Opportunity for Excellence

Students invited to submit media work

The Ohio University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has been given the opportunity to submit entries to the Mark of Excellence awards free of charge. Each student who is an SPJ member can submit two entries of their work and they will be reimbursed by the JSchool for the entry fee.

The Mark of Excellence awards are given annually by SPJ’s national chapter to honor the best in student journalism. The awards offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate media. Entries are first judged at the regional level. Next, first place regional winners advance to the national competition and are recognized at the SPJ spring conferences.

Mark of Excellence submissions are due January 25, by midnight. This is the first year that the JSchool is paying these fees. OU SPJ President Taylor Mirfendereski brought this to attention.

“Every year we never have a turnout of entries like we should with how nationally known our program is,” said Mirfendereski. “SPJ always has winners every year and we understand that money is an issue for college students. So by being allowed to have two entries paid for, students are given a tangible benefit.”

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.

Power in Humor Journalism

Kayla Hanley, Reporter

On Monday, October 17^th, the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism honored the late, memorable Ohio University humor writing professor Mel Heltzer with a donation lecture given by comedian and commentator Lee Camp.

Camp, in addition to being a stand-up comedian, has written for The Huffington Post and contributed to The Onion.

Ohio University was the first university where Camp performed his stand-up. This is one of the reasons Camp said he wanted to come back and honor Mel Heltzer, a man he never met.

Camp said he grew up surrounded by humor and preformed his first stand up routine at age 14. He also attended the University of Virginia, where he wrote a weekly humor column.

As he continued to grow as a comedian and humor writer, Camp said his comedic influences evolved as well.

Camp said he began to look up to Chris Rock, Bill Hicks, and other comedians that he thought were honest about the trials and tribulations facing society.

Camp stressed to lecture attendees that “comedy is powerful”.  With his humor, Camp said he not only wants people to laugh, but he wants to make them think as well.

This was one of his major motivations when he began his work with political campaigns, he said.

Camp was highly involved in the 2008 political campaign, “Who is John McCain?”

“The greatest highlight of the 2008 election was when Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey did her Sarah Palin portrayal,” said Camp.  “Not only was it hysterical, but it made people see who was running for Vice President and think, ‘Do I really want to vote for the person who can see Russia from her house?’”

In addition to his political commentary, Camp is a strong activist who strongly believes against the death penalty and was able to appear on Fox News as a commentator regarding the subject.

“I was really inspired [about] how he got his opinion on issues that were true to his beliefs out to the world through his comedy,” Freshman Taylor Petras said.

While providing humorous commentary for serious issues can often present a difficult task for a commentator, Camp said the angle a commentator takes is key.

“It depends on the angle you come at when facing a topic that may seem ‘off limits’. There are some angles that are safe and some that are dangerous.” Camp said.

Camp also said that whatever the issue the humor writer may be offering commentary for, the issue must be important to the humor writer in order for the commentary to be effective.

 

Travel journalist to share adventures

Kayla Hanley, Reporter

This Tuesday at 5 p.m. Ohio University’s Society of Professional Journalists will welcome freelance travel journalist Bridget Gleeson via Skype.

Gleeson has written for Lonely Planet, BBC, Budget Travel, Jetsetter, Delta Sky and more. Along with her writing she has lived in a variety of locations including Italy, the Czech Republic, Nicaragua and Argentina, which has enabled her to experience different perspectives of the world.

From experiencing indigenous life to trying new foods, Gleeson has written about it all.

In one of her most recent blog posts about the State Opera House in Prague, Gleeson called herself, “a high/low traveler because [she] really believes that on so many occasions, cheaper is better.”

Gleeson experiences the opportunities she is given in different ways each time. Whether her opportunities occur in the most expensive seat in the house or the cheapest, it gives her a unique perspective for everything she covers, while living her travel dreams.

“Figure out how to translate your passion into a paying position, because you’ll always have a great advantage over your peers if you love what you do.” she said.

