Zina Kumok | April 18, 2011
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| Photo by Ryan Dorgan |
| Senior Zina Kumok learned the value of a smartphone whle working at her AP internship. |
This past summer, I was interning at the Associated Press. My boss, Mary, asked me what kind of phone I had. A BlackBerry, I responded.
She asked me to go out and talk to the people on the street about vuvuzelas, the high-pitched South African horns that made a big splash in the World Cup. As soon as I got quotes, I was to email them to Mary on my phone.
So off I went. I talked to about five people that day, emailing quotes to Mary as soon as I was done with each interview. That gave her time to review the information I was sending her, and she was able to let me know when I was done with the assignment.
I’ve used my phone for journalism purposes hundreds of times, sometimes Googling information on a subject before an interview, looking up statistics before a game or making sure I had the right address before heading off to cover an event.
But this was one of the first times I realized how important it was to have a smartphone, one that could connect me to my editor. In the days before iPhones and BlackBerries, journalists had no way of being connected while on the scene. Even when I’ve been waiting for an athlete in the locker room, I’ve had time to check email, look up information and text my waiting editors.
Just imagine how much faster Woodward and Bernstein would’ve broken the story about Watergate if they were each armed with iPhones.
I tried thinking about what else I could have done if I hadn’t had my BlackBerry that day. I could have brought a laptop with me. It would have meant recording the conversation, finding a WiFi hotspot and emailing my quotes to Mary. It also would have meant hauling my giant computer bag with me, bringing the charger and wasting time finding a place reliable Internet and an outlet. But with my BlackBerry, I realized just how useful a cellphone could be.
More:
- Read journalists' advice on smartphone apps.
- Check out an interactive smartphone to learn more about recommended apps.
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