Monday, December 22, 2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
UCABJ is on hiatus until UC's winter quarter starts on January 5, 2009. Have a great break!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Reminder: Holiday Media Mixer TONIGHT!
Holiday Media Mixer
Thursday, December 4, 2008
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Center for Community Engagement at Stratford Heights
2639 Clifton Avenue
Celebrate the holidays with journalism/communications students at the University of Cincinnati on Thursday, December 4, 2008. This is an excellent opportunity for students to mingle with professionals in a relaxed setting. For more information, contact UCABJ President Alicia Gaynor at gaynoraa@email.uc.edu. Sponsored by The University of Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists, the University of Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists, and the University of Cincinnati Journalism Program.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Hail to the (Editor in) Chief!
Cincinnati NABJ member and Cincinnati Enquirer business reporter Keith Reed is set to become the next editor of Catalyst Ohio! Congrats!
From Richard Prince's Journal-isms column:
Keith Reed, Cincinnati Enquirer business reporter, has been named editor of Catalyst Ohio, an independent magazine covering urban education, with a focus on Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus. Reed, 31, said he decided to edit the 13,000-circulation bimonthly because "I'm getting my first opportunity to put my mark on a brand, which has always been a goal of mine. That said, it was still something of a tough decision because I've worked my whole career . . . to build my own brand as a business reporter and economics commentator. So to get the opportunity to lead, I had to make the decision to step away from business reporting, at least full time, at precisely the moment that business reporters are probably needed most. My hope . . . is that I'll still be able to continue with that through my blog and my regular economics contributions on NPR."
From Richard Prince's Journal-isms column:
Keith Reed, Cincinnati Enquirer business reporter, has been named editor of Catalyst Ohio, an independent magazine covering urban education, with a focus on Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus. Reed, 31, said he decided to edit the 13,000-circulation bimonthly because "I'm getting my first opportunity to put my mark on a brand, which has always been a goal of mine. That said, it was still something of a tough decision because I've worked my whole career . . . to build my own brand as a business reporter and economics commentator. So to get the opportunity to lead, I had to make the decision to step away from business reporting, at least full time, at precisely the moment that business reporters are probably needed most. My hope . . . is that I'll still be able to continue with that through my blog and my regular economics contributions on NPR."
Thursday, November 20, 2008
UCABJ PANEL TONIGHT
So You Think You Want to be a Journalist?
November 20th, 2008
Come out and learn valuable information about the field of journalism from seasoned professionals!
UCABJ Panel
Room # 419 A&B TUC
6:30pm-8:30pm
All majors welcomed!
KSTP-TV news intern 'just lost it' after firing; now faces charges in St. Paul
An intern for KSTP-TV did not take well to being fired. She began hurling threats at an executive producer and kicked out the glass of a conference room door in an attempt to get at her, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Jennifer Nicole Anato-Mensah, 21, a University of Minnesota student, was told about 7:15 p.m. Oct. 13 that things weren't working out for her.
"This is a young girl who was not understanding concepts in a television newsroom," said Danielle Prenevost, 33, executive producer of the station's early evening newscasts. "I said, 'I don't think your level of college experience is enough for this job.' "
At that point, Prenevost said, Anato-Mensah "just lost it."
Reached at her U residence hall Tuesday, Anato-Mensah declined to comment.
According to the criminal complaint:
Several newsroom employees heard Anato-Mensah shouting, yelling obscenities and threatening Prenevost, saying, "You don't know where I'm from. I'll mess you up, b ——-."
Prenevost attempted to walk away from Anato-Mensah, but the intern followed her. A male employee stepped between her and Prenevost, who went into a nearby conference room. The male employee tried to get Anato-Mensah to calm down and pack up her things, but Anato-Mensah left her desk and again tried to get to the conference room, the complaint said.
Several male employees then stood at the conference room door as Anato-Mensah continued to yell and swear and try to push her way in. At one point, she kicked at and broke a window in the conference room door. She had to be restrained to keep her out of the room, the complaint said.
"The whole situation was very scary," Prenevost said.
Finally, employees escorted the intern out of the newsroom. She was gone when police responded to the call at the station, 3415 W. University Ave. in St. Paul.
Anato-Mensah was charged with criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. Both are misdemeanors. News director Lindsay Radford said Anato-Mensah began the part-time paid internship Sept. 8. Prenevost said her responsibilities included logging tape and organizing tapes for the newscasts.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
NABJ's summer internship program - applications now available!
The application for NABJ's summer internship program is now available at: http://nabj.org/programs/internships/index.php The deadline is Dec. 15, 2008. NABJ annually awards summer internships to students committed to journalism careers. Successful candidates are offered paid positions in print, broadcast or online disciplines at selected news organizations around the country ranging from small black-owned weekly newspapers to major market dailies and broadcast outlets.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Holiday Media Mixer 2008!
Holiday Media Mixer
Thursday, December 4, 2008
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Center for Community Engagement at Stratford Heights
2639 Clifton Avenue
(513) 556-1559 (for directions)
Celebrate the holidays with journalism/communications students at the University of Cincinnati on Thursday, December 4, 2008. This is an excellent opportunity for students to mingle with professionals in a relaxed setting. For more information, contact UCABJ President Alicia Gaynor at gaynoraa@email.uc.edu. Sponsored by The University of Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists, the University of Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists, and the University of Cincinnati Journalism Program.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Center for Community Engagement at Stratford Heights
2639 Clifton Avenue
(513) 556-1559 (for directions)
Celebrate the holidays with journalism/communications students at the University of Cincinnati on Thursday, December 4, 2008. This is an excellent opportunity for students to mingle with professionals in a relaxed setting. For more information, contact UCABJ President Alicia Gaynor at gaynoraa@email.uc.edu. Sponsored by The University of Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists, the University of Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists, and the University of Cincinnati Journalism Program.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Des Moines Register offers paid summer internships
The Des Moines Register offers paid summer internships to outstanding students pursuing a career in journalism
Deadline: December 1, 2008
For 12 weeks, interns can work on assignments in multimedia, our Metro Communities/Public Service desk or Juice, our young reader publication. We also usually have a copy editor internship available. Internships are open to juniors, seniors or graduate students attending a four-year college or university. Applicants must be journalism majors or have a demonstrated commitment to journalism. The ideal candidate will have experience on a college publication and a previous journalism-related internship.The ability to speak Spanish and knowledge of Iowa also are valuable. When applying you will want to include six samples of your reporting or editing work (photocopies only). Multimedia candidates can provide a URL where their portfolio can be viewed or send a portfolio on disc to us. The portfolio should include examples of photos and videography. It is a good idea to submit the names and contact information for three references familiar with your work. The deadline for applications for our summer 2009 intern class is Dec. 1, 2008. You can send your material to:
Liz Owens Night Editor/Newsroom Internship Coordinator
The Des Moines Register
P.O. Box 957
Des Moines, IA 50306
elowens@dmreg.com
(515) 284-8142 (phone)
(515) 286-2504 (fax)
Kaiser Media Internships in Health Reporting
Kaiser Media Internships in Health Reporting
Deadline: December 4, 2008 (print applicants)
January 8, 2008 (broadcast applicants)
http://www.kff.org/mediafellows/mediainternships.cfm
The Kaiser Media Internships Program, established in 1994, is an intensive 12-week summer internship for young journalists interested in specializing in health reporting, with a particular commitment to coverage of health issues affecting diverse and immigrant communities.
