LinkedIn fails to add personal touch to networking paradigm

Nick Robbe, Reporter

When I first came to college I repeatedly heard one word: networking. It was drilled into my mind as well as the minds of my fellow first-year classmates. We were told about it but were never really told the correct way to do it.  Graduate student Molly Yanity explains the phenomenon of networking and why, though beneficial, it will never replace a genuine attitude.

How easy is it to maintain the network of professional relationships once created?
It’s not easy.  I think it’s a whole lot easier now that you have LinkedIn and Facebook, but there is also a fine line between keeping a network strong and being a nuisance.

Every now and then, drop an email. You see something that’s happened or something that’s happened where they work and you send them email (to let them know you are thinking of them). That makes a big difference.

I was at a speaking engagement in San Diego and some of the people that were on this panel, Howard Bryant of ESPN: The Magazine, Jackie MacMullan (who was a columnist and associate editor for The Boston Globe), and Rick Reilly, who is now a columnist for ESPN was the keynote speaker.  I got to meet them and it was the only time ever I saw those people.

Bryant still speaks in my classes on Skype and conference calls.  He has published some really amazing books, and whenever he publishes those books, I drop him a line.

I saw the guy one time in my life, but he is someone who I know I can count on and he has asked for favors and I’d do it in a minute.  You just have to make an effort.

What does a student hope to gain from being included in a network?
It depends on how much you put into it.  I think that aside from bylines the most important thing you get out of internships is building personal relationships.  A lot of times the personal relationships don’t lead directly to jobs, but it’s ‘Hey, I know someone who I can put you in touch with.’ That’s when the networking becomes invaluable.

The greatest thing any fledging professional has going, you’re young, you’re full of energy, you’re full of ideas, and people like to be around that.  If you have an engaging personality, it’s going to do great things for you.”

What are technicques for forming networks?
Be genuine and gracious. In a couple years I am going to have to go out and try to get a job as a professor somewhere.

I go to conferences and try to meet as many people as I can, and when I get back, I write them an email saying, ‘It was great to meet you. I hope to keep in touch in the future.’

I think those are the kinds of things that you need to be doing while you are looking for any job.  I still keep in touch with people that I had internships with.  Not just your superiors, but your colleagues too.  Be genuine and gracious.”

LinkedIn is utilized by a variety of professionals, but how much help does it really provide?
It makes it easier, but LinkedIn isn’t anything personal.  It’s a way to keep track of someone’s contact information sometimes.  It helps, but I still think you need the personal touches.

You can’t just say, ‘Oh that’s my LinkedIn friend.’  It’s really, truly a personal thing, and it has to be about your relationships.

If you can have a relationship, and you put forth some effort, you’re an engaging human being.  You’re not just taking advantage, and you’re giving something back.  You are going to be good at networking.

Writing serves as basic platform for various occupations

Story// Nick Robbe, Reporter

When it comes to fields of communication, there is a degree of overlap in the skills required for each.  Such is the case for sports writing and sports information.

Jason Corriher, Director of Media Relations for Ohio University, worked as a SportsTicker correspondent for the Carolina Hurricanes from 2000-2002.  From there, he moved to Marist College and assumed the role of sports information director.

PROVIDED. Jason Corriher

As a correspondent for the Hurricanes, he called in score updates during the games and got quotes from players and coaches afterwards. These experiences showed Corriher the journalistic side of being a correspondent.

“It did allow me to step on the other side of this business,” Corriher said. “We’re here to help serve the media. And to be part of the media really helped me know what they need and what they want.”

The basics of sports writing and sports information careers are very similar.

“We use some of the same skills and tactics that sports writers do in our stuff,” Corriher said.

Sports information personnel need to know how to write, have a passion for sports, and understand them.  Sports information, like sports journalism, places a premium on being able to write.

“When I had interns and was going through resumes, I would get students who were the editor of their school newspapers. I always put those up to the top because I knew they could write,” Corriher said. “That’s one of the big assets.”

