With the journalism field in such a downfall, it can be quite a paranoid time to be a journalist. Some of the people you come across will be very tight and stressed but don't let that affect what you do. As an intern, you have to look at your experience with a positive outlook. I was at The Enquirer when the publication cut 10 percent of its staff. It was only my third day and it was quite a hard experience to see some of the people I had just recently met having to pack up and leave.
Although it was difficult to get past this experience, I knew that there was work to get done and things to learn. This is how everyone else at The Enquirer looked at it so I had to do the same. I was able to get past this and really have such a great time at this publication. Because of the layoffs, I found myself with more opportunities to contribute right away. I was looked at as a staff member instead of an intern because of the fact I could produce material and create my own work flow.
Internships can be a very stressful endeavor. The pressure to live up to expectations and perform like the professionals is something I worried about when I first started. The main thing is to enjoy your experience. If you are able to relax and enjoy, the internship becomes such a great time. Doing an internship in the field you love is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Have fun with it!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Listen, listen, listen
Just like any other job, there were times when there was not a great deal of work to actually complete. There are many times that I'm sure people in these situations would just sit around and check out their Facebook or Twitter away. I decided to take this time to sit in with some of the journalists and talk to them about journalism. There is nothing more beneficial, in my opinion, than to learn from these professionals. These people have made it in the field and I find it very important to learn the skills needed to be successful.
It really does not make any sense not to learn from these people. I worked with two guys that were ONPA Photographers of the Year that now work primarily with video. It is amazing the type of things I was able to learn from these men. They would talk to me about everything from lighting to shot selection to even dictating the direction of the story. These were some things I didn't think about as thoroughly before this internship. I would make sure my shots filled the screen and that the audio was working well but there is so much more to consider when putting together a quality video. They told me that these little things separated quality journalism from the videos found on Youtube. After five months of work I find myself taking into account all the elements to put together a quality video. I even find myself taking more control of how my videos are shot and what is covered in my pieces.
I also took the time to learn about some of the business that goes into a site such as Cincinnati.com. I made the effort to meet with the president of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Margaret Buchanan, as well as the vice president of New Media, James Jackson. I wanted to know how the company was affected by the output of material. I learned a great deal about advertising revenues and business-to-business partnerships. During my time with The Enquirer I had the opportunity to work with partner sites such as CincinnatiUSA.com, CincyPaws.com and Time Warner on Demand. Being able to do that work allowed me to see how different publications work with each other to improve their business. We would place our videos and some of our other work on these sites and, in return, they would put some of their advertisements or other materials on our site.
Although the experience with The Cincinnati Enquirer was fantastic, having the opportunity to learn from professionals will be the thing I appreciate the most. As long as you listen to the people you work with and remember the things you learn, an internship can be the most beneficial part of your college experience.
It really does not make any sense not to learn from these people. I worked with two guys that were ONPA Photographers of the Year that now work primarily with video. It is amazing the type of things I was able to learn from these men. They would talk to me about everything from lighting to shot selection to even dictating the direction of the story. These were some things I didn't think about as thoroughly before this internship. I would make sure my shots filled the screen and that the audio was working well but there is so much more to consider when putting together a quality video. They told me that these little things separated quality journalism from the videos found on Youtube. After five months of work I find myself taking into account all the elements to put together a quality video. I even find myself taking more control of how my videos are shot and what is covered in my pieces.
I also took the time to learn about some of the business that goes into a site such as Cincinnati.com. I made the effort to meet with the president of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Margaret Buchanan, as well as the vice president of New Media, James Jackson. I wanted to know how the company was affected by the output of material. I learned a great deal about advertising revenues and business-to-business partnerships. During my time with The Enquirer I had the opportunity to work with partner sites such as CincinnatiUSA.com, CincyPaws.com and Time Warner on Demand. Being able to do that work allowed me to see how different publications work with each other to improve their business. We would place our videos and some of our other work on these sites and, in return, they would put some of their advertisements or other materials on our site.
Although the experience with The Cincinnati Enquirer was fantastic, having the opportunity to learn from professionals will be the thing I appreciate the most. As long as you listen to the people you work with and remember the things you learn, an internship can be the most beneficial part of your college experience.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Internship is complete... but this blog is not.