The Media Internships Program provides an initial week-long briefing on health issues and health reporting in Washington, D.C. Interns are then based for ten weeks at their newspaper, online, or radio/TV station, typically under the direction of the Health or Metro Editor/News Director, where they report on health issues. The program ends with a 3-day meeting in Boston to hear critiques from senior journalists and to go on final site visits. The aim is to provide young journalists or journalism college graduates with an in-depth introduction to and practical experience on the specialist health beat, with a particular focus on diverse and immigrant communities.
Deadline: December 4, 2008 (print applicants)
January 8, 2008 (broadcast applicants)
http://www.kff.org/mediafellows/mediainternships.cfm
The Kaiser Media Internships Program, established in 1994, is an intensive 12-week summer internship for young journalists interested in specializing in health reporting, with a particular commitment to coverage of health issues affecting diverse and immigrant communities.
The Media Internships Program provides an initial week-long briefing on health issues and health reporting in Washington, D.C. Interns are then based for ten weeks at their newspaper, online, or radio/TV station, typically under the direction of the Health or Metro Editor/News Director, where they report on health issues. The program ends with a 3-day meeting in Boston to hear critiques from senior journalists and to go on final site visits. The aim is to provide young journalists or journalism college graduates with an in-depth introduction to and practical experience on the specialist health beat, with a particular focus on diverse and immigrant communities.
Faith and Balance: Reporting on Religion program - Nov. 12
Greater Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists presents
Faith and Balance: Reporting on Religion
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Springfield Township Community Center
9158 Winton Road
(513) 522-1410 (for directions)
Covering religion can be complex and knowing the best ways to approach sources in the faith community will make your job easier. Join the Greater Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists for a discussion with religious leaders on how they work with the press. What do they think of news coverage of faith issues? How can it be done better? What's the proper protocol in interacting with religious groups? How hard should journalists push religious groups for information? The panel is a chance for both media and faith representatives to open the lines of communication for better, more accurate coverage.
Panelists are:
Hal Porter, Pastor Emeritus of Mt Auburn Presbyterian Church
Karen Dabdoub, executive director of the Cincinnati branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Robert Friedly, former vice president of public relations for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Indianapolis
Brian Jaffee, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
Dan Andriacco, communications director for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Moderated by Rebecca Bowman Woods, news editor of DisciplesWorld Magazine. Q&A with audience following panel. For more information, please contact Aiesha Little, GC SPJ vice president/programming chair, at aiesha_little@yahoo.com
Friday, October 31, 2008
So You Wanna Be A Journalist? - Nov. 20
Sponsored by UCABJ and the Journalism Program, this panel discussion/mixer is for students who want to know what it's like "in the trenches" of today's news media. Come mix and mingle with working professionals from local newspaper and magazines as well as some of UC's journalism profs. Professionals include:
Keith Reed, Business Reporter, The Cincinnati Enquirer
Aiesha D. Little, Associate Editor, Cincinnati Magazine
Kathy Y. Wilson, Senior Editor, Cincinnati Magazine
Also, find out more about UCABJ's spring quarter programming schedule. Food, fun, info—what more do you need?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
TUC 419 A & B
Keith Reed, Business Reporter, The Cincinnati Enquirer
Aiesha D. Little, Associate Editor, Cincinnati Magazine
Kathy Y. Wilson, Senior Editor, Cincinnati Magazine
Also, find out more about UCABJ's spring quarter programming schedule. Food, fun, info—what more do you need?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
TUC 419 A & B
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wynton Marsalis comes to UC
Last week, in a moment of crystal clarity, I realized why it is that I love my job. Why it doesn’t seem like work so much as exploration—less duty, more wonder. I am a teacher. And so is Wynton Marsalis, who I watched lead a master class and talk music at UC.
I quickly moved him from the “superstar” to “real human” category as I sat within 10 feet of him and his meticulously tailored suit. He perched on a small stage where students who joined him sat in cheap folding chairs and wore flip flops and madras shorts. At first, it was easy to read his quiet as disdain, or paper-thin tolerance, especially when he answered questions. But in his awkward glances, his almost-whispered replies, he seemed more restless than arrogant. The portion of the class that focused on him—the laundry list of jazz greats who hung out in his childhood kitchen, his feud with Miles Davis—just plain bored him.
Then a man in the audience asked him to play. The dulled trumpet, an extension of his left arm, leaned at the ready. An elderly woman in the crowd hunched forward. Long-haired students hugged their knees to their chests. But Marsalis didn’t lick his lips in anticipation. He didn’t stride to the middle of the stage to a spotlight-worthy mark. He kept his instrument at arms length and called for three students to join him—he needed, he said, his “rhythm.”
First, the pianist took to his bench, comfortably sliding into place behind the grand’s keys. He nodded confidently to Marsalis, who dipped his head and whet his lips in affirmation, the trumpet flirting with a note or two before Marsalis’ focus shifted. Then, the bass player moved in an awkward tango with the instrument that dwarfed his slight frame. Finally the drummer, whose every muscle seemed to mirror the squint of his eyes, perched on the edge of his stool. The dance of jazz had started on the silent stage, and to me if felt like the creative and improvisational efforts inherent in any place of learning.
I felt an unexpected kinship with this man whose resume stretches around the world and into the annals of music history. This man grew up with John Coltrane at his kitchen table. When he talks about music being “sad,” he doesn’t mean sorrowful, he means pitifully bad. When he talks about how there were no other brothers playing in the symphony in New Orleans, he doesn’t mean that his sibling Branford was busy. Here was jazz history, clad in a tweed suit and orange wingtips—close enough to touch, real enough to catch off guard.
From the great divide of our experiences, I felt a thread of experimentation and discovery that binds us as tightly an arpeggio played over a minor chord. And while our notes hit varied media, we both revel in pushing and tugging at that creative cord—the process of teaching and learning, of growth and self-discovery.
It’s a messy process. Sometimes when I’m teaching, doubt nearly stops me in my tracks. I saw it creep into Marsalis’ rhythm section as the drummer and bass player strained to work independently. Instead of connecting with each other, their notes clashed in conflict. Marsalis didn’t let it slide for a second. ”You don’t have to fight with your identity,” he coached, explaining the downbeats and rhythm patterns they needed to let inform their playing. “You have to realize it.”
Marsalis talked about creativity—born of built-in sensibilities that come from being of a certain place and time, an awareness of the history of your chosen art form, a sense of the broader history of arts in general, and, finally, imagination. Part instinct, part determination, the ability to create transcends media. It also translates personal journeys into universal ones. And that’s where I traced my bond with Wynton Marsalis. The stories I teach my students to tell, the stories I tell, carry their own distinctive rhythms. They capture places in time. They illuminate a world too often tangled in shadows. They blur the lines between the teacher and the taught. Together, we can absorb the power of connecting, the power of caring about what happens next. As teachers, we can feel the power of honoring a craft, even as we watch it evolve beyond our capacity.
I recognize that evolution in the beauty of a well-placed note or an image that captures many dimensions of meaning. I feel it in the knot of fear that punches into every journey I take, as a teacher and in life, into the unknown. But best of all, I recognize it in the thrill that accompanies stepping up on whatever stage moves you, holding your head high and saying with giddy confidence what Wynton Marsalis told himself after he first heard the “dope” music of Beethhoven: “I’m gonna learn this.”
—Elissa Sonneberg, MSEd
UC ABJ Adviser
I quickly moved him from the “superstar” to “real human” category as I sat within 10 feet of him and his meticulously tailored suit. He perched on a small stage where students who joined him sat in cheap folding chairs and wore flip flops and madras shorts. At first, it was easy to read his quiet as disdain, or paper-thin tolerance, especially when he answered questions. But in his awkward glances, his almost-whispered replies, he seemed more restless than arrogant. The portion of the class that focused on him—the laundry list of jazz greats who hung out in his childhood kitchen, his feud with Miles Davis—just plain bored him.