Making the transition from sports writer to sports information works well, but the opposite is not as common according to Corriher.

Dr. Patrick Washburn, a journalism professor at Ohio University, was one of the people that made that switch and agrees that familiarity with the media is a must.

Washburn began as a sports writer, but then became the Assistant Sports Information Director at Harvard University, before becoming the Sports Information Director at the University of Louisville.

“I think it’s a tremendous mistake to do this job (sports information) without ever having worked in the media, either broadcast or print,” he said. “If you don’t know how the media operates, you don’t know how reporters work– that’s an amazing mistake.”

According to Washburn, the only difficulty with making the transition between jobs is when something makes a good news story, but you have to keep it quiet.

Washburn, too, sees similarities between the two professions.

“In both places you have to write—as a sports information director you want to write things that will get in the paper, get things on the TV. If you know what they’re looking for and know what a news story is, you’ll get a lot more in there (the paper) because you won’t give them things in a way where they have to change it a lot.”

Washburn sees sports information as a valid option for those trying to get a job in sports media.

“They don’t seem to worry as much whether somebody has worked in the media—if you do it, and haven’t worked in the media at all you better go and work under somebody or won’t know what you are doing.”

Both professions find themselves on opposite ends of the media world, but they share common characteristics. Both want to disseminate information in a timely manner that is useful to the masses.

Professor moves away from reporting to pursue book writing

Story // Nick Robbe, Reporter

History is intertwined in many aspects of our society.  Sports are no different.  Dr. Patrick Washburn, a journalism professor at Ohio University, is at the crossroad of where these two social fields meet.

Washburn has been around sports his entire life doing everything from playing sports and being a sportswriter and assistant sports information director at Harvard, to coaching little league.  It was here that he began to develop an interest in the history behind sports journalism.

“Over the years I had gotten more and more interested in how sports journalism had evolved into what it is today,” Washburn said. “(I’m) particularly interested in how it was that the ethics of sports journalism are particularly different from the ethics of the rest of the newsroom.”

He had been commissioned to write a book on the history of black newspapers in America by Northwestern University.  The university wanted him to do another book, and his history of sports journalism proposal was accepted.

In his research, he has found some new information that most people would not consider.

“One of the things that’s particularly interesting is a part that religion played,” he said.

The ideas that stem from the Puritans affected what sports were deemed appropriate and it determined what could be written about them.

The things that have impacted sports journalism have been the driving force for this book.

“ (I’m) not interested in writing a book that talks about one sports writer after another after another after another,” he said. “I am interested in the forces that changed sports writing—admittedly there were a few people that really standout.”

He also said that one of the questions behind the book was “how did sports journalism become what it is today and how did sports differ from rest of the newsroom in terms of their ethics and what they did?”

The book has not had any major struggles in the writing process that would delay its release.

“Probably one of the biggest struggles besides getting books that aren’t in this library (Alden)—is trying to find some of the stuff that not much is written about or that I have stumbled across,” he said. “Probably the biggest thing has been just finding the information and trying not to miss anything.”

As he nears the end of the book, he says there are some major players that he would like to interview, such as Frank Deford, who has been vocal about the decline in newspaper readership and one of the authors (Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams) of the book Game of Shadows because he feels that the book has changed sports writing, causing sports writers to move into hard news.

Three other books have preceded this current book.  He wrote A Question of Sedition, The Office of Censorship’s Attempt to Control Press Coverage of the Atomic Bomb, and The African American Newspaper: Voice of Freedom. This is the last book that Washburn is going to write.

The book will be done next year in the fall.

Grad school or bust: Student decides academia comes first

Story // Nick Robbe, Reporter

Graduate school is a debate for students. For some professions, more education means more money and marketability. For sports writers and journalism majors, that may not be the case. Molly Yanity, graduate student in the School of Journalism, answers questions about the choice to pursue graduate school.

How does graduate school benefit journalism majors?
I don’t think that grad school hurts anyone, but you don’t need to go to grad school to be a good journalist. I think people that do go right out of undergrad, with the goal of wanting to be a sports writer, need to make sure they get into practical programs.

