Indiana University School of Journalism » Features

Students interested in magazines find several options to learn, network

Amie Sites — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:40:51 +0000

Photo by Joshua Payton

From left, Lyndsey Wall, Daniel Carson and Cindy Uecker talk over ideas in J360 Creating an Indiana Magazine. The students in the class produce 812 The Magazine each semester.

Even amid a technical revolution, glossy print magazines continue to draw the interest of IU journalism students. While some are drawn to magazine storytelling or layout, others are working to figure out how to transfer the look and feel to digital format.

For several semesters, the school has added more sections of magazine writing and editing classes, including the class that produces the award-winning 812 The Magazine of Southern Indiana.

And, Inside, a publication of IU Student Media, continues to win awards and draw staffers who wish to practice skills they’ve learned in classes.

“I think college students still read magazines for pleasure and to find out what is going on in the world,” said Nancy Comiskey, who has taught several of the magazine writing and editing classes as well as J360 Creating an Indiana Magazine. “The real-life experience they get working at Inside or 812 is definitely a plus.”

In addition to classes, students can tap into the magazine industry in other ways. The school also hosted four alumni, all leaders of magazines, for a panel discussion last fall, and sponsors a chapter of Ed on Campus, a national organization that allows students who aspire to work at magazines to network for internships and jobs.

812 The Magazine provides real-world production skills

The 2011 issues of 812 The Magazine of Southern Indiana recently won several awards at the Society of Professional Journalists’ Indy Pro Chapter contest. But standards have been high since the first class’ issue in 2010, which was 32 pages of stories and features about life in southern Indiana. Comiskey has taught the class from the beginning, when graduate student Scott McDaniel proposed the idea, and she said each class starts from the ground up.

Each semester, students in J360 Creating an Indiana Magazine produce an issue of 812.

First, students conduct readership studies to find out what people want to read, then they develop story ideas. Working as a magazine staff, students report, write, edit, take photos and videos, design print pages and work on the Web version. Students fact check stories and proof pages.

Lecturer Steve Layton’s J465 Graphic Design II class has been working on the iPad app for the spring issue, to create a feel much like the print magazine design but incorporating multimedia such as slideshows and videos. The 812 students have been supplying all the content this spring.

While the students are looking forward to showing the next 812 on their iPads, their focus is on delivering stories people want to read.

“Students get two main benefits form this course,” Comiskey said. “They come away with professional clips and they also learn to write for a specific audience, which is important in magazines.”

Lindsey Medlen worked on the 812 Magazine this semester as a staff writer and managing editor. She wrote an interior design feature that will appear online as well as in the print edition of the magazine.

“Working on 812 magazine has been challenging, but great,” Medlen said. “I have obtained wonderful clips for my portfolio and have developed professional relationships with my peers.”

In the future, Comiskey hopes to see the magazine continue to grow. Circulation has doubled since the first issue, and the magazine is distributed at about 70 locations throughout south central Indiana.

Comiskey said students now may take the class twice, working in a leadership role the second time.

The course is challenging, and students apply to be admitted. Medlen had advice for those who are intimidated.

“Be brave,” Medlen said. “This is a great experience and you will learn so much from this real life seminar.”

Inside Magazine is the real world

Inside magazine provides real-world experience for both print and Web.

Students working for Inside magazine don’t receive a grade, but do contribute to the production of IU Student Media’s award-winning magazine, which is published four times a year and has a Web presence.

Editor-in-chief Stephanie Doctrow has worked on the magazine since her sophomore year, working her way up from editorial assistant and assistant editor.

As leader, Doctrow looks at the big picture. She manages staff and conducts brainstorming sessions to plan each issue, and she also works with editors of each section so that every issue is balanced and diverse.

The staff of 15 people includes reporters, editors, designers and an art director. Students apply to work on staff by filling out an application for either the fall or spring semester.

Doctrow said she has enjoyed every minute working with Inside.

“It’s been one of the things that will define my college career,” Doctrow said. “Late nights were spent working in the office, and it’s easy to become close with the people you are spending hours with.”

Students can be as involved as they want, and they can even submit stories for the website or they can guest blog.

Doctrow’s advice for those who want to work in magazines is to get involved with student media as soon as possible.

“There is a bigger interest in magazines, especially with the new chapter Ed on Campus,” Doctrow said. “Inside is good because it gives students a network of people to work with after graduation.”

With Doctrow graduating, the editor-in-chief position has been passed to Michela Tindera, a sophomore journalism major who would like to eventually work for a magazine or a publishing company. She joined the Inside staff last semester.

Tindera already has received 40 applications for fall semester and is interviewing possible staff members.

She said she has two goals. First, she would like to increase the Web and social media presence of the magazine. She would like students to start blogging a lot more. Second, she would like to increase campus awareness of the print edition by working with the marketing staff of the Indiana Daily Students.

The benefits of getting involved in magazine programs around campus are endless, she said.

“Student media offers more experience than you would get in a normal classroom setting,” Tindera said. “Getting involved in these programs will allow students to get a working atmosphere and be better prepared for the future after graduation.”

Ed at Indiana offers networking

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Christie Griffin, left, of Fitness listens as Chandra Czape Turner offers advice during a panel discussion last fall that featured four alumni who now are magazine editors. Turner, now editor of Parents, founded Ed 2010, a networking group for magazine journalists.

