Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The End is the Beginning
This is the end for the time being, but a new beginning is right around the corner.
Today marks the final blog post as a part of my capstone project. I plan to continue to contribute to this blog in the near future, but there will be a little bit of a break in between. I want to make sure this does not become one of those blogs someone looks at three years from now and sees that this was the last update.
This final entry will stray a bit from what I have done in previous posts. While all of my posts have contained great facts from sources and have had some of my own input in them, I have not yet put out an entire opinion piece. That ends today with a reflection on what I have accomplished with this blog and my thoughts on the journalistic profession as a whole.
What I have Learned
1. Starting a Blog is Easy
One of the first things I learned was how simple it was to create a blog on the internet. I have had several articles published over the years, but they always had to go through a process before being put out there. Blogger.com offers any aspiring journalist/writer/egotistical person the chance to share their articles and opinions to everyone on the internet.
2. COM 3140 was Correct
There are many things that are not being correctly done at Aurora University. In fact, I could probably create a blog with the sole purpose of detailing all the things wrong with AU as a whole.
One thing AU got right was allowing Dann Gire to teach COM 3140, the only true journalism course offered at the school, for the fall semester. I bring this up because a lot of the teachings in that class were reinforced through all of my research.
Research in other courses and for this blog revealed a lot of key points Gire tried to drill into the class of eight people I was in. He made everyone in the class aware of the changes that were happening to the profession and the necessary skills that were needed to make it in the industry.
Gire made me think much more constructively about each of these blog posts. I tried to follow a basic format with the majority of posts based on his teachings. Grab the reader’s attention with a catchy lead, open with the most relevant information while connecting back to the lead, do not lose the reader with unnecessary information, and being concise.
The frequent revisions I made to these posts were a result of me learning how significant editing your own work was from Gire’s class. The majority of my submitted assignments in Gire’s class had to be revised to fit within the journalistic standards he set out for us.
I owe a lot of my improved writing to that class, and this blog is an example of my improvement.
3. Learn about your Desired Profession
As I have stated here before, it is crucial to learn all the details about a possible career before entering the field. I have accomplished that with this blog.
I now feel more prepared to make a mark as a journalist. I see what I need to continue doing to get better. I have identified new responsibilities that the profession now has, and feel as if I have gotten a jump start in developing the necessary skills to be able to carry out those responsibilities.
Writing all of this down in one place helped keep me on track with what information I had to seek through different outlets. Online research gave me a start to all of the essential information I needed. The interview with Jake Kurtz helped put a stamp on all the research I had conducted.
I am in a better place in my profession because of this blog.
Do Not Listen to the Doubters
Commencement is this Sunday, May 8 for me. It is a much anticipated day for me, as a lifelong dream becomes a reality. However, not all is great at this time in the life of an aspiring journalist.
Ill-informed family members (I have plenty), colleagues and friends can use this as an opportunity to ruin your day by asking questions such as: “What’s next?” “Isn’t journalism dying along with the newspaper industry?” “Journalist eh, don’t expect to make any money with that.”
Those types of questions can easily bring your excitement down quite a bit, and I expect to hear similar remarks in the next few weeks. I feel more prepared to handle them, though. I tell myself "Do not listen to them and continue to do what I want to do."
If you are reading this blog, you love to write and want to pursue it in your professional life. When something is a passion, give it your all to be the best you can be. Any profession will involve doubters, but journalism offers more it seems like.
If journalism offers you everything you want in a career, go for it and forget about that wise-ass uncle who wants to ruin your self-esteem to make up for his own shortcomings.
Write, Write and Write some more
One of the most important things that has to come out of this blog for aspiring journalists is that only practice will make you a better writer. It may sound cliché, but I have improved my writing immensely due to the amount of writing I did this academic year.
Writing for the student newspaper and this blog helped me sharpen my ability to be concise, organized and structured with everything that I write. Before, it was a struggle to properly structure each article to adhere to a journalistic style. Now it is much more natural.
Even though journalistic style writing and academic style writing differ, I have found that the journalistic style helps in writing academic papers. Journalistic style writing allows for better narrowing down of topics for a better academic paper. I found it much easier to write research papers this year as opposed to other years because my paper became a lot more focused on one or two topics.
Good Night and Good Luck
Follow your dreams and get to where you want to be with hard work and dedication.
Journalism will be here forever, and potentially grow stronger than ever. Make sure to be an active member in journalism revolution.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
A Professional Speaks (Part III)
It is about who you know.
In the final entry of my summarization of my interview with Jake Kurtz, networking and other helpful tips upon entering the professional world will be discussed.
The Power of Networking
The media industry is all about communication. Members of the media try to get their messages across to an audience in a fair and objective way…sometimes.
For an industry that is so wide-ranging in possible job opportunities, it is important for job-seekers to put themselves in a position where all they need to do is pick up a phone and call a colleague for a job opportunity once school ends. This is where who you know means a great deal.
“Networking is everything in the media industry and the best way to get a start somewhere,” Kurtz said.
According to Kurtz, one of the best ways to network is to do a good amount of freelance work for minimal cost. While low pay never sounds real appealing, the work that is done the right way will help attract employers who are looking to hire someone full-time.
Maintaining a relationship with decision-makers at companies gets your foot in the door, and could potentially lead to something down the road.
“Make it so when they hear about an opening, they think to toss your name out or tell someone to give you a call,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz is a real-life example of what good networking techniques can accomplish. Upon graduating in 2006, the editor at the hometown newspaper he had kept in contact with already had helped him set up three interviews in three different states. In the media industry, everyone talks to everyone, meaning that relationships established can help guide an ideal career path.
Take that Odd Job-Experience is Crucial
Any opportunity that presents itself that can give valuable experiences is worth considering. No matter how uninteresting or strange the beat may be.
One of the only ways to get to a better job in this business is to start near the bottom and work on up.
“Whether it's catching papers in a print shop, covering a car crash at 1 a.m. or having to talk to the wife of a homicide victim,” Kurtz said. “It's all stuff you can put on your resume and use to get better as a reporter.”
These jobs will not pay well. It is important to keep realistic expectations of what type of salary you will take on early in your career.
“You're not going to make $60,000 a year immediately out of college and be prepared to work some terrible hours with some bizarre people and places mixed in,” Kurtz said.
