Indiana University School of Journalism » News

PRSSA workshop features resume critiques, professional advice

Shannon McEnerney — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:57:07 +0000

Photo by Shannon McEnerney

PR professional Bruce Hetrick gave a talk about resumes and critiqued several of the attendees’ resumes at the Thursday night PRSSA workshop. He said resumes should set the applicant apart from the hundreds of others most businesses receive.

Four students to attend PRSSA conference (Nov. 4)
NABJ meets Monday for update on service project (Nov. 4)
Board to hear IDS editor-in-chief candidates (Nov. 4)

Sophomore Amy Bishop has been working on her resume since last spring, when she applied for her first internship. But now the heat is on: This week, she had to submit a final version of her resume because she soon will soon meet with potential employers for a summer public relations internship in this summer.

Bishop was one of about 20 who attended Thursday night’s resume workshop and critique session hosted by the IU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. The session featured Bruce Hetrick, president of the public relations firm Hetrick, as the keynote speaker who shared shared advice, and five other professionals who then critiqued resumes for the attendees after the talk.

Bishop said she found the critique helpful because it showed her how to incorporate into her resume the tangible effects of what she’s done and demonstrate how her experience can help a prospective employer.

“I thought I was going in a good direction, and the critique affirmed my belief while also giving me a few pointers to show me how to get more out of the information I already have,” she said.

This was Hetrick’s second year attending PRSSA’s resume event.

“People tell me that it’s helpful and I like to help people,” Hetrick said. One of the students came up to Hetrick after the event and thanked him for his advice, telling him of her positive experiences in pursuing her first internship, fixing her resume and improving her networking skills after she heard Hetrick’s talk last year. These success stories, Hetrick said, are gratifying to hear.

In his talk, Hetrick said the resume and the cover letter are only tools. The critical part to securing a job is through networking and meeting people in the industry.

“In my experience, it is rare that someone gets in the door from just a resume and cover letter,” he said. “Get people to remember you and recommend you.”

The resume and cover letter are tools to help employers remember applicants. But Hetrick said the biggest mistake applicants make is crafting an application that is more about themselves rather than the employer. He said the objective statement included on most resumes includes details about what the applicant wants but has nothing to do with what the employer needs. Most objectives revolve around education. But the employer is not running a continuing education program, Hetrick said. The employer is hiring someone who can solve things for the company, not someone who wants to have a great experience and is excited to apply for the job.

He said that students need to rephrase self-serving statements to be “you get” statements. Applicants should address what the company will be getting in return as a result of potentially hiring them. Applicants should tell the company how their particular skills will benefit the company as a whole.

“You take the same information and write it differently,” Hetrick said.

Research is important, Hetrick said, because most companies have Web sites and statements explaining to whom and to where job applications should be sent. Addressing a cover letter “to whom it may concern” or to a “sir or madam” is not personal. Hetrick said cover letters need to be addressed to a person and applicants should carefully check to make sure all names are spelled correctly.

“Timeliness is next to godliness” is Hetrick’s advice to students when it comes to applying for internships and jobs. He said his company has already begun receiving recommendations and applications for summer internships, and it is important for students to send out internship applications now and not in April or May because positions fill early and quickly.

His advice to aspiring public relations students is not to limit themselves. He said he encourages students to find a specific passion in public relations and pursue it because this passion will make certain applications stand out from others.

Photo by Shannon McEnerney

Cover letters should explain how the applicants’ talents will benefit the company, not the other way around, Hetrick said, and they should be free of errors.

Hetrick shared a handful of bad resume and cover letter examples that his company has received over the years. These examples reiterated how important it is to proofread and edit all of the materials before sending them in to the employer. Of the examples, one applicant sent in a cover letter that had Xs where the company’s name should have been; another applicant misspelled public by forgetting the ‘L’; and another applicant mentioned how it would be nice to work for a firm that is one of Hetrick’s competitors.

Junior Abby Hull attended the resume workshop because no one has critiqued her resume and she wanted feedback on it. She said she found Hetrick’s opening advice to be valuable in warning of the do’s and don’t’s. She plans to meet with more people and continue to improve her resume. Thursday’s workshop, she said, was a good starting point.

Of the resumes Hetrick critiqued, many needed a summary statement of what sets the applicants apart from others. In the current economy, companies receive 300 to 400 applications for a job opening, he said, and the aim of the summary is to quickly explain what sets the person apart.

“Stand out,” Hetrick said. “Don’t blend in.”

Besides Hetrick, the other professionals involved in the student resume critique sessions were School of Journalism professors Jim Bright and Craig Wood; Career and Resource and Development Center representatives Crystal Smith and Matt Wells; and vice president of human resources at Star Media James Keough.

Taylor MacKenzie, PRSSA president, said the organization’s next event will be an event planning workshop in December. He said the group plans to invite event-planning professionals to come and explain the job logistics.

New reporting courseincludes travel to Kenya

Jessica Birthisel — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:21:31 +0000

Courtesy photo

Associate professor Jim Kelly visited the Buffet Farm, an AMPATH-sponsored project that produces fresh fruits and vegetables for patients at the Moi University Hospital. Kelly plans to lead a class to Kenya next summer to report on these types of projects.

Students already are looking into the School of Journalism’s newest travel course, Reporting on HIV/AIDS in Africa, which will be offered in Summer Session I.

