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.

It’s one of those nights again. The female voice over the loudspeaker at Alden has already demanded that we relocate our weary study group to the second floor. I’m not sure exactly how long we’ve been here, but we’re on coffee number three and bathroom break number five.

As my fellow study buddies continue their schoolwork and try not to fall victim to Facebook’s temptations, I continue to stare at my blank Microsoft Word document. The blinking line is mocking me. I have only a couple hours remaining to write an article, and I’m having a hard time searching for the right words because they can’t just be any words. They have to be the words. The words that entice our audiences. The words that inform our public. The words that bring people the truth.

Sounds like plenty of pressure to put on just rearranging 26 letters repeatedly, right? Why do you think we like coffee so much? As journalists, we strive to deliver cutting-edge stories and to always be on top of our game and deadlines. However, that’s becoming increasingly more difficult to accomplish as the journalism world grows more and more competitive. Because Scripps is one of top journalism schools in the country, it can be overwhelming and intimidating when surrounded by some of the brightest students to step foot into the field. So how do we journalism students relieve the pressure and set ourselves apart from the competition?

That’s exactly what I’ve been asking myself for several weeks. I’m currently in the “I have no idea where I’m going” phase, and I need to do x, y and z to get a career. I stress about landing internships, building connections, joining the correct organizations and achieving the best grades. Although graduation is still years away, these thoughts cross my mind– as well as everyone else’s, I’m sure — constantly. It’s hard to imagine getting real jobs and difficult to think about the time when we have more expenses to cover than just cell phone bills and bar tabs.

It doesn’t help that we’re being constantly reminded that our current economy is in a worse condition that it has been in years. It feels like I’m being bombarded with unemployment statistics everywhere I turn. With the unemployment rate so high, it’s even more crucial that I stand out and beat the next guy.

So with all these demands placed on our young adult lives, how do we students survive our college years and those after?  The best advice I was ever given was simply one word: breathe.

I’m hereby promising myself that although it seems like preparing the journalism world is too intense, there’s absolutely nothing we can’t handle.

Why? Because we’re Scripps warriors and we were bred for success. It’s time to turn a new leaf and leave the stress behind. I have three simple strategies to this game plan.

Firstly, it’s important to remain positive, focused and open-minded. I’m going to embrace more new challenges than Danny Tanner embraces people in an entire season of Full House.

For instance, if anyone has ever taken Professor Tatge’s Information Gathering class, then you know it’s challenging. After receiving grades for our first assignment, I think the entire classroom’s jaw collectively dropped. However, this is one of the most interesting classes as well as professor that I have yet to take. As Holly Colleta, a sophomore in the magazine sequence, said, “If you survive, you’ll come out a better person.” That’s the goal, isn’t it? So welcome, challenge!

Secondly, I pledge to be a knowledge-absorbing, experience-sucking sponge. I have so many brilliant professors and peers surrounding me that it’s impossible not to learn from them. I admire my fellow Scripps warriors mostly for their burning curiosity and desire to learn.

Finally, and most importantly, I’ll remember to breathe not only for my physical well-being (obviously), but for my sanity. After all, I take certain measures to prepare for the future, but nothing is ever certain. As the cheesy, elementary school statement reminds us, all we can do is try our best. We’re Scripps warriors and will do anything to achieve our dreams, even if that means chuckling at sleep and gazing at blank, white documents for a while.

Varied experience key to choosing JSchool track

Column • Alex Felser

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Do I want to follow the JSchool sequence of News Writing & Editing, Online Journalism or possibly Magazine Journalism? What about Broadcast Journalism?

How am I supposed to decide?

Thankfully, being a freshman, I will not have the challenge of selecting a specific type of news sequence to follow.  With The JSchool switching from seven sequences to two tracks, I will now be able to pick between a Strategic Communication Track and a News and Information Track.

However, I will still be presented with the tough decisions of what classes to take within a broad major, which is why I’ve become involved within the school to try to explore a bit.

Yes, I like news. So I ask myself these questions: What kind of news? Do I have the face for radio or the face for TV?  Do I perform well in front of a camera or should I stick to writing news straight from Microsoft Word?  Are my writing skills better than my speaking skills?

Luckily, Scripps has so much to offer I can try it all, even as a freshman.

It is not a lie that college is a time for changes, and it’s true that one can completely change his or her persona when trying to decide what to study.