A third way for would-be magazine professionals to chart a course on the career path is by joining Ed at Indiana, a chapter of Ed 2010, a network of magazine professionals offering job and career leads.

Junior Allison Berry started thinking seriously about magazine internships and, in her research, found the Ed 2010 website. The group had had a chapter at IU a few years ago, and Berry, with the help of Comiskey, is reviving it.

“I was disappointed to see that there weren’t many opportunities for students who want to get involved with magazines on campus,” Berry said. “Starting an Ed chapter seemed like a great way to fix that.”

Berry is in New York City interning at Parents magazine. Through her involvement with Ed at Indiana, she met journalism alumna Chandra Czape Turner, who founded Ed on Campus in 1998 to help others pursuing magazine careers. Ed at Indiana is a college chapter. Turner is editor at Parents and was a member of a panel of alumni magazine editors who visited in November.

In Berry’s absence, Laura Sibley has taken the president’s position. She said Ed sponsors networking events and provides job postings to help people have an edge in the job market.

“The school is really good at giving students the opportunity to talk to alumni and network,” Sibley said. “Also, Ed at Indiana has no membership fees, so it’s free for students to use its resources.”

Sibley said Ed’s small events allow students to work with visiting alumni or others on campus to share job or internship contacts.

“I knew what I wanted to do since I was 17,” Sibley said. “ I knew I wanted to write for magazines, and Ed at Indiana gave me better access to a network of professionals.”

Lindsey Medlen is a Web designer and editor for Ed at Indiana. First semester, she managed email and helped Berry plan events. This semester, she maintained the website and is working on a redesign.

“If you want a job in magazines, it’s the perfect place to start,” Medlen said.

Comiskey is faculty adviser, who works with students to plan current and future events for Ed.

“Ed at Indiana encourages students to network with writers and editors and learn from each other,” Comiskey said. “Students who take advantage of these opportunities will be one step ahead when they look for internships and jobs.”

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Students developing tablet appsto extend storytelling options

M. Jessica Contrera — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:49:23 +0000

Photo by Joshua Payton

Nate Best worked on "Spires," a story for 812 magazine. Students in J465 Graphic Design II are creating iPad versions of students' work in J360 Creating an Indiana Magazine.

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Junior Jayne Flax, art director of the Indiana Daily Student, is seeing news design in a different light: the light reflected from her iPad. But she’s not just browsing a great iPad design. She’s creating it.

Flax is a student in J465 Graphic Design II, a class taught by lecturer Steve Layton. Layton and his wife, lecturer Bonnie Layton, have incorporated iPad design into the School of Journalism coursework.

“Tablets are the future,” Steve Layton said. “We’re seeing their popularity soar, and it’s clear why. For magazines and newspapers, it’s a great way of telling a story.”

Layton isn’t exaggerating. In 2011, consumer bought an estimated 60 million tablets. Newsrooms and public relations firms across the globe are taking advantage of this new market and are searching for the best ways to generate tablet content for their readers.

So are students and faculty at the School of Journalism, where classes are collaborating to display their work in tablet form, mostly for iPad. The Laytons chose the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, an extension of Adobe InDesign, as software for this work because InDesign is one of the most common programs for print design. This makes the transition easier for print designers.

“It’s a pretty painless switch,” Steve Layton said. “Plus, since it’s an Adobe product, IU students have access to it on their home computers.”

Flax said that although there are limitations to using DPS, it’s a helpful start into the world of interactive design.

“As a designer, I will be much more marketable to my future employers because I have worked with some form of interactive design,” Flax said.

Flax and her classmates have created their own magazines for the iPad and have also worked together with J360 Creating an Indiana Magazine. Each semester, that class produces 812, a magazine about southern Indiana. The Design II students are currently creating iPad versions of the two latest issues of 812.

“We want the students to extend their thinking into how to tell their story on the tablet,” Layton said. “Instead of just words and photos, they can have full slide shows, ambient sound, panoramic views and much more.”

Both Layton and lecturer Nancy Comiskey, who teaches the magazine class, are excited about the collaboration.

Comiskey said the iPad version also is a chance for her students’ work to shine.

“In the print version, we can only fit so many stories,” Comiskey said. “On the iPad, everyone can have their stories beautifully designed.”

Photo by Joshua Payton

Lecturer Steve Layton's design class is creating iPad apps for students in a magazine class. "For magazines and newspapers, it’s a great way of telling a story,” he said.

While collaboration takes place at the undergraduate level, graduate students in J517 Advanced Digital Journalism Practicum, taught by Bonnie Layton, are both producing and designing content for the iPad. The students created feature packages for WTIU and Indiana Public Television, and then expanded them for presentation on the iPad.

Both classes’ iPad issues will be published this summer on the IU Libris app. This app allows IU publications to be available on the tablet without having to pay Apple’s hefty licensing fees. IU Libris is available due to the university’s partnership with Adobe Systems Inc.

The Laytons encourage any student interested in design to pursue tablet design.

“Tablets are such a novel news platform that our students can and should be involved in the molding of the user experience,” Bonnie Layton said. “And it just looks so stunning – why wouldn’t you want to capitalize on that?”

Eventually, the Laytons plan to create an all-tablet design class. For now, interested students should register for J465 Design II in the fall 2012 semester.

Weaver, five others join Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame

mslaby — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:23:37 +0000

Photo by Ann Schertz

Professor Emeritus David Weaver was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame Saturday.