Then a man in the audience asked him to play. The dulled trumpet, an extension of his left arm, leaned at the ready. An elderly woman in the crowd hunched forward. Long-haired students hugged their knees to their chests. But Marsalis didn’t lick his lips in anticipation. He didn’t stride to the middle of the stage to a spotlight-worthy mark. He kept his instrument at arms length and called for three students to join him—he needed, he said, his “rhythm.”
First, the pianist took to his bench, comfortably sliding into place behind the grand’s keys. He nodded confidently to Marsalis, who dipped his head and whet his lips in affirmation, the trumpet flirting with a note or two before Marsalis’ focus shifted. Then, the bass player moved in an awkward tango with the instrument that dwarfed his slight frame. Finally the drummer, whose every muscle seemed to mirror the squint of his eyes, perched on the edge of his stool. The dance of jazz had started on the silent stage, and to me if felt like the creative and improvisational efforts inherent in any place of learning.
I felt an unexpected kinship with this man whose resume stretches around the world and into the annals of music history. This man grew up with John Coltrane at his kitchen table. When he talks about music being “sad,” he doesn’t mean sorrowful, he means pitifully bad. When he talks about how there were no other brothers playing in the symphony in New Orleans, he doesn’t mean that his sibling Branford was busy. Here was jazz history, clad in a tweed suit and orange wingtips—close enough to touch, real enough to catch off guard.
From the great divide of our experiences, I felt a thread of experimentation and discovery that binds us as tightly an arpeggio played over a minor chord. And while our notes hit varied media, we both revel in pushing and tugging at that creative cord—the process of teaching and learning, of growth and self-discovery.
It’s a messy process. Sometimes when I’m teaching, doubt nearly stops me in my tracks. I saw it creep into Marsalis’ rhythm section as the drummer and bass player strained to work independently. Instead of connecting with each other, their notes clashed in conflict. Marsalis didn’t let it slide for a second. ”You don’t have to fight with your identity,” he coached, explaining the downbeats and rhythm patterns they needed to let inform their playing. “You have to realize it.”
Marsalis talked about creativity—born of built-in sensibilities that come from being of a certain place and time, an awareness of the history of your chosen art form, a sense of the broader history of arts in general, and, finally, imagination. Part instinct, part determination, the ability to create transcends media. It also translates personal journeys into universal ones. And that’s where I traced my bond with Wynton Marsalis. The stories I teach my students to tell, the stories I tell, carry their own distinctive rhythms. They capture places in time. They illuminate a world too often tangled in shadows. They blur the lines between the teacher and the taught. Together, we can absorb the power of connecting, the power of caring about what happens next. As teachers, we can feel the power of honoring a craft, even as we watch it evolve beyond our capacity.
I recognize that evolution in the beauty of a well-placed note or an image that captures many dimensions of meaning. I feel it in the knot of fear that punches into every journey I take, as a teacher and in life, into the unknown. But best of all, I recognize it in the thrill that accompanies stepping up on whatever stage moves you, holding your head high and saying with giddy confidence what Wynton Marsalis told himself after he first heard the “dope” music of Beethhoven: “I’m gonna learn this.”
—Elissa Sonneberg, MSEd
UC ABJ Adviser
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Internship Workshop, Oct. 9
If you're around the Center for Community Engagement tonight, make sure you attend the Journalism Program's internship workshop from 5 to 6 p.m. Journalism and communications students who plan to intern next spring and summer should learns oodles from professors Elissa Sonnenberg and Jenny Wohlfarth, who will lead the workshop. Topics include resume and cover letter writing, interviewing techniques, and more. We've written about this topic before, so get a refresher here before you head over tonight.
Friday, September 26, 2008
University of Kentucky event, Oct. 21
The Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues is presenting JOURNALIST FOR JUSTICE, a program by Pulitzer Prize finalist Jerry Mitchell on Tuesday, October 21. SPJ Bluegrass is one of the sponsors for this event.
Free and open to the public
JOURNALIST FOR JUSTICE
Jerry Mitchell of the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., has been called “the South’s Simon Wiesenthal” because, like the famous Nazi-hunter, he helped bring to justice the perpetrators of murders during the civil-rights era. The latest result of his investigative reporting was the conviction of a former Klansman in the1964 killings that inspired the movie “Mississippi Burning.” He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and the Pulitzer Board praised “his relentless and masterly stories.”
Sponsored by:
Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues
The Courier-Journal
Kentucky Commission on Human Rights
Kentucky League of Cities
Society of Professional Journalists, Bluegrass Chapter
UK College of Arts and Sciences
| Date: | Tuesday, October 21, 2008 |
| Time: | 6:30pm - 7:00 pm - Public Reception, Room 206 7:00pm - Lecture, Student Center Theater |
| Location: | Student Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington |
JOURNALIST FOR JUSTICE
Jerry Mitchell of the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., has been called “the South’s Simon Wiesenthal” because, like the famous Nazi-hunter, he helped bring to justice the perpetrators of murders during the civil-rights era. The latest result of his investigative reporting was the conviction of a former Klansman in the1964 killings that inspired the movie “Mississippi Burning.” He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and the Pulitzer Board praised “his relentless and masterly stories.”
Sponsored by:
Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues
The Courier-Journal
Kentucky Commission on Human Rights
Kentucky League of Cities
Society of Professional Journalists, Bluegrass Chapter
UK College of Arts and Sciences
Writing that Works Online - Oct. 25
Greater Cincinnati SPJ Presents
Writing that Works Online
Saturday, October 25
10 am to 2 pm (lunch included)
WCPO training room
1720 Gilbert Ave., Mt. Adams
Writing for the Web is different than writing for any other medium. To be effective online, it helps to understand how people use Web sites. See examples of great online stories, learn why it’s crucial to improve your headline writing, and take away tips and tools that will enhance your work on the Web. This event is $20 for members and students. Non-members: pay $50 and receive a year's membership in SPJ (a $72 value)! To attend, RSVP with Vice President/Programming Chair Aiesha Little at aiesha_little@yahoo.com. Payment must be received by October 20 and can be mailed directly to Aiesha Little, Carew Tower, 441 Vine St., Suite 200, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Meet the Trainer - Victoria Lim
Nicknamed the "Queen of Convergence," Victoria Lim's award winning consumer reports have appeared on television, in newspaper, and online. During her 10-plus years at the Tampa, FL NewsCenter—which encompasses WFLA-TV, the Tampa Tribune and tbo.com—her work earned Victoria an Emmy and Associated Press Individual Achievement award. The Florida Society of Professional Journalists named her the 2006 "Journalist of the Year."
Victoria joined Tampa's NBC affiliate from WWMT-TV in Grand Rapids, MI. Before that, she was a reporter and anchor at WNS-TV in New Castle, Delaware, and has worked at several other television and radio stations since beginning her career in broadcasting. She started her journalism career as a sports stringer for the Burlington County Times covering high school sports.
As a member of the Asian American Journalists Association, Victoria served as chapter president and vice-president for the Florida Chapter. She was chosen as one of the mentors for the national UNITY mentor program, which helps young journalists of color. She also teaches multimedia as an adjunct instructor at the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida, and is an occasional instructor at the Poynter Institute.