Being more of a “slacker” in high school, I had no idea that nine weeks into my freshman year, I would already be involved in five different organizations.  From writing for The Post to trying out my radio voice on WOUB, I’m slowly learning all aspects of media.

It honestly never hit me how involved I was in the school until I was asked by a fellow student to do a video interview after she heard from friends that I was a highly active freshman. (You can find the interview on YouTube if you’re really that bored).

I had to ask myself, ‘Am I really so involved that someone wants to interview me about it?’

Then I looked at my phone calendar to see that I have meetings every week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, all for different organizations.

I’m still in my first quarter of college, but with everything I’ve done, I feel like I’ve been here for years.  The most rewarding aspect of college organizations is that you aren’t treated as a freshman when you start out.  Everyone gives you the same level of respect and opportunities as everyone else, while mentoring you along the way.

I took the advice of upperclassmen and signed up for plenty of organizations, and it’s hard to describe how much more confident I feel in the J-School.

Although I am still undecided regarding the type of journalism I want to study, I am, as many alumni like to say, “getting my feet wet” in many areas.

As a freshman, I don’t feel like I have to limit myself by scheduling classes only on a certain path but can take classes ranging from video broadcasting to news writing, giving me experience for anything I may need when I begin looking for internships and jobs.

Yes, my schedule may be hectic, but I still go to these meetings and plan on doing so until I can ultimately decide what I want to do — and, who knows, maybe next quarter I’ll try out a completely new organization.

So, my advice if you’re still undecided in Scripps: Do what I’m doing.  We all get those e-mails constantly from Debra DePeel telling us about a meeting here and there. Be adventurous one day, pick one that sounds interesting and go.  What is one hour out of your night?  You’re going to be here for four years anyway.

 

Internship listings

Listings • Cameron Glover

Media outlets should avoid election bias

Column • Matt Rancourt

Do you want to know what I think?

Because you’re about to read my column, you probably do.

But would you feel the same way if this were supposed to be a hard news story?

If you had thought this was going to be a report about election results (or some other relevant topic) when you clicked on the link, then you would have probably been more than a little irritated to find yourself reading a commentary about political bias in the media.

After all, most readers don’t enjoy the feeling of being blatantly misled.

When it comes to the media, however, the deception isn’t always so obvious.

For example, if you happened to tune in to ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday, you probably saw its “Morning Mix” segment. On the surface, it may have appeared to be nothing more than a roundtable discussion about Tuesday’s election results.However, if you were listening closely to some of the things the panelists were saying, you probably realized rather quickly that it was far from a balanced exchange.

It was a liberal free-for-all.

First, someone made the assertion that “the party of no is going to be the party of uh-oh. ‘Cause they’re not going to get anything done” in reference to the Republican Party. Then, it was suggested that John Boehner spends more time in the tanning booth than he does on the job.

And, of course, they concluded with the obligatory shots at Sarah Palin’s intelligence.

Keep in mind, again, that this is a Good Morning America segment we’re talking about here. I’m sure there were a number of viewers expecting a fair, intelligent analysis of the election results. Instead, they got The Daily Show – minus Jon Stewart and all of the other entertainment value.

I hope the conservatives watching weren’t too disappointed with the biased coverage … hey, wait a minute. Fox News is still on the air, right?

Yeah, never mind, there weren’t any conservatives paying attention to ABC. They have their own network to watch – that famously “fair and balanced” one. Because, you know, Bill O’Reilly was never really a registered Republican. And Sean Hannity doesn’t really win every argument with Alan Colmes.

Those are just rumors – probably started by liberals.

Now, here’s this week’s question to ponder: “Who would be more likely to cheat at cards – Bill Clinton or Al Gore?”

That’s a tough one. I think the correct answer is “C – Both: because all liberals lie, cheat, steal, and kick puppies.”

And you know what the sad thing is? Not only is that an actual Fox poll question, I also probably just got it right.

So, add that to an ever-growing list of examples of conservative media bias on the part of Fox. Also, feel free to bring up the Good Morning America panel to anyone who tries to tell you that liberal media bias doesn’t pop up just as often.

The fact of the matter is that journalists have been allowing their personal opinions to influence their work for far too long. In addition, the media on a larger scale has trouble with providing unbiased news coverage because editors, producers and publishers often weed out content they find displeasing.

