Archive for the ‘Fall 2009’ Category

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

December 7th, 2009 by Matt L. | 1 Comment » | posted in: Fall 2009

SIWJ Fall 2009

Looking back at the past few month, it’s hard to believe that the SIWJ program is over for me. Here, we learned what skills we had, what skills we could acquire, where we wanted to go, and ultimately who we are. From all the various media projects and boot camp sessions to the visits to major news operations got us ready for the world of journalism.

First SIWJ Project

Personally, this program was something that I had never experienced before. I know phrases like that are thrown around like a football, but SIWJ truly is a unique experience. Before I had gotten involved with this program, I had no real direction–no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. This was the case before I opened my mailbox and saw a flyer that said I could come to D.C. to experience something I had never experienced before. Being a political junkie and a creative writing major, journalism in the political nexus of the nation seemed like a fun thing to try out– I had no idea what I was in for.

Personal Haiku

Through my internship at Campaign and Elections magazine, I learned how to write better, do research, copy edit, collect information from interviews, and take better photos. Through SIWJ classes, I learned how to shoot and edit video, edit photos better, analyze media, participate in new media, do interviews, blog, and network with others in the industry. From all the experiences I have gone through this semster I have acquired the skills that are needed to become a great journalist. Not only have I developed as a professional, but as a person as well. People will tell you they’ve all had life changing moments, but even though it sounds cliche’, this program will change anyone’s life. Being part of a group of dedicated individuals who grew alongside me has put many things in perspective. Although I leave DC today, I will be back in the future, hopefully working alongside the same five interns I worked with during one of the longest semesters in my life.

SIWJ Fall 2009 Scrapbook

Cheers!

~Matt

Navigating the Metro for a Novice

December 4th, 2009 by Nina M. | no comments yet | posted in: Fall 2009

You know one when you see one, a metro system virgin.

They are the people who stand at the metro pass stations with that blank look on their face, like they are trying to read a foreign language. They are the people who clutch their purses as if every other passenger were a highly trained pickpocket. They stare at the metro map as if they are looking at ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. With every jerk and jolt you can see the glimmer of fear and uncertainty flash in their eyes. They miss their stops because they can’t understand the muted, mumbled gibberish that is coming from the conductor. Worst of all they commit the unpardonable sin of standing in the middle of the escalator, ergo stalling all of the grey suits who can not bear to lose those precious few seconds.

Even the metro attendants can spot them. Deborah Davis who has been working at the metro only a few months said, “They are the ones who don’t know which way to go even though it’s written right there on the signs. “ Her coworker chimed in, “ They da’ ones who mix up the red light and da’ green light when they trying to get in or out of da metro, red means ya can’t go!”

Alas, take heart you newbie’s there is hope. You too can conceal your un-familiarity; mask your fears and anxiety by absorbing a few simple tips for flawless metro travel.

Start with the metro pass station. Quit trying to get more bang for your buck, and attempting to calculate to the nickel how much money you need to put on your pass. I know these are tough economic times, but trying to coordinate your stops and the different rates for peak hours is something even very few pros can do. Rule of thumb unless you are planning to ride the metro all day five dollars should suffice. So slap five dollars on there and gamble with your fate. If you are one of those who likes to air on the side of caution get yourself a day pass, but know that is a red flag sure sign of your inexperience.

Now you’ve got your pass, on to the map. There are five lines, all of which are named after colors. Don’t panic. I know there is some colorblind tourist out there thinking he’s doomed to a vacation filled with taxi fares. You can actually read all the names of the lines; you don’t have to simply rely on colors. Each line is labeled with the color. The direction the metro is going is indicated by the name of the stop that is the last stop on the line. Read the sign and get on the train that is labeled with the last stop on the line that will pass your destination. When it arrives board it. Double check the line color as it pulls in. Do this subtly or your inexperience will be blatant.

Common courtesy, let the people get off before you barge on. Trust me there will be enough time. Pick your seat or find a bar/rail to hold on to. Metros are crowded, it is NOT weird to sit by a random stranger, just accept that your personal bubble will be invaded and move on. Also, that random stranger crowding your space is NOT trying to pickpocket you. What do you think this is, New York?

If you are expecting a Walter Cronkite sounding voice to announce the specific stops over the loudspeaker thus daydreaming instead of counting stops, prepare to ride the metro all day. At best you will get a conductor who pronounces perhaps similar vowel sounds to those in your stop. Bottom line, pay attention and count your stops. This isn’t your safety patrol eighth grade school trip to the capitol. There is no parent/teacher chaperone; you are on your own.

When the metro stops, you get to get off first. Exit. Find the nearest “up” escalator. At which point if you plan on standing and riding the escalator up get on the right side of the escalator. It’s just like a highway people. Slow traffic is on the right and passing on the left. Not such an outrageous concept after all.