The Indiana University Overseas Study program just approved the four-credit course, which associate professor Jim Kelly planned and will teach. It features travel to Eldoret and Nairobi, Kenya, to work with journalism students in those cities on ways to research and report on the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The school will host an info session for interested students and their parents at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 in EP 214. Those interested should apply online by Jan. 19.

The course is open to students with junior or senior standing who have completed J110 Foundations of Journalism and Mass Communication, J200 Reporting, Writing and Editing I and J210 Visual Communications, and to graduate students who have completed or been excused from J505 Intensive Reporting, Writing and Editing Workshop.

Following an April orientation, the course begins May 11 with several weeks of preparatory work in Bloomington. During this time, Kelly said he has invited four guest speakers to inform the students about their travels to Kenya, including Fran Qwigley, author of the course text about IU’s Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare; Andrea Morehead and Deshong Perry, reporters and producers at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis who produced an Emmy-award winning report on Eldoret and AMPATH; and School of Journalism doctoral student Kioko Ireri, who is from Kenya and has worked at The People’s Daily in Nairobi.

Students set out for Kenya May 21. As part of their work there, they will create multimedia news projects about AMPATH, which treats 90,000 HIV-positive patients at 18 sites in urban and rural Kenya, Kelly said. He has traveled extensively in Africa and, in India, he has led workshops for reporters there who are covering HIV/AIDS.

The AMPATH reporting experience will be followed by a short trip to Nairobi, where students will tour media houses in the region, which serves as "the hub of journalism" in that part of Africa, according to Kelly.

Upon their return to Bloomington, students will spend one week debriefing and producing their projects, which will likely include a written story, photos, video and audio slideshows. Kelly said he hopes that the stories can be posted to the School of Journalism Web site and marketed to local media outlets.

Director of Experiential Learning and Recruitment Kathleen Lee and Riley Visiting Professor Dennis Elliott will accompany Kelly and the students on the trip. Lee, who handles administrative details for the school’s overseas travel, will co-host the upcoming info session.

Kelly said the information session will include photos, a description of the AMPATH project, and time to answer any and all questions about the course and Kenya. Kelly and Lee will outline the course description and rationale as well as important health, safety and security information. Kelly said that student safety is a high priority.

“Because Kenya is under a State Department travel advisory, we’ve taken a number of steps to increase the safety conditions for our students,” said Kelly, who has traveled several times to 10 east African cities.

In addition to ensuring that every student carries a cell phone at all times, Kelly said that IU students will travel with partners from Moi University who speak Swahili and who know the local conditions. Anytime they leave Eldoret, they will be with their partners in university vehicles driven by university officials. Third, they will be staying at the IU house, a secure compound operated by IU.

Contact Kathleen Lee at (812) 855-1725 or by e-mail.
Attend the info session at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 in EP 214.
Apply online by Jan. 19, 2010.

Student publications win more than 50 awards

SoJ Web Report — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:19:25 +0000

Photo by Ron Johnson

IDS news adviser Ruth Witmer, 2010 Arbutus editor Katie Myrick and IDS editor-in-chief Natalie Avon collected awards at the College Media Advisers convention in Austin, Texas last week.

Board to hear IDS editor-in-chief candidates (Nov. 4)
Workshop to bring professionals
for one-on-one consultations (Oct. 20)
Grad student's 'Trash to Treasure' film set for Oct. 13 (Oct. 8)

Indiana University Bloomington’s student publications won more than 50 awards from three national associations this past week, including national first places for IU’s newspaper and magazine.

This fall’s Indiana Daily Student newspaper won first place among large dailies in Associated Collegiate Press’ Best of Show competition Saturday. The newspaper’s section on homecoming won a second place. The fall IDS editor-in-chief is senior Natalie Avon.

Inside magazine, launched four years ago, won a national first in Best of Show. Junior CJ Lotz edits the magazine.

Individual ACP winners include:

IDS sports reporter Matt Dollinger, first in sports writing for his coverage of the rebirth of Hoosier basketball;
IDS columnist Indira Dammu, first in opinion writing for her column on the culture of rape;
2008 Arbutus yearbook photographer Jacob Kriese, second in feature/picture;
IDS designer Larry Buchanan, who came in third in infographics.

Even IU Student Media’s professional staff was honored. IDS news adviser Ruth Witmer won a CMA Honor Roll Award, which recognizes advisers with up to five years of distinguished experience.
In two other national competitions announced last week, IU journalists won more awards than any other school. Designers won six firsts among 14 awards in the Best of Collegiate Design competition of College Media Advisers, and staffers won 17 firsts among 36 Gold Circle Awards from Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

IU was also the only university whose newspaper, news Web site, magazine and yearbook were finalists in ACP’s Pacemaker Awards.

Avon, the fall newspaper editor, said the publications should continue to explore and experiment while maintaining a tradition of excellence.

"From the beginning, our goal has been to cover IU and its students in the best way possible," Avon said. "I think getting recognized this early in the game only gives us confidence and the motivation to keep trying new things while maintaining our core goal."

For the complete list of IU student media winners, visit the IDS Web site.

Smiley reflects on IU years at SPEA dedication

jsbergma — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:24:19 +0000

Courtesy of Indiana University

IU alumnus Tavis Smiley talked to an audience at SPEA Friday. The school renamed the atrium in his honor.