It’s time for everyone to step up and start doing their jobs correctly.

The public has a right to accurate, thorough news reporting. This means that every possible angle and each conflicting view needs to be covered reasonably well. If you want to have a panel discussion about the election results, don’t pick three Democrats for the panel. Keep one Democrat and add a Republican and an Independent.

As for Fox, I’ve already thought of a new, more relevant poll question for them: “How many times will Ralph Nader find his way onto the presidential ballot?”

Personally, I think my initial estimate of 25 might actually be a little low.

Anyway, the point is that bias should only exist in media outlets that readily admit to favoring a particular idea or viewpoint.

If Fox wants to become a conservative network, that’s fine. Just stop using the slogan “we report, you decide.” Because half the time, Fox has already decided, and it’s left to the audience to agree or disagree, rather than formulating their own opinions.

And that’s what this all boils down to.

As journalists, our job is to inform the public. That’s it.

We are not here to tell people how to think, how to feel or how to act. An informed public can do all of those things (and more) on its own.

Of course, if an informed public cares about what you think, then I guess there’s nothing wrong with writing a column or two.

But, hey, maybe I’m biased.

I must admit that INC means a little more to me than perhaps the average publication on campus. I have tied my name to its bylines since my second week of freshman year  —  contributing my time, my effort and, at times, my sleeping schedule.

I have witnessed INC adapt to the variety of ideas imposed by editors and writers alike, and I feel an obligation to continue these successes while creating a few marks of my own.

Now, as INC caps off its second year of distribution, I feel it’s time for some praise — a pat on the back to the devoted writers and a “thanks” to all of the loyal readers.

I also feel its time for a few alterations — a snip here and there may be all INC needs, or perhaps an entire facelift. The sassy quips in the weekly columns, the adventures — whether stressful or inspiring — from one “super senior” and the reports on industry news have truly made INC, well, INC.

The mission is to provide Scripps students and faculty with a connection to the industry we work ardently with, and I hope to see INC continue its progress in providing this information. However, with a little nip and tuck, perhaps INC will take a leap even further.

Under INC’s new, and first, executive board, I hope to see the online component flourish, written content increase and a two-way communication system develop with the readers. Under the direction of INC’s founder and first editor, Ian Bowman-Henderson, and with the installation of each new editor, INC has seen many changes since its inception two years ago. My intention is to continue this development without getting rid of any of the “good stuff.”

In particular, I hope to never see the amount of first-year student involvement wane. INC has always been an on-campus outlet for students with the drive to begin early in gaining clips and in gaining experience working with other writers.

Even our new executive board will be peppered with students that have only a single quarter’s worth of experience under their belts. They will be given the opportunity to hone their skills as journalists while leading and mentoring writers.

The experience I gained as a contributing writer for INC during my first year was invaluable to me, and I hope to continue sharing that aspect of INC with other students in the JSchool; however, that is not to say that I am not looking forward to meeting writers and executive members that are beyond first-year status.

I anticipate a great turnout for the rest of the academic year, and I look forward to working with a dedicated executive board that will continue to provide the best of journalism news within and beyond Scripps’ doors.

 

I can’t remember not being with INC.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But from the moment I walked onto campus, almost, I was involved with INC. For the four quarters I have been with this publication, three as its co-editor, I’ve seen it change and grow in ways I hadn’t expected. For that reason, leaving it now is bittersweet.

With the help of my co-editors — Graylyn Roose, Cameron Glover and now Sarah Grothjan — I have watched INC grow from a newsletter mainly covering SPJ events to a journalism-attuned publication that makes a real effort to provide in-depth commentary and industry news. I’ve seen the newsletter go from a five-page PDF e-mailed to Scripps each week to a publication with an involved social media presence. We have a blog. We’re on Facebook. We’re on Twitter. We’ve expanded our reach.

INC still has a long way to go. And I have no doubt that under the direction of Sarah — one of the most dedicated people I’ve met who truly loves Society of Professional Journalists and this publication — the progress will continue.

One of the characteristics that makes INC unique is the fact that interested and dedicated freshmen can jump right in and become involved — can, in fact, even begin leading the publication. As I’ve edited and mentored students my age or older writing for INC, I’ve learned alongside them. I hope to see this trend continue, and with the INC executive board Sarah is setting up, I believe it will.

