reform the media, led the discussion.

Free Press launched in 2002 as a nonprofit and relies solely on support from its members to continue running.

“We started Free Press, as some of you know, because we believe in real change on any issue that matters,” Aaron said. “It is impossible (to promote change) if we don’t discuss these media issues.”

The change Aaron referred to is the reversal of various media platforms operating under the ownership of only a few corporations.

Free Press works to ‘promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism and universal access to communications,” according to freepress.net.

“Democracy requires journalism. We can’t have journalism without democracy,” Aaron said. “But also, journalism requires democracy.”

Aaron said the current media crisis will actually determine whether democracy in the U.S. continues to flourish.

He presented multiple clips from several different news outlets to show just how many stations utilize the same anchors and even the same newscasts. He emphasized the point that the need for independent news stations is more critical than ever.

“Change comes from mobilizing the public at critical junctures, and we’re at one of those junctures right now,” Aaron said.

And while Aaron said he believes the current public media system is one of the best solutions to filling the gaps left by commercial journalism and the mainstream media, inadequate funding is slowing its progress.

Only one dollar is currently spent per capita on public media, ranking the U.S. as one of the lowest funded public media systems, Aaron said.

A public media trust fund bringing money from small device taxes or even regular auctions is one solution to the meager funding efforts, Aaron said.

“The money is already out there, we’re just spending it on other things,” Aaron said. “What’s missing is the public will.”

JSchool Students to Embark on African Adventure

Holly Moody, Reporter

From the familiar bricks of Athens, Ohio to the plains of Zambia in South Africa seventeen journalism students are in for a change of scenery over the upcoming holiday break.

Students will take flight the day after their Thanksgiving feasts to embark on Scripps’ new study abroad program, Zambia: Media, Society and Governance. This is the first year Scripps has offered this program thanks to the efforts of Dr. Kalyango, Director for the program and the Institute for International Journalism at Ohio University.

“Zambia: Media, Society and Governance” participants. PROVIDED.

“I went over and set up the program on the ground in Zambia, ” said Kalyango.

After making the proper arrangements, building a curriculum and proposing the program to the University, the trip was approved.

The program is to be offered in the future with slight scheduling changes due to the switch to semesters.

In addition, to taking J466 International Mass Media, students will also be taking one specialized course through the program to learn more about media and government operations in Zambia.

“We have lectures like [every] other class, but every session we will have a guest speaker where they will hear from various policy makers and advocates,” said Kalyango.

Students will also intern and volunteer with various media organizations and work on putting together a documentary that will be showcased during winter quarter.

Whether this is their first time traveling overseas or they’re frequent flyers, participants are eager to build themselves as journalists in foreign territory.

“I had thought about going to Africa ever since I came to college,” Adam Flango, senior magazine journalism major, said.

Flango applied for the program and was accepted over Memorial Day weekend, as were other admitted applicants. Since then, Dr. Kalyango has been preparing the group for what they are going to experience during their weekly orientation sessions.

“We’ve been immersing ourselves in learning the ins and outs of the culture,”said Flango.

For example, the group was informed that they are not allowed to use their left hand for anything while in Zambia because it is a sign of disrespect.

Despite the cultural adjustments they will have to make, students are looking forward to a variety of rewarding experiences during their stay.

“I am looking forward to working with the non-profit organizations,” Danielle Parker, a junior public relations major, said.

Participants of all majors will have something to take part in on the trip that is geared toward their major sequence.

For example, public relations majors will be working on campaigns with different organizations, broadcast majors will work on editing and shooting the documentary, and every participant will have a say in the stories that will be shown in the documentary.

“Everyone will have the ability to do what they do best,” Flango said.

This cross-cultural learning experience will be a cornerstone in the students’ careers as journalists.

“A journalist with the most perspective and the most knowledge is the best journalist,” Parker said.

 

CBS to be back “On the Road”

Kenneth McNulty, Reporter

The CBS “On the Road” segment left a legacy that began in 1967 with the late Charles Kuralt that CBS correspondent Steve Hartman will now set out to revive.

“On the Road” featured Kuralt traveling the nation and visiting small towns to cover stories that reported on small town happenings in the U.S.

“It’s kind of what average people deal with and what some of their stories are,” Kevin Grieves, broadcast professor, said.

Kuralt did over 600 segments of the show during his time with “On the Road”.