Once locked into a job in the early going, it is important to keep it for at least a year according to Kurtz. Journalists want to do their best to not get a reputation of someone who is always looking to leave for other opportunities.
No Normal Days for Journalists
If interested in a 9-5 job that requires the same exact type of work every single day, then journalism is not the profession for you.
The news never stops. Neither do the weird and wacky events that occur on a daily basis. Each day offers a new opportunity to do something you did not do the day before.
Kurtz estimates that he could leave the office anywhere from 5 p.m. on some nights to 3 a.m. some mornings. If a story has an urgent aspect to it, the necessary time needs to be put in to get the story right and timely.
While every day is not typical in terms of the stories being covered, Kurtz provided an example of what a typical day is in terms of the responsibilities he has:
“Get to work in the morning. Check e-mails and make calls looking for potential stories. Catch up with the local police chief, City Hall folks, local county sheriff. I read a few newspapers every day, including the Wall Street Journal. If I'm working on human-interest or feature stories, I'll set up interviews and meet up with these people to talk or get photographs. In the evenings I attend a lot of meetings. City councils, school boards, different commissions or operation groups.”
In the final entry of my summarization of my interview with Jake Kurtz, networking and other helpful tips upon entering the professional world will be discussed.
The Power of Networking
The media industry is all about communication. Members of the media try to get their messages across to an audience in a fair and objective way…sometimes.
For an industry that is so wide-ranging in possible job opportunities, it is important for job-seekers to put themselves in a position where all they need to do is pick up a phone and call a colleague for a job opportunity once school ends. This is where who you know means a great deal.
“Networking is everything in the media industry and the best way to get a start somewhere,” Kurtz said.
According to Kurtz, one of the best ways to network is to do a good amount of freelance work for minimal cost. While low pay never sounds real appealing, the work that is done the right way will help attract employers who are looking to hire someone full-time.
Maintaining a relationship with decision-makers at companies gets your foot in the door, and could potentially lead to something down the road.
“Make it so when they hear about an opening, they think to toss your name out or tell someone to give you a call,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz is a real-life example of what good networking techniques can accomplish. Upon graduating in 2006, the editor at the hometown newspaper he had kept in contact with already had helped him set up three interviews in three different states. In the media industry, everyone talks to everyone, meaning that relationships established can help guide an ideal career path.
Take that Odd Job-Experience is Crucial
Any opportunity that presents itself that can give valuable experiences is worth considering. No matter how uninteresting or strange the beat may be.
One of the only ways to get to a better job in this business is to start near the bottom and work on up.
“Whether it's catching papers in a print shop, covering a car crash at 1 a.m. or having to talk to the wife of a homicide victim,” Kurtz said. “It's all stuff you can put on your resume and use to get better as a reporter.”
These jobs will not pay well. It is important to keep realistic expectations of what type of salary you will take on early in your career.
“You're not going to make $60,000 a year immediately out of college and be prepared to work some terrible hours with some bizarre people and places mixed in,” Kurtz said.
Once locked into a job in the early going, it is important to keep it for at least a year according to Kurtz. Journalists want to do their best to not get a reputation of someone who is always looking to leave for other opportunities.
No Normal Days for Journalists
If interested in a 9-5 job that requires the same exact type of work every single day, then journalism is not the profession for you.
The news never stops. Neither do the weird and wacky events that occur on a daily basis. Each day offers a new opportunity to do something you did not do the day before.
Kurtz estimates that he could leave the office anywhere from 5 p.m. on some nights to 3 a.m. some mornings. If a story has an urgent aspect to it, the necessary time needs to be put in to get the story right and timely.
While every day is not typical in terms of the stories being covered, Kurtz provided an example of what a typical day is in terms of the responsibilities he has:
“Get to work in the morning. Check e-mails and make calls looking for potential stories. Catch up with the local police chief, City Hall folks, local county sheriff. I read a few newspapers every day, including the Wall Street Journal. If I'm working on human-interest or feature stories, I'll set up interviews and meet up with these people to talk or get photographs. In the evenings I attend a lot of meetings. City councils, school boards, different commissions or operation groups.”
Monday, April 18, 2011
Practice Makes Perfect
Learning a new style will only help.
In a typical journalistic job, writing style will differ from previous academic writing. It could come as quite of a shock when writing an early article in a journalism course in college, and getting it back full of red ink because of not adhering to proper journalistic writing.
A student must be adhere to the Associated Press style of writing that professional journalists do. Purchasing an AP Stylebook, such as the one pictured to the right or the new 2011 version, will allow for a great opportunity to study some of the rules that are expected to be followed for publications.
The book features thousands of entries A-Z concerning correct usages of spelling, punctuation, grammar, and abbreviations. There is quite a bit of explanation with man of the entries to gain a better understanding of what exactly is the best usage for any given problem.
The stylebook offers a great resource, not to mention a reasonable price. On Amazon.com, the 2011 style book is listed at $13.59 brand new and will be available June 7. The 2010 stylebook is listed as low as $12.53 used.
Despite learning the essentials of the book away from the beat, it is still important to carry it around at all times to double-check if the style is being followed correctly. Proofreading and checking sources are always necessary, but style and structure remain key points of emphasis.
Practicing writing in this style in any public forum will only help acclimate the future journalist to the preferred writing method of journalists. Stylistic writing is habit-forming, and the more practice, the better the writer can be.
In a typical journalistic job, writing style will differ from previous academic writing. It could come as quite of a shock when writing an early article in a journalism course in college, and getting it back full of red ink because of not adhering to proper journalistic writing.
A student must be adhere to the Associated Press style of writing that professional journalists do. Purchasing an AP Stylebook, such as the one pictured to the right or the new 2011 version, will allow for a great opportunity to study some of the rules that are expected to be followed for publications.
The book features thousands of entries A-Z concerning correct usages of spelling, punctuation, grammar, and abbreviations. There is quite a bit of explanation with man of the entries to gain a better understanding of what exactly is the best usage for any given problem.
The stylebook offers a great resource, not to mention a reasonable price. On Amazon.com, the 2011 style book is listed at $13.59 brand new and will be available June 7. The 2010 stylebook is listed as low as $12.53 used.
Despite learning the essentials of the book away from the beat, it is still important to carry it around at all times to double-check if the style is being followed correctly. Proofreading and checking sources are always necessary, but style and structure remain key points of emphasis.