During my time spent working with INC, I’ve seen all-nighters, increased caffeine addiction, last-minute decisions and a bunch of truly dedicated workers. Helping to lead this publication has been invaluable.

Although I’m heading abroad next quarter and won’t be returning to INC, I know that Sarah and her new executive board will continue to expand on the knowledge and information INC offers. And I know I’ll enjoy seeing it happen.

Internship Listings

Listings • Cameron Glover

 

Journalists need not worry about blog takeovers

Column  •  Matt Rancourt

I’m one of those people who are not really big on books.

It starts with textbooks, of course, which are both mind-numbingly boring and obscenely expensive. Honestly, the next textbook that I enjoy reading will also be the first.

Then you have novels, which can occasionally grab my attention for a little while, but usually lack the entertainment value necessary to hold it for long.

I only enjoy non-fiction books if they cover an interesting subject, and nobody reads reference books unless he or she needs to reference something.

So, yeah, books aren’t really my thing.

That being said, I am far from illiterate. I just prefer to read from a different type of medium, namely one that provides news.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of options to choose from in this regard.

For starters, since I am majoring in journalism, I am somewhat obligated to read my fair share of newspapers and a magazine or three. And let me tell you, I find it very difficult to start my day if I haven’t had the chance to sit down and peruse the morning paper.

But in spite of that, the bulk of my reading material comes from the Internet.

This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, especially when you stop to consider the number of recent polls indicating more and more people now opt to go online for their news coverage. In fact, since you’re reading this column, that just so happens to be what you’re doing right now.

I have found, however, that while I am surfing the Net looking for news to read, I often find myself venturing somewhere entirely unexpected.

Into the blogosphere.

If you haven’t been there yet, then I suggest you visit. It’s not a very hard place to locate, and when you do, you’ll find a number of talented writers who are capable of providing both solid news reporting and insightful commentary.

Actually, in a number of cases, you will find that a blogger is good enough to pass for a professional journalist.

Naturally, this scares the heck out of many in our industry.

For example, a few days ago, I was reading an online editorial written by a science journalist. In it, she discusses her belief that bloggers are devaluing the field of journalism. She mentions how the presence of so many “citizen journalists” who are willing to work for free has led publishers to cut back on the number of paid reporters that they employ, which in turn lowers the quality of news coverage that readers receive.

Ironically enough, all of these concerns were posted on her blog.

So what she is also trying to say is that she thinks that it is only OK for journalists to have blogs. Apparently, nobody else is qualified enough to use them.

That view, in my humble opinion, is a bunch of (spit).

I have read work from quite a few bloggers demonstrating they would be just as effective in covering the news as the people my local paper actually pays to do the same job.

Trust me, there are plenty of qualified bloggers out there.

For publishers, it then becomes a matter of simple economics. Again, why pay someone to do a job when someone else could get the work done just equally well and for free?

So it looks as if there are going to be a whole lot of journalists filing for unemployment in the near future then, right?

Nope.

Not a chance.

You see, what a number of journalists (including the author of the aforementioned editorial) are forgetting in formulating these doomsday scenarios is that bloggers lack a few of the key components required to be successful in our field.

They may have writing talent, but they often lack reliable sources for their stories.

Do you think there are very many bloggers invited when President Barack Obama holds a press conference? Do you think he would ever grant a one-on-one interview to someone who writes solely for a blog?

Me neither.

Speaking of reliability, do you really think that readers can count on bloggers to provide it? If the U.S. captured Osama bin Laden tomorrow, do you really think the first place people would go to read about it would be a blog?

Me neither.

There are so many other things I could get into that bloggers lack – a dedication to ethics, professional training, etc. – but I think I’ve proven my point.

And that’s the reason I don’t put much stock in the whole “bloggers are devaluing the field of journalism” concern.

It’s because bloggers are not a part of the field of journalism. They may contribute on occasion, but it’s impossible for them to devalue a profession they don’t truly belong to.

As long as society desires news coverage, trained journalists will have jobs.

We shouldn’t look at bloggers as threats, but as potentially helpful allies (uncovering leads and sources, providing story ideas, etc.).

These people can’t take our jobs.

If they truly wanted to do so, they would probably be enrolled in a journalism school too right now.

Of course, then they’d have to buy books.

Defenseless rationale abounds in debate of Juan Williams firing

Column  •  Wesley Lowery

I’m getting tired of talking about Juan Williams.