Writing that Works Online
Saturday, October 25
10 am to 2 pm (lunch included)
WCPO training room
1720 Gilbert Ave., Mt. Adams
Writing for the Web is different than writing for any other medium. To be effective online, it helps to understand how people use Web sites. See examples of great online stories, learn why it’s crucial to improve your headline writing, and take away tips and tools that will enhance your work on the Web. This event is $20 for members and students. Non-members: pay $50 and receive a year's membership in SPJ (a $72 value)! To attend, RSVP with Vice President/Programming Chair Aiesha Little at aiesha_little@yahoo.com. Payment must be received by October 20 and can be mailed directly to Aiesha Little, Carew Tower, 441 Vine St., Suite 200, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Meet the Trainer - Victoria Lim
Nicknamed the "Queen of Convergence," Victoria Lim's award winning consumer reports have appeared on television, in newspaper, and online. During her 10-plus years at the Tampa, FL NewsCenter—which encompasses WFLA-TV, the Tampa Tribune and tbo.com—her work earned Victoria an Emmy and Associated Press Individual Achievement award. The Florida Society of Professional Journalists named her the 2006 "Journalist of the Year."
Victoria joined Tampa's NBC affiliate from WWMT-TV in Grand Rapids, MI. Before that, she was a reporter and anchor at WNS-TV in New Castle, Delaware, and has worked at several other television and radio stations since beginning her career in broadcasting. She started her journalism career as a sports stringer for the Burlington County Times covering high school sports.
As a member of the Asian American Journalists Association, Victoria served as chapter president and vice-president for the Florida Chapter. She was chosen as one of the mentors for the national UNITY mentor program, which helps young journalists of color. She also teaches multimedia as an adjunct instructor at the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida, and is an occasional instructor at the Poynter Institute.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
UCABJ Adviser Featured in Local Publication
Elissa Sonnenberg, assistant director of UC's journalism program and UCABJ faculty adviser, is featured in CityBeat's annual Cool Issue. In case you didn't know, she's awesome.
An Invitation to Young Journalists
A message from Columbia Journalism Review:
Back in June, we gave one of our interns here at Columbia Journalism Review the daunting task of tracking newspaper buyouts and layoffs since 2007. She diligently worked the press clips and the phone and counted up to 2,700 by the end of the summer. The spreadsheet is not definitive but it is depressing—statistics from a plague (three here, twenty there; eighty here, 150 there) that is moving through newsrooms across the country. Yet at the same time, a world of news innovation is emerging online, both inside and outside of mainstream media. A recession looms like an iceberg but under the waterline is something unknown, a great restructuring of the way people get their news and information. The recession will end, but the fate of quality journalism is not easily discernable. Here at CJR, we intend to do all we can to shed light on that future and to explore the efforts under way to repair or replace the economic model. And also to give voice to those affected.
In July, we invited laid-off and bought-out journalists to reflect on their experience in the form of a letter to colleagues. We published a number of them on our Web site under the rubric Parting Thoughts, at cjr.org/parting_thoughts/, and will continue to do so as they arrive. Now we are issuing a similar invitation to the young people who’ve come into the profession in the last five years or so, and the young journalism students who soon will. We invite them to air their concerns and hopes about journalism, too. The central questions: What do you see in this business that makes you still want to pursue it? How do you imagine people will get quality news five years down the road? How will you try to fit in?
We’ll call this one Starting Thoughts, and if you fit the category (or know young reporters or journalism students who do), we invite you to join the discussion by emailing us at editors@cjr.org. We’re looking for anything from 600 to 1,200 words. Please put “Starting Thoughts” in the slug line.
Regards,
The editors
Columbia Journalism Review
Back in June, we gave one of our interns here at Columbia Journalism Review the daunting task of tracking newspaper buyouts and layoffs since 2007. She diligently worked the press clips and the phone and counted up to 2,700 by the end of the summer. The spreadsheet is not definitive but it is depressing—statistics from a plague (three here, twenty there; eighty here, 150 there) that is moving through newsrooms across the country. Yet at the same time, a world of news innovation is emerging online, both inside and outside of mainstream media. A recession looms like an iceberg but under the waterline is something unknown, a great restructuring of the way people get their news and information. The recession will end, but the fate of quality journalism is not easily discernable. Here at CJR, we intend to do all we can to shed light on that future and to explore the efforts under way to repair or replace the economic model. And also to give voice to those affected.
In July, we invited laid-off and bought-out journalists to reflect on their experience in the form of a letter to colleagues. We published a number of them on our Web site under the rubric Parting Thoughts, at cjr.org/parting_thoughts/, and will continue to do so as they arrive. Now we are issuing a similar invitation to the young people who’ve come into the profession in the last five years or so, and the young journalism students who soon will. We invite them to air their concerns and hopes about journalism, too. The central questions: What do you see in this business that makes you still want to pursue it? How do you imagine people will get quality news five years down the road? How will you try to fit in?
We’ll call this one Starting Thoughts, and if you fit the category (or know young reporters or journalism students who do), we invite you to join the discussion by emailing us at editors@cjr.org. We’re looking for anything from 600 to 1,200 words. Please put “Starting Thoughts” in the slug line.
Regards,
The editors
Columbia Journalism Review
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I'll See Your "New Media" and Raise You "Old Media 2.0"
I think we can all agree that the problem with j-schools is most of them are late adopters of new media strategies, but this isn't an "old media vs. new media" issue. It's a "plus" issue. These days, everyone who wants to work (or continuing working) in this business should have traditional journalism skills plus a working knowledge of new media. That's why I appreciate this MediaShift post from Alfred Hermida, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and founding news editor of the BBC News Web site. (It's somewhat of a rebuttal to this post by a NYU journalism student.) Hermida talked to leading multimedia journos and profs during the Online News Association conference and came to this conclusion:
The advice for graduates was that they need journalism plus a new set of skills. The basics of journalism — curiosity, passion, accuracy, serving the public interest — were still important. But journalist students also need to learn about how the digital revolution has changed, and continues to change, the media.
I think that's something that everyone can take to heart.
The advice for graduates was that they need journalism plus a new set of skills. The basics of journalism — curiosity, passion, accuracy, serving the public interest — were still important. But journalist students also need to learn about how the digital revolution has changed, and continues to change, the media.
I think that's something that everyone can take to heart.
Friday, September 12, 2008
UCABJer Writes About Star Wars on The Root
Our very own Geoffrey Dobbins, UCABJ vice president, appears on The Root again this month, writing about his love of Star Wars. Nice job, Geoffrey!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Remembering, Socrates style
Suheir Hammad is a poet that I first heard about through HBO's Def Poetry
There’s …. adult language... in it. Viewer discretion is advised.
Suheir Hammad – First Writing Since
It’s that time again. Time to mark what happened on this day seven years ago on this date, when passenger planes exploded in
...and more than 30 times as many civilian lives were taken in Iraq and Afghanistan during the two wars that followed.
You know me. The way I remember what happened in my country won’t have the same kind of militarism you might see elsewhere. Why does love of country have to so narrowly revolve around weapons and bloodshed? Isn’t there a lot more to love about who we are?
Let’s remember by flexing our ability to empathize with those that, despite the supposed “clash of cultures,” are actually a lot like us. Let’s remember from the perspective of those that get the short end of the stick. Let’s remember by asking the sorts of probing questions that challenge dominant assumptions and strengthen democratic energy and would make Socrates proud. We journalists are good at that.
More great poems/videos:
More to think about:
New Yorker – Talk of the Town – September 24, 2001
(Includes Susan Sontag’s briefly famous/notorious essay)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Breakfast with David Gergen
Union Institute & University will host a Q&A with DAVID GERGEN, on Sunday, September 28, from 9-11 a.m. at UI&U, 440 East McMillan St., Walnut Hills.