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Journalist, author and radio talk show host Tavis Smiley arrived at Indiana University’s campus in August of 1982 with no money for tuition and no place to stay.

“I came to this campus with one suitcase, $35 dollars in my pocket and my letter of acceptance,” he told his audience at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs Friday. SPEA renamed its atrium in honor of Smiley, an alumnus of the program, and invited him to speak before the dedication.

A Kokomo native, Smiley talked about his time at IU, his work, the implications of the previous presidential election and the importance of love and quality of service in public discourse. Smiley also donated $50,000 dollars to SPEA in recognition of those who’ve helped him along the way and in dedication of deserving students.

Smiley, the eldest of 11 children, said he spent the first 10 days of his freshman year sleeping on the floor in the Willkie Quad. Without money, Smiley said he had to figure out on his own, with help from the financial aid office, how to fund his education.

Smiley also found his own internship. In 1986, his senior year, Smiley worked for Tom Bradley, then mayor of Los Angeles. At the end of Smiley’s internship, Bradley offered him a job. But Smiley was nine credits short of a degree. Taking the job meant delaying his degree 15 years. He credits his adviser, who persistently called him each year to urge him to finish. He received his bachelor’s degree in public affairs in 2003.

Smiley went on to work as a radio commentator before moving to television. Smiley is currently the host of the late night television talk show, Tavis Smiley, on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show distributed by Public Radio International. He also has written several books and has served as a moderator for national political forums.

Smiley talked about the election of Barack Obama, saying that just because a country elects its first African American president doesn’t mean the work is done.

“We don’t live in a nation that is as good as its promise,” he said.

Smiley also criticized those who consider the election of Obama the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream.

“It’s a very good down payment on the dream,” Smiley said, “ but it’s not the fulfillment of the dream.”

However as a result of the election, Smiley explained, people have the opportunity to have conversations about what it means to be accountable for loving and serving everyday people.

“You can’t lead people if you don’t love people, and you can’t save people if you don’t serve people,” Smiley said.

Smiley told students in the audience that their roles are to do their part to create a nation that is as good as its promise, a theme he writes about in his book, Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise. Smiley also advised students not to look for jobs but rather to find their calling, their vocation and their purpose.

Smiley visits IU often, serving as commencement speaker in 2007 and receiving the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award that same year. He also has an honorary doctorate from IU.

Graduate student’s work continues with symposium

Shannon McEnerney — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:24:42 +0000

Photo by James Brosher

Graduate student Shameka Neely organized a symposium, "Race in the Age of Obama," to continue looking at a topic she launched with her documentary earlier this year.

Read about Neely's Witnesses to History documentary.
Four students to attend PRSSA conference (Nov. 4)
Board to hear IDS editor-in-chief candidates (Nov. 4)
Apply now for Summer in London (Oct. 27)

WTIU producer and graduate student Shameka Neely realized that Barack Obama’s presidential election represented more than just an oath.

Instead, she saw the people of the nation, the state and the country were all witnesses to history, and she knew she had to do something about it.

Neely’s mission to report on the diversity and race relations affecting the country began last November with her documentary, Witnesses to History, which chronicled Obama’s election and inauguration, and it continued Wednesday at a symposium, "Race in the Age of Obama," at the Indiana Memorial Union’s Whittenberger Auditorium.

The symposium, sponsored by WTIU, the Office of Diversity Education and Union Board, drew about 30 people to hear IU and Bloomington panelists discuss how Obama’s election is affecting the country nearly a year later.

Neely said she wanted to host the symposium to expand on the concerns the documentary presented. She hoped the symposium would begin a conversation on how race relations have — or haven’t — changed since Obama’s election.

“Is color seen as much anymore?” Neely said. “Does race still matter? Or do we see people as individuals?”

Neely chose the symposium’s panel: Bloomington Safe and Civil City Director Beverly Calendar-Anderson, associate professor of history and Latino studies John Nieto-Philips, IU Director for Student Programs and Services Bill Shipton, assistant professor of history Khalil Muhammad, and sociology Ph.D. student Rashawn Ray.

Neely said each brought a different perspective to the issue of race and diversity. Muhammad appeared in the documentary, and Shipton, who said he represented the “white guy” on the panel, works with diversity programs on the IU campus.

“I wanted to make sure not to seclude the program to IU,” Neely said. “I wanted to invite the whole community.”

The symposium began with a viewing of Witnesses to History, and afterward, panelists fielded questions ranging from what a black president means for society to whether affirmative action should remain at higher education institutions.

Shipton said that he rejoiced when Obama was elected, but said what is important is what happens from here on.

“Do we re-energize the issues of racism or do we hit the snooze button?” he asked.

Photo by James Brosher

Panelists fielded questions as well as posed them to the audience at Wednesday night’s discussion.

Calendar-Anderson agreed with Shipton, saying that racism did not end Nov. 5. Instead, Obama’s election meant hope. This hope is the light at the end of the tunnel leading to a place many dream of being, she said.

Nieto-Philips agreed, adding that Obama’s election was the beginning of a conversation rather than the end of a conversation about race.

The panelists turned the tables by asking the audience questions, with audience members holding up green cards for “yes” or red cards for “no.” The panelists asked if racism still exists in the country and if people still see race. The participants answered “yes.”

Neely said she hopes attendees left with a recognition that diversity is important, but she also wants people to realize the importance of discussing issues of race and diversity, even if they don’t want to talk about it.