Practicing writing in this style in any public forum will only help acclimate the future journalist to the preferred writing method of journalists. Stylistic writing is habit-forming, and the more practice, the better the writer can be.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Professional Speaks (Part II)
When becoming a journalist, one of the first things you may want to do is ask technology out on a date.
Throughout this blog, I have been pushing the necessary use and understanding of technology as a tool for journalists. Technology is not going away, so it is time to begin a torrid love affair with it.
Cautionary with Necessary Technology
The increase in technology means that incoming professional journalists must have sustainable knowledge about how to use it correctly. Otherwise, competitors for the job you are applying for may have an advantage over you.
“With the way technology you either embrace and accept it or you’re going to get left behind,” Kurtz said.
While a journalist does not have to have software engineering or information technology expertise on their resumes, they need to find a way to understand the basic functions of the tools they will use. Despite being early in a journalistic career or as a student studying journalism, it becomes important to try to display some creativity and try to reach different audiences.
Creating accounts on Twitter and Facebook take little time, and will connect you to more information. Following verified accounts of newsmakers on Twitter allows for instant news feeds from them, with a potential story being found as a result.
As mentioned before in one of my blog posts, however, solely relying something such as Twitter for news is not recommended.
“Twitter has made it so easy to report quick hits and breaking stuff that people don’t take the time to check facts,” Kurtz said. “They hear something and throw it up on Twitter rather than make a phone call or two and verifying things first.”
This is where journalists can pay dearly for not going through the process of correctly verifying information before putting it on the internet for anyone to see. The credibility that Kurtz made a priority could be lost for the reporter if they are caught in a situation where they went for immediacy rather than proper fact checking.
“Everyone wants to be the first to get a story out, but what good is that if it's filled with shoddy information and inaccuracies?” Kurtz said.
Kurtz made sure to look at the other side of the argument with social media, though. He knows it has greatly helped in areas of the profession when used properly.
“The job has definitely become easier when it comes to information gathering, there is no questioning that,” Kurtz said. “Sometimes you still need to go to a court house or police station to get something, but the internet and online databases are a wonderful asset.”
Journalists work long hours trying to get the right story. Reducing travel time, in some cases, allows for more attention to be paid to the actual writing of the story. The vast amount of internet resources, at least the trustworthy ones, can potentially add to a sharper story being written.
Next Up
For Part III of my discussion with Jake Kurtz, I am going to talk about aspects of networking, what you can do early in your career that will help you in the long term and summarize what a day in the life of a journalist is like.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A Professional Speaks (Part I)
A little bit of professional expertise never hurt anyone.
The purpose of this blog is to act as a helpful tool for current and future journalism students to understand how journalism is evolving. A main goal to achieve a real-world feel to what journalism is all about at present time was to interview a professional journalist in the field.
I wanted to interview someone who had not been too far removed from attending a journalism school and that could identify some of the essentials that could help in the competitive job market. I chose to interview Jake Kurtz.
Kurtz, a 2006 graduate of Iowa University’s School of Mass Communication and Journalism, has worked with me for the better part of the last year at BlueDemonBulletin.com. Kurtz is the publisher of the college basketball site covering DePaul men’s basketball, along with being an editor and writer.
The 27-year-old is an associate editor at The Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, IA. He also works as a reporter and photographer for a number of community newspapers in Northwest Iowa.
The Series
There was so much great information in the interview that I plan to split up my blog posts to highlight different components of the discussion. This first part of the series details key characteristics that journalists must make sure to have to advance to where they want to be.
The Essentials
With so many ideas of the specific qualities a journalist should have, it is occasionally hard to remember what the most important ones are. When entering today’s field, Kurtz described five qualities that are essential to every journalist.
1. “The ability to write clearly,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz reinforced the importance of the all-important hook contained in the lead at the beginning of the story. The reader must feel compelled to read on, making the effectiveness of a lead crucial.
2. “The ability to edit and evaluate carefully.”
It is a reporter’s job to sift through bad information from sources and find the accurate and unbiased facts.
3. “Keeping your word,” Kurtz said. “Your word, honesty and integrity mean everything in this business.”
Credibility continues to be one of the most important aspects of journalism.
4. “Not being afraid to pick up the phone.”
New reporters have been seen to be too reliant on e-mail according to Kurtz. This can present problems because it is very easy to get lost in someone’s crowded e-mail inbox, and messages may not be returned in a timely manner. Kurtz mentioned that it is much harder to ignore a number of phone calls than an e-mail.
5. “Don’t use five words when you can use two.”
This has been a fact that was drilled into me in my journalism course last semester. It is great if someone has an extensive vocabulary and can use a number of big words, but this applies more to book writing rather than journalistic work. People are reading the newspaper for news, period.
The “not being afraid to pick up the phone” aspect intrigued me the most. In this age, a lot more reporting is done specifically through e-mail or possibly text messaging. In my experience, text messaging has been an effective way to informally let someone know that you are interested in talking to them, but there is not substance to be attained through this.
E-mail will always be a great tool for contacting sources, but it does lose the personal feel a phone call might have. There is more time for the subject to prepare and possibly talk to public relations people to put a spin on their answers. Phone calls offer the chance for spontaneity and possibly more accurate answers.
Next Part
The next blog post will delve into the social media aspect a bit more from a professional perspective.
The purpose of this blog is to act as a helpful tool for current and future journalism students to understand how journalism is evolving. A main goal to achieve a real-world feel to what journalism is all about at present time was to interview a professional journalist in the field.
I wanted to interview someone who had not been too far removed from attending a journalism school and that could identify some of the essentials that could help in the competitive job market. I chose to interview Jake Kurtz.
Kurtz, a 2006 graduate of Iowa University’s School of Mass Communication and Journalism, has worked with me for the better part of the last year at BlueDemonBulletin.com. Kurtz is the publisher of the college basketball site covering DePaul men’s basketball, along with being an editor and writer.
The 27-year-old is an associate editor at The Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, IA. He also works as a reporter and photographer for a number of community newspapers in Northwest Iowa.
The Series
There was so much great information in the interview that I plan to split up my blog posts to highlight different components of the discussion. This first part of the series details key characteristics that journalists must make sure to have to advance to where they want to be.