After Kuralt’s death in 1997, the series has been on standby for the last 14 years. With the new anchor Steve Hartman, the segment has been revitalized and is set out to perform the same style of reporting of Kuralt did many years ago.

“It’s that really good story telling that is the thing that people remember; that sticks in people’s minds,” Grieves said. “So I think that some news organizations are trying to do get back to that.”

Kuralt traveled by RV to interview people at their homes to get their personal stories. Hartman will perform the same reporting style, but by plane.

Hartman hosted multiple shows before he was made the new anchor for “On the Road”. These shows are close in nature to what he will be doing in “On the Road”.

His own shows include  “Everybody Has a Story”, where Hartman contacted people at random from a phone book to interview them about their lives.

Another series Hartman was a part of was “Assignment America,” a show where Hartman interviewed people that viewers voted him to meet.

CBS has been implementing changes to programming since last spring and “On the Road” was one of the segments that CBS recently decided to air again, according to an article in The New York Daily Times by Richard Huff.

The reporting in “On the Road” is generally shorter in length and is run with the evening news. These segments fit into the faster paced news that is streamed today.

“What is happening is that the current generation is used to getting short stories or brief information, getting the gist of a particular issue and moving on,” Dr. Yusuf Kalyango, broadcast professor, said. “With the way journalism is changing, we’re getting more short stories.”

Big weekends mean big coverage for student journalists

Casey Compernolle, Column

 While many outsiders see Ohio University as a place to party, journalists see it as a place to report.  Big weekends such as Halloween, Homecoming, and spring Fests give the school  a crazy, sometimes unorthodox reputation.

However, huge block parties, such as Halloween, gain national recognition and provide journalistic opportunities almost exclusive to OU journalists.  Having the chance to cover  such large stories can be tricky though and must be done with careful consideration.

It’s no secret that OU was recently named the “#1 Party School,” by the Princeton Review.  And with such a title, comes both positive and negative reactions.

“I have mixed feelings about the title,” Sean McCafferty, a junior majoring in education, said.  “Sometimes I feel as though the students here aren’t portrayed accurately.  I want to be a teacher, and the party school reputation can sometimes take away from that professionalism; especially when trying to find a job.”

With such a strong journalism community here at Ohio University, journalists are sometimes faced with a double-edged sword. How do we act as good journalists and simply provide the facts without making our school seem like a mere party school?

Wesley Lowery, a senior majoring in news writing and editing and editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper The Post, is familiar with this dilemma all too well.

“What is difficult is people see students as the problem, but they blame the media rather than the students for the behavior.  It’s hard when you have to write about students’ arrests.  I mean, how do you merit someone’s name?  Is it right or wrong?   Its very unique because these events don’t happen everywhere, OU does get national attention in the fall and spring and it gives journalists breakthrough stories that provide great experience in the field, but it’s not always easy.”

As McCafferty pointed out, professionalism matters.  Full media access coverage on these weekends can sometimes glamorize the party aspect,.

Nevertheless, coverage must be provided, and student journalists must work within the context they have.

“The difference between us and nationally known reporters is that we have context, we have experience, and when a major news outlet picks up a story that is when it usually gets blown out of proportion,” Lowery said.

While this proposes challenges for student journalists covering major student associated events, we can use this unique situation to our advantage to gain valuable reporting experience.

Giovanna Delgarbino, a sophomore studying pubic relations agrees.

“Instead of living within the shadow of a party school atmosphere, it’s the perfect opportunity to rise above it.  When I go for a job interview my portfolio won’t show my drinking skills, it will show my writing skills.  OU has provided me with the chance to write about concerts, musicals, speakers, and so much more.  I think that is what I want to really shine through in my work.  Many journalists aren’t even partaking in the festivities, we’re just bystanders documenting it,” she said.

It’s easy for people to get caught up in the party school hype, but it’s also easy to see that student journalists truly care about the information they are putting out.  Students want accuracy, and who better to report it then the students themselves?

“Large weekends are always exciting, but they are exhausting.  The Post had full time coverage for the entire weekend; it was a group effort.  Each reporter had shifts, and for every shift there was reporters every hour,” Lowery said.

Big weekends at OU can be tricky for student journalists , but when students work hard to accurately report these events we’re showing readers that we care about journalism.