For 30 years, Gergen has been an active participant in American national life—as a commentator, an editor, a teacher, a public servant, a best-selling author and an adviser to four presidents. He served as director of communications for President Reagan and held positions in the administrations of Presidents Nixon and Ford. In 1993, he put his country before politics when he agreed to first serve as counselor to President Clinton on both foreign policy and domestic affairs, then as special international adviser to the president and to Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
David Gergen is a professor of public service and the director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report and is a Senior Political Analyst for CNN. Mr. Gergen also regularly serves as an analyst on radio shows, and he is a frequent lecturer at venues around the world. In the fall of 2000 he published a best-selling book titled, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.
This event is free and open to the public, however, seating is limited and priority is given to journalism and political science students, who may preregister by calling Nicole Hamilton at 513-487-1194, or by emailing at Nicole.hamilton@tui.edu. Coffee and bagels courtesy of Marx Hot Bagels.
For 30 years, Gergen has been an active participant in American national life—as a commentator, an editor, a teacher, a public servant, a best-selling author and an adviser to four presidents. He served as director of communications for President Reagan and held positions in the administrations of Presidents Nixon and Ford. In 1993, he put his country before politics when he agreed to first serve as counselor to President Clinton on both foreign policy and domestic affairs, then as special international adviser to the president and to Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
David Gergen is a professor of public service and the director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report and is a Senior Political Analyst for CNN. Mr. Gergen also regularly serves as an analyst on radio shows, and he is a frequent lecturer at venues around the world. In the fall of 2000 he published a best-selling book titled, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.
This event is free and open to the public, however, seating is limited and priority is given to journalism and political science students, who may preregister by calling Nicole Hamilton at 513-487-1194, or by emailing at Nicole.hamilton@tui.edu. Coffee and bagels courtesy of Marx Hot Bagels.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
To Tape or Not to Tape?
This morning on The Diane Rehm Show, Zbigniew Brzezinski, the lead foreign policy advisor during the Carter administration, questioned the accuracy of quotes from Bob Woodward's new book on the recent surge in Iraq, The War Within. He told Rehm that if Woodward's conversations hadn't been taped, any assertions that the quotes from those conversations are accurate should be called into question. I'm sure most journalists have faced these types of questions at one point or another. It reminds me of a story I read in The New York Observer a couple of years ago. Tape It, Baby, Tape It! tells how some writers, particularly magazine writers, think their note-taking skills are superior to tape recorders. Let me say flat-out that it's impossible to take better notes than a tape recorder. Impossible.
With that said, what were you taught about taping conversations during your college years? What are you being taught if you're still in school? Are there any daily reporters out there who tape? Non-daily folks, are there any instances where you wouldn't tape an interview? Memory, by nature, is faulty. What do you do to insulate yourself from claims of quote inaccuracy?
With that said, what were you taught about taping conversations during your college years? What are you being taught if you're still in school? Are there any daily reporters out there who tape? Non-daily folks, are there any instances where you wouldn't tape an interview? Memory, by nature, is faulty. What do you do to insulate yourself from claims of quote inaccuracy?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Taxes, dinosaurs and hot combs
So there I was, sitting on the 20-year-old couch my parents gave me, watching Michelle Obama deliver her speech Monday night at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. During the satellite-aided banter Senator Obama exchanged with his wife and daughters after the speech, an odd thought popped into my head.
Is 7 years old a little young for a perm like little Sasha Obama was wearing? Or was it just a relaxer?
I’m pretty sure my sisters didn’t start their regular appointments with the hot comb until they were about 10 years old, though exceptions were made for special occasions (and having your father nominated for president might qualify).
The thought sent me on a flashback to a conversation I had on that very same couch when I must have been 9 or 10 and my younger sister was around Sasha Obama’s age. What my mother told us that day, right or wrong, seems more relevant to the current political discourse than much of what the pundits are saying during either party’s convention.
As was our routine, my mother, my sister and I were all watching TV as my mom braided my sister’s hair before school. We were laughing pretty hard at reruns of a comedy program called Dinosaurs.
That particular episode of the sitcom was about a political campaign. Earl Sinclair, the Homer-Simpson-esque patriarch of the show, was running for some fictional office against his evil boss, Mr. Richfield. I almost busted a gut laughing during one of the episode’s debates when Richfield explained how his policies would be based on “trickle-down economics.”
Rich people, Richfield said, tend to live in big mansions on hills. If you make sure rich people have all the money, then their pockets are bound to get so full that they have trouble containing it all. Richfield said that money would then tumble out of the pockets of the rich, onto the ground and ‘trickle down’ the hills to the poor people in the valleys. Everybody wins when you focus on helping the rich get richer, Richfield said.
To our young ears, the idea of winning people’s vote with such a ludicrous plan was pretty funny.
But during a pause in my laughter, my mother took advantage of what she saw as a teachable moment. “The thing is,” she said, “that stuff is real.”
“No way,” I replied. I couldn’t believe it. It’s just a joke, right?
They don’t express it quite like that, she explained, but some politicians really do push something a lot like that and even call it “trickle-down economics.” But there wasn’t too much time to discuss it; we still had to make it to Heritage Elementary on time.
These days “supply side economics” seems to be the preferred term, but the ideas proposed are basically the same as the “trickle-down” concept of previous political eras. Originators of the concept talk a lot about “marginal tax rates,” but these days the main point is the idea that those at the very top of the economic ladder are the ones that determine the overall health of the economy because they own the most investments in business.
Supposedly, cutting taxes for wealthy people and corporations will cause “the economy” in general to grow to the point that, even at a lower tax rate, the government will ultimately collect more revenues. So “supply side” advocates say less taxes for the well-off and even dishing out subsidies and credits for corporations will ultimately help the middle class indirectly.
In other words, the “rising tides lifting all boats” stuff. To me it seems kind of antithetical to a more familiar ethic about fighting for a day when the last will be first, and the first will be last. But I’m rambling again…
Anybody can find an economist that argues their point if they look hard enough. But whether you agree or disagree with any candidate's economic policies (there are probably very few of us that agree with anyone completely), too little media attention is focused on the substantial differences between the candidates on economic issues. And factually, there are real differences.
Bush pushed “supply side” pretty hard, and McCain, who once challenged elements of it, is pretty much on board with “trickle-down” tax policy now. Some call it a “pro-growth” policy. Others call it “regressive.” His tax cuts, certainly when discussing the direct effects, benefit upper incomes far more than lower incomes.
Obama proposes a more “progressive” tax plan, which means he wants to phase out the Bush tax plan and pay for government services by taxing millionaires significantly more and taxing computer store employees a bit less. His tax cuts go to lower incomes and his tax hikes go to very high incomes. Whether he’ll stick to that remains to be seen, but that’s what he’s put forward.
The organizations behind Independent candidate Ralph Nader and the Green Party’s Cynthia McKinney submitted signatures to get on Ohio’s ballot last week. They both suggest economic policies that are more aggressively "progressive" than Obama’s and emphasize things like ending the legal “personhood” of corporations (long story, folks) and cracking down on corporate welfare.
When we clarify each presidential candidate’s positions on these things for the public, we get closer to what journalism is really about. We journalists need to educate ourselves about things like capital gains tax cuts so we can educate others. (A capital gain is basically a way to make money without conventional work and usually requires some supply of money on the front end – stuff like stock, real estate, etc.)
Without huge cuts in government spending – remember that Bush never saw a spending bill he didn’t like except when it involved extending healthcare to poor children through SCHIP – I think tax cuts like that just shift more of the tax burden on the poor and all of the people that work for a living. Perhaps more importantly, “supply side” subscribes to the premise that those at the top have to necessarily make all the decisions for us rather than empowering everyone to decide how the resources we all helped to develop should be used.
But that’s just my slightly informed opinion. The question is what do you think? Why?
Stuff like that probably matters more than the seven houses McCain owns or how Rezko helped Obama buy his land.
