I thought you might like to spend some time with each other's multimedia stories. Here are links:
Tastee Diner's resiliance
paintball popularity
young voters
club basketball at UMD
third-party candidates
a political Halloween
Terps study abroad
Yellow Dubmarine
holiday shopping
students' hit by the economy
students help family reorganize home
Black Friday
seesawing against slavery
college students' pets
fitness initiatives in Prince George's
marching band's 100th anniversary
12.16.2008
Job Security
When I opened the email, I couldn't believe what I read. My internship stomping grounds, WUSA9, was turning into an all one-man crew station. This broke my heart.
Not only did I feel terrible for all those wonderful people I worked with this summer because many of them will be transferred or out of work soon, but it scared me a little. Is this what the economy has brought our business to? People losing their jobs because they are amazing photographers who don't want to, or don't know how to be on camera? Reporters losing their jobs because they were taught in college to hone their craft of writing, writing, writing because someone else would do all the shooting, shooting, shooting.
Don't get me wrong, I know this is good news for those of us still in college who DO know how to do it all. We're on the cutting edge of new media, way to go us!
But here's the scary part. Those middle-aged co-workers of mine were on the cutting edge of "new media" back in the 70's and 80's when they left school too. Some younger generation is going to come along with new tricks in 20 years and take OUR jobs too!
And it's not that employees weren't educating themselves on newer media forms. While I was at WUSA9 this summer, there were many days where my producers had to leave me alone in the newsroom so they could go to "Web training" or other such events. They are just all behind the curve that us younger reporters have set with our knowledge of computers and electronics practically starting at birth now.
I can only hope that the economy gets better really soon so people can have their jobs back and we can all breathe a little easier about there not being many jobs open. But I don't think I'll be breathing easy 2 decades from now when some intern comes in and takes my job.
Not only did I feel terrible for all those wonderful people I worked with this summer because many of them will be transferred or out of work soon, but it scared me a little. Is this what the economy has brought our business to? People losing their jobs because they are amazing photographers who don't want to, or don't know how to be on camera? Reporters losing their jobs because they were taught in college to hone their craft of writing, writing, writing because someone else would do all the shooting, shooting, shooting.
Don't get me wrong, I know this is good news for those of us still in college who DO know how to do it all. We're on the cutting edge of new media, way to go us!
But here's the scary part. Those middle-aged co-workers of mine were on the cutting edge of "new media" back in the 70's and 80's when they left school too. Some younger generation is going to come along with new tricks in 20 years and take OUR jobs too!
And it's not that employees weren't educating themselves on newer media forms. While I was at WUSA9 this summer, there were many days where my producers had to leave me alone in the newsroom so they could go to "Web training" or other such events. They are just all behind the curve that us younger reporters have set with our knowledge of computers and electronics practically starting at birth now.
I can only hope that the economy gets better really soon so people can have their jobs back and we can all breathe a little easier about there not being many jobs open. But I don't think I'll be breathing easy 2 decades from now when some intern comes in and takes my job.
12.14.2008
The Future
After our trip to washingtonpost.com, I was both excited and worried about my future. As journalism students, everyone keeps telling us that the future of journalism lies in the online world. But after our trip, even that future seems small. Washingtonpost.com only takes a couple students fresh out of college, and these students tend to have been interns before hand. I have had no internships yet, and have looked at only print internships for the upcoming semesters before I graduate (in a year and a half). For the older staff, they tend to hire those who have worked in the print industry before. So what do I do when I graduate from college? Do I join a smaller Web site first? Do I do as planned and join a print newspaper? What is the best plan?
Then came the more exciting part. This Web site alone faces the entire city, has a view of all that is happening in the city laid out before its writers, photographers, editors, every single day. Writers receive the opportunity to create art in journalism, to keep the public updated every few minutes, to keep interaction a primary component in the way it runs. And then there's the salary. Washingtonpost.com staffers can make $30,000 or more immediately. That's more than I ever excepted in my first years at a newspaper.
But what is the best plan? I'm torn. I don't know if I want to write for a Web site, a magazine or a newspaper. I know that the future of news lies in new media, in the internet. I know it pays more. What I don't know is where to start, how to break into the new media. Do I start with a print publication and learn the basics of journalism, of reporting in its more original context? Do I immediately go for a smaller online publication and work my way up? What is the best course of action? What are people looking for when they hire new staffers? Do they look for someone with a plethora of experience, who has studied both print and online realms? Or do they want someone who has started immediately with online publications and is attempting to work his or her way up?
Then came the more exciting part. This Web site alone faces the entire city, has a view of all that is happening in the city laid out before its writers, photographers, editors, every single day. Writers receive the opportunity to create art in journalism, to keep the public updated every few minutes, to keep interaction a primary component in the way it runs. And then there's the salary. Washingtonpost.com staffers can make $30,000 or more immediately. That's more than I ever excepted in my first years at a newspaper.
But what is the best plan? I'm torn. I don't know if I want to write for a Web site, a magazine or a newspaper. I know that the future of news lies in new media, in the internet. I know it pays more. What I don't know is where to start, how to break into the new media. Do I start with a print publication and learn the basics of journalism, of reporting in its more original context? Do I immediately go for a smaller online publication and work my way up? What is the best course of action? What are people looking for when they hire new staffers? Do they look for someone with a plethora of experience, who has studied both print and online realms? Or do they want someone who has started immediately with online publications and is attempting to work his or her way up?
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