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School of Journalism Professor Emeritus David Weaver was among six people honored at the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday at the Indiana Memorial Union.

“It’s amazing to me that I’ve been so lucky to be associated with so many great people,” Weaver told the crowd of fellow inductees, family and friends in the Tudor Room. “I am very fortunate to be supported by great journalists in this state.”

In its 47th annual induction ceremony, the hall of fame also welcomed new four other members to its roster of more than 200 Hoosier journalists:

Mark Ferree, Scripps Howard executive and president of the American Newspaper Publishers Association;
Skip Hess, longtime investigative reporter at the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News;
Steve Kroft, CBS 60 Minutes correspondent;
Kate Milner Rabb, early 20th century columnist for The Indianapolis Star.

The hall of fame presented its inaugural Distinguished Service Award to Walt Tabak of The Associated Press for his 25 years of keeping member newspapers online and up-to-date with ever changing technology.

For nearly 40 years, Weaver dedicated his career to journalistic teaching and research. Although he has a long list of works and accomplishments, he is most known for his work in agenda setting and the 1982, 1992 and 2002 American Journalist series of surveys. Later this year, the 2012 study, The Global Journalist in the 21st Century, will be published.

Last year, IU named Weaver “distinguished professor,” the only professor from the School of Journalism in the journalism school’s 100-year history to earn the title.

Weaver, though, downplayed these accomplishments as he addressed the audience Saturday.

“I think the title of Wells’s biography is Being Lucky,” he said. “And I can relate to that.”

Weaver also credited his mentor and American Journalists collaborator Professor Emeritus Cleve Wilhoit and his three “bosses” at the school, deans Richard Gray, Trevor Brown and Brad Hamm. He also acknowledged colleagues in the audience.

Other inductees or their families also made remarks, sometimes sharing personal stories or anecdotes.

Walt Tabak provided technical support to Associated Press members from 1961 to 1986, and many journalists remembered him as someone who was always there to fix problems no matter the time or the weather. His family remembered the same qualities.

“My dad’s commitment, dedication, pride to do the best job he could at one in the afternoon or one in the morning,” said his son, Ron Tabak, who accepted the award for his father.

Mark Ferree was a classmate of Ernie Pyle and Nelson Poynter at IU and the two helped him to land a job selling advertisement for the Washington Daily News in 1932, starting his long career as an executive with Scripps-Howard Newspapers.

His great-great nephew Kevin Harris accepted the award and said his uncle had a high view of journalism and loved to see young people join the profession and succeed.

Skip Hess spent 50 years with the two Indianapolis newspapers, writing investigative stories that brought down politicians and sparked government and institutional reform. He said his induction isn’t about one story, but about the thousands of stories, years of reporting, all the people he interviewed and the editors who helped him.

“It’s been a fun, 50-year ride,” he told the crowd, which included former colleagues, family and friends. “I can’t remember one day that I didn’t want to go to work.”

Photo by Ann Schertz

60 Minutes' Steve Kroft, a native of Kokomo, said he was honored to be part of the state's history.

Steve Kroft has been in the business nearly as long as Hess. The Kokomo native spent 40 years in broadcast journalism, and since 1989 has been at 60 Minutes. His work has earned five Peabodys, 10 Emmys and two Dupont awards.

Kroft said his Midwestern roots have taught him hard work, to be friendly and to have a healthy distrust of people in power.

With all of his awards, he said he was especially appreciative of Saturday’s honor.

“There’s nothing more satisfying in life than being recognized among the people and place where you grew up,” he said. “I want to tell you how much of a privilege it is to be a small part of the state’s history.”

Kate Milner Rabb was most famous for her columns about Indiana’s history and people in the Indianapolis Star. One, “A Hoosier Listening Post,” ran daily from 1920 to 1937. She also authored several books and was an avid Hoosier historian.

Her great-granddaughter, Julia Rabb Whitley, said her grandmother talked often about Rabb and her amazing career.

The Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame is housed at IU’s Ernie Pyle Hall, where placards in the rear room of the library list members.

The hall now is taking nominations for the 2013 class of inductees. All materials are on the group’s website.

Senior’s movie set for Cannes Film Festival

M. Jessica Contrera — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:07:16 +0000

Courtesy

Senior Tom Miller sets up a shot during the fiming of All We've Built, which will be shown at Cannes this summer.

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Editor's update: This movie will be shown at 6:30 p.m. May 2 at the IU Cinema. Pick up free tickets at the IU Auditorium box office.

In just three days, senior Tom Miller and his two teammates created a five-minute film that will be shown at the famous Cannes International Film Festival this summer.

The entry, All We’ve Built, is one of two films by IU students set to be shown at Cannes. Both are products of Campus MovieFest, a national program that encourages college students to put together their best work in film in just one week.

Miller and teammates, Ryan Black and Mike Brophy, both telecommunications students, trimmed four days off that when they decided they’d regret not entering the contest.

“In j-school, you learn to deliver the very best you can do by the deadline you have,” Miller said. “That’s what made it work.”

The film is about a young man who returns to his town after a nuclear disaster. He must sift through what remains of his former life and learn to cope with all he has lost. The movie was filmed in the county, near Ind. 446 and Lake Monroe.

During IU’s Campus MovieFest, the film was nominated for best drama, but didn’t win. It wasn’t until after the event that Miller received a call from Vijay Maker, vice president of Campus MovieFest. Miller said Maker told him the film was chosen to be one of 30 films MovieFest will show at the Short Film Corner at Cannes.