 

How To: Profile Proficiently

James Roller, Reporter

The story of a single person can offer in-depth insight of a particular issue that a typical news story often cannot. Straightforward newscasts can also be difficult for the average person to relate to, but a profile allows readers access to a unique, colorful perspective of the individual.

In order to achieve this one-of-a-kind goal that profiling presents, there are important points to consider. 

1)   Determine your subject and purpose

The number one question a journalist needs to consider before profiling is who would be a compelling subject to profile and why.

“Look for universality,” Dr. Hans Meyer, online journalism and news writing and editing professor, said.  A basic conflict or aspect of the subject that is relatable to an audience such as, “man vs. man,” or “overcoming the odds,” are situations that many readers find compelling and are familiar with, said Meyer.  

2)   Gain your subjects trust

Often when a journalist is searching for a compelling and relatable story, he or she may come across a subject who is not used to being interviewed, and a subject that isn’t used to being profiled can become intimidated, stifling the interview.

Dr. Michael Sweeney, magazine journalism and news writing and editing professor, said it is often a good idea to spend the first day meeting with this sort of subject. Grilling them with questions will often turn them off. The key is not to seem like a journalist, but to come off as a person who is interested in their story. 

 3) Think of your audience

When writing a profile a journalist always needs to ask, ‘who is my audience?’ Sweeney said that this question is especially important when considering what aspect of the subject’s life to focus on.

For example, if a journalist is profiling a football coach for an audience of other football coaches, the journalist should ask more specific questions that only football coaches may understand, but if writing for fans, a journalist may want to keep the questions more broad.

4)   Dig deeper

After considering these key questions, take the profile a step further and consider what hasn’t been considered.

“Don’t ask questions that have already been asked,” Sweeney said. “Look up all articles that have been written about your subject. The database Lexus Nexus is a great resource when looking for past articles.”

Also, look for family members, friends, and even enemies of your subject to speak with. Often those who know your subject on a personal level can give a better idea of who your subject really is then the subject will, Sweeney said.

5)   Be flexible

Lastly, if the interview takes an unexpected turn, work with it. While a journalist should have at least ten solid questions they know they want to ask, the rest of the questions should come naturally while talking with a subject.

“Don’t be married to your questions,” Sweeney said. “A good profile interview sounds like a conversation.”

The Fuel Behind International Freelance

Kenneth McNulty, Reporter

Freelance and global journalism can propose an uncertain career path. Students interested in reporting on international issues or freelancing may often wonder what it takes to pursue this direction in journalism. Antigone Barton, a free-lance journalist and reporter for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting answers questions about what fuels a journalist to freelance and cover international health and social justice issues.

What advice do you have for journalists who want to work freelance?

You have to want to spend as much time selling your stories as reporting and writing them. You know the price of freedom is having to become a professional hustler. If you are not like that, don’t do it. If that is not your talent or how you spend your time then it’s the wrong thing to go into.

At the same time, if you’ve got some kind of back plan, if you’ve got a nest egg, a full time job, and there’s stories you want to sell on the side that’s a good way to do it…. If you’re going to try to make your whole living, bear in mind that you’re going to be working very hard at the business end and if you’re not, then you just have to have the discipline to be able to set aside part of your time to pursue the stories that you care to do.

What motivated you to cover all of the stories you are now?

I started as a teacher and I was working with populations who lived often in very challenging conditions and I was teaching in urban areas. I thought a lot of the issues that were affecting my student’s lives weren’t adequately covered. So, when I switched to journalism, I looked for the issues behind the events as often as possible…. Even when you’re covering a car crash, how many car crashes happened on that corner? Have officials done what they needed to do to make that street safe? Were there a lot of reports of people running that light, or not working?

I did a lot of stories as a crime reporter on kids who were hurt or killed in foster homes or by their own parents. Did the agencies that were supposed to be paying attention to those things, were they doing their jobs? Unfortunately, in those cases sometimes it turned out not and so that was the bigger story. So, it was just looking for the issues behind events and that makes your work more worthwhile.

What are you currently working on? What is your next big project?

Right now I’m trying to finish the story I just went to Zambia to write. It’s a long magazine-length piece about the HIV response in Zambia. Looking at that response is representing challenges that other donor-assisted countries face in the fourth decade of the AIDS epidemic. So it’s a long story, it follows three months of reporting and I have to finish it before I’m allowed to go out and play and do anything else. So that’s my challenge.