The biggest benefit from going to grad school directly from undergrad is contacts.  That’s what everyone has ever told me.  If you are having a hard time finding a job or just want the education before you get into the field, but your goal is to be a sports writer or a journalist, make sure you go to a master’s program that is focused on real-world experiences, getting you in touch with future contacts or mentors because you don’t want to end up in a graduate program that focuses on research and preparing you for a life in academia.

Should you pursue graduate school right after college or wait?
If you get a job, take it because they are too few and far between right now not to. You don’t need to go to grad school to be a journalist. I don’t know many professional sports writers who wanted to continue being professional sports writers who took a break in the middle of their career to do it. If they do take the academic route, or go back to get a master’s degree, it’s usually so that they can teach in addition to being a sports writer, or they’re looking to change careers altogether.

In my case, my newspaper shut down, and I didn’t know what I was going to do.  The truth of it was that I had actually applied to grad school four months before my newspaper shut down not knowing it was going to. The reason was  because I’ve always wanted to teach. I was in the middle of covering a 0-12 season and (was thinking) “is this what I want to do forever?”

I think I can safely say that if the newspaper had not shut down, I would still be (in graduate school.) I wanted to take the GRE, I wanted to go through the process, and I wanted to see if I could get into schools. For me, the decision was kind of made.

What are the benefits of pursuing graduate school?
I don’t know what the all the benefits would be.  If you are a sports writer, and you want to continue being a sports writer, you’re not going to get more money; you’re not going to be more marketable.

If you are going to go right after school that does not hurt you at all. You’ll meet more people; you’ll have more internships.  I think that when the job market is so tough, it is a really viable option. Students really need to be aware of what the program is they’re getting into.

Journalism internships serve key role in the job search

Story // Nick Robbe, Contributing Writer

With internships being one of the cornerstones of the E.W Scripps School of Journalism, students are required to have an advisor-approved internship to graduate. Graduate student Molly Yanity describes her experiences from internships and talks about the characteristics of an internship and what students can expect.

What is one aspect of an internship that you looked for when selecting where to apply?
I wanted to get published. Getting by-lines was [the] biggest goal of internships. I did a lot of unpaid internships. I did some that were no hours in the newsroom, but they are going to throw a couple assignments to you here and there. I had two paid internships in college.

One was the summer after my freshman year, and I actually worked for the [San Diego] Padres, but I wasn’t getting bylines. I was interviewing broadcasters. I just wanted to be around things there, and I did get paid for that.

After my senior year, I had a paid internship with the San Diego Union-Tribune. [It] wasn’t in sports, but I got stuff published all the time. In between that, I had a lot of unpaid internships, and that’s hard, but I wouldn’t change any of it because I got to do some PR, straight-up reporting, was in newsrooms— [I] kind of got the full mix. With the way things are right now, I would suggest to students that they go somewhere, paid or unpaid, and where they can not only get bylines but go through the online journalism process.

A student has the internship. Now what can they expect?
It really depends. At the Union-Tribune I had one editor who just did not like my style at all. He told me I wasn’t going to make it. I was upset for a little bit.

There was another editor, who said, “This is the guy who is going to edit your stuff. You are going to have to work to what he wants….adapt.” And that’s one of the qualities you have to have.

I would be prepared to do nothing but work; that’s why you are there. To make the most out of it, you’re going to need to do what they tell you, and I would suggest going above and beyond. I think where students need to go above and beyond is in the online realm. Pitch to an editor something unique that only you as the college intern can do.

Paid or unpaid, does it matter when it comes to the experience?
It is always better to be paid, but I’ve taken internships that were unpaid and got way more bylines out of it. The one out in San Diego was really frustrating for me, but it also helped me get my first job.

You can only do what you can do. If you have to have a job and make money, then your internship is going to be put on the back burner because you have to make the money. You have to find a balance.