As a journalism student, Miller said he rarely works in fiction, but creative work improves his work in journalism and public relations.

“Doing creative work lets me experiment and try out new things,” Miller said. “Then later, when I’m working on a story or for a client, I’ll already know what works.”

Courtesy

Filmmakers found their sets in rural Monroe County, where abandoned buildings evoked the post-nuclear disaster theme.

For Miller, creativity flows from more than his camera lens. He is also a musician. Miller wrote and created the music for All We’ve Built.

He says this talent is more useful than one might expect.

“No matter what kind of video I’m making, it’s great to be able to whip out a song for background music instead of searching the Web for stock music,” Miller said.

In addition to acceptance to Cannes, the movie was named “film of the week” on campusmoviefest.com and is nearing 1,000 views on YouTube.

More:

To watch the film, visit the Campus MovieFest website.
Read about All We’ve Lost and the other IU student work headed to Cannes at IDSnews.com.

Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community

ndemille — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:32:57 +0000

Photo by Nicholas Demille

From left, Diana Cage, Amos Mac and Trevor Hoppe talked about LGBT community and media coverage at an April 11 talk in the Ernie Pyle auditorium.

Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process (April 15)
Indianapolis Monthly editor offers career advice for working at city magazines (April 15)

Don’t ask, don’t tell has been cast aside. Gay couples are saying their vows in record numbers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Does this mean that there is no longer a need for an LGBT community?

Yes and no.

This was the response from a panel of media pros who cover issues of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities who spoke to students and faculty Tuesday evening in the Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium.

"Equal Time: Gays, media and the myth of equality," moderated by adjunct professor Zak Szymanski, featured Trevor Hoppe, doctoral candidate in sociology and women’s studies at the University of Michigan; Diana Cage, former editor of On Our Backs magazine and author of Mindblowing Sex: A Woman's Guide; and Amos Mac, photographer and publisher of Original Plumbing.

Szymanski kicked off the talk with a slideshow of LGBT images from mainstream media as he posed rhetorical questions to the panel concerning the use of the word “queer,” a definition of transgendered and the suggestion that sex has been removed from coverage of the LGBT community in the mainstream press.

The panelists detailed the ways they have dealt with the three questions Szymanski posed. Hoppe spoke about three seminal books that shaped the way he conceives of the LGBT movement: Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation by Urvashi Vaid; Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality by Andrew Sullivan; and The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics, and the Ethics of Queer Life by Michael Warner.

The Vaid book, Hoppe said, calls for the LGBT community to equally represent people of varying sexual orientations, people of color and people of various socio-economic statuses.

The Sullivan book, Hoppe said, says “We need to fight for marriage and the Army. And once we’ve got marriage and the Army, than we can close up shop and go home.”

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Amos Mac, with microphone, started a magazine to tell the story of transgendered people "beyond surgeries."

The Warner book “points out the value of putting sex back into the middle of the analysis and how the mainstreaming of LGBT rights leave that out, and how that is a problem,” said Hoppe whose own book, Beyond Masculinity: Queer Men on Gender and Politics, will be published this year.

Hoppe spoke glowingly of the book because of Warner’s ability to “point out the value of putting sex back into the middle of the analysis and how the mainstreaming of LGBT rights leave that out, and how that is a problem.”

As a researcher, Hoppe’s answer to this was by shifting his interests towards dealing with HIV. “With HIV, there is no way to avoid talking about sex. It is, most importantly a question of health, but also of politics and more,” says Hoppe.

Cage defended the right of LGBT people to own their sexuality. She talked about her career in media and how it was shaped by the taboos of the industry and her desire to talk about sex.

“In the early 90’s, you couldn’t write about sexuality,” she said. “Most magazines did not want to hear about homosexuality and sexuality. You couldn’t combine the two things, the implication being that being homosexual is already enough. You have to take sex out of the equation and sanitize queerness in order to make it palatable.”

Cage spoke about the Lesbian community and what she sees as a dire need: total freedom of sexual expression.

“As LGBT people, while we don’t necessarily have to be defined by how we have sex, that is really what is going on,” she said. “We are choosing to have sex with someone of the same sex. Denying that there is sex in the equation, to me, is really missing the point.”

Mac took the mainstream gay press to task.

“Every time a transgender person is featured, it is centered on their hormone therapy, their surgery and their genitals, frankly,” he said. “And that is about it.”

So he started shooting portraits of trans men, which he calls documentary snapshots, an endeavor that eventually led to the publish of his magazine.

“It was a way to focus on my portraiture as a photographer,” Mac said, “while giving these trans men a platform to tell their stories beyond surgeries.”

Mac noted that launching a magazine to connect with the trans community “is really funny in the age of the Internet, when print is dying left and right, but it worked out for me.”

Photo by Nick Demille

Several panelists pointed out that sex is left out in coverage of the gay community. Trevor Hoppe's research focuses on HIV because "with HIV, there is no way to avoid talking about sex," he said.

When asked about why he brought the panel together, organizer Zak Szymanski said that he “wanted to show that there were possibilities in journalism” for LGBT students “even as the field as we know it is changing.”

“In the ‘80s, the gay press was the only place that you could get good information about HIV and AIDS,” he said. “But its growth since that time has been incredible. It is now a source that the mainstream taps for information.”