It might even matter more than the hairstyle little Sasha Obama was wearing Monday night. But she sure was cute.
Again, that’s just my opinion.
~Geoffrey Dobbins
vice president, UCABJ
Is 7 years old a little young for a perm like little Sasha Obama was wearing? Or was it just a relaxer?
I’m pretty sure my sisters didn’t start their regular appointments with the hot comb until they were about 10 years old, though exceptions were made for special occasions (and having your father nominated for president might qualify).
The thought sent me on a flashback to a conversation I had on that very same couch when I must have been 9 or 10 and my younger sister was around Sasha Obama’s age. What my mother told us that day, right or wrong, seems more relevant to the current political discourse than much of what the pundits are saying during either party’s convention.
As was our routine, my mother, my sister and I were all watching TV as my mom braided my sister’s hair before school. We were laughing pretty hard at reruns of a comedy program called Dinosaurs.
That particular episode of the sitcom was about a political campaign. Earl Sinclair, the Homer-Simpson-esque patriarch of the show, was running for some fictional office against his evil boss, Mr. Richfield. I almost busted a gut laughing during one of the episode’s debates when Richfield explained how his policies would be based on “trickle-down economics.”
Rich people, Richfield said, tend to live in big mansions on hills. If you make sure rich people have all the money, then their pockets are bound to get so full that they have trouble containing it all. Richfield said that money would then tumble out of the pockets of the rich, onto the ground and ‘trickle down’ the hills to the poor people in the valleys. Everybody wins when you focus on helping the rich get richer, Richfield said.
To our young ears, the idea of winning people’s vote with such a ludicrous plan was pretty funny.
But during a pause in my laughter, my mother took advantage of what she saw as a teachable moment. “The thing is,” she said, “that stuff is real.”
“No way,” I replied. I couldn’t believe it. It’s just a joke, right?
They don’t express it quite like that, she explained, but some politicians really do push something a lot like that and even call it “trickle-down economics.” But there wasn’t too much time to discuss it; we still had to make it to Heritage Elementary on time.
These days “supply side economics” seems to be the preferred term, but the ideas proposed are basically the same as the “trickle-down” concept of previous political eras. Originators of the concept talk a lot about “marginal tax rates,” but these days the main point is the idea that those at the very top of the economic ladder are the ones that determine the overall health of the economy because they own the most investments in business.
Supposedly, cutting taxes for wealthy people and corporations will cause “the economy” in general to grow to the point that, even at a lower tax rate, the government will ultimately collect more revenues. So “supply side” advocates say less taxes for the well-off and even dishing out subsidies and credits for corporations will ultimately help the middle class indirectly.
In other words, the “rising tides lifting all boats” stuff. To me it seems kind of antithetical to a more familiar ethic about fighting for a day when the last will be first, and the first will be last. But I’m rambling again…
Anybody can find an economist that argues their point if they look hard enough. But whether you agree or disagree with any candidate's economic policies (there are probably very few of us that agree with anyone completely), too little media attention is focused on the substantial differences between the candidates on economic issues. And factually, there are real differences.
Bush pushed “supply side” pretty hard, and McCain, who once challenged elements of it, is pretty much on board with “trickle-down” tax policy now. Some call it a “pro-growth” policy. Others call it “regressive.” His tax cuts, certainly when discussing the direct effects, benefit upper incomes far more than lower incomes.
Obama proposes a more “progressive” tax plan, which means he wants to phase out the Bush tax plan and pay for government services by taxing millionaires significantly more and taxing computer store employees a bit less. His tax cuts go to lower incomes and his tax hikes go to very high incomes. Whether he’ll stick to that remains to be seen, but that’s what he’s put forward.
The organizations behind Independent candidate Ralph Nader and the Green Party’s Cynthia McKinney submitted signatures to get on Ohio’s ballot last week. They both suggest economic policies that are more aggressively "progressive" than Obama’s and emphasize things like ending the legal “personhood” of corporations (long story, folks) and cracking down on corporate welfare.
When we clarify each presidential candidate’s positions on these things for the public, we get closer to what journalism is really about. We journalists need to educate ourselves about things like capital gains tax cuts so we can educate others. (A capital gain is basically a way to make money without conventional work and usually requires some supply of money on the front end – stuff like stock, real estate, etc.)
Without huge cuts in government spending – remember that Bush never saw a spending bill he didn’t like except when it involved extending healthcare to poor children through SCHIP – I think tax cuts like that just shift more of the tax burden on the poor and all of the people that work for a living. Perhaps more importantly, “supply side” subscribes to the premise that those at the top have to necessarily make all the decisions for us rather than empowering everyone to decide how the resources we all helped to develop should be used.
But that’s just my slightly informed opinion. The question is what do you think? Why?
Stuff like that probably matters more than the seven houses McCain owns or how Rezko helped Obama buy his land.
It might even matter more than the hairstyle little Sasha Obama was wearing Monday night. But she sure was cute.
Again, that’s just my opinion.
~Geoffrey Dobbins
vice president, UCABJ
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Can Black Journalists Be Objective When Covering a Black Candidate?
NABJ President Barbara Ciara responds:
When I was an aspiring journalist back in the 1970’s, a college professor taught a lesson that has shaped the kind of journalist I try to be today. He instructed our class to use three questions when approaching a story. Before writing or broadcasting the story we should ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary?
I was reminded of that lesson when attending the UNITY Journalists of color convention in Chicago in July. The UNITY alliance is made up of Asian, Hispanic, Native American and Black journalists. Together it is the largest organization of journalists of color in the world. Most political candidates consider it a “must attend” event during an election year.
The National Association of Black Journalists has hosted President George W. Bush, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of State Colin Powell, all Republicans. It’s a better journalistic experience when all parties are represented.
On July, 27th Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president made UNITY his first stop after visiting Iraq and European countries. Republican nominee John McCain was invited but declined. Both candidates were invited months in advance when it became clear they were frontrunners. It’s too bad McCain didn’t consider UNITY a “must attend” event. It would have been a great opportunity to hear the platforms of both candidates speaking before thousands of journalists.
The Obama appearance was not exclusive to those attending. It was also broadcast live on CNN. That’s when an interesting angle surfaced among the media covering the event. The question was asked, is it possible for journalists of color to cover the Obama campaign without bias?
“Excuse me,” I countered when I heard that would be the angle of several news organizations covering the Obama appearance. The little hairs on the back of my neck danced in anger.
Yeah, I’m mad at the question, and the suggestion. How does that expression go? “We have seen the enemy and it is us.” My answer to the question is with a question: What in the world are you thinking? Or better still – are you thinking?
Will Black reporters dance with joy in their written words or in their broadcasts because of the historic nature of the campaign? How did that question become a legitimate news story? I wondered what my college professor would say.
Is it true? Let’s see, have you counted the number of African Americans who are on the Obama campaign plane? There is not one single front-line Black reporter from ABC, CBS, or NBC assigned to cover the Obama campaign, nor will you find an African American assigned to cover the candidate from the New York Times, or Time magazine.You need the opportunity to play the game before you can be accused of misplaying it.
Besides, one of the toughest questions asked of Obama during the CNN broadcast at UNITY came from African American columnist Leonard Pitts. He wanted to know if Obama was avoiding visiting Mosques and Muslims out of fear that he would run the risk of being tied, incorrectly, to a faith he doesn’t practice. Was Obama allowing propaganda to disregard the Muslim community? It was a tough question – and a Black reporter asked it. I guess Pitts didn’t get the memo.