“It’s important to see people as individuals and not color,” she said. “I hope there is a true effectiveness of this event.”

Sophomore Rayhona Abdullaeva said while she watched the Witnesses to History documentary, she wanted to cry. She saw all the people in the documentary who were rejoicing in Obama’s election, and even though she is not black, Abdullaeva said she felt the emotion and importance of such a historic election.

Abdullaeva said she left the symposium with the understanding that race still exists, and even though everybody knows it, it is important to move forward in making a change to eliminate these issues of race.

Photo by James Brosher

Panelist Khalil Muhammad, an assistant professor of history at IU, responded to several questions during the symposium. Organizer Shameka Neely said her goal was to have panelists from campus and the area join the discussion.

At the end of the symposium, everyone recited a diversity pledge in a commitment to be aware and actively involved in speaking out against the prejudices and racism.

Neely’s mission continues. Her job as a WTIU producer keeps her busy, along with her graduate work. She is working on a piece about Vigo County’s first female African American prison warden by tracing the woman’s steps.

“I’m very excited,” Neely said. “It’s been an eye-opening experience.”

If Neely is certain of one thing, it is that she will continue to be a journalist and report on the issues that matter to her, such as diversity and race.

“I want to impact the lives of others,” she said. “People turn on the TV to watch the news, so it’s important to make sure what goes on in the community is told.”

Neely said she loves journalism because it allows her to tell other people’s stories. And she knows this isn’t the end of her mission to unveil important ongoing issues.

“I don’t think this is the last you will see or hear of what I’m doing,” Neely said with a smile.

Career Cafes offer drop-in consultations for job, internship search

Shannon McEnerney — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:59:51 +0000

Photo by Shanna Rottinger

Career Services Director Marcia Debnam showed sophomore Isabel Monahan places to look for resume tools during a recent Career Cafe session. Several times a week, Debnam invites students to drop in to work out strategies to land internships and jobs.

Sophomore Stephanie Mulato is one of many journalism students who are starting to prepare for the internship and job market. Is her resume ready? How can she find an internship for next summer? What are her options?

To find answers, Mulato attended one of last week’s Career Cafes, drop-in events in the rear room of the journalism library where students can get advice about how to proceed.

Career Services Director Marcia Debnam sets aside several hours a week to host these events, where she advises students one-on-one to help them develop skills and increase their marketability for internships and jobs post-graduation. This week’s Career Cafes are 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Debnam’s advice is simple for nearly all the students who come to her for advising appointments regarding jobs and internships.

“Your job search is a research project,” Debnam said. She gives students pointers to resources, reviews their resumes and letters, and helps them connect to potential employers, but ultimately, it’s up to students to craft their game plans.

The two-hour time slots vary by date and time of day, Debnam said, giving most students a chance to find time to walk-in and seek advice. Last year, the Career Cafes focused on group sessions, with all students talking about their job or internship search concerns, but Debnam said after these sessions, students would ask for individual appointments. That is why this year’s Career Cafés are walk-in individual sessions.

“My goal is to reach out to students in an open atmosphere,” Debnam said.

Debnam has been focusing on employer outreach this year, forming more relationships with industry professionals who can become good resources for the School of Journalism for internships and jobs.

Junior Hannah Helbert attended because as a junior, she is focused on finding an internship for the summer and needed advice on how to improve her resume. Debnam showed her the School of Journalism’s Web site section devoted to cover letters, resumes, and internships.

Helbert said after her session that she feels ready to work on her resume and begin the application process. The e-mail announcements and the weekly e-mail newsletter from the School of Journalism often include leads to jobs and internships. Students also should register at IUJournalismCareers.com, where they can find leads as well as examples of application materials. Along with the support from Debnam and professors, these help prepare students to move in the right direction, Helbert said.

For students facing graduation, Debnam said to get the job search started now. Students should consider applying for posted job offerings as well as unadvertised positions. While Debnam said it is harder to apply for unsolicited jobs, it is beneficial in the long run because the more employers who see a resume, the better the chances for a job offer when a position does become available at that company.

“Make your job search a job,” Debnam said. “A job search is like fishing. You’re the one driving it. Keep throwing the line, but know you can’t catch them all.”

The job search is a multistage process involving research for potential employers, research for the employer’s demographics, and crafting a cover letter and resume.

“A cover letter can make or break you,” Debnam said. She tells students to write unique cover letters that will make an employer say, “I want to call this person right now,” after reading it.

Even those who won’t need a job right away should get busy on this “job,” she said. Building skill sets are important.

“It’s not where but what you do,” Debnam said. “Work on a multitude of skills. At this stage, prove you’ve got great communication skills.”

She tells students to think in terms of the Web – whether a blog or Twitter – to show employers their versatility in an Internet-based era. She suggests to students get involved in a different activity each semester to help in skill building. Not only will they learn new skills – such as sending press releases on behalf of a campus organization – but they’ll also be able to demonstrate their various interests.

“Students are expected to be their own business,” Debnam said, terming this as “becoming a brand.”

But it is also important, Debnam said, for students to know that there is no linear path in terms of a career.

“Your skills are going to allow you to be who you want to be,” she said. “Everybody is different. Don’t worry about anything except experiencing experience.”