Szymanski’s own work spans two decades. An award-winning reporter, he covered politics, mainly focused on law/legislation, community organizing, minority and LGBT communities, and activism/advocacy circles, in New York and San Francisco. He continues to freelance for a variety of publications.

Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process

sdoctrow — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:12:17 +0000

Photo by Nicholas Demille

PBS NewsHour's Jim Lehrer spoke on moderating presidential debates, his new book and the importance of public broadcasting during a talk Friday.

Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community (April 17)
Indianapolis Monthly editor offers career advice for working at city magazines (April 15)

Public broadcasting legend Jim Lehrer took on the “game show” mentality of some primary debates and stressed the need for the public to know as much as possible about candidates’ issues during this talk to a crowd in a lecture hall at Ballantine Hall Friday afternoon.

Drawing on his experience moderating 11 presidential debates and the interviews with politicians for his new book, the executive editor of the PBS NewsHour spoke to students, faculty and community members, and answered questions for over an hour.

The longtime co-host with Robert MacNeil of the MacNeil-Lehrer Report, which became the NewsHour, Lehrer retired from nightly anchor duties last year but remains a leader of the program. His visit was sponsored by local public TV station WTIU, the IU Center on Congress, the IU Institute for Advanced Study and the IU School of Journalism.

Lehrer introduced his new book, Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain. He said the original book title was Moderator, and his publishers encouraged him to come up with something catchier. The name "Tension City" came from the way former President George H.W. Bush described the atmosphere of the debates during an interview.

“Everybody connected to the debates is at a high level of tension, from the candidates to the person who turns on the mic,” Lehrer said. “The stakes are incredibly high.”

Lehrer said the “magic moments” that happen during presidential debates can affect the outcome of the entire election. He said by the time the debates occur, most voters have already decided who they’re leaning towards politically and are examining the candidates as individuals.

Debates can confirm perceptions that already exist, said Lehrer. “It isn’t just about what you say. Even a small gesture can affect the outcome of the election.”

Lehrer got the audience laughing when he recalled asking George H.W. Bush about his infamous debate against Bill Clinton, when the incumbent president he was caught looking at his watch — seven times — during the debate.

During the taping for Lehrer’s interviews, Lehrer said the former president looked right into the camera and said, “You’re damned right, I was bored! I was waiting for that crap to be over.”

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Lehrer told many stories in an animated style about politicians he has interviewed for his new book about presidential debates.

Lehrer said primary debates have become unusually important since the 2008 election, as more and more candidates enter the field. He argued some of the recent Republish debates were poorly handled and biased, almost like a game show instead of a dignified political forum.

Before he moderates a debate, Lehrer said he removes himself from the political conversation to prevent himself from judging the candidates beforehand.

“Preparing for a debate is all about comfort level,” he said. “You need to be able to listen to the candidates’ answers and evaluate what to ask next.”

He said, realistically, there’s only enough time to ask about 20 questions so he creates a list of topics and comes up with the questions from there. When he’s ready, he practices the questions with his wife, Kate, to ensure he’s not editorializing or making the questions too complicated.

And never underestimate the power of a simple question like “why?” or “can you repeat that?” Lehrer said.

An audience member asked Lehrer how he thought free press could be protected, in the age of the 24/7 news cycle and corporatization.

“There’s only one way, and that’s to support public broadcasting,” Lehrer responded, and the audience cheered.

Neva Gilders and her husband, Roger, attended Lehrer’s speech because they are both PBS fans. Gilders said Lehrer’s NewsHour program is their “Friday night fix.”

“I thought it was interesting how he wouldn’t give more opinions,” she said. Lehrer had announced at the beginning of the talk that he is not a "pundit" and would not offer his political opinions. “I wouldn’t blame him, but I wish he’d said a little more.”

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Lehrer signed copies of his book after the talk. Tension City is about the pressure and importance of the debate process.

Junior Deanna Allbrittin, a journalism major interested in broadcast, introduced Lehrer. A self-described PBS fanatic, she said she thought Lehrer’s comments could apply to all journalists.

“I enjoyed hearing him talk about the difference between the moderator vs. pundit role” she said. “Those are lessons I will try to apply to my own career.”

Lehrer signed copies of his book after the talk, then attended a dinner where he was presented with the Lee H. Hamilton Public Service Fellowship, named in honor of the former long-term representative from Indiana, who is director of IU’s Center on Congress.

Indianapolis Monthly editor offers career advice for working at city magazines

M. Jessica Contrera — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:09:47 +0000

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Indianapolis Monthly editor Amanda Heckert spent the day with journalism students Thursday, talking about the industry and sharing career advice.

Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community (April 17)
Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process (April 15)

Amanda Heckert is hungry. And she has been all her life.

Thursday, she came to Ernie Pyle Hall to share that hunger with magazine-loving students.

Heckert, the newly-appointed editor of Indianapolis Monthly, believes that hunger is the most important quality a person in the magazine business can have.

“You have to constantly push yourself to work hard and learn more,” she said.

As the editor of a 42,000 circulation magazine at only age 30, Heckert knows a thing or two about success. Before Indianapolis Monthly, Heckert edited and wrote for Newcomer magazine and Atlanta Monthly.

She said she loves working at city magazines, because the job allows for variety in her reporting life.

“You get to cover everything,” she said. “You’re writing about a fashion trend, then a murder trial, then a spa. You get to become a mini expert on many topics.”