Achieving a Balance for Effective Reporting

Holly Moody, Column

We laugh, we cry, we make jokes and may even get a little angry at times. The news has the almighty power of  evoking emotions from even the toughest of human beings in our society. However, unlike those reading or      watching at home, journalists have the tough task of removing themselves from heart-wrenching situations in  order to deliver an unbiased and accurate story to the public.

This may sound simple, but for some journalists it is not.

After interviewing CBS correspondent Byron Pitts a couple weeks ago and hearing about his experiences  reporting, I was left to ponder about reporting tragic events and began asking myself questions such as; what type of journalist do I want to be?  One that feels a connection to each story and each person who is affected? Or one whose mission is just to get the story out as quickly as possible? And, how can a journalist be so unattached when witnessing such horrific events? Is there a time and a place to be emotional?

While I still ask myself these questions, I think I’ve come to a common place on this touchy subject matter.

First, it’s important to remember that journalists are human. We, by no means, have hearts made of stone. But the key thing for every journalist to remember is that there must be a balance between professionalism and being sensitive to the subject at hand within each and every interview.

By this I mean that a journalist should not feel as though they have to build up a shield of armor to combat the emotions that they may face when covering traumatic events or heart breaking situations. It’s the compassion towards the story that drives a journalist to create something that has the power to make a difference and impact thousands of viewers. However, there must be a clear line to separate a journalist’s emotions from the reality of the story.

To help define this line, you want to be fair at all times and ensure that you are delivering all sides of an issue. A journalist writing on an emotional rampage can easily turn into bias reporting, which, in turn, can lead into a whole world of trouble and jeopardize their career. Achieving this balance may be hard, but it’s part of building yourself into a good journalist.

There have been many times where I’ve watched the evening news and, after becoming disgusted due to a story of someone else’s misfortunes, felt a sudden urge to rant on Twitter or vent my frustrations on my blog. But, it is in these moments that I have to remember that my job as a journalist is, at all times, to spread the news, not my rage and anger.

In some ways, I think it’s good to connect with a story because it makes it easier to sift through piles of information and decide what the audience really needs to see or what they too can potentially connect with. However, this connection can’t override the facts.

It can be tricky to walk this fine line between good, effective publicity and biased reporting. I wish I could give a precise measurement as to how much a journalist should be personally affected and detached from the situation. However, I believe this balance will come naturally with the more reporting experience gained.

Having this balance makes for an effective story. The most important thing to remember is that the audience always comes first. A journalist’s mission is to give the audience the truth, but also something that engages their interests whether it be good, bad, happy or sad.

SPJ to “Slice n’ Dice” with professionals, pizza

Kayla Hanley, Reporter

This week Ohio University’s Society of Professional Journalists will hold a “slice n’ dice” event in which journalism professionals such as editors, professors and others with hiring experience in the journalism industry will offer resume critique.

Attendees will present their resumes to the professionals who will “dice” the resumes by giving their opinions of what to add, take out or edit. The “slice” part of the event refers to the free pizza that will be available to all who attend.

OU SPJ Secretary Gina Mussio helped to organize the event.

“We feel this is a beneficial event for students as a resume is a student’s ‘face’ when applying for internships or jobs and they want that to be the best it can be. A bad resume can make or break an application and this meeting will help prepare students and give them the advice they need to make their resumes presentable,” Mussio said.

The question of, “How can I make my resume stand out?” is one that often lingers in the minds of those applying for internships and jobs.

“Be succinct,” Professor Andy Alexander, who will be present at the event, said.  “Don’t leave out important elements. But make your resume a quick read. Prospective employers see tons of resumes and, in giving yours an initial review, will spend little time studying it. Help them. Be concise.”

Many students have different interests within the journalism field, so it can be hard to choose what experiences to include in a resume.

“Stress any multi-media expertise or training. Most employers are looking for people with these skills,” Alexander said.

Professor Alexander also said that it is a good idea to try and make references applicable to the prospective employer.

“If one of my students were to apply for a job or internship at The Washington Post, I would hope that they would list me as a reference because I used to work there. Familiarity of a reference can help ensure that your resume gets special attention,” Alexander said.

By speaking to journalism professionals such as Professor Alexander, those who attend will also have the opportunity to put their foot in the door and make possible internship and job connections.

SPJ encourages students to attend and take advantage of this opportunity for helpful resume critique this Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Baker 231.