Career Cafes are held each week at varying hours in the School of Journalism’s library. Students are welcome to walk-in anytime and meet with Debnam to discuss any concerns.

Bikers, walkers contributeto ‘greening’ of school

Sarah Hutchins — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:56:32 +0000

Photo by James Brosher

Professor Claude Cookman is one of several faculty and staff members who bike or walk to Ernie Pyle Hall each day. "It really gets me wide awake," he said.

Learn more about IU's sustainability efforts.
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Staff award reception June 9 (June 9)
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As Indiana University works to make the Bloomington campus eco-friendly, faculty and staff at the School of Journalism are striving to make their carbon footprints just a little bit smaller. They’re recycling, conserving energy and even modifying the way they get to work.

Associate professor Claude Cookman bikes three miles from his house in Park Ridge. Rain or shine, he’ll mount his Diamondback bicycle for the 15 to 20 minute ride across the bypass and onto campus.

“It really gets me wide awake,” Cookman said. “When it’s 45 degrees outside with wind in your face, it’s invigorating.”

For Cookman, biking is about more than a brisk morning wakeup. It’s also about functional exercise. He’ll try to combine biking with everyday activities like going to the grocery store and getting to work.

Already, multiple faculty and staff members have ditched their cars for alternative work transportation. Associate professor Jim Kelly bikes every day the steets are dry. Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Shannon Martin and Web developer Jeff Johnson also ride in, as does assistant professor Hans Ibold, who makes an eight-mile round trip ride.

Assistant professor Mike Conway said he has been riding to Ernie Pyle Hall every day for the past five years. Like many of the journalism school bikers, he doesn’t even own a parking pass.

Over the years Conway has found tips and tricks for biking the one mile to work in any kind of weather. When it rains, he dons full-body raingear and shoe covers to protect his clothes.

“A college environment is a great place to bike,” Conway said. "It’s a great way to commute."

However, not all of these eco-friendly commuters opt for bikes. Living in Europe, Newswire editor Anne Kibbler picked up the habit of walking and using public transporation. When she moved to Bloomington, she kept up the routine. While walking to work is routine by now, Kibbler said the environmental benefits only add to her motivation.

“Before green was trendy, people just walked because they could,” she said. “I just feel better when I walk.”

Not even the harsh Bloomington winters prevent Kibbler, and most of the bikers, from putting on her walking shoes. She’ll just bundle up and try to avoid the ice.

Recycling efforts have also increased to keep with a university-wide green initiative.

“We’re trying to do more with recycling plastic, aluminum and magazines,” said office supervisor Judy Boruff.

Photo by James Brosher

Even in bad weather, Cookman and others bike or walk to campus. Other green activities at the school include "sleeping" computers at night and recycling.

In the last six to eight months, Boruff said, additional recycling units have been installed around the building.

Technology also received a green update. Senior systems administrator David Ernst modified the computers to save energy. The computers shut off around 10 p.m. each night and turn on around 6:30 a.m. Not only will this adjustment save energy, but it will also cool off the rooms to prevent extra heating and cooling costs.

Apple computers, which the journalism school uses exclusively, are also the greenest on the market, Ernst said.

Like the rest of the university, the journalism school replaces computers every three years. However, none of the old equipment goes to waste. Backup batteries are recycled back to suppliers. Equipment is sent to the IU surplus, sold to other departments on campus or loaned out.

So far, the initiatives are small scale, but the school continues to try and consider green alternatives. Even the faculty bikers admit that one small step is better than nothing.

“It is good for the environment,” Cookman said. “I mean, the gallons of gas I’ve saved over the years. It’s a very small thing, but if everyone did it, it would be revolutionary.”

Schiller talks about ‘difficult times’ during media revolution

Jessica Birthisel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:40:15 +0000

Photo by Jeremy Hogan

NPR’s Vivian Schiller talked on "The Changing Face of Journalism" Monday evening at the Buskirk-Chumley. She said while she isn’t sure where journalism is going, it is experiencing a revolution.

National Public Radio CEO Vivian Schiller didn’t mince words Monday as she took to the Buskirk-Chumley stage Monday night.

“These are very, very difficult times,” said Schiller of the state of journalism, promising to first depress the crowd, only to cheer them up by the end of her talk.

Schiller, who spoke on “The Changing Face of Journalism,” was the second lecturer of the School of Journalism’s fall Speaker Series. She supported her grim comment with statistics. Eleven percent of newsroom jobs were cut in 2008, said Schiller. Dailies in cities where daily newspapers still exist are losing upwards of $1 million per week. Surveys indicate that the public’s assessment about the accuracy of news is at its lowest level in almost two decades.

“I don’t know where journalism is going,” said Schiller, but she predicted that in 10 to 15 years, scholars and historians will look back on 2009 as the year that everything changed. “What it’s going to change to, we don’t know, but you can feel it. It’s a revolution.”

This reality is important to all citizens, she said, not just those who practice, study or teach journalism.

“You should care a great deal about what happens in journalism,” said Schiller. “It’s about the future of our democracy.”

Acknowledging the loftiness of the claim, Schiller said that out of the ashes of these dying newspapers will rise “a fantastic era” of information and journalism.

NPR is one such organization that is preparing for tomorrow’s industry, said Schiller, and the company’s present initiatives and future goals give cause for cheer amidst troubling numbers.

“There are some really good reasons to be cheerful, and these are the reasons that keep me going,” said Schiller.