Lecturer Nancy Comiskey, who teaches several magazine writing and editing classes, invited Heckert to speak with several groups of students throughout the day.

“I appreciated the fact that Amanda has only been in Indianapolis for a couple of months, and yet she gave up a day of her time to talk with students and faculty,” said Comiskey, a former managing editor at the Indianapolis Star who has freelanced for Indianapolis Monthly. Her son, Daniel Comiskey, MA’05, is deputy editor for the magazine. “I think that shows she values the connection between Indianapolis Monthly and the School of Journalism, just as we do."

During her visit, Heckert met with four magazine-related classes and was the central attraction at a Meet the Pro session to share her expertise on many facets of the magazine world.

Heckert told students that it’s also easier to get your foot in the door at a city magazine compared to a national or consumer magazine.

“You gain experience much more quickly,” Heckert said. “In my first year at Atlanta, I was already writing feature stories. It’s a great way to make a name for yourself.”

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Heckert said applicants must show their knowledge of the magazine as well as their passion. "Make it as easy a possible for the editor to say 'yes' to you," she said.

Heckert seemed positive that the industry was recovering from any setbacks the economy has caused.

“It was incredibly encouraging that she said the industry is looking up,” said sophomore Emma Grdina, who attended the Meet the Pro event. “For someone considering working in magazines, Amanda was a very helpful person to talk to.”

Heckert also gave specific advice on how to land a great job or internship opportunity. She said although clips and resumes are important, cover letters are what make applicants shine. And the more specific a cover letter is, the better.

“Don’t just tell me you have a passion for magazines. Show me that passion,” she said.

Heckert recommended applicants share their published work or story ideas that fit the magazines for which they are applying. She said the same goes for pitching freelance stories.

“Always read the magazine and know what they are looking for,” she said. “Make it as easy as possible for the editor to say ‘yes’ to you.”

Comiskey said she appreciated that Heckert was straightforward about what it is like to start a career in the magazine business.

"I liked her advice on getting an internship or entry-level job and making the most of it,” Comiskey said. “Going to meetings, sharing ideas, volunteering for assignments…basically working hard so you exceed your editor's expectations."

A key part of being “hungry,” Heckert said, is constantly aiming for improvement. She encouraged students to relentlessly write and read the stories of others.

“Never stop reading,” she said. “And when you read, think critically about the story. What question did the reporter ask to get that information? Why did they choose to structure it this way?”

Heckert talked about the importance of goal, and not being afraid to take risks or ask for help. When she first started working at Atlanta, Heckert told her editor that one day, she wanted to be a top editor as well.

“If you tell your superiors where you want to be, they will help you get there.”

More:

Follow Heckert on Twitter @AmandaBHeckert
Visit the Indianapolis Monthly website.

Yahoo’s Moeller urges students to pay attention to evolution of tech, design

Katherine Mettler — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:57:34 +0000

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Yahoo's Chris Moeller talked to students and moderator Danielle Rindler, left, about the changing world of technology and design. He is the company's senior director of global design.

Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community (April 17)
Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process (April 15)

Yahoo’s Chris Moeller believes the future of technology lies in the gadgets of old sci-fi movies.

“If you don’t watch sci-fi, you should,” he said to a crowd of about 60 students in the Fine Arts auditorium April 2. “Technology is catching up with imagination. When it comes to designing for what’s coming up, it’s really your imagination and what technology can support.”

The IU chapter of the Society for News Design invited Moeller, BA’90, to visit, and his audience included journalism, informatics and fine arts students. Moeller, senior director of global design at Yahoo, spends his time meeting with online design teams from around the world, pushing innovative and interactive projects.

But he also said he's inspired by old sci-fi movies and TV shows, citing one character in a long-ago series who held a tablet in his hands that looked much like today's iPad.

“The nature of the industry is that it evolves,” he said. “If you embrace the idea of change and evolution and intelligent design, and you know what it is you want to do, then that is what you can stick to.”

Senior journalism student and chapter president Danielle Rindler said the group decided to bring Moeller, an Internet design expert, to IU after some members attended the national SND conference in December.

“They were telling us what we needed to know, but not how to learn it,” she said. “We wanted concrete advice as opposed to abstract ideas.”

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Moeller told students to prepare for their careers by thinking ahead. "You have to be proactive and creative, and assume authority of the problem,” one you in the real world, he said.

Moeller encouraged students pursuing careers in Web design to take the initiative once they hit the corporate world.

“When you’re at the university, the next step is always designed for you,” Moeller said. “When you go into the industry, people give you a project or an assignment without much guidance. You have to be proactive and creative, and assume authority of the problem.”

With 17 years of experience, Moeller had many answers for print designers transitioning to Web design.

“The good news is there is a lot of transferrable skills from print design to online and interactive design,” he said. When designers partner with technologists, he said, designers don’t have to be tech experts.

Moeller emphasized that students looking to stay ahead of the technology curve and prepare for ever-changing web design careers should first focus on the fundamentals: HTML code, Adobe Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Keynote.

He also noted the importance of defining the core of one’s career pursuit, and then adapting to the evolving technology that surrounds it. He said students should never be fearful of failure.

“Don’t be afraid to play. You should be fearless in trying and fearless in trying to figure it out,” he said. “You go from that ‘I suck’ to ‘I’m good at something,’ and then you might move to “I’m great,’ but so many things are changing that you might move onto something else before you reach that point.”