Lastly, the infamous exit gates. You know that little piece of paper you just spit your gum into? That was probably your metro pass, and yes, you need that. Peel that gum out and find the exit gate with a green arrow. Slide your pass through. Cross your fingers that you put enough money on there and then watch in amazement as the gates open. Pat yourself on the back. You survived the metro and better yet, if you followed this advice no one even had the inkling that you had no clue what you were doing. Congratulations.

When you are ready to look like a real expert and want to really blend in, you whip out your Ipod headphones. Whoa now. Don’t do anything crazy like actually listen to your music. That is going to cause you to lose your focus, thus breaking your concentration and making all your meticulous planning for naught. Merely wearing the headphones pretending to be listening to music will be enough to give off the tell tale signs of your expertise. Another idea is the fast pass. The fast pass is the metro equivalent of a black American express card. It shows you use the metro often and you’re big time in the metro world. You can purchase one of these cards at CVS and it’s like a debit card. Just put money on it and never again will you have to deal with the ever-confusing metro pass machines.

After reading this navigating the metro should be a piece of cake. As for you locals, you metro masters, bear with them. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and deep down in that blackened big city heart of yours you know that you were not born a metro master either.

Photos By: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/ / CC BY 2.0

DC, Mealplans & My Bad Romance

November 22nd, 2009 by Audrey R. | no comments yet | posted in: Fall 2009

My sister at school in Wellesley, MA where food is always around...

D.C., eating, and I do not get along. Since September I have struggled to find a pattern that works for me (one that I can afford and will not make me morbidly obese). All my other schools (and I have attended a lot), have provided meal plans so students are not constantly paying out of pocket to feed themselves. That is the world I belong in.

I miss the days when I could stroll into a cafeteria with a squillion dining options on display. For some reason, it was always easy to turn down cheeseburgers in favor of salads when I knew they were always going to be available to me. I got into the habit of filling a Nalgene bottle full of iced coffee every time the caf opened and taking around 73547292 apples to eat later. I never went hungry, managed to stay skinny, and I had more money for Free People. Life was good.

Life took a nasty turn for the worse when I arrived in DC with very little money saved and the responsibility of paying for my food. I got into a horrible system of waiting until so famished that I’d buy everything in sight, making me both uncomfortably full and way broker. Grocery shopping was a nightmare because it entailed buying items with the intention of cooking. Cooking may as well be Chemistry class for me (i.e. impossible), but even if I did know how, my roommate and my kitchen supplies consists of two plates and two bowls.

I still have not found a system that works for me. Mostly, I live in fear of the next time I’ll get hungry. My roommate and I live for the days when family or friends come to visit because we know it means getting to eat properly. Having to provide my own food was a good experience, I suppose, I just really have got to get better at it. Or win the lottery.

Guest Speaker: Jim Brady Visits SIWJ

October 31st, 2009 by Andrea Genevieve | no comments yet | posted in: Fall 2009

Each Friday, SIWJ invites guest speakers to talk about the current state of the media industry, new media trends and give advice to our aspiring journalists. Read some highlights from the discussion and leave your thoughts or comments.

Spotlight: Jim Brady, Former Executive Editor for washingtonpost.com

Working at TheWashingtonPost.com from 2004-2009, Jim talked about his experience working in a top newsroom during the boom of the digital era. He talked about how the role of the reporter changed over those five years and that reporters used to have simple job. “They’d write articles, hand them over to me and then go home.” Now, he said you have to do more. Reporters are actively trying to get people to read their stuff and as a reporter you need be active and find readers.

Jim also talked about the role of bloggers in the journalism field, a popular topic among media gurus today. To him, the future is with niche content. He believes that hopefully niche blogs will start to find a way to generate profit.

Oh and don’t worry, he talked about Twitter too. “I was really anti-Twitter when it started. But, I’m getting used to it now.”

Advice

Brady said you don’t have to take the traditional path to get the job of your dreams. If you want to work in politics or land a job writing for the White House you can do that- if you are passionate about it and have good writing skills, you can do it!

Over the past week, he told us he had visited three different college classrooms and asked all the same question: “Does anyone subscribe to a daily newspaper?” and not one person, including students in our class, raised a hand. What do you think about that? do you subscribe to a news paper? How do you think this is effective the news industry?

Tell us your thoughts.

Photos By: http://www.flickr.com/photos/biblicone/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Getting the Hang of Networking

October 26th, 2009 by Matt L. | 2 Comments » | posted in: Fall 2009

One of the most important aspects of having an internship and taking a first step into the professional world is networking. When it comes to getting a job, or getting sources and information, networking is something all professionals (especially journalists) have to do. This is a skill not easily taught, usually it comes naturally, but it can be learned.

First and foremost, you have to deal with any social awkwardness you might have. If you are unsure of how to talk to an individual, you can take the Larry King approach and ask questions pertaining to their field. Believe it or not, people usually like to talk about their work. Body language is also an important thing to be conscious about: have a firm handshake, try not to yawn, keep your eyebrows in an elevated position, try not to cross your arms, and other body language techniques.