Is it fair? Did female reporters have to pass a litmus test before they were assigned to cover Sen. Hillary Clinton? Perhaps we should question the plethora of White guys covering Sen. McCain and ask them if they can cover a White candidate without displaying bias. After all, they must love the guy since he’s the same shade and gender right?
Is it necessary? I asked my colleague Pat McReynolds his thoughts and after a thoughtful pause he said, “We all have biases. No one could truthfully say otherwise. But as in any profession, if you are good at what you do and take your job seriously, you check your biases at the door no matter whether you are black or white.”
I’m annoyed that skin color has been injected into the presidential race. It detracts from the issues that matter to us all. And what matters most to journalists is our credibility. When you question that be prepared for a 12-round heavyweight verbal fight.
Don’t get me wrong, journalists are not above biases or answering tough questions. But keep it above the belt. McReynolds summed up my feelings with his parting comment when he said, “To me, saying all African American journalists think alike is just as insulting, if not more so, than saying they all look alike!”Is it true, is it fair, and is it necessary?
Yours in service,
Barbara Ciara
President, National Association of Black Journalists
When I was an aspiring journalist back in the 1970’s, a college professor taught a lesson that has shaped the kind of journalist I try to be today. He instructed our class to use three questions when approaching a story. Before writing or broadcasting the story we should ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary?
I was reminded of that lesson when attending the UNITY Journalists of color convention in Chicago in July. The UNITY alliance is made up of Asian, Hispanic, Native American and Black journalists. Together it is the largest organization of journalists of color in the world. Most political candidates consider it a “must attend” event during an election year.
The National Association of Black Journalists has hosted President George W. Bush, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and Secretary of State Colin Powell, all Republicans. It’s a better journalistic experience when all parties are represented.
On July, 27th Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president made UNITY his first stop after visiting Iraq and European countries. Republican nominee John McCain was invited but declined. Both candidates were invited months in advance when it became clear they were frontrunners. It’s too bad McCain didn’t consider UNITY a “must attend” event. It would have been a great opportunity to hear the platforms of both candidates speaking before thousands of journalists.
The Obama appearance was not exclusive to those attending. It was also broadcast live on CNN. That’s when an interesting angle surfaced among the media covering the event. The question was asked, is it possible for journalists of color to cover the Obama campaign without bias?
“Excuse me,” I countered when I heard that would be the angle of several news organizations covering the Obama appearance. The little hairs on the back of my neck danced in anger.
Yeah, I’m mad at the question, and the suggestion. How does that expression go? “We have seen the enemy and it is us.” My answer to the question is with a question: What in the world are you thinking? Or better still – are you thinking?
Will Black reporters dance with joy in their written words or in their broadcasts because of the historic nature of the campaign? How did that question become a legitimate news story? I wondered what my college professor would say.
Is it true? Let’s see, have you counted the number of African Americans who are on the Obama campaign plane? There is not one single front-line Black reporter from ABC, CBS, or NBC assigned to cover the Obama campaign, nor will you find an African American assigned to cover the candidate from the New York Times, or Time magazine.You need the opportunity to play the game before you can be accused of misplaying it.
Besides, one of the toughest questions asked of Obama during the CNN broadcast at UNITY came from African American columnist Leonard Pitts. He wanted to know if Obama was avoiding visiting Mosques and Muslims out of fear that he would run the risk of being tied, incorrectly, to a faith he doesn’t practice. Was Obama allowing propaganda to disregard the Muslim community? It was a tough question – and a Black reporter asked it. I guess Pitts didn’t get the memo.
Is it fair? Did female reporters have to pass a litmus test before they were assigned to cover Sen. Hillary Clinton? Perhaps we should question the plethora of White guys covering Sen. McCain and ask them if they can cover a White candidate without displaying bias. After all, they must love the guy since he’s the same shade and gender right?
Is it necessary? I asked my colleague Pat McReynolds his thoughts and after a thoughtful pause he said, “We all have biases. No one could truthfully say otherwise. But as in any profession, if you are good at what you do and take your job seriously, you check your biases at the door no matter whether you are black or white.”
I’m annoyed that skin color has been injected into the presidential race. It detracts from the issues that matter to us all. And what matters most to journalists is our credibility. When you question that be prepared for a 12-round heavyweight verbal fight.
Don’t get me wrong, journalists are not above biases or answering tough questions. But keep it above the belt. McReynolds summed up my feelings with his parting comment when he said, “To me, saying all African American journalists think alike is just as insulting, if not more so, than saying they all look alike!”Is it true, is it fair, and is it necessary?
Yours in service,
Barbara Ciara
President, National Association of Black Journalists
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Maximizing Your Internship Experience
Here's a repost from the young journo blog Ten95:
One-third of the Ten95 crew participated in a panel during UNITY called "Paying it Forward: How to Maximize Your Internship," as a part of the all-star crew that included recruiting phenom Joe Grimm, radio guru Doug Mitchell and reporting superstars Chloe Hilliard and Marlon Walker. Veronica moderated and I was a panelist. The room was packed. The kids were eager. The advice was super sound. Below are a few pics from event and our Top 20 lists of things to do -- and not to do -- while on a summer internship. The tips were written from a print perspective, but are applicable across mediums.
One-third of the Ten95 crew participated in a panel during UNITY called "Paying it Forward: How to Maximize Your Internship," as a part of the all-star crew that included recruiting phenom Joe Grimm, radio guru Doug Mitchell and reporting superstars Chloe Hilliard and Marlon Walker. Veronica moderated and I was a panelist. The room was packed. The kids were eager. The advice was super sound. Below are a few pics from event and our Top 20 lists of things to do -- and not to do -- while on a summer internship. The tips were written from a print perspective, but are applicable across mediums.
- DO learn who is who on the staff.
- DO understand that each staff is a living organism that you should easy your way into SLOWLY. Assertiveness is great but sometimes misplaced enthusiasm can rub some the wrong way.
- DON'T blog (Facebook or MySpace) about your internship. Your employer is watching and reading.
- DON'T feel a sense of entitlement while you're in a newsroom. Just because there are front page stories (or great packages) without writers, don't think that one is going to be yours.
- DO watch your editor to determine his or her work pattern and the best time of day (or week) to seek guidance and feedback.
- DO arrive 30 minutes early every day to get the best assignments. The early bird gets the worm. There are stories that your editor is probably waiting to assign as people come in for the day so make sure you're in the mix!
- DO cultivate a few relationships with people who understand your thought process well enough to be excellent references in the future and collect their business cards.
- DO offer to help out in any little way with a big story.
- DON'T jeopardize your credibility by having a romantic relationship during your internship --- especially not one with a permanent staffer.
- DON'T ever be hard to reach. Questions and opportunites can arise at any time.
- DON'T take criticism of your work personally. Work with your supervisors to make it better.
- DON'T say "I don't want to," and don't hesitate to say, "I'm not sure how, but I want to learn."
- DO make sure that you understand your assignment and ask detailed questions before you head out to report. You can write the best story in the world, but if its not what your editor requested, it won't earn you any points.
- DO make or beat your deadline.
- DO chat up other reporters. If you see a story someone did and you liked it or are interested in the process, ask them out for coffee or stop by their desk.
- DON'T forget to check every name, age, address and fact in your story, in addition to running spell check. No one likes messy copy.
- DON'T turn your nose up at any assignment. Small stories lead to bigger opportunities.
- DO ask for feedback. Midway through your internship, schedule a sit down with your editor/supervisor to discuss your performance to-date. What areas need work? In what areas are you excelling? What does your editor want to see going forward? Take the feedback to heart and work on the areas that need improvement.
- DO set tangible goals. Make a list that will serve as the roadmap to your internship. What skills do you want to learn? What particular stories or topics would you like to cover?