Is it typical to be offered a job where you had an internship?
I think if you do a good job, it is. I think if Vince Nairn, the sports editor of The Post, didn’t have to go back to school, he would be working where he interned. I think it’s a great thing, you already know the people, the audience knows you, that’s a great thing. I wouldn’t say its typical, because it seems like right now newspapers hiring is atypical. I think it’s (interning) is a great stepping stone for sure.

Scripps grad student divulges how to conduct stellar interview

Story // Nick Robbe, Contributing Writer

Interviewing is one of the primary ways journalists gather their information.  For sports journalists, it is no different. Whether you are reporting about a game or are trying to write a feature, Scripps Graduate Student Molly Yanity proves situation will dictate the interview.

How much preparation goes into an interview?
It really depends on what I am writing about. If I am writing on something that I don’t know much about, (then) a lot. If it’s a big issue story, probably a lot. For me, if I am trying to do a profile, I will call the person that I am doing the story about and say “give me the names of five people that I should talk to about you.” So I try to go in before I actually sit down with the person and have a lot of information already. I think that’s the best way to do a profile. Then you automatically have a comfort level with them because you know a lot about them.

Do you start off with questions that get the subject in the flow of the interview?
The situation dictates what’s going on. It depends on how well you know the person, what you know about the person. If you do have tough questions, I don’t think the way to go is to start of with them. I think there is something interesting in covering sports, too. (It) is because a lot of times you are in the athletes’ realm. For me, I don’t like doing group interviews; I like getting people alone and talking to them alone. Sometimes if you have the opportunity to get them out of that realm, that makes things better– opens people up a little more.

Do you ever struggle asking the hard questions or a question you think is good but the subject does not?
I think for the most part I’ve (had) people say “Why are you asking me that?” And I’ve had a reason. The people that ask the tough questions everyday and come back and take the criticism from the people they have criticized, that is how good journalists distinguish themselves from all these other people (fan bloggers).

How do you get a subject to open up and to keep talking if they don’t know how to articulate the answer or if they are avoiding  your questions?
The whole thing with interviewing, to me, is that it is a people skill and you can’t just have the questions on your notebook and walk in and do it, or else you’re missing the whole picture. You need to know when to get off the script, when to shut it all down and maybe try again another time. I think it’s really gauging people.

Have you ever had a breaking news story and had to go into an interview cold?
That happens all the time. How about in a game where there is the most unlikely hero.  I get nervous if I am calling someone cold and I don’t know them.  It’s like the adrenaline — you have to do it, you have to make the call — and I get nervous and I loved that. Because once you’re done, and you hang up the phone, it’s like “BAM! Yeah, I did it.” I loved that and it’s almost like the bigger the person, or less you know of them, the better. That’s fun.

Sports enthusiast turns athletic savvy into journalism career

Story // Nick Robbe, Contributing Writer

Molly Yanity, a graduate student and instructor at Ohio University, developed a love for sports at a very young age.  The writing part may not have developed until she started writing for a student newspaper, but fast-forward to now, and her office is filled with sports books and various media credentials from events she’s covered in her more than 12 years of experience. Now, Yanity teaches at Ohio University to prepare journalism students for their own careers.

Yanity shows off her sports memorabilia in her office in Sing Tao.

 

Q: How did you get your foot in the door to sports journalism?
There were times between age 12 and 21 where I did news writing and not just sports.  I played softball in college, so it was pretty natural. I worked on the high school newspaper, (and) did some random freelance for the small town newspaper, which was actually the Athens Messenger.  I worked on my college newspaper.  When I was in college, I did a lot (of) unpaid internships, and that took up a lot of time.  That’s a challenge.  Especially with how things are right now, students need to take advantage of those opportunities, get plenty of clips, (and) get good mentors that are in the field. Something else you can do now that I couldn’t then was to have your own blog.

Q: Was it harder to get your foot in the door of sports reporting compared to now?
I would say that is probably about the same.  I think that it’s always hard.  I think that a lot of people that get into journalism  — the thing that very few people actually get through are the first couple of jobs, where they’re not in the place they want to live, and they probably aren’t doing exactly what they want to be doing. (Those jobs) don’t pay very well.  If it’s something you love to do, you are going to stick with it.

