Learning my Lesson, and Putting it to the Test

So, for once I decided to get on the ball. Usually I wait a few days to contact sources after pitching a story idea. That gives me time to think it out and get my stuff together before I go out there. Well, I did that early this week. And I contacted people the day I pitched. And I got bitten. I had 3 story ideas this week fall through on me. I'm on my last leg, and it's on its way out...

So as it stands, my story is due...well, really soon. I am on my last ditch idea, we're talking plan D or E here. And it involves cold calling everybody in the phone book I can find involved with this particular subject for in interview to be done this afternoon. After collecting what will hopefully be a couple of interviews I then I have to get all, or most of it put together into s story tonight. And did I mention, tomorrow is my 21st birthday so I have friends throwing me a party tonight?

Something tells me I'm not going to be getting much sleep over the next couple of days. But, I am learning something here, and that's to think on my feet. Since the panic mode has kicked in, I've come up with more ideas and options for this story and other stories than I have found in days. I'm waiting on about 4 calls back so I'm off to do what I do best, panic, and prepare to hit the ground running!

Web Extra

ACM wouldn't open...

Carol's Story

Sitting in the corner of Carol Nacarato's kitchen is her memento of her time in Florida, a small, sparse, orange tree that her husband saved from their home in Winter Haven.

"My husband actually brought that with him when he came up in his car, it was in the back seat of his car all the way up here from Florida." she said, laughing, remembering the car ride.

The Nacarato family lived through 3 hurricanes, Charlie, Ivan, and Julie tearing through their neighborhood in a period of less than six weeks in 2004. Even though their town of Winter Haven was an hour and a half inland the hurricane still left families without food and power in their wake.

"The power went out for at least a week to a week and a half each time, every time." Nacarato said.

" And that was three times within six weeks. It was rough." she said.

After the water her family stored ran out the Nacarato's turned to FEMA and The Red Cross who were offering relief in town.

"It was difficult because [FEMA] were giving out meals, water, and ice because people needed to stay cool and hydrate, but you had to stand in line to get the stuff because there were so many people." she said.

"None of the grocery stores were open. None of the gas stations were open." which Nacarato said caused a different problem.

It was too far to walk to get the supplies being handed out, so to save gas, people carpooled to the delivery sites.

"It got to the point," she said, "where they thought people were hoarding so they would only give you one case of water when you drove up. One car one case. Even though they were all going 'No, we're all from different homes, we're just carpooling to save gasoline and stuff.' the answer was still no, one car, one case."

Eventually the food that Carol, her husband Frank, and her three boys had managed to save, grill, and distribute to friends and neighbors also ran out. So again she turned to the relief agencies for help.

" I went over to get in line for a hot meal one night and they would only give me one plate. I said 'I have a husband and three kids at home.' and they told me they would have to come and get their own food. I thought it was sensible since there were so many people there for just the mother to get food for the family. But they said they didn't know if I really had those people or if I was just trying to get extra food." she said.

Shaking her head she remembers it all.

"I was just trying to feed my family." she said.

"It was difficult, I wouldn't wish that on anybody."

You Don't Have To Outrun the Bear

We had a convergence speaker this week, Bryce Moore from KMOV,  and I think what he said bears repeating. The topic: how to find a job in journalism. He gave 5 ideas...

1. Build a portfolio of news organizations: Read the blogs, gather information. Know and understand what the problem is, the better you know the problem, the more you can help find a solution. 

2. Get information from new places: think like blogs...read Seth Godin, and e-marketer. 

3. Be a solution to the problem: figure out how you can position yourself. Make yourself marketable. 

4. You don't have to outrun the bear...you just have to outrun the people behind you. 

5. There's no reason why you can't be a journalist...right now. Don't wait. 

He suggested think of crazy ideas that are outside of the box, so you set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd. Sometimes you just have to throw stuff against the wall and see if it bounces back. The only way we're going to figure out where the media is going right now is to take challenges and not stick to the same old way of doing things. The opportunities are there...just go out and get it!

I think what he said applies not just to convergence, but anyone. 

One of the ways he suggested to make yourself marketable, you have to know how to fix the station's problems. He said his station looks at a newsroom of overpaid reporters that do nothing but go out and do one story a day then bring it back and flop it on an editing desk for someone to deal with. He's looking for people who have the tools, who can go do the reporting, then edit it. Then find the web extra (take note, Bobs of the world), and put it online. If your resume can give good examples of journalism and shows you have experience with news tools (i.e. Final Cut, Avid, ACM, PhotoShop, Dreamweaver, Cool Edit, Adobe Edits, Sound Slides) then you're going to be that much more above people who can only report or only edit. You're a more valuable employee. 

And that's what we're doing here at Mizzou...so Avid beware, even though I prefer Final Cut, I now have a better incentive to learn you...a job. 

So with that said...off I go to the lab. 

My Schtick With Help from "Bob"

Last week in class we had the discussion of "web extras" and how as B-2 reporters we are responsible for providing a different print story to put online right up next to our video story, and also any extras to add to the story that we could find. One student (who for all intensive purposes will be known as "Bob" for the rest of this blog) seemed to have an issue with this.

"Bob" and I have had several classes together in our journalism education. It seems we are on similar paths, I just chose a different way of getting through mine. And he never fails to say something to irk or offend me. Why should our time together in B-2 be any different?

Bob proceeded to walk over to his buddy after class and comment very loudly and in slightly more colorful words than I will use, that the web stories and extras were bogus. And that he was a TV reporter, and TV reporters should only produce stories for TV, leave the print to the newspapers. 

Well...I have news for you Bob...REAL news. Newspapers are now online. Television stations are now online. This makes them direct competition. Newspapers are now offering video and radio sound-bites to go along with their traditional print stories. 

Bottom line: we have to compete. 

So, Bob, if you want to keep your job, or even get one for that matter, step it up. You are a journalist, your passion should be for the news, not for the medium. 

I would like to say that Bob's offensive comments ended there. But of course, they didn't. Bob said, and I quote, "I don't work for a freakin' newspaper. I shouldn't have to write those stories." Well Bob...you're right. You're not working for a newspaper. 

Writing for the web is different than writing for a print source. In writing for the web your story has to tell the exact same story as your TV story, but make it descriptive enough that people don't need the video to accompany the story and short enough that they don't lose interest. Web writing needs to be tighter than newspaper writing because of one key difference: internet attention span. 

When reading the paper there isn't that tantalizing button looming above what your reading that says "Facebook" or "E-mail". When you've got the paper, you're sitting down to read the news. When you're on the web, there are far more distractions, so get to your point, describe it well, and supplement it with your video and extras. 

The moral to my little schtick... 

Adjectives in front of the word journalist are now obsolete. We are no longer "newspaper" journalists, or "radio" journalists, or even "TV" journalists. We are just journalists.

Prepare accordingly.