- DO come up with your own story ideas and pitch them to your editor.
UCABJ Sponsors Minority High School JRN Workshop
Plans have been finalized for UCABJ's first minority high school journalism workshop on Saturday, August 16. Eight student leaders from the newspapers at Hughes and Withrow high schools, two of Cincinnati's inner-city public schools, will spend a half day learning the basics of newspaper writing. The workshop will also include a panel discussion with some of UC's top student journalists. "Getting younger students interested in journalism as a career should be one of the goals of any journalism organization, even at the collegiate level," said Aiesha D. Little, the group's professional adviser. "This is an important partnership that I hope UCABJ is able to continue annually for years to come."
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Facebook, Where Have You Been All My Life?
OK, so I finally took a friend's advice and signed up for some online networking sites. You can now find me on LinkedIn and Facebook. Yes, yes, I know. “You’re just getting around to that?” you’re asking. Well, you know that person who sees a movie on DVD a year after it came out and then tries to tell friends who saw it in the theater how great it was? That’s me so please forgive me if this post sounds passé. With that said, Facebook is great. Case in point: I was looking for a new magazine intern recently and was able to contact my Facebook friends for potential candidates. Several students turned up as a result. I hope to use it more like this in the future, but I'm still worried about how much of our lives should be readily accessible online.
I routinely check the Facebook and MySpace pages of potential interns. Why not? If you put the information out there, why shouldn't I or other potential employers read it? NOTE: if you're interested in working for me, make sure your Facebook and MySpace pages are set to private. If I see a picture of you peeing on the sidewalk or read that your favorite hobby is smoking weed, I will naturally be less inclined to hire you. Why? Because your online presence is just as important as your actual physical presence and both of those can be called into question when you're representing my publication. I know it's just the times in which we live that make us so willing to share our innermost thoughts with strangers halfway around the world, but is that a good thing?
Aiesha D. Little
NABJ Adviser
University of Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists
I routinely check the Facebook and MySpace pages of potential interns. Why not? If you put the information out there, why shouldn't I or other potential employers read it? NOTE: if you're interested in working for me, make sure your Facebook and MySpace pages are set to private. If I see a picture of you peeing on the sidewalk or read that your favorite hobby is smoking weed, I will naturally be less inclined to hire you. Why? Because your online presence is just as important as your actual physical presence and both of those can be called into question when you're representing my publication. I know it's just the times in which we live that make us so willing to share our innermost thoughts with strangers halfway around the world, but is that a good thing?
Aiesha D. Little
NABJ Adviser
University of Cincinnati Association of Black Journalists
Friday, August 1, 2008
Lucky In Our Enemies
Has anybody seen Patrick Buchanan's recent column about UNITY? Check NABJ's here. Les Payne says does a very good job, I think, but I thought I'd add my own two cents anyway.
Buchanan really hates the whole idea of the UNITY convention, which is strangely gratifying to me. You may know Buchanan as the columnist that frequently condemns multiculturalism, like he does here and here, and laments the demise of a "Western civilization" dominated by Caucasians, as he does here. Views like these might help explain why he opposed a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his response to Barack Obama's speech about race in March, Buchanan explained how blacks should be grateful to America because slavery did us a favor. But that's not all...
He dealt with persistent (and justified) charges of antisemitism during his campaigns for president in 1992, 1996 and 2000 - charges that have resurfaced following his recent book about WWII, Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War."
I haven't read it, but judging from columns he's written about it and the comments others have made, it seems that Buchanan argues that WWII is Great Britain's fault and sort of blames the Allies for the Holocaust. He also grieves the loss of Britain's often-repressive empire. Check out what Newsweek's Christopher Hitchens has to say about it here.
Buchanan has got some really heart-warming stuff to say, doesn't he?
I have to confess that I'm only half joking here. People like Buchanan make me feel needed - they remind me that there really is a desperate need for people who care about truth, justice and forging an "American way" that isn't so steeped in hatred.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that when Pat Buchanan has nasty things to say about the diverse and multicultural things we do, it must mean we're doing something right.
We've joined the long list of people Buchanan doesn't like. Congratulations, folks.
~Geoffrey Dobbins
Vice President, UCABJ
Buchanan really hates the whole idea of the UNITY convention, which is strangely gratifying to me. You may know Buchanan as the columnist that frequently condemns multiculturalism, like he does here and here, and laments the demise of a "Western civilization" dominated by Caucasians, as he does here. Views like these might help explain why he opposed a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his response to Barack Obama's speech about race in March, Buchanan explained how blacks should be grateful to America because slavery did us a favor. But that's not all...
He dealt with persistent (and justified) charges of antisemitism during his campaigns for president in 1992, 1996 and 2000 - charges that have resurfaced following his recent book about WWII, Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War."
I haven't read it, but judging from columns he's written about it and the comments others have made, it seems that Buchanan argues that WWII is Great Britain's fault and sort of blames the Allies for the Holocaust. He also grieves the loss of Britain's often-repressive empire. Check out what Newsweek's Christopher Hitchens has to say about it here.
Buchanan has got some really heart-warming stuff to say, doesn't he?
I have to confess that I'm only half joking here. People like Buchanan make me feel needed - they remind me that there really is a desperate need for people who care about truth, justice and forging an "American way" that isn't so steeped in hatred.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that when Pat Buchanan has nasty things to say about the diverse and multicultural things we do, it must mean we're doing something right.
We've joined the long list of people Buchanan doesn't like. Congratulations, folks.
~Geoffrey Dobbins
Vice President, UCABJ
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
MY EXPERIENCE AT UNITY
What seemed like forever came in an instant! UNITY 2008 was here. What others had said about UNITY was nothing that could possibly compare to what it really was. I met some of the best and brightest in the journalism field.
I went to many panel discussions and workshops that thought me a tremendous amount about topics. These are just a few: How to Deal With Your First Internships, AIDS Research and Violence In the Media.
Chicago was wonderful! It reminded of New York but not as intense. The people were friendly, and the food was GREAT! (That part is kind of important to me) The shopping was wonderful.
This UNITY trip also thought me many things about myself and the plans that I have for the upcoming year for UCABJ. For the first time ever I met people who were my "competition" and who inspired me at the same time.
-Alicia Gaynor
UCABJ President
I went to many panel discussions and workshops that thought me a tremendous amount about topics. These are just a few: How to Deal With Your First Internships, AIDS Research and Violence In the Media.
Chicago was wonderful! It reminded of New York but not as intense. The people were friendly, and the food was GREAT! (That part is kind of important to me) The shopping was wonderful.
This UNITY trip also thought me many things about myself and the plans that I have for the upcoming year for UCABJ. For the first time ever I met people who were my "competition" and who inspired me at the same time.
-Alicia Gaynor
UCABJ President
UCABJ Represents!
UCABJers and other University of Cincinnati journalism students are featured in the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences online bulletin this week. Way to go!Tuesday, July 29, 2008
theroot.com's UNITY blog
UCABJ is back from Chicago and all is right with the world. Saw some old friends, met some new friends, went to some great sessions, had some good food...there isn't really anything else to say, is there? Oh, you can check out Geoffrey's theroot.com blog entries here.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
UCABJer Blogs UNITY for theroot.com
Big ups go out to UCABJ Vice President Geoffrey Dobbins for being selected by the staff over at theroot.com to blog during the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention in Chicago next week. We aren't talking small potatoes here. For those of you who don't know, theroot.com is the brainchild of Harvard University professor and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and is backed by The Washington Post Company. Check back on July 22 when UCABJ takes Chicago by storm!
Congrats, Geoffrey!
—UCABJ Executive Board
Congrats, Geoffrey!
—UCABJ Executive Board
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