So it has been an eventful last week of my internship, so it has proved difficult to be as up-to-date with my blog. This means that I will be spending a great deal of my down time to discuss the work that I was able to perform with The Cincinnati Enquirer. It has been an experience I am very grateful for because of the fact that I was able to get so much experience.
I went in to this internship with the idea that I would have the opportunity to get a lot of work experience, but I had no idea I would have these opportunities so quickly. From day one of my internship I was able to start producing videos on my own. I either produced or assisted in the production of over 30 videos. When I first began I thought that I would have to do a decent amount of grunt work such as making copies or logging video, but that was not the case. I truly was a member of The Cincinnati Enquirer. I was never looked at or treated as an intern. Instead, I was the new video producer.
The type of news stories I covered varied immensely. I went to crime scenes, animal shelters, Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds press conferences, a ski slope, the Ronald McDonald House and many other places. What I loved about my work was that it changed every day. That is what is so exciting about journalism. You can go into work with no idea what you will be doing. One day you can be at the court house covering a huge trial and the next you could be doing a feature story on poverty in the city.
There was a time when I felt that my skills in journalism only extended to my writing, but I have found that my creative juices flow to many other areas. I love being able to cover events with video because of the fact that I can tell the story in so many different ways. There is no set structure in video and the ways you put it together.
As the days go by, I will continue to update with more information about the internship I just completed with The Cincinnati Enquirer.
I went in to this internship with the idea that I would have the opportunity to get a lot of work experience, but I had no idea I would have these opportunities so quickly. From day one of my internship I was able to start producing videos on my own. I either produced or assisted in the production of over 30 videos. When I first began I thought that I would have to do a decent amount of grunt work such as making copies or logging video, but that was not the case. I truly was a member of The Cincinnati Enquirer. I was never looked at or treated as an intern. Instead, I was the new video producer.
The type of news stories I covered varied immensely. I went to crime scenes, animal shelters, Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds press conferences, a ski slope, the Ronald McDonald House and many other places. What I loved about my work was that it changed every day. That is what is so exciting about journalism. You can go into work with no idea what you will be doing. One day you can be at the court house covering a huge trial and the next you could be doing a feature story on poverty in the city.
There was a time when I felt that my skills in journalism only extended to my writing, but I have found that my creative juices flow to many other areas. I love being able to cover events with video because of the fact that I can tell the story in so many different ways. There is no set structure in video and the ways you put it together.
As the days go by, I will continue to update with more information about the internship I just completed with The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Business Side (AKA The Ugly Side) of Journalism
This is a piece I wrote on one of my other blogs. But I think this really sums up my feelings of the cutbacks that have taken place within the journalism field. My feelings have changed since then but I feel this piece showed my true emotions when I saw these cutbacks take place firsthand:
So it has been all fun and games with my work at The Cincinnati Enquirer but, with all good things, there are some actions that bring the fairy tale back to reality. One event that has put future decisions into perspective are the current cutbacks that are taking place because of the recession we are facing. Of course no business has been immune to the recession, but it seems that no industry has been hit harder by the economy than the newspaper industry. Now, I am not interning with The Enquirer to become a newspaper reporter. I have known since I was in high school that going into that field is a very bad idea. The newspaper industry is a dying industry. Of course, they have made many changes within their infrastructure to become a more digital commodity, but cuts have had to be made in order to grow in this area. I knew that these kind of things were bound to happen, but I didn't know how I would truly feel once I saw these job cuts being made right in front of my face.
I met with the president and publisher of the company and she gave me advice of how to cope with losses of employees and mentors in the field. I was aware that The Enquirer was going to cut 10% of their staff to brace for the trying times they were facing. I let her know that I was fully aware that cuts were to be made and that I would be fine. "Keep your head down and focus on your objectives," is what she said. It really was great advice. In hind sight, I really shrugged off the advice because I didn't think that I would really be affected by the changes. In the end, I was dead wrong.