He said universities should offer classes in the basic, fundamental skills of Web design, and students should take full advantage of the potential mentors that a university provides.

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Moeller spent many years after college working in other countries, where he sometimes did not speak the language. That is great experience for designers, he said, because they sharpen their abilities to understand messages without words.

“It would be very valuable for journalism schools to offer basic, fundamental skills classes,” Moeller said. “To not have a fundamental class in the technical side is short changing the whole learning structure of designing for the Internet.”

Moeller brought his international experience to the table, talking about the ways U.S. design differs from that of many Asian countries. He said he likes to look through websites that aren’t in English to try and decipher their messages based solely on the colors and symbols they use.

“I am a huge supporter of getting global,” he said. “When you don’t understand a language, everything you get is through shape or color. It really makes you gain a whole new appreciation for design.”

Moeller joked that his co-workers call him the “Zen master” because he is always adapting and evolving with the changing technology.

“I think that to be open to opportunity, you have to establish where you want to go but be flexible in how you get there,” he said.

Crunch time: Students offer job search advice to procrastinators

Amie Sites — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:36:45 +0000

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Senior Megan Magiera has been preparing for the job hunt with internships while an undergraduate. Now, she's applying for sports marketing positions.

Seniors in the journalism school are realizing that their final year is quickly wrapping up, and some already have jobs to start right after graduation or other alternatives to gain more experience to compete in a tough market.

For others, panic is setting in as May 5 commencement approaches. They put off the job search until, well, pretty much the last minute.

Marcia Debnam, journalism career services director, is helping those who didn’t plan early enough for this day work through some options. One of those is a post-graduation internship.

“What is increasingly prevalent each year is that post grad internships have become the entry-level job position,” Debnam said. Employers use internships to fill summer vacancies or address special assignments, and the fresh graduate and the employer have a chance to see if the job is a good fit.

And, the new graduate can continue job-hunting while working as an intern. Most media jobs open as needed and employers want to fill them right away. Students a few weeks from graduation can’t start working immediately.

Debnam said many of these post-graduate internships do lead to full-time jobs, if not with that employer, then perhaps with someone else who now finds this job candidate more attractive, thanks to the on-the-job experience.

Students share their strategies

Several seniors, all interested in different media, are ready to take that step into the real world. Megan Magiera has been preparing for graduation for the past two years by securing internships that ensured she would have experience on her resume. She is applying to marketing and advertising firms in Indianapolis and would like to be involved with sports.

Tips for the job hunt:

Secure informational interviews. “This interview is a great way to establish relationships,” Debnam said. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
Attend or gain access to professional events. For example, conferences, college visits to companies, alumni organizations, career fairs and guest lectures can lead to influential people.
Constant vigilance on trends. “Seniors should be compiling a list of places that they can be applying,” Debnam said. “Researching companies, monitoring social media and knowing key players is the proactive route.”
Perfect your resume. “Any senior who is graduating should have the best possible resume,” Debnam said. “Each resume should be tailored to the job you want.”

Magiera’s internships were with Parr Media Group and the Indiana University Athletics Marketing Department. She also prepared by creating a website to showcase her work and perfecting her resume.

“Seniors should go to Marcia right away,” Magiera said. “If you don’t have the experience to help out your resume, let her help you play up what you do have.”

Dan Byrd, a senior interested in the new media side of journalism, has also been preparing for graduation through experience. Byrd has been a new media marketing intern for the Livestrong Foundation and the PR intern for Life Designs, formerly known as Options, a local nonprofit organization.

Byrd has an internship lined up with Livestrong this summer. He said working for a nonprofit is important.

“I’ve been able to do a lot of really cool things through nonprofit.” Byrd said. “It has allowed more experience because I was able to learn things through trial and error."

Byrd said networking has been important to his success in securing a post graduation internship. Students get so caught up with grade point average, he said, but they really need to get contacts, make impressions and present themselves as capable and easy to work with.

“Biggest thing is don’t just go to school and expect to be where you want to be,” Byrd said. “You have to work hard to get experience.”

Bradford Raths, a senior interested in broadcast and radio, is actively applying to both areas. He has sent out 12 applications so far. Raths has prepared for the job search by having internships with WTIU, Big Ten Network and WRTV in Indianapolis.

Raths’ portfolio includes examples of his work, including video and audio. Raths said the school has helped him prepare for the application process.

“I’ve been in to see Marcia to get cover letter advice,” Raths said. Professors and instructors can provide advice and, sometimes, names of people they’ve worked with who may be in positions to hire. Raths said he tapped into the expertise of professor Claude Cookman, for example.

Senior Danielle Rindler’s experience shows how internships can lead to full time positions. She worked at a design studio in Phoenix last summer and was offered a job for this fall. But first, she’ll intern this summer at the Washington Post.

Rindler said two things have helped her stand out: keeping contacts with people and being involved in student media.

“It never hurts to have published clips that you can show to future employers,” Rindler said.

Capitalize on what — and whom — you know

It’s also important to learn how to stand out from the crowd. Debnam said students should be keeping a record of the people they meet, and keep in touch with them. By maintaining a personal database and sending out brief thank you notes, students can remind professionals they are willing and able to contribute.

What's in your tool kit?