Asking for business cards is always a must. Whether or not the contact has one is irrelevant– an individual’s email can easily be found on their company website, etc.– but the act of asking for a card will help the other person remember you. Once you have the contact information, it is best to send the person a response, usually by email, thanking them for coming to an event or speaking with you. It is also helpful to remember what the person said, and allude to a previous conversation you had with the contact.

Lastly, you should not try to network with someone who you have nothing in common with. Sure, there are people who will try to network with someone who they have no real interest in, but it will be obvious to the other party that you are merely using them for career advancements. If you network, do it with people you have a certain amount of connection with– they don’t have to be your best friend, but there must be some semblance of chemistry. Keeping up the contact past the initial, first response is crucial, and if you do not have anything interesting to share or talk about with the contact, then the relationship will wither away. Besides the points made earlier, the best way to network is to be friendly, open-minded, and to have an easy smile.

Photo By: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ooohoooh/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Last Fall Semester In School and Still Not Enough Time

October 13th, 2009 by Liz F. | no comments yet | posted in: Fall 2009

Have you ever wanted the time to fly by especially when you are hating school? There have been times where I have been in the Library for hours on end, just memorizing the same stupid brain terms for my psychology test, or reading 20 page long articles for my argumentation and debate class that I could care less about. But all of a sudden, the time really has flown by, and its middle of October of my last fall semester in college…..EVER. It is somewhat depressing to me, because next year it will be real world, real work, and no taking breaks or skipping class whenever I feel.

I have to say being in Cleveland my whole life, and attending school there is a blast and it will always be my home away from home, but experiencing life in Washington for the last few months and exploring the city has shown me a whole new way of life. I have met people from all over the country and been to places most people cannot just walk up to and take a tour of, (One of the perks of being a qualified student in the SIWJ program). But serioulsy, live it up as much as you can. If you can balance going out every night and partying your butt of, but still pulling the lovely 3.0 GPA, then more power to you. Explore the restaurants of DC, the fun and smelly bars, or just walk around at night and observe the night life. Before you know it, your life as a college student will be over, and your twenties will be gone, then you’ll be 30, and 40, and the dreaded 50. The most encouraging advice to all you college freshman is to study abroad! That doesn’t mean hop on the next place to Croatia, but go to another school in the U.S. like I did. It is worth more than anything you could even imagine.

So to you college students, live it up. Have fun! Enjoy Life! But remember….SCHOOL comes first!

Photo By: Melissa Quintanilha

Newspapers: Being Killed or Committing Suicide

October 12th, 2009 by Neal G. | 1 Comment » | posted in: Fall 2009

Courtesy of Neal Goodson

Being a journalism major, I have heard for a long time that newspapers are dying and the world of journalism is changing drastically. When I got to DC, big surprise, I heard the exact same thing from big name people in the business. We keep hearing how new media and blogs are one of the main reasons for this fall of the newspaper. Debate rages on over people preferring to have the printed form, wanting to get down and dirty with the ink when they read their news vs getting the breaking news from blogs or Twitter that do not go through channels before distributing the information.

One thing I learned amidst the debate is that newspaper have a long standing history of having huge profit margins. It brings up one question to me: Are newspapers being killed by new media or are they committing suicide by having huge profit margins?

I did not think it was fair to look at newspaper in that manner, even though I heard the statement from a trusted source, so I went to forbes.com and did some research on the matter looking at two of the biggest newspapers in the country, Washington Post and NY Times, and two of the biggest private companies in the country, Wal-Mart and Dell.

The Post had a Gross Profit Margin of 54.6%, and the NY Times was similar with 57.8%. Guess what Wal-Mart and Dell’s gross profit margins are? 26.3% and 19.6%, respectively.

Those gross profit margins are for the last 12 months for each company, so that is not going back to when the Newspapers were dominating the news world. Are you surprised they have such huge margins yet complaining they are dying and having to cut back on resources? Can they not cut back on the huge profit margins to 30%, 25% and give more resources to their journalists who are complaining about having to work longer, harder, on more stories and feel like their depth and coverage of each story is suffering?

Small, niche papers are not having the huge problems to the same degree as the larger papers, from what I have heard. But then again they do not have the huge profit margins either. For them, it is more of a passion and love than a money making career.

Given a lot of people my age love to get their news online through many different outlets, for many different reasons. However, lets quit saying the new online outlets are killing the print newspaper until we know for a fact they are doing so. To me, it seems more like the newspapers are killing themselves. Much like a person that only eats steak and refuses to eat chicken or hamburger. Are you going to starve yourself to death if you can not get the steak or cave in and eat the hamburger? That is not anyone’s fault but your own if you do not lower your standards in order to stay alive.