During the day I went through my normal work. I started the day with a large cup of coffee and looked over the new videos uploaded to Cincinnati.com. Next, I took part in the daily check of all video equipment and met with the video guys to find out the stories to be covered for the day. As I went about going through my editing guide, I was called into my internship adviser's office. Thinking I was going to talk to her about a new project, I went in with a blind eye. What she told me next changed my feelings for journalism forever. The woman, who has been an employee of The Enquirer for almost a decade, told me she had been "let go." I was at a loss for words. Feelings of shock, anger and sadness hit me all at once. And I had known this woman for only about a week. I could not imagine what this woman was feeling. I mean, where is the love, the loyalty for a fellow employee; especially during the Christmas season. It was at that moment that I truly saw what this really was. At that moment, I saw the business of journalism.
We go into journalism because we want to create art for others to view. From writing articles to capturing videos of the community, what we as journalists are creating is art. While in college we dream of becoming an influential journalist whose voice can transcend a community and change the world. What we do not think about is that we can be undercut by the business. We can only do as much as our industry will allow us to do. We dream of being able to write great articles and interview interesting people, but we do not think about the fact that at any point it could all be taken away. We work in a field that does not give tenure to those that have been there a certain amount of time. Instead, when times get rough, many of those people have to stress over whether they will be coming in the next day or if they will have to update the resume for the next job opportunity. It is a scary world we are living in at the moment. As the economy continues its decline, no one feels safe with their job. But it appears that journalists are feeling the worst.
As I watched my adviser pack up her office, she told me to remain positive and continue my work with The Enquirer. Can you imagine that? The woman who has just lost her job is telling me to stay positive. As a veteran in the industry she has become used to the fact that no job is protected and it does not pay to become comfortable in one place for too long. Through school I have told myself that I can not set my sights on one place for an entire career. It has become harder to swallow since I have seen the losses in front of my eyes.
As the president told me during our meeting, the industry will bounce back. It will grow in the digital and multimedia field. Cuts had to be made to grow in this way. As the digital field of the newspaper industry grows, more jobs will be created. The once proud industry may become a proud field again if they can grow with the changing times.
I love what I am doing. I love journalism and having the power to create art for people to view and enjoy. On the contrary, I have grown to loathe the business side of journalism. Yes, I know that this is not a great point of view to have as an aspiring journalist. Even when the economy is good, jobs are never safe. I know that. But when you finally see the losses around you, you get that new perspective that you never had before. Even though it was not an easy thing to swallow, I am glad I was there to see it first hand. We hear about job losses all the time and we don't think twice about it. I now have seen and felt the effects of job cuts in journalism. And I think it has forced me to think about my future all together. I am a junior in college and will soon be looking at the job market or grad schools. These memories will stick with me as I decide what I do with the next two years.
I know that a career in journalism is a roller coaster ride that goes both up and down. After the events of the last week, I am now unsure of whether I will be riding that roller coaster after graduation.
So it has been all fun and games with my work at The Cincinnati Enquirer but, with all good things, there are some actions that bring the fairy tale back to reality. One event that has put future decisions into perspective are the current cutbacks that are taking place because of the recession we are facing. Of course no business has been immune to the recession, but it seems that no industry has been hit harder by the economy than the newspaper industry. Now, I am not interning with The Enquirer to become a newspaper reporter. I have known since I was in high school that going into that field is a very bad idea. The newspaper industry is a dying industry. Of course, they have made many changes within their infrastructure to become a more digital commodity, but cuts have had to be made in order to grow in this area. I knew that these kind of things were bound to happen, but I didn't know how I would truly feel once I saw these job cuts being made right in front of my face.
I met with the president and publisher of the company and she gave me advice of how to cope with losses of employees and mentors in the field. I was aware that The Enquirer was going to cut 10% of their staff to brace for the trying times they were facing. I let her know that I was fully aware that cuts were to be made and that I would be fine. "Keep your head down and focus on your objectives," is what she said. It really was great advice. In hind sight, I really shrugged off the advice because I didn't think that I would really be affected by the changes. In the end, I was dead wrong.