The Essentials
With so many ideas of the specific qualities a journalist should have, it is occasionally hard to remember what the most important ones are. When entering today’s field, Kurtz described five qualities that are essential to every journalist.
1. “The ability to write clearly,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz reinforced the importance of the all-important hook contained in the lead at the beginning of the story. The reader must feel compelled to read on, making the effectiveness of a lead crucial.
2. “The ability to edit and evaluate carefully.”
It is a reporter’s job to sift through bad information from sources and find the accurate and unbiased facts.
3. “Keeping your word,” Kurtz said. “Your word, honesty and integrity mean everything in this business.”
Credibility continues to be one of the most important aspects of journalism.
4. “Not being afraid to pick up the phone.”
New reporters have been seen to be too reliant on e-mail according to Kurtz. This can present problems because it is very easy to get lost in someone’s crowded e-mail inbox, and messages may not be returned in a timely manner. Kurtz mentioned that it is much harder to ignore a number of phone calls than an e-mail.
5. “Don’t use five words when you can use two.”
This has been a fact that was drilled into me in my journalism course last semester. It is great if someone has an extensive vocabulary and can use a number of big words, but this applies more to book writing rather than journalistic work. People are reading the newspaper for news, period.
The “not being afraid to pick up the phone” aspect intrigued me the most. In this age, a lot more reporting is done specifically through e-mail or possibly text messaging. In my experience, text messaging has been an effective way to informally let someone know that you are interested in talking to them, but there is not substance to be attained through this.
E-mail will always be a great tool for contacting sources, but it does lose the personal feel a phone call might have. There is more time for the subject to prepare and possibly talk to public relations people to put a spin on their answers. Phone calls offer the chance for spontaneity and possibly more accurate answers.
Next Part
The next blog post will delve into the social media aspect a bit more from a professional perspective.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
School is in Session
The schools are changing as well.
As a result of the evolving journalism field, journalism schools have adapted their curriculum to better prepare their students for the professional world.
Picking up new technological skills are becoming more common in the classroom. Using social media as a way to share pictures of the night before or update your friends on what you are doing has transformed into a valuable tool for teachers to help their students get their name out there.
In researching last week, I came across a great article-"10 Ways Journalism Schools are Teaching Social Media"- that reinforces this point about schools making the necessary adjustments to better equip their students with the necessary skills to keep up with the changing field of journalism. Although being published nearly two years ago, the article detailed the top 10 ways that journalism schools are involving social media in their class.
1. Promotion of Content
This step is crucial for any journalist to get their name out to an audience and maybe even a potential employer. Social media allows for quick posting of stories for everyone to see. Every time you write an academic or professional article, make sure that it is seen. A blog allows you to get your stories on the internet, and you can then promote them through the use of Twitter or Facebook.
At Columbia University, they are now offering a social media skills course to help expand on what you already know.
2. Interviews
The article references a case at the University of North Carolina where a professor teaches his students how to interview subjects of a story using social media. Skype, which allows you to have a real time face-to-face chat on a computer allows for a more personal touch with your interview subject. Saves on travel time and produces a more intimate setting rather than just e-mail.
3. Gathering of Information
Journalism teachers are now more encouraging of their students to use social media as a way to get information quick. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, though, the necessary background checking that has always been a part of journalism especially applies to everything you take from a social media site.
4. Acquiring Sources
Students are now being taught to use social media as a way to acquire sources. The article speaks about a social media site such as FriendFeed, where you can subscribe to a number of feeds from friends to get information, to ask questions of people to be potential sources for a story.
5. Publishing with Social Tools
Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism taught students how to create a site that would help them learn how to publish material using social media tools such as WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr. This is a way for students to learn what the appropriate tool is for what type of information-Twitter for quick updates, Facebook for articles, Flickr for pictures, etc.
6. Blogging
At the University of Wisconsin at Madison Journalism School, students learned how to use an application called CoveritLive. This tool allows for people to embed a live-running blog on a site so that they could post information quickly and have real-time conversations with their audience. This certainly appeals to the immediacy the audience is looking for. There is no waiting around for someone to answer a question.
7. Relevant Content
Journalism teachers are emphasizing the correct use of social media. They do not want to see their students not just put up unimportant messages that only apply to themselves. Their students should be posting content that is relevant and important to society. Joining certain groups that share these ideas can help a student network.
8. Brand
Students are taught to use social media in a way that establishes who they will be as a writer. Being a member of a group can help the student reach out to experts in the field for advice.
9. Ethics
As I have written about before, the same ethics that apply to you as a real-world journalist apply to you in the digital world as well. Teachers are making sure to drill this point home to their students. Teachers are also making sure to inform students to be careful of what groups they are joining. If a journalist joins a group, that can be seen as a potential bias towards that group by some.
10. Use all of them
Students are being encouraged to experiment with all the social media so they know how to use it, and are able to become familiar with the applications. Potential employers maybe will be making sure that journalists know to properly use these tools before hiring them.
Future journalism students should see this as a need to embrace the social technology that is all around them. Constantly experimenting with different ways to use social media could possibly give you a leg up on your competition.
There are so many ways to be creative with social media for current journalism students. They can possibly use a project they did in school that involved social media and show it to a potential employer as proof of their ability to correctly use the technology.
References
Lavrusik, V. (2009, June 19). 10 ways journalism schools are teaching social media. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/06/19/teaching-social-media/
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Smartphones are Smart for Journalists
Do the smart thing-buy a smartphone.
In the modern age of technology and news gathering, it is essential for a journalist to own a smartphone to keep pace with the 24-hour news cycle. Rather than regarding the smartphone as a tool for teens to update their facebook or twitter accounts 50 times a day, embrace the technology that can be one of your best friends in the field.
Obviously, any aspiring journalist should be aware that their future profession requires a lot of traveling to destinations. During these travel times, every minute counts now. Long gone are the days where a journalist would sit and wonder what is happening with a story they are working on while they await a source to return a message that was left three hours earlier.
Smartphones, such as the iPhone, allows journalists the tools to constantly stay on the internet and find the research or information they are looking for. These phones also lessen the burden of having to carry so many devices.
A few blog posts back, I referred to what a backpack journalist is and what they need to fully cover a story. While all that equipment will help capture a story, constantly carrying around all of those items can become a burden when in the field without a news team helping out.