Within the one hour Skype session, SPJ hopes that Bridget will not only give members advice about travel writing, but also discuss how to approach writing about something a journalist is passionate about as well as how she became successful in her travel writing

“I reached out to Bridget because I am a passionate traveler as well as writer, and as many writers would like to do, I’m interested in learning how to combine the two,” said SPJ Secretary Gina Mussio. “Travel writing is a popular and often desired career for writers, but actually very, very difficult to make successful.”

While Gleeson’s success is proof that travel writing can indeed become a successful career for a journalist, she says it takes work.

“For a freelance journalist, there isn’t a defined path. People are constantly asking me about my job; they always say, ‘how did you do it?’ The answer is that I learned by trial and error. I didn’t have a model or an example to follow. I became my own advocate and my own disciplinarian,” said Gleeson.

To find out more about Gleeson’s adventures visit her blog at http://bridgetgleeson.com.

 

Steve Jobs, the Face of the Shinning Apple

Kayla Hanley, Column

 As I sit in a classroom and look around, a shining apple is seen throughout  the room. This symbol of forbidden fruit has brought a new form of easy and  stylish technology to our world, and this symbol would not be renowned  without the works of the late Steve Jobs.

After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004, Mr. Jobs’ battle  officially ended last Wednesday, but not without him leaving his mark in  society. As said by The Wall Street Journal, “No company combined  simplicity and hiddenness better than Apple under Mr. Jobs’ leadership.”

Steve Jobs created a technology that people didn’t see as nerdy, but cool and sophisticated, and he didn’t stop there.  Apple never failed to release new devices that continue to get better over time.

My first Apple device was the very first black iPod Nano where all that was seen on screen was the name of the song being played. I then grew to own the next two editions of Nanos because I was so mesmerized by its easy to use technology. And to think, millions amounts of memory was held within a 1.5 ounce object that I could carry around in my hand.

I have now upgraded myself to an IPhone 4G which I account my life to. It is my social networking, my schedule planner, and my communication to everyone in my life. I can say that I owe a thank you to Mr. Jobs’ for creating these devices; devices that always  make  my day better.

Steve Jobs’ way of thinking for the Apple Company seemed to take on an evangelist approach. He had no competing source of hope, yet “believed in the ‘magical, revolutionary’ promise of Apple precisely because he believed in no higher power” as quoted by the Wall Street Journal. This  showed consumers that Apple was trustworthy and working to benefit our lives.

Many of us are troubled by the death of Steve Jobs’, but we really have to look at what he did and will continue to be doing for Apple. His intention of growing the technological world around us has inspired many people to continue his passion. New inventions will not stop now that Jobs has passed away, but instead grow because of the legacy he left behind.

I believe a “Steve Jobs Era” of technology will now blossom for the technologies to come. Even though a death may bring the start of it; it will be a new life for technology.

As said by Mr. Jobs himself, “No one wants to die… And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new.”

Carr Van Anda winner shares passion for local news

Kayla Hanley, Reporter

Ever wondered who was number one on the Klu Klux Klan hit list? Well as it turns out, renowned publisher H. Brandt Ayers was after covering the March of Washington for his community newspaper, the Anniston Star.

Last Monday Ayers was awarded the 72^nd Carr Van Anda award, which was established in 1968, by the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and is the highest journalism award the school gives.

Ayers is the current chairman and publisher of the Anniston Star, which serves as the site for news in all of east central Alabama. Ayers also has a current column with the newspaper titled “The news stops here.”

H. Brandt Ayers (left) receives Carr Van Anda award.

“I was born into [the business] and I just didn’t have the skill to be a drummer in a rock band.” Ayers said.

Ayer’s grandfather was the first publisher for the Anniston Star who passed the position of owning the paper on to his son who then passed it on to H. Brandt Ayers.

The Anniston Star is a community paper that Ayers said he holds very true to his heart.

“Local stories are the lifeblood of a community. Caring about everything in the community has the same impact with the publishers, as with the citizens,” he said. “There is no passion in the writing of a New York Times writer compared to a writer of a community newspaper.”