First, Schiller said the audience (“which is where all conversations about journalism must begin and end”) is there. Audiences for NPR are at an all-time high with 32 million people tuning in to public radio every week.

And not only are the audiences present, said Schiller, but they are paying for content.

“Our listeners are stepping up to the plate to support public radio in record numbers,” said Schiller. “Pledge drives are higher than ever.”

Schiller said NPR audiences are engaged because they really care about the product. Feeling like a rock star at times, Schiller said when she mentions to new acquaintances that she’s associated with NPR, they “go nuts.” This is different from people’s reactions to her former employer, The New York Times. That audience and product, said Schiller, had a connection of the head, an “intellectual connection.”

Photo by Jeremy Hogan

Schiller told her audience that online media is the most revolutionary change since the printing press.

“With NPR, there’s a connection of the heart,” said Schiller, who became the network’s CEO in January after working as senior vice president at The New York Times, as general manager of the Discovery Time and for CNN Productions.

She pointed out that journalism itself is not in crisis, but rather its business model. Public radio, says Schiller, serves as a good example of a diversified revenue system. Still, that model may not fit all media.

“We must find other ways and we will find other ways,” said Schiller.

New media may be one of those ways.

“The Internet is not the devil,” said Schiller, describing it as the greatest thing that’s happened to journalism in her lifetime, the most revolutionary for the free flow of information since the printing press.

One digital platform has especially great potential for journalism, said Schiller, and that’s social media, which allows journalists to engage with the audience as distributors of content. As an example, she talked about the “balloon boy” hoax and NPR bloggers’ comments. Not only had NPR listeners moved past basic emotional reactions to the news story, but some were using math and physics equations to debunk the myth that the vessel could carry a six-year-old child, arriving at this conclusion well before authorities. This type of interaction and participation is simply not possible in print, said Schiller.

Schiller said she is also hopeful because new news organizations are emerging, some the results of journalists’ buyouts at major media organizations.

“This is happening everywhere. There’s a flowering of grass roots news organizations all over the country,” she said. “I am as optimistic about journalism as I’ve ever been.”

As NPR looks to the future, Schiller said it will focus on innovation, diversifying the audience, increasing the quality and quantity of local journalism, and building the digital platform of public radio.

She advised journalism schools and journalism students to prepare for a new day in the industry as well. Journalism schools need to partner with public media entities for learning opportunities, she said, as well as lead the effort to teach media literacy to non-journalism students. Journalism schools should abandon the notion of having students focus on different platforms such as newspaper, magazine and television.

“I would actively discourage any journalism student from picking a discipline,” said Schiller. “We are living in a multimedia world.”

She had other advice for students, encouraging them to learn the language of the Internet, to learn basic software development, to “experiment like crazy” with different business models, and to not give up or lose heart.

Photo by Jeremy Hogan

"It’s not a dying industry," Schiller said. Instead, journalism is in the midst of a reinvention.

She said at a lunch with journalism students earlier in the day, one student mentioned that her parents had been criticized for paying tens of thousands of dollars each year for her to major in a dying industry.

“It’s not a dying industry,” said Schiller, explaining that it’s an industry in the midst of reinvention. Short of life-saving medicine, she said, nothing is more important than doing good journalism and shining a “bright light” on the major causes of our times.

Schiller finished her talk by praising Bloomington’s local NPR affiliate, WFIU.

“I am so inspired by what’s going on here,” said Schiller, before finishing with a standard public radio line and eliciting laughter from the crowd. “I have to end by saying, please support your local public radio station. The pledge drive is coming up soon.”

Following her speech, Schiller answered audience questions in a lengthy Q&A portion of the event.

Audience member Sally Thomas said after the event that she listens to NPR every day while working in her art studio and came to the speaker series because she wanted to see who was now in charge.

“I was very impressed with her,” said Thomas. “I think that NPR is in very good hands.”

Emma Kahle, a high school senior from Jasper, Ind., and a prospective IU journalism student, said Schiller brought up a lot of interesting things about journalism that she had never thought about. Her parents, John and Linda, who accompanied Emma on her visit to the School of Journalism Monday, said that as NPR supporters, they were excited to find out that Schiller’s talk coincided with Kahle’s visit day at the university.

Linda Kahle said she could empathize with Schiller’s anecdote about funding a child’s college education in a transitioning field such as journalism. But just as Schiller hoped, she left the talk feeling hopeful.

“It was encouraging to hear her say something positive,” she said.

Kahle’s father said he is not pessimistic about where the industry is headed.

“The medium is not the message,” he said, adding that this current transition is not the first time that writers and audiences have resisted technological changes. In fact, he agreed with one of Schiller’s main premises as he considered his daughter’s future in the field.

“This could be the most exciting time to be in journalism since the invention of the printing press.”

The fall Speaker Series wraps up Nov. 10 with a lecture by Fox Sports’ Joe Buck.

Read about Schiller’s question-and-answer session with the audience.

Panelists: New grads need solid writing skills, flexibility to land jobs

Sarah Hutchins — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:17:25 +0000

Photo by Shanna Rottinger

Jim Parham of Hirons and Company and Tina Cosby of WISH-TV were two panelists who spoke to students Friday. Cosby advised students to be organized, while Parham stressed the importance of good writing skills.