Q:  What is some advice for young journalists who are trying to make a career out of sports journalism?
Start a blog and write constantly.  Try to develop (it), even if it is (for) a small, local audience.  I think that the hardest thing for student journalists is to step outside of themselves  — something that I was very guilty of in my early twenties.  We have a tendency to think about ourselves and our opinions, and you really have to think of the people you are writing about it for.  Just work hard. If you really love it and you want to do it, it might take a little time, but I think you can get there.

Q:  Do you think that Twitter and other blogging platforms are the future of sports journalism?
I think that it will play a huge role.  You will never hear me say it’s going to replace it.  There is always going to be a need for people who can think critically and who can explain what’s going on with labor talks and things like that. (There is a need) for people to have critical eyes, and there will be people that need to tell good stories. You can’t tell a terrific human-interest story in 140 characters.

Q:  You teach the sports writing class. What is your objective in this class?
You can have all the little trinkets and Google maps in the story, but if it is not a fundamentally good story with good reporting and critical thinking, no one is going to want to read it.  That’s the gist of what I am trying to teach.  With the sports writing, I think we need to get away from being fans  — that’s hard.  That’s one way that journalists will separate themselves from the fan blogger.  The reason I wanted to teach sports writing is it’s something that I am passionate about in a way I can’t even describe in words. I absolutely loved my job. I loved it every single day. I would still be doing it had the newspaper I worked at not shut down. If I can go through half my life absolutely loving my job, and be able to pass that kind of passion on, that would make the next half of my life perfect.

School of Visual Communication offers supplementary classes

Story // Nick Robbe, Contributing Writer

This spring, students in the School of Visual Communication will be graduating, moving them closer and closer toward the real world.

However, these students still have enough time to gain further experience and to focus on skill sets that will help them in their career. By opting to take topic seminar classes offered by the School of Visual Communication, students are given an extra boost before departing from Athens.

“We’ve done topic seminars for 10 years here, and they’re offered every quarter,” said Terry Eiler, director of and professor in the School of Visual Communication. “They’re not required for your degree, but they’re electives that we encourage you to take because they add more information.”

Some topic seminars become popular enough that they become requirements for a degree from the school. It is a way of helping students and the program alike.

“All of it is preparation for us to build a better program, and it gives us the flexibility to do that,” Eiler said.

Even students from other majors can use these classes to their benefit.

“We opened up a deal where we would use (the classes) by permission to allow people from other schools to take the class,” Eiler said. “It was a courtesy to folks in the other departments who needed to pick up Web design or print design or Photoshop.”

Eiler said Vico 320 is a class that allows students to learn how to develop applications for Apple Inc. using different software. The result of their work is imported to the iTunes App Store.

Jered Marshall, a sophomore studying inter- active multimedia, said he likes the idea of the topic seminar classes.

“For my major, they have a bunch of cool courses. Next quarter they have some audio and video courses (and) an advanced CSS course,” Marshall said. “It’s cool that they make a class about one specific topic to get better at.”

Eiler added he could see students from the School of Media Arts and Studies choosing to take these various topic seminars. However, aside from students in the online journalism sequence who need to increase their knowledge of CSS, Eiler admitted that not many students in the School of Journalism are drawn to these classes.

He said that students from other journalism sequences take the classes on a more entry- level basis, not the topic seminar classes.

Eiler said that one seminar is not any better than another, but choosing one is about what piques a student’s interest.

“All courses are ones that deserve to be in the dialogue of your education depending on your goals,” Eiler said.

He said he enjoys seeing students studying visual communication cross over to other fields of study and vice versa. Taking many varied classes is an element that the Scripps College of Communication offers, ensuring that every student receives a well-rounded education.

“Education no longer happens in a silo,” Eilter said. “You have to get out and reach over in(to) the School of Art or Media (Studies) and realize that there are some good things there that you need if you are going to be well- educated.”