The Handy, Dandy iPhone
This is where the iPhone comes in handy. It acts as a cell phone, tape recorder, laptop computer, camera and video recorder all in one device.
In recent days researching for projects, which take up most of my day as a senior communication student, I came across a story that put the handiness of the all-in-one capabilities of the iPhone into context.
Back in October 2010, WTOP-FM in Washington, D.C. featured a journalist doing something that had not been accounted for in many other places. Neil Augenstein used solely his iPhone to report, edit and file his story straight from the field.
While Augenstein may be one of the first journalists to accomplish this, he potentially could represent a trend in new ways of reporting and embracing technology.
This is a sign that it is important for journalists to not only run out and buy a smart phone, but also learns how to correctly use all of their functions.
Companies today will certainly look to their journalists to be tech savvy with smart phones. Lacking those fundamental skills could be a barrier to landing the job you want out of college.
Other Helpful Tools of the iPhone
1. SpotCrime
Finds out what crimes have occurred in a desired location. This enables journalists to locate heavy crime areas for news like they never have been able to before. Local media outlets tend to be considered a sort of gatekeeper for this information, but now journalists have access to it as long as they have an iPhone.
2. Kindle
This allows journalists to have the ability to research long text on the go without having to carry around several books or documents. Journalists can expand to their stories in real time.
3. Howcast
This application allows journalists to make quick videos pertaining to a story for consumption by the public. Quick videos with helpful tips regarding any story or idea can be relayed to the audience without much work.
4. HearPlanet
HearPlanet allows journalists to get quick information on such things as landmarks. Journalists can make location-based material available in a short amount of time.
5. UStream
This application enables the journalist to upload videos from HowCast and audio clips quickly.
6. Reeldirector
Reeldirector is a video editing application that can edit clips and combine videos cohesively. This tool can also add sound or music to the clips to add emotion to them.
7. WordPress
Wordpress is a tool that gives journalists the opportunity to write stories and embed multimedia on the road without ever having to stop off to get on a computer. This saves time and adds to the immediacy audiences want.
References
Ferenstein, G. (2010, February 1). Five essential tools for the mobile journalist. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/02/01/mobile-journalist-tools/
Shiver, R. (2010, November 1). Continuing the journalism evolution-using smartphones. Retrieved from http://students.com.miami.edu/netreporting/?p=1019
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Contact Information
Feel free to follow me on my twitter account @editjournalism
Also, if you have any additional comments, questions, or concerns that go beyond on commenting on the blog posts, do not hesitate to e-mail me at editjournalism@gmail.com
Keep on Writing!
Also, if you have any additional comments, questions, or concerns that go beyond on commenting on the blog posts, do not hesitate to e-mail me at editjournalism@gmail.com
Keep on Writing!
Full Speed ahead on Social Media
The majority of the internet users are getting social with social media. Journalists are too.
A Facebook update detailing how you are in the process of using the washroom or a tweet specifying what beverage you just ordered are not the only ways to use social media. Social media has begun to serve as an integral tool in a journalist’s repertoire.
The ability to properly use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Skype allows journalist’s opportunities to get information like never before. With seemingly so many stories’ origins being traced back to a tweet or a post on Facebook, a journalist can often find leads to stories without speaking with anyone over the phone, in person or through e-mail.
With the use of a smart phone and the following of the right people in the various forms of social media, a journalist adds another option to get a beat on a story before anyone else does. However, a journalist must proceed with caution at this point.
Caution!
This should not be a news flash to anyone who has used the internet or read about it before-not everything on the internet is fact. If that idea is a shock for anyone, then I am sorry for bursting your bubble.
Every week or few days there are stories about how something that began with a simple tweet exploded into a big story on the internet, but was denounced as being false later. This happens with false reports of deaths of celebrities (Jeff Goldblum, Morgan Freeman), sports coaching hires or player transactions and anything creative someone could come up with to potentially ruin someone’s day.
Earlier this month there was rampant internet speculation about the arrival of the McLobster to nationwide McDonald’s menus. This was all due to one person tweeting that the seafood sandwich would be available to US customers, then the tweet was retweeted, then retweeted again, and again. For those few days, the McLobster became one of the most searched for items on Yahoo.
While the McLobster does exist seasonally in Maine and areas in Canada, McDonald’s shot down the ill-informed claim with, of course, a tweet:
“Despite all the rumors there r no plans 2 bring mclobster or mcsushi 2 the US menu. We r working on a new menu item called McWinning.”
The McLobster is a clear example of how information can be passed along without any real confirmation from anyone, yet explode into something that is believed by large amounts of people.
This is why it is crucial for future journalists to remember the guidelines that have been a part of journalism forever. Do not just follow a trend to get the story out before anyone else can. Good old-fashioned checking with sources or company representatives allows you to find out if these claims are true or not.
The patience may not get you the first story out there, but the article will have the accuracy that fellow journalists may not have in their stories because they fell victim to the immediacy dilemma.
Stay ahead with Social Media
I was at first reluctant to buy into the social media craze. I essentially believed that it was just a way for people to say things they would never say to anyone’s face or just another tool for people to arrogantly throw thoughts out to the world because they believe their opinion is important.
As an aspiring journalist, though, it is necessary to buy into the hype. I have created a few different twitter accounts to help get my name out there and update the happenings of this blog.
The thing that social media does is connect you to your audience at another level. In an age where technology is essential to the profession, a journalist must explore every way to develop a more personal relationship with their readers to connect with them.
The advantage of social media is that it does allow for more creativity in a more informal setting. More resources and multimedia can be shared with an audience that wants to delve more into the subject matter they are interested in. There can be a running dialogue between the journalist and reader that can invoke a sense of trustworthiness between the two that has never existed before.
It cannot be forgotten, though, that the professional standards you live by apply to all aspects of life including use of social media. A professional journalist cannot one evening become an intoxicated tweeter or Facebook poster that posts something that will be read by everyone associated with the page.
A journalist’s reputation is always on the line. They must always use these tools for the greater good to be more connected to their audience.
A Facebook update detailing how you are in the process of using the washroom or a tweet specifying what beverage you just ordered are not the only ways to use social media. Social media has begun to serve as an integral tool in a journalist’s repertoire.