Buck headlines scholarship fundraiser (Nov. 3)
Fox Sports' Joe Buck wraps up Speaker Series (Nov. 3)
Smiley reflects on IU years at SPEA dedication (Nov. 2)

A trio of journalism professionals shared their thoughts about essential journalism skills and landing a first job on Friday in the Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium.

Panelists included Jim Parham of Hirons and Company; Andrea Murray, managing editor of the Herald-Times; and Tina Cosby, community affairs director and anchor at WISH-TV in Indianapolis. They presented information to Career Services Director Marcia Debnam’s J492 Media Internships class and any other students who wanted to attend.

All three panelists emphasized reporting, writing and organization as crucial skills for journalists about to enter the job market.

"Basically, the skills I use every day are the same as what I used 20 years ago," Cosby said.

The WISH-TV anchor remembers a college class where the professor asked students to write a voiceover in the final two minutes of class. She said the experience provided great training for her work as a professional journalist.

"In any newsroom, it is like that," Cosby said. "You have to have yourself organized so you can summarize and meet deadlines. If you’re not organized, you’re going to fall and get washed away."

Murray said the skills necessary for a strong job candidate have changed over the years. Today, print journalists need to be able to do more than type.

"Now, the key skills are being able to listen, manage your time, communicate, recall and organize," Murray said. "It’s not just about print anymore, but being able to know what people are talking about with new media. You have to be fearless with this blast of new stuff."

The best job candidates can both write and report. While Murray said she values reporters over writers, Cosby acknowledged the importance of being able to translate raw data into digestible news.

"As I’m gathering, I’m writing," Cosby said. "How do I do a stand up if I’m not writing in my head? If you can’t communicate it effectively, what good is it?"

"But the raw data has to be there for you to get it on the news report," Murray chimed in.

Public relations professionals also need to be strong information gatherers and communicators. Parham, who works as an adjunct lecturer in the School of Journalism in addition to serving as chief operating officer of Hirons and Company, said the quality of student writing—especially grammar—concerns him.

"The computer only goes so far," Parham said, referring to tools such as spell check.

All three panelists acknowledged the importance of being able to do a little but of everything. Parham said students interested in public relations should be well versed in news and pop culture in order to handle a diverse set of clients. Print reporters need to understand new
media. In broadcast, Cosby said reporters are expected to post all of their stories online and use social networking Web sites.

"We’re trying to play catch up to CNN and cable news networks," Cosby said. "Gone are the days when people sit down and watch TV when you tell them to. If local TV is to remain, it’s going to have to adapt and adapt quickly."

Understanding the adjustments each field is experiencing will be crucial for journalism students about to enter the job market.

Like broadcast, traditional print publications are experimenting with 24-hour news platform. The advent of online reporting has forced newspapers to abandon a traditional news cycle.

Photo by Shanna Rottinger

Andrea Murray of the Herald-Times said new college graduates won’t get full-time reporting jobs, but would be considered for other posts. "You have to be realistic about what’s out there," she said.

"Don’t expect to work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and go home at night," Murray said. "With newspapers, one foot is on the paper product, which is still making a little money, and the other foot is online. This paper product is going to disappear, not today, but maybe in the next 20 years."

Murray said young reporters should expect to work weekend and nightshifts to keep up with these changes.

When it comes to searching for a job, all three panelists advised students to look for small media outlets. Murray said while the Herald-Times doesn’t hire new college graduates for full-time reporting jobs, those new journalists would be considered for lower level assignments.

"You have to be realistic about what’s out there," Murray said. "You’ll have experience if you start lower."

Parham acknowledged the difficulties of getting a first job.

"It’s a Catch-22," he said. "You need experience to get a job and you need a job to get experience."

Graduates should be willing to go anywhere, for any salary, when they start out, Cosby said. If companies require a certain amount of experience, she said, it’s because they mean it.

"Give yourself an opportunity to grow," Cosby said. "It’s all about mind over matter."

IU football player looking to break into fashion journalism

Jessica Birthisel — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:16:50 +0000

IU Athletics photo by Mike Dickbernd

IU football player Bryan Payton has been interviewed several times this season. As a budding journalist, he said being on this side of the camera gives him special insight into reporting.

If you Google “Bryan Payton,” you’ll find a lot of sports stories about him.

The fifth-year senior has been part of the Hoosier football team since he was red-shirted as a freshman in 2005 and, in the years since, has been covered by media outlets ranging from the Indiana Daily Student to Tthe New York Times to ESPN.

But if you Google “by Bryan Payton” you’ll find that he also spends a considerable amount of time on the other side of the reporter’s notebook. In addition to being an IU running back, Payton is nurturing both fashion and journalism careers, evidenced by his stories and Fashion Jock column in the Indiana Daily Student newspaper, his blogging (including several pieces published on The New York Times Web site), and his arts and culture pieces in the IU magazine, Inside.

As he finishes his final season of Hoosier football, Payton, who will graduate in December with a general studies degree, sat down to reflect on his learning experience with the IDS, what it’s like being the interviewee, and where he hopes to take his writing career next.

Payton admitted that he didn’t always know he wanted to be a writer, but the more time he spent reading his favorite magazines, such as Giant, Vie, GQ, Details and Men’s Health, the more he started to think, “Why can’t I do that?”

He said his official writing career started in 2007 with the launch of his now defunct sports blog, Inside IU Football, a project that he says taught him a lot about writing.

