Sometimes it can be suffocating to be a part of today's ever-evolving information age, but feeling like you're on top of things gives you an ego boost that's hard to describe.
I have yet to Twitter, but listening to Ellyn Angelotti of The Poynter Institute describe what makes the fairly new social networking site awesome, I knew I'd be on the site soon enough.
Many of the Twitter functions she talked about were basically things I'd use Facebook for when reporting. I've "followed" individuals by befriending them online and reading their updated statuses, notes and posted items. Same with groups, where I could know every event a student club was hosting.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thanks, Grandma
What does a pregnant 59-year-old great-grandmother have to do with journalism?
Everything.
The great-grandmother, with the help of Colleen Fitzpatrick, a career coach with the Chips Quinn Scholars program, retaught me that beneath it all, accuracy is everything.
In a small-group critique we dissected a story of a pregnant 59-year-old great grandmother. The main problem with it was that there was no verification behind it. No doctor to speak to the pregnancy. No husband, either. The bad news is that the story by The Associated Press actually ran in newspapers. The good news is that it's a perfect lesson for a beginning journalist: don't just take anyone's word.
Through this and other exercises in our small breakout groups with our coaches, I've been reminded of what to do in my internship and definitely what not to do.
This will be my fourth internship and I feel more prepared than ever to enter the newsroom in Bend, Ore., on Feb. 2. I know what my goals are and I have solid, clear ways to execute my success. And it's all because of a great-grandmother.
Everything.
The great-grandmother, with the help of Colleen Fitzpatrick, a career coach with the Chips Quinn Scholars program, retaught me that beneath it all, accuracy is everything.
In a small-group critique we dissected a story of a pregnant 59-year-old great grandmother. The main problem with it was that there was no verification behind it. No doctor to speak to the pregnancy. No husband, either. The bad news is that the story by The Associated Press actually ran in newspapers. The good news is that it's a perfect lesson for a beginning journalist: don't just take anyone's word.
Through this and other exercises in our small breakout groups with our coaches, I've been reminded of what to do in my internship and definitely what not to do.
This will be my fourth internship and I feel more prepared than ever to enter the newsroom in Bend, Ore., on Feb. 2. I know what my goals are and I have solid, clear ways to execute my success. And it's all because of a great-grandmother.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
John Quinn’s words inspire
John Quinn knows the speech he is about to give is one many have heard several times before, and a note he penned in 1997 helps him to stick to that tried-and-true prose.
When he steps in front of the class, though, it sounds as if he is giving the speech for the first time. With each story and anecdote, Quinn manages to tell a story rich in morals and lessons while speaking with the air of a man who has seen (nearly) everything and learned from each experience.
I have enjoyed every part of orientation so far. From the first dinner with breadcrumb-topped salmon to hearing about the mistakes of other Chipsters that are not to be repeated, I cannot express how informative and fun this has been. What strikes me the most is simply listening to the respect and true feeling of kinship that is passed down from people such as Quinn, co-founder of the Chips Quinn Scholars Program, and Jack Marsh, vice president of diversity programs for the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute. It is truly empowering to hear such words.
Quinn said his mother instilled in him the value of self-confidence—a vitally important trait. Because of the caring nature of the folks at the Diversity Institute and their effort to help each Chipster experience success, I know that this lesson will be carried on.
After all, this lesson has already stood the test of time.
When he steps in front of the class, though, it sounds as if he is giving the speech for the first time. With each story and anecdote, Quinn manages to tell a story rich in morals and lessons while speaking with the air of a man who has seen (nearly) everything and learned from each experience.
I have enjoyed every part of orientation so far. From the first dinner with breadcrumb-topped salmon to hearing about the mistakes of other Chipsters that are not to be repeated, I cannot express how informative and fun this has been. What strikes me the most is simply listening to the respect and true feeling of kinship that is passed down from people such as Quinn, co-founder of the Chips Quinn Scholars Program, and Jack Marsh, vice president of diversity programs for the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute. It is truly empowering to hear such words.
