A New Brand of Journalism

SPJ workshop teaches young journalists the importance of online branding

Grothjan demonstrates the basics of coding.

The age of journalism has gone digital. At least according to Ohio University student Sarah Grothjan, who indicates that students must find a way to brand themselves online, or they take the risk of going unnoticed.

Grothjan, a junior Carr Van Anda major and Society of Professional Journalists’ publicity chair, led an SPJ workshop Monday highlighting the importance of creating an online personal presence.

“Everyone should at least buy their own domain,” Grothjan advises. “Even if they don’t use it right now, they’ll want access to it in the future, if only for SEO [Search Engine Optimization] purposes.”

Her audience, a mixture of JSchool students from different sequences, listened intently as Grothjan guided them through the steps of creating a web page, designing the format and eventually getting it published.

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 Students Learn to Utilize Journalism Apps

SPJ VP shows students how to use apps while working in the field

The Society of Professional Journalists started off their winter quarter meetings with a look into the ever-growing list of applications for smart phones and tablets that can be applied to journalism.

With technology constantly evolving and improving, it is becoming more important for journalists to see the benefits of using apps that can help them in the field.  The smart phone is starting to become the eyes and ears for those working on a breaking story.

While being stuck behind a desk is not the ideal situation for journalists trying to cover a story, smartphones like the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry have apps that now make a journalist’s daily work much easier.

App Expert and Vice President of SPJ, Emma Morehart, led this meeting by explaining some of her favorite and most useful apps. 

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.

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.

Free Food or Free Life?

Kenneth McNulty, Reporter

The First Amendment Free Food Festival, hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists, gave Ohio University students and members the Athens community a chance to experience an unusual scenario last Friday at the Howard Hall Site.

After symbolically signing away their First Amendment rights, festival attendees were given free food. However, if these surrendered rights were abused, the  “goons”, enforcers of the new law on the festival’s grounds, escorted the attendees who failed to comply off the premises.

The motive behind this event was to emphasize the importance of the First Amendment rights.

“We’re trying to spread awareness of what the First Amendment is,” Planning Chair for OU SPJ Sandhya Kambhampati said.

Kambhampati believes that many people in our country do not fully know or appreciate what the First Amendment does for us.

“It’s something you don’t really think about, but take for granted,” Kambhampati said.

Being a national organization, SPJ events in smaller chapters such as OU’s can help spread the message to multiple locations.

“It’s [the festival] a national event and held at a lot of other campuses,” said Taylor Mirfendereski, President of the Ohio University SPJ chapter. “We were lucky enough to have that foundation; it wasn’t our idea from the start”.

Mirfendereski helped organize the festival and was one of the “goons” who enforced the First Amendment restrictions and rules during the event.

Upon entering the festival, attendees were given passports to symbolize their entrance into a new country along with a list of “commandments” to abide by. These commandments included, but were not limited to, no speaking in line or to members of the opposite sex, dress code restrictions and a requirement for members of the press to be supervised at all times.

Some participants had difficulty adjusting to these rules.

“I mean, I understood what I had to do, but it was kind of hard being with your friends and not being able to talk to them,” OU student Ariel Stiggers said.

Overall, the event helped students and members of the Athens community see just what the First Amendment rights entail and how lucky Americans are to have these rights.

“Even in a free country, you will always have different interpretations of the First Amendment and there are people who don’t necessarily follow it, but when you compare that to other countries,” Mirfendereski said, “…I am grateful for what we have.”

 

 

SPJ and IIJ team up to welcome Antigone Barton

Holly Moody, Reporter

Ohio University’s Society of Professional Journalists and International Institute of Journalism have teamed up to welcome international health journalist Antigone Barton on Tuesday, Oct. 25^th at 5 p.m., in Scripps 111.

Barton has spent over 10 years covering health and environmental issues for the Palm Beach Post in South Florida. Having written several articles on the HIV/AIDS epidemic overseas and in the United States, Barton has had much experience covering the severity of global health issues.

From uncovering the stories of sex workers in the Dominican Republic, to the battle with HIV in Haiti’s National Penitentiary, Barton has taken an in-depth approach to reporting global health crisis. Her work is supported by Pulitzer Center reporting grants.

Barton studied Global Health Research and Ethics at Harvard University in the 2010-2011 academic year as a Niemen-Pulitzer Center Global Health Journalism Fellow. In addition, she spent a year in Zambia as a Knight Health Journalism Fellow.

All majors and those interested in international correspondence are encouraged to attend Tuesday’s event.

To find out more about Antigone Barton or to view her articles visit http://pulitzercenter.org/people/antigone-barton.

National News Correspondent Talks Tragedy and Truth

Holly Moody, Reporter

There is some news coverage we will never forget.

While many Americans experienced the tragic events of the September 11 terrorist attacks through their television screens at home, CBS chief national news correspondent and 60 Minutes contributor, Byron Pitts, was on ground zero gathering the facts of a story that told how thousands lost their lives.

Last Tuesday, Pitts discussed his experiences with covering world tragedies and the importance of reporting the truth with Ohio University’s Society of Professional Journalists members via Skype.

Specifically, Pitts shared details about his Emmy award  winning 9/11  coverage and what went through his mind  on that day.

Having just basic information prior to arriving at the  scene, Pitts said he  was unsure about what to expect and  unaware that this incident was a    terrorist attack on the  U.S until later that day. He began taking notes, with  the  assumption that people would make it out of the building  safely.

“We saw what looked like a giant white piece of paper  floating to the ground,” said Pitts. “We realized it was a  woman in a dress”.

From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, human death isn’t an unfamiliar sight to Pitts. Over the course of witnessing 47 deaths in his career thus far, Pitts has become used to watching tragedies occur right before his eyes.

While many may think that Pitts would become emotional in these traumatic moments, he says he does not let his feelings come between him and the story.

“Journalists much reach a balance,” said SPJ president Taylor Mirfendereski.

Pitts aims to always report the truth and humanize his stories, so that viewers can identify with them in some way. He said that humanizing stories makes the American audience appreciate traumatic situations and creates a deeper impact.

“He inspires me to do things like that,” said Broadcast Journalism major Brianna DiPilato, “—reporting hard news that informs and effects people.”

Pitts’ experiences with reporting have not only taken place on American soil. He has traveled across the world, reporting on natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti and has been recognized for his work under fire in Baghdad.

He also gave advice about the balance between showing the reality of situations and showing respect in other countries.

“Be careful and listen, don’t pretend to know what others’ lives are like,” said Pitts.

Many students that sat in on Pitts’ discussion identified with his goals as a journalist and what he thinks the foundations of reporting are. In turn, Pitts identified with students as he spoke about working his way up in the journalism industry.

“It’s called making your bones at CBS,” said Pitts. “You have to do certain things to be seen a certain way.”

Today, Pitts continues to report for CBS globally while staying true to the foundation of journalism.

“Honor the truth, that’s my job,” said Pitts.

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.

 

SPJ to hold journalism toolbox discussion

Holly Moody, Reporter

Ohio University’s Society of Professional Journalists will be discussing various online journalism tools and resources in order to help students further their journalism careers on Tuesday, October 4 at 5 p.m. in Scripps 111.

Students will be able to gain insight on tools such as Poynter.org, an informational journalism website with the latest in journalism news, events, training, and how-to’s on news gathering, using social media, and more.

“We realize that there are not always chances for students to learn everything about the journalism profession and how to further their careers,” said Mirfendereski.

In addition, students will be shown resources via websites on how to shoot video, use photo shop and other journalism technologies.

“People want to learn these tools but sometimes can’t find the time because of classes,”said Mifendereski.

The event is open to all students and majors.