“The coaches were nice enough to let me do that,” Payton said. “I wasn’t very good yet, but it was a good start.”

Last spring, he approached the IDS to pursue opportunities, but not in the predictable department. It wasn’t sports he was interested in, but fashion. Through general assignment work as well as his Fashion Jock column, Payton said he began to really learn the basic mechanics of journalism, including structuring articles and getting quotes.

According to IDS adviser Ruth Witmer, Payton is a good example of the basic philosophy of IU student media.

“It’s a learning lab,” said Witmer. “We don’t care what you come with. We care what you leave with.”

This IDS work mixed his blogging and his insider’s sports knowledge, and provided him with enough experience to land a summer sports writing internship with The Journal Gazette in Ft. Wayne, Ind., last summer.

What makes Payton a unique case study is that all the while, as he’s been learning the craft of journalism, he’s also been the subject of extensive media coverage due to his status as Big Ten athlete. Payton says that his journalistic training has given him unique insight into those times he is the subject of an interview.

“It’s comfortable,” Payton said of being the interviewee. “I can give the answers I think they want and even throw them a curve ball sometimes.”

That’s not to say that things always go perfectly. Payton said that, in general, coverage of him has been accurate, but he did recall one instance when a grammatical improvisation led to some feedback. He didn’t remember the specifics of the interview or the story, but he remembered making a reference to kicking some butt on the field. When the story was published, the word “butt” was put in quotations, a journalistic technique suggesting that the writer had replaced Payton’s swear word with more suitable language.

“He made it look like I cussed,” said Payton, laughing. The incident resulted in phone calls from his friends and family (including his mom) as well as baiting from his teammates. “They said, ‘did you swear in that interview?’ I said, ‘No!’”

The experience helped him realize how many people a story can affect.

“It taught me, as a writer, to be careful,” said Payton. “A story doesn’t just impact the person it’s about. You have to think of all of the people in their life who are going to read it.”

Courtesy photo

The Big Ten Network came to campus Thursday to talk to Payton about his journalism work. Here, he showed the camera crew around Ernie Pyle Hall and the IDS offices.

Payton said his experiences as interviewee have also made him realize that athletes sometimes get put into boxes, often a result of predictable questions by sports journalists.

“A lot of times, journalists dehumanize us a little bit,” said Payton. “But part of it is our own fault, because we talk like PR robots. We’re real people, too. Sometimes I want to say, ‘I know that team is not better than us,’ but I can’t say that.”

For that reason, Payton says that pre-season football training always includes a session on how players should handle media interviews, including what to say and what not to say.

“These interviews aren’t just affecting you,” said Payton, “it’s about the whole team.”

One clear benefit of a being a writer who often gets interviewed, he said, is the opportunity to meet other journalists.

“Interviewing is a networking opportunity,” said Payton. “Journalism is one huge fraternity, sorority, club. We’re all trying to get to the same place. And one day, I want to be where the interviewer is, professionally.”

He also admitted his status as Big Ten athlete has opened up journalistic doors, including the opportunity to blog at The New York Times’ college sports blog, The Quad.

“I always like to think I’m talented, but I know that being a known name…helps people have a perception of me. What can I say? It’s a plus,” he said, explaining that if people hear his name 10 to 15 times on the football stadium speakers any given Saturday, it might increase their interest in his IDS stories. “But I do feel that my talent is what keeps people reading.”

Witmer, describing Payton as gregarious, said writing experience can help new journalists improve, but there is also something inside people that aids their success.

“There’s a lot we can teach young writers,” said Witmer, “but some important qualities come with the people. And one of those things is enthusiasm, which Bryan certainly has.”

Payton said that his interest in both writing and fashion have slowly crept up on him, but today he describes them as passions, passions he hopes to build his future career around. Sports writing is not high on his list of priorities.

“I can always do that,” he said. “It’s the most natural, easy thing. I want to write about entertainment, fashion, culture. In the whole scheme of things, these are more important than sports.”

Caitlin Johnston, a journalism and political science junior who was Payton’s arts editor at the IDS last fall, said Payton’s varied interests enhance his writing.

IU Athletics photo by Mike Dickbernd

No. 27 Bryan Payton in action on the field. He was author of Fashion Jock and now writes his own blog.

“The whole reason we wanted to hire him to write one of the fashion columns was because we thought he would bring a unique perspective,” said Johnston, the current IDS general assignments editor, in a phone interview. “Since he’s not your typical stereotype of a male fashion columnist, I think it helps readers connect to him. He’s very approachable, down to earth, and he’s not afraid to like a variety of things.”

As far as he’s come in two quick years, Payton knows there is more work to do and he said he’s excited to see how much he can strengthen his skills when writing, not football and school work, is his top priority.

“I’m humbled by knowing that I have a long way to go,” said Payton, who admitted like any other student, he struggles to balance his time between his athletics, his academics and his social life. “But what if, one day, I’m only a journalist. Then how good can I be? I feel like the sky’s the limit.”

Payton is applying for positions at several major fashion and lifestyle magazines and is considering continuing his education next semester in order to complete a certificate in fashion design and a minor in journalism. During this intense football season, Payton recently had to discontinue his IDS column (“I was in way over my head”) but fans of the Fashion Jock can continue to read his work at his new blog site, http://www.bryanpayton.blogspot.com/.

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