The ability to properly use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Skype allows journalist’s opportunities to get information like never before. With seemingly so many stories’ origins being traced back to a tweet or a post on Facebook, a journalist can often find leads to stories without speaking with anyone over the phone, in person or through e-mail.
With the use of a smart phone and the following of the right people in the various forms of social media, a journalist adds another option to get a beat on a story before anyone else does. However, a journalist must proceed with caution at this point.
Caution!
This should not be a news flash to anyone who has used the internet or read about it before-not everything on the internet is fact. If that idea is a shock for anyone, then I am sorry for bursting your bubble.
Every week or few days there are stories about how something that began with a simple tweet exploded into a big story on the internet, but was denounced as being false later. This happens with false reports of deaths of celebrities (Jeff Goldblum, Morgan Freeman), sports coaching hires or player transactions and anything creative someone could come up with to potentially ruin someone’s day.
Earlier this month there was rampant internet speculation about the arrival of the McLobster to nationwide McDonald’s menus. This was all due to one person tweeting that the seafood sandwich would be available to US customers, then the tweet was retweeted, then retweeted again, and again. For those few days, the McLobster became one of the most searched for items on Yahoo.
While the McLobster does exist seasonally in Maine and areas in Canada, McDonald’s shot down the ill-informed claim with, of course, a tweet:
“Despite all the rumors there r no plans 2 bring mclobster or mcsushi 2 the US menu. We r working on a new menu item called McWinning.”
The McLobster is a clear example of how information can be passed along without any real confirmation from anyone, yet explode into something that is believed by large amounts of people.
This is why it is crucial for future journalists to remember the guidelines that have been a part of journalism forever. Do not just follow a trend to get the story out before anyone else can. Good old-fashioned checking with sources or company representatives allows you to find out if these claims are true or not.
The patience may not get you the first story out there, but the article will have the accuracy that fellow journalists may not have in their stories because they fell victim to the immediacy dilemma.
Stay ahead with Social Media
I was at first reluctant to buy into the social media craze. I essentially believed that it was just a way for people to say things they would never say to anyone’s face or just another tool for people to arrogantly throw thoughts out to the world because they believe their opinion is important.
As an aspiring journalist, though, it is necessary to buy into the hype. I have created a few different twitter accounts to help get my name out there and update the happenings of this blog.
The thing that social media does is connect you to your audience at another level. In an age where technology is essential to the profession, a journalist must explore every way to develop a more personal relationship with their readers to connect with them.
The advantage of social media is that it does allow for more creativity in a more informal setting. More resources and multimedia can be shared with an audience that wants to delve more into the subject matter they are interested in. There can be a running dialogue between the journalist and reader that can invoke a sense of trustworthiness between the two that has never existed before.
It cannot be forgotten, though, that the professional standards you live by apply to all aspects of life including use of social media. A professional journalist cannot one evening become an intoxicated tweeter or Facebook poster that posts something that will be read by everyone associated with the page.
A journalist’s reputation is always on the line. They must always use these tools for the greater good to be more connected to their audience.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Backpack Preparation
The backpack that carried my spelling and history textbooks in middle school, which potentially has something to do with my back problems, could be put to better use today.
My previous blog entry talked briefly about the idea of backpack journalism. On the surface, this idea could look to mean that simply carrying a backpack and a pen makes a person a professional journalist. It has a more significant meaning.
A more thorough definition is needed to fully understand what backpack journalism is all about. The American University School of Communication delved into the growing idea that has helped evolve journalism in a March 2010 article.
The article referenced a man named Bill Gentile, who is an independent journalist and experienced photographer that made the foray into the video story telling business at the dawn of the new technological age. Gentile expanded on his new venture by creating BillGentileBackpackJournalism.Blogspot.com. There he created an in-depth assessment of what a backpack journalist is:
“The craft of one properly trained professional using a hand-held digital camera to tell visual stories in a more immediate, more intimate fashion than is achievable using a larger team with a camera person, sound person, correspondent and producer. We do it all and, most importantly, we make the pictures which are the driving force of visual communication... In the field, a backpack journalist shoots, acquires sound, produces, reports, interviews. Once back from the field, he writes the script and narrates where necessary. Depending on the circumstances, he either edits and uploads the piece alone, or sits side-by-side with an editor” (“Journalism definition,” 2010).
What Gentile is trying to communicate to his audience is that backpack journalists can create a more personal feel with their readers than they ever would by simply writing a story. He mentions the strong connection people can make with visuals. If I have been taught anything in my life, it is that visuals can make a more lasting impression on a person than text can.
The public’s increasing demand for a wider scope of a story could be due to the possibilities in technology that journalists have at their disposal. It becomes up the journalists to take the initiative and following through with wider coverage.
All throughout life, people are always told that they need to be prepared. School made sure to let us know to study to be fully prepared for the test tomorrow. Our parents always made sure to drill it into us how important it is to be prepared for whatever the professional world offers.
One aspect of my father’s teachings to me was to always be prepared for the unexpected. This lesson stands out even more as an aspiring journalist.
Professional journalists always have to be prepared for something out of the ordinary to happen. That unpredictable nature makes the news so engaging to people worldwide.
Adopting the essential rules of a backpack journalist can ensure that you are always ready at any given moment. Keeping the below list of items will enable you to be at your best for covering any story:
-Large enough backpack or type of storage unit to hold a variety of items, including:
-5-10 pens
-as much paper as you can bring
-tape recorder
-laptop computer
-cell phone (preferably with internet access)
-camera
-video recorder
-tripod
Any long-time journalist knows that the top three items have always been necessary, but the last five reflect the changing times. To attain a personal connection with readers, as Gentile was alluding to in his definition, journalists have to gather video, audio, and pictures to add the most depth they can to their stories.
For a look at how some backpack journalists are operating around the world and useful information, check out Bill Gentile’s blog: http://billgentile.com/backpackjournalism/
For more of Gentile's thoughts about the basics of backpack journalism, click on the video below.
For more of Gentile's thoughts about the basics of backpack journalism, click on the video below.
References
Journalism definition. (2010, March 31). Retrieved from http://www.american.edu/soc/backpack/definition.cfm
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Journalism is a-Changin'
While the change towards spring weather has not yet shown up here in Aurora, Ill., the winds of change remain constant in the journalism profession.