Throughout his years of writing, editing, and publishing for the Anniston Star, the one memory Ayers said impacted him most was when the newspaper published an article about a white man being convicted of murdering a black man, by an all-white jury. The trial was called the Night Rider Murder in which Ayers said a “white KKK thug was convicted of murdering a black man,”  and every person on the jury allowed for their names to be published on the front page of the paper to show that the murder was not right.

Ayers said this was a turning point for the Anniston Star because it showed their community that they were going to do everything to publish their opinions and what they believed was right.

“In community newspapers nobody is afraid of giving their opinion. We try to be fair, and we dig through to cover, or uncover, stories in and so our community believes in it,” Ayers said.

Ayers has a very strong passion for local and community news and believes that there should be a community newspaper in every town.

With regard to the changing field of journalism and the future of print news Ayers said, “We at the Anniston Star are the centripetal force pulling everyone to the center, yet the field of journalism is in trouble.”

However, Ayer has hope for the future of journalism and local news.

“Are we going to survive? I think we have to,” he said. “The news is the only connection our readers have connecting them to what’s going on in the world around them. I am absolutely convinced that until the repeal of human nature there will be a need for us.”

 

Intern veterans pass on advice

Kayla Hanley, Reporter

Ohio University’s Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is back at it again with their many meetings to better prepare Scripps students in their journey through journalism.

Last Tuesday, SPJ held an internship panel consisting of five current Ohio University Scripps School students. The panelists were Catherine Caldwell, Wesley Lowery, Sarah Grothjan, Nadine Ajaka, and Graylyn Roose.

The panel provided an opportunity for the students to hear the trials and tribulations of interning within the journalism field.

Panelists Catherine Caldwell, Wesley Lowery and Sarah Grothjan share their experiences.

Catherine Caldwell recently interned at Marie Claire Magazine in New York City this past summer and the way she said she heard about the job was by googling “internships in New York City.”

“I never thought I’d be interested in beauty,” Caldwell said,” “but what I found interesting was how a magazine process works.”

Caldwell said she preformed a variety of tasks, whether it was walking around Manhattan in her heels to different stores, or writing pieces for the magazine. She was focused on the Public Relations aspect of the magazine, but broadened her views by helping out in every department.

“I didn’t get to do as much writing as I had hoped, but I did gain a lot more contacts through each department I took part in,”said Caldwell.

Wesley Lowery had a similar experience in his internship this past summer in New York City while working at The Wall Street Journal.

“I started writing for real estate and then ended up in politics,” Lowery said. “You honestly have to take what you can get.”

Lowery  said he was lucky that he got to do more hands on experience in NYC, along with his previous internships, which have included the Columbus Dispatch and Detroit News.

Lowery said, “I really had to be open-minded about the different topics I was writing for that I had not one clue how or what to write about. If you don’t know how to do something, ask for help and an explanation.”

Sarah Grothjan recently finished an internship this past summer in Las Angeles for an online entertainment news source called Celebuzz.

Grothjan spoke of very strong organizational skills she had to obtain for her internship by keeping her resume and cover letters up to date.

“With my previous internships I made sure my resume and cover letter complied with the other. I even had similar letterheads for each one,” Grotjhan said.

All three panelists agreed that a strong cover letter is what you need for any internship.

Journalism   students want to have the experience of an internship to better shape their future after college, but once students are in the process of the job there are a few ups and downs along the way.

“If you’re finding yourself sitting around, go to other departments and ask if there is anything you can do to help,” Caldwell said. This is a high profile way to gain contacts with other employers so you can make them aware of what you can do.

They key thing the panelists said interns shouldn’t do is to sit down and log onto Facebook.

“It really is the worst option you could do,” Grothjan said “Employers will see you do it, but not say anything because in their mind then they are thinking ‘oh they’re only here for a month’.”

The panelists’ helpful advice allowed attendees to leave with some sense of direction and key insight concerning their employment futures.