Tailored resume. “Resumes should be perfected and tailored to the company to which you are applying,” Debnam said.
Tailored cover letter. “Every cover letter that a student writes should vary from the previous one,” Debnam said.
Portfolio. “Ideally, portfolios should be electronic,” Debnam said. “By creating an electronic portfolio, students are already displaying their journalistic abilities.”

“Networking isn’t just a one way street,” Debnam said. “People who do it best are people who look at it as an ongoing relationship.”

Rindler said that’s excellent advice, and it has worked for her.

“Find the person in charge and send out the email,” she said of contacts students make along the way. “Make them remember you.”

Don’t discount the power of a cover letter or portfolio. Rindler said that her previous employers told her that her cover letter is what got her the job.

“There’s a saying that ‘a resume has never gotten anyone the job, but it has prevented people from getting the job,’” Rindler said. “I completely agree with that.”

To make sure that her resume was updated and grammatically correct, she met with Debnam for editing and asked friends and professors look it over.

And her advice for those seniors still looking? Consider internships, low-paying jobs or any entry level positions that could be the first step to the job you really want. It all comes down to a portfolio showing what you can do, Rindler said.

For seniors who have been putting off the application process, Debnam has advice. First, stop lamenting all those months of procrastination behind you.

“Don’t look back, look forward,” Debnam said. “Start making contacts and getting experience in campus media with the weeks remaining.”

Courses, groups provide service learning opportunities

M. Jessica Contrera — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:19:28 +0000

Photo by Nicholas Demille

The IU chapter of PRSSA is working with Girls Inc. to help the group improve branding and communications. From left are Leah Koch, Melissa Wintz and Angela Gamba.

Read about the project with WFHB.
Weaver, five others join Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame (April 29)
Raymer selected 2012 Dart Academic Fellow (April 15)
School focusing on sustainable computing (Feb. 16)

For junior Melissa Wintz, spring semester has brought an opportunity to get some real-world experience as well as to get to know people in the Bloomington community.

Wintz and her fellow members of the IU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America have spent weeks working with Girls Inc. of Monroe County, an after school program and camp for girls. PRSSA members are volunteering their services to improve the organization’s branding, marketing and communication with parents.

It’s all a part of service learning, a teaching method where students provide service in their communities that is related to their class or group work.

“Simply being a part of the growth of this wonderful organization has been great for me,” Wintz said.

IU supports service learning through Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, which oversees a faculty training program and tracks courses that fit the service learning objectives. These courses include those where students use knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom to serve a genuine community need, either through a class project or by directly working with an organization.

In journalism, CITL identifies four public relations courses as those engaging in service learning, though other professors also use this technique in their courses to a lesser extent. And, groups such as PRSSA take it upon themselves to work with community groups.

The late public relations lecturer Beth Wood, for whom the IU PRSSA chapter is named, used service learning in her classes and in PRSSA projects, popularizing the idea among colleagues.

“For the students, Beth believed it is important for them to get real world experience working with clients,” said IUPUI School of Journalism interim associate dean Dan Drew, Wood’s husband. “For the community, it helps worthwhile organizations who maybe don’t have the money to hire someone to do PR work.”

Students have helped local nonprofits through journalistic work and simple volunteer work.

Photo by Thomas Miller

Associate professor Mike Conway, left, talks with students on the air at WFHB about their projects in this photo from fall 2010. His course is one of several that incorporates service learning.

Associate professor Mike Conway has had success with two service learning courses, J460 Community Journalism, where his class volunteered at WFHB, Bloomington’s community radio station, and J520 Visual Storytelling, where students made videos about the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network’s participants.

“Service-learning goes hand-in-hand with what we do here at the journalism school,” Conway said. “Our students gain professional experience, and they provide help where it’s needed.”

Conway is a former Service-Learning Fellow, one of several journalism professors to apply for the CITL program. Upon selection, the fellows encourage the development of service learning projects and curriculum through their own work and outreach to other instructors.

PRSSA faculty sponsor and lecturer Dennis Elliott is a fellow this year. Other School of Journalism faculty who have participated include assistant professors Hans Ibold and Emily Metzgar.

After their official year as fellows, participants often carry their ideas forward to their classes. Metzgar said she still incorporates service learning into her graduate school classes, such as J510 Media and Society. Students choose from a list of area nonprofits, including Middle Way House, Head Start and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. At each organization, they complete 20 hours of volunteer work, from tutoring to cleaning to serving food.

Although this type of volunteering is not direct journalistic experience, Metzgar said it holds much value for her students.

“It’s a chance for them to do good work for an organization while they learn about issues of injustice,” she said.

Graduate student Roshni Susana Verghese is in Metzgar’s class. She completed her 20 hours of service learning at the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project but continues to volunteer by organizing books and writing letters to prisoners.

Verghese said serving has opened her eyes to new topics she would like to cover as a journalist.

“I realized in terms of media, there is a pretty extensive coverage of the negative, aggressive side of crime and prison life,” Verghese said. “But in terms of covering programs that rehab and help criminals in general covers crime, there isn’t much said.”

Photo by Nicholas Demille

Senior Melissa Wintz said she's enjoyed getting off campus and working with a community group.

Verghese said she recommends getting involved in any kind of service learning, even if students network with organizations on their own, outside classes or student groups.

“The best advice I can give is to find something you’re really interested in,” she said. “Then just go with it.”

Nicole Schönemann, service learning program director at IU, said service learning has long lasting benefits for any student.

“You become more physically engaged in your community and aware of your local context,” she said.

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