The journalism profession has undergone significant changes as society has transitioned into the 21st century. A heavier reliance on technology, and the further development of the 24-hour news cycle to satisfy society’s thirst for news around the clock, has forced the majority of journalists to adapt to a revolution in the business. The new, technological-savvy journalist has to be willing to accept new responsibilities to stay ahead of others in the field.
The days of simply covering an event, writing a story, and getting it into an editor by a deadline are essentially gone for a journalist. The technological influence has expanded the duties of journalists around the world. Journalists are not only expected to tell a story to their readers with text in a newspaper or online artifact, rather, they have to find ways to show their readers what the story looks and sounds like.
Journalists must become backpack journalists, meaning that they must be equipped with pen, paper, laptop, tape recorder, and camera to recreate the story for their audience (“Journalism definition,” 2010). With online publications growing, journalists can make their audience feel apart of the actual news experience with pictures and audio from the event, and video of the story as it unfolds (Bardoel and Deuze, 2001).
Blogging has become a huge part of a professional journalist’s ability to connect with their audience on a daily basis. By keeping a relatively active blog, journalists can keep updating a story they wrote throughout the day, ask blog readers questions about the story, and directly communicate with them in real-time.
Blogging allows journalists to provide more personality and immediacy to their published piece than ever before (Morozov, 2005). The informal type of setting allows the journalist to add more color or sometimes opinion to their article to give more in-depth insight to what they are reporting on. All of these factors can give more credibility to the journalist’s work (Morozov, 2005).
References
Bardoel, J. & Deuze, M. (2001). ‘Network Journalism’: Converging competencies of old and new media professionals and professionalism. Australian Journalism Review 23 (2), 91-103. Retrieved from http://jclass.umd.edu/classes/jour698m/BardoelDeuze+NetworkJournalism+2001.pdf
Journalism definition. (2010, March 31). Retrieved from http://www.american.edu/soc/backpack/definition.cfm
Morozov, A. (2005). Minding the gap: An ethical perspective on the use of weblogs in journalistic practice. 1-27. Retrieved from http://students.washington.edu/amorozov/AMorozov_Weblogs_and_Journalism_Ethics.pdf
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tweet it Up
Follow The Editing of Journalism on twitter @editjournalism
Check the feed out to get updates on the blog and helpful tidbits of information about journalism.
Check the feed out to get updates on the blog and helpful tidbits of information about journalism.
Let's Get Ethical (Part II)
Now is time to move on to the entrée portion of the ethics meal.
In trying to become more acclimated with the several journalistic organizations, I have come across some real helpful web sites that inform and give me ways to improve myself. One site that has caught my eye of late has been the Society of Professional Journalists web site.
Since its founding in 1909, the Society of Professional Journalists organization has been a leading professional member of the journalistic community. Their well-conceived mission statement outlines their main purpose:
“The Society of Professional Journalists is dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty” (“Our mission”)
The site holds a great deal of importance to aspiring journalists because it outlines the essential elements that a journalist must have to fulfill his or her duties. The Society’s code of ethics, last under revision in 1996, is widely recognized by writers across America.
The SPJ code of ethics features four integral essentials for journalists to be ethical: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable (“SPJ code of ethics”)
The first code, to seek truth and report it, could be the most crucial of the codes to aspiring journalists. First and foremost, the public expects an honest and fair account each time they read an article. The journalist must keep that in mind each time reporting on a story.
Some of the key elements of this code include how to handle sources. It is said by some that a journalist is only as good as their sources, and the journalist has a duty to get accurate information from those sources.
The code mentions that it is important to identify sources whenever possible because it better informs the public. If a source asks for anonymity in a story, it is important to find out their motives for trying to be anonymous. This is a good way to identify if a source is valuable to the story or not.
Journalists are expected to find all they can about each story they cover, but that does not mean they have the power to make a story out of themselves with their conduct. Minimizing harm is a code that cannot be forgotten when approaching subjects for stories.
Journalists all will have to face sensitive situations where they have to take precaution as to how to approach getting information. A journalist has to follow the golden rule when approaching subjects of a story for information.
A journalist cannot simply jump to conclusions and declare a suspect of a crime as guilty before the verdict is in. Journalists have to be as patient as anyone else in a matter such as that.
Journalists have to find a way to act independently. A certain affiliation with a subject of the story can damage a journalist’s credibility. As much as the subjects may try to persuade the journalist one way or another, the journalist must not let that attempt factor into the way the story is written.
As I have been told in journalism courses, a journalist is normally expected to be the invisible writer. Unless it is an opinion piece, journalists cannot allow their own biases to infiltrate one of their stories.
Along the lines of being a public servant, journalists have to be accountable for what they do. If an error is made in coverage, it has to be acknowledged. If a fellow journalist is unethical or distorting information, attention must be brought to the issue to maintain the integrity of the profession.
For more descriptive coverage of each code and SPJ’s preamble for the codes, visit http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
To further explore all of the resources that SPJ has to offer, please visit their homepage, http://www.spj.org/index.asp
For an in-depth look at how a prominent newspaper such as The New York Times outlines its code of ethics, visit http://www.nytco.com/press/ethics.html#intro
References
Our mission. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.spj.org/mission.asp
Let's Get Ethical
There is nothing like a fresh cup of ethics and dancing to get your morning started the right way.
In an age where ethical dilemmas arise in any business or sport from the Enron Corporation to several instances in collegiate athletics, the teaching of certain codes of ethics has become an integral part of the professional world. It becomes important to define what ethics actually is for people to grasp all that encompasses the term.
My research found many different definitions of what ethics are. The definition that fit what I was looking for was at Dictionary.com and is below.
“That branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions” (“Ethics,” 2011).
With so many potential ethical pitfalls involved with journalism, there has been a code that journalists have had to honor throughout the careers. Dr. Stephen Ward, chair of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, identified the development of the six stages of journalistic ethics over time.
The first stage took place primarily in London during the 17th century. News reporting solely on facts and opinion-style writing originated during this time (Ward, 2009).
The second stage involved the roles of the editors and journalists beginning to take shape as the first daily newspapers began to emerge in the 18th century. According to Ward, journalists took “on the persona of reporter, reformer, “polite” commentator, and revolutionary” (Ward, 2009).