After 10 years as National Public Radio’s senior news analyst, Williams was fired, via telephone, after he told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly that he gets nervous when he sees Muslims on airplanes.

To further complicate matters, NPR CEO Vivian Schiller went on to make, and apologize for, condescending remarks about Williams — the lone on-air voice of color at the country’s most well-known radio entity.

Maybe it’s just me, but after weeks of kind-of apologies from NPR executives, columns from “media experts” coast to coast and the first few stops on Williams’ “I just got fired” media tour, I’d love to see the issue buried for good.

Don’t get me wrong — the media frenzy makes sense.

Anytime one of our own is canned for coverage or commentary, it’s only natural that, as journalists, we can’t help but to debate the ethical merits of the firing, speculate as to what details are being left behind closed doors and even mourn the loss.

But reading the two-column “debate” about William’s firing in last week’s issue of INC opened my eyes to just how misinformed some of my colleagues are about basic journalistic ethics.

OUSPJ board members Kevin Zieber and Ian Bowman-Henderson found little to disagree about in their point-counterpoint last week.

Both conceded Williams’ comments weren’t bigoted.

And then both went on to praise NPR’s horribly illogical and ethically-inconsistent firing, calling it “overdue” and praising the network for firing a commentator who “deliberately added to the public’s healthy-enough-as-it-is ignorance.”

Unfortunately, neither columnist must have paid attention while Williams was speaking.

Zieber argues that Williams “failed to be a good journalist.”

How so? Is having the audacity to appear on a conservative news channel while being on the payroll of a leftist outlet such as NPR a lapse in journalistic judgement?”

He calls the firing “not entirely unforeseen or unnecessary” but doesn’t ever say what exactly Williams did that was out of line.

Bowman-Henderson at least gives some example of what he perceives as Williams’ ethical shortcomings. According to him, Williams spewed falsehoods onto the airwaves and into the homes of poor, unsuspecting Americans — knowingly validating prejudiced, intolerant views.

So what were Williams’ overtly racist and ethnically insensitive statements? Here’s what he said in response to a prompting asking if the US has a “Muslim dilemma”:

“Political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don’t address reality. I mean, look Bill [O’Reilly], I’m not a bigot, you know the kind of books I’ve written on the civil rights movement in this country, but when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think you know they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous. Now, I remember also that when the Times Square bomber was at court, I think this was just last week. He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts. But I think there are people who want to somehow remind us all as President Bush did after 9/11, it’s not a war against Islam.”

He later added:

“Because if you said, wait, Timothy McVeigh, the Atlanta bomber, these people who are protesting against homosexuality at military funerals – very obnoxious – you don’t say first and foremost we got a problem with Christians. That’d be crazy.”

Read that over again. Williams was not “speaking his mind” or “speaking for the people.” He was simply speaking truth.

There is no more of a “Muslim dilemma” than there is a “Christian dilemma” in the United States, and generalizations made about entire groups are not acceptable.

Unfortunately, no human, no matter how politically correct academia has trained us to be, is immune to prejudice. We all profile and categorize large groups of people based on the actions and attitudes of others.

Williams, like many post-9/11 Americans, gets momentarily nervous when sharing a plane with people appearing to be of Middle-Eastern descent.

Vocalizing that prejudice was not bigoted, nor was it unethical. You see, Williams never said his momentary fear was ideal, correct or fair. He simply stated that it exists.

As journalists, our vow is to truth and transparency. By crucifying a journalist transparent enough to expose his personal prejudices — and committed enough to truth to explain the flaws in his subconscious bias — are we not undermining the very ideals we claim to hold dear?

Williams used a personal anecdote to exemplify the Islamophobia running rampant through our country, not to glorify it.

By admitting his prejudice on the air, Williams was taking what could have been the first crucial step toward a real conversation about perceptions — fair and unfair — held about Muslims in the United States.

Instead, he was silenced.

A real commitment to truth requires rising above those prejudices to see the world through a lens that is fair to all sides of every issue — promoting dialogue that acknowledges that many Americans hold not-so-politically correct views.

Combatting Islamophobia — or any form of racism, for that matter — requires disclosure of the ugly truth the prejudice does, in fact, exist in all of us.

In his statements on Fox News, Williams was doing just that.

Internship Listings

Listings • Cameron Glover