Quinn said his mother instilled in him the value of self-confidence—a vitally important trait. Because of the caring nature of the folks at the Diversity Institute and their effort to help each Chipster experience success, I know that this lesson will be carried on.
After all, this lesson has already stood the test of time.
The sum of the parts
What resonates with me?
It's not any particular session, but the entire weekend so far. It's not any particular person, but everyone I've had the pleasure of meeting.
I know -- it's a vague and broad answer, but it's true. It's not the easy way out, either. I scratched my head and thought long and hard; I even took a lonely walk through the frigid air after lunch to clear my head. When I hear the old-timers talking about the First Amendment, it stirs something within me -- a sense of history, and, more than that, a sense of my place in it. When I see my fellow scholars defending the First Amendment, it fills me with hope. These people, this program -- they let me know, or more accurately, they demonstrate to me that I am not alone.
I am not alone in my passion and in my desire to be a good reporter. I am not alone in the problems that I face, which I especially saw in our small break-out sessions. I learned that many of my colleagues became reporters to tell the story of a group of people who would otherwise be ignored by the mainstream media. That's why I became a reporter, too.
So, really, it's unfair for me to single out any particular session, and I steadfastly refuse to do so.
It's not any particular session, but the entire weekend so far. It's not any particular person, but everyone I've had the pleasure of meeting.
I know -- it's a vague and broad answer, but it's true. It's not the easy way out, either. I scratched my head and thought long and hard; I even took a lonely walk through the frigid air after lunch to clear my head. When I hear the old-timers talking about the First Amendment, it stirs something within me -- a sense of history, and, more than that, a sense of my place in it. When I see my fellow scholars defending the First Amendment, it fills me with hope. These people, this program -- they let me know, or more accurately, they demonstrate to me that I am not alone.
I am not alone in my passion and in my desire to be a good reporter. I am not alone in the problems that I face, which I especially saw in our small break-out sessions. I learned that many of my colleagues became reporters to tell the story of a group of people who would otherwise be ignored by the mainstream media. That's why I became a reporter, too.
So, really, it's unfair for me to single out any particular session, and I steadfastly refuse to do so.
‘Out of great tragedy can come greatness’
When people die, the people who love them keep their memories alive. Such is the story behind the Chips Quinn Scholars program for journalists of color.
After Chips Quinn died, his mother and father wanted a way to keep his memory alive. They decided to honor his commitment to diverse newsrooms by starting a program that would continue that commitment.
The story that Chips Quinn's father John C. Quinn shared with us about how the program began had an inspiring message that out of great tragedy can come greatness. I appreciated him telling us the story and about his son so we know why we are here and we can relay this story to others.
After Chips Quinn died, his mother and father wanted a way to keep his memory alive. They decided to honor his commitment to diverse newsrooms by starting a program that would continue that commitment.
The story that Chips Quinn's father John C. Quinn shared with us about how the program began had an inspiring message that out of great tragedy can come greatness. I appreciated him telling us the story and about his son so we know why we are here and we can relay this story to others.
Dynamic duo
The session led by Edd Bowser and Javacia Harris, he a copy editor and she a reporter at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., about the first five graphs of a story has been the most beneficial so far. The beginning of a story is always the most difficult part for me. The way Edd and Javacia broke down the key elements helped make the task seem less formidable. The mock press conference helped drive the lessons home and gave me the opportunity to attempt everything they had just talked about. It was interactive and simplified. I could relate to what they said and how they presented it, and thus I could understand it. I now have more confidence in my ability to write compelling leads and opening graphs using the formula they gave. I know my leads won't all read the same because the formula is so flexible and leaves room for creativity. It's not often that a session resonates with me as much as this one did, and I know it will stick with me long after I leave here.
Online crackerjack
Ellyn Angelotti knows about the future of online journalism. Her task to reshape The Poynter Institute's online resources with the latest social tools and media innovations will be closely watched by those of us also wanting to change the online experience into something more dynamic. Her enthusiasm and knowledge were inspiring as she showed how networking and online communities can best be put to work for newspapers, media outlets and journalists.
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