The liberal theory of the press dominated the third stage of the history of journalism ethics during parts of the 18th and 19th century. The liberal theory’s motives were to promote social progress through liberal ideas, education and social reform. This movement established more political ideologies than ever before (Ward, 2009).
Stage four developed near the dawn of the 20th century, establishing the strict objectivity of newspapers. No longer were newspapers going to be able to instill opinion in articles, just the facts. Reporters were educated to be nothing more than objective observers of what they were reporting on (Ward, 2009).
Stage five spans the bulk of the 20th century. The strict objectivity that began to consume newspapers was challenged by interpretive journalists and tabloid papers that began to become more popular. Broadcast news and online journalism took on more of a subjective role later in the 20th century, negatively affecting the expected objectivity journalists were normally identified with (Ward, 2009).
Stage six is where journalism ethics is at today, and remains in the process of being defined. Many questions remain as to where journalism goes from here. Early inquiries into the profession suggest that interpretive journalism has become more prevalent than objective journalism. There remains a place for both, but the technological advances have made it easier for opinionated writing to be spread throughout the world (Ward, 2009).
For more information on Ward's six stages and more on ethics in journalism, please visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison's journalism ethics page at http://www.journalismethics.ca/index.htm
References
Ethics. Dictionary.com. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethics
Ward, S J A. (2009). History of journalism ethics. Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved from http://www.journalismethics.ca/research_ethics/history.htm
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
History of Journalism
A round of applause, please, for Johannes Gutenberg.
The German-born printer and publisher is credited with the invention of movable type printing press in the 15th century. His invention essentially created the beginnings of journalism, set in motion the first production of newspapers, and established a new form of communication. The new form of communication allowed for Americans to unite in their revolution against the British Empire, and for the creation of the Declaration of Independence.
With newspapers in the fold, journalists established a daily news feed that is taking for granted today.
In the early days of print journalism, however, there was subjectivity involved with nearly every written article. In author Tony Roger’s summarization of the history of journalism, he stated that “they [newspapers] were fiercely partisan publications that editorialized against the tyranny of the British government, which in turn did its best to crack down on the press.”
The power of print journalism was never more evident than when several colonial newspapers reprinted Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” pamphlet. The printing of the pamphlet encouraged colonists to participate and stay strong in their revolution against the British.
Another significant moment in American history allowed for a development in journalism which is still used frequently today. A large part of the coverage of the Civil War had to with the popularity of the telegraph. Reporters were able to use the telegraph to quickly communicate their stories about the battles back to their editors quickly.
The issue became that the telegraph lines often would fail, and the reports were often cut off halfway through. Due to this, stories would not be able declare a winner of that day’s battle because the outcome would be saved for the very end of the story.
Knowing that a story is not going to mean much without a declared winner, it was suggested that reporters would begin the telegraph message with who won. After that the reporter would fill out the rest of the story with less significant details. The inverted pyramid was born.
At present time the inverted pyramid remains a key component of any journalist’s repertoire. While the inverted pyramid does have its critics, it hits the reader with the most important details to encourage further investigation into the story.
Specific news beats began to develop for journalists in the 1800’s. In 1835, the New York Herald began to offer sections including sports, reviews, economics and general society news.
The late 1800’s and beginning of the 20th century brought a larger American population and more demand for news. Newspapers began to grow with bigger staffs and new technology to be able to quickly meet the demands of the public. The invention of the telephone and typewriter had a significant impact on the speed of delivering a story and the convenience.
To further grab a bigger audience, journalists began to experiment with sensationalism or “yellow journalism.” This meant that journalists would often cover and write articles on the most notable events that involved the most surprise or notable people.
The mid to late 20th century gave way to an increase in investigative reporting. Journalists were expected to discover the big stories that were not on the surface yet, and give their publication the first attempt to get the story out to the public.
Arguably the most famous investigative reporting in American was the Watergate Scandal involving former president Richard Nixon. In 1972, two Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, uncovered significant corruption details about the Nixon re-election committee. The reports and subsequent investigation led to the resignation of Nixon.
The 1970’s and 1980’s represented a beginning to where journalism is at now. Computers began to become involved with the production of newspapers.
For more information, please check out the links contained in my references below.
References
Emery, E., Emery, M., & Roberts, N.L., The Press and America: An Interpretive History of the Mass Media, 8th ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996). Retrieved from http://www.writesite.org/html/tracing.html
Rogers, T. (n.d.). Print journalism-A history of print journalism in america. Retrieved from http://journalism.about.com/od/ethicsprofessionalism/a/printhistory.htm
The Editing of Journalism
The rough draft of journalism is on the desk of the editor. Red ink is all over the copy. Time to adapt to the changes.
My name is Anthony Scelsa and I am studying communication with a concentration in journalism at Aurora University. My senior level status has allowed me to create this blog to not only learn about the state of journalism for myself, but for fellow journalism students and people interested in joining the storied field.
"The Editing of Journalism" was the chosen title for this blog due to my own experiences learning about the profession over my collegiate career. Perhaps I was a bit naive, but I did not have the slightest clue as to how the profession has gone through an overhaul over the past decade. A main purpose of this project is to help prepare aspiring journalists for what they will need to know and do before they get out into the professional world.
The red pen continues to write on that rough draft of journalism, acting as a constant reminder that the evolution is still ongoing to further perfect the changing profession. Not everything is being changed, though.
The principles and guidelines that have driven journalists through time remain the same. That is why it is crucial to look back at the history of journalism in my next blog entry to move forward.
My name is Anthony Scelsa and I am studying communication with a concentration in journalism at Aurora University. My senior level status has allowed me to create this blog to not only learn about the state of journalism for myself, but for fellow journalism students and people interested in joining the storied field.
"The Editing of Journalism" was the chosen title for this blog due to my own experiences learning about the profession over my collegiate career. Perhaps I was a bit naive, but I did not have the slightest clue as to how the profession has gone through an overhaul over the past decade. A main purpose of this project is to help prepare aspiring journalists for what they will need to know and do before they get out into the professional world.
The red pen continues to write on that rough draft of journalism, acting as a constant reminder that the evolution is still ongoing to further perfect the changing profession. Not everything is being changed, though.
The principles and guidelines that have driven journalists through time remain the same. That is why it is crucial to look back at the history of journalism in my next blog entry to move forward.
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