During the day I went through my normal work. I started the day with a large cup of coffee and looked over the new videos uploaded to Cincinnati.com. Next, I took part in the daily check of all video equipment and met with the video guys to find out the stories to be covered for the day. As I went about going through my editing guide, I was called into my internship adviser's office. Thinking I was going to talk to her about a new project, I went in with a blind eye. What she told me next changed my feelings for journalism forever. The woman, who has been an employee of The Enquirer for almost a decade, told me she had been "let go." I was at a loss for words. Feelings of shock, anger and sadness hit me all at once. And I had known this woman for only about a week. I could not imagine what this woman was feeling. I mean, where is the love, the loyalty for a fellow employee; especially during the Christmas season. It was at that moment that I truly saw what this really was. At that moment, I saw the business of journalism.
We go into journalism because we want to create art for others to view. From writing articles to capturing videos of the community, what we as journalists are creating is art. While in college we dream of becoming an influential journalist whose voice can transcend a community and change the world. What we do not think about is that we can be undercut by the business. We can only do as much as our industry will allow us to do. We dream of being able to write great articles and interview interesting people, but we do not think about the fact that at any point it could all be taken away. We work in a field that does not give tenure to those that have been there a certain amount of time. Instead, when times get rough, many of those people have to stress over whether they will be coming in the next day or if they will have to update the resume for the next job opportunity. It is a scary world we are living in at the moment. As the economy continues its decline, no one feels safe with their job. But it appears that journalists are feeling the worst.
As I watched my adviser pack up her office, she told me to remain positive and continue my work with The Enquirer. Can you imagine that? The woman who has just lost her job is telling me to stay positive. As a veteran in the industry she has become used to the fact that no job is protected and it does not pay to become comfortable in one place for too long. Through school I have told myself that I can not set my sights on one place for an entire career. It has become harder to swallow since I have seen the losses in front of my eyes.
As the president told me during our meeting, the industry will bounce back. It will grow in the digital and multimedia field. Cuts had to be made to grow in this way. As the digital field of the newspaper industry grows, more jobs will be created. The once proud industry may become a proud field again if they can grow with the changing times.
I love what I am doing. I love journalism and having the power to create art for people to view and enjoy. On the contrary, I have grown to loathe the business side of journalism. Yes, I know that this is not a great point of view to have as an aspiring journalist. Even when the economy is good, jobs are never safe. I know that. But when you finally see the losses around you, you get that new perspective that you never had before. Even though it was not an easy thing to swallow, I am glad I was there to see it first hand. We hear about job losses all the time and we don't think twice about it. I now have seen and felt the effects of job cuts in journalism. And I think it has forced me to think about my future all together. I am a junior in college and will soon be looking at the job market or grad schools. These memories will stick with me as I decide what I do with the next two years.
I know that a career in journalism is a roller coaster ride that goes both up and down. After the events of the last week, I am now unsure of whether I will be riding that roller coaster after graduation.
Monday's Mutts
Since I have been with The Cincinnati Enquirer, I have had the opportunity to take over a weekly project where I visit a different animal shelter around the Greater Cincinnati area and do a video highlighting one of their dogs. These videos are called "Monday's Mutts." I am posting all of those videos I have produced since my internship began.
Enjoy!
Adopt Roxy
Adopt Rocky
Adopt Mia
Adopt Betsy
Adopt Honey
Adopt Elsa
Enjoy!
Adopt Roxy
Adopt Rocky
Adopt Mia
Adopt Betsy
Adopt Honey
Adopt Elsa
Monday, March 9, 2009
It's probably time to start posting all my videos
So I've had some difficulties actually trying to embed the video clips to the blog site. I think a lot of it has to do with the html code the Enquirer uses. So I am going to start dropping links to the videos that I have produced or had some part in the production. I will start with the first video I produced for Cincinnati.com.
This is "Clifford Visits the Ronald McDonald House."
This is "Clifford Visits the Ronald McDonald House."
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tip of the Week: Have some knowledge of programs
It can be an arduous task to learn many different software programs as a college student. Maybe you have a full schedule of classes and you don't have the time. Maybe you don't have the access to some of the more high end software. That is no excuse to not know anything about a program when you are applying for internships that require that knowledge.
Before taking most multimedia internships, I'd suggest you have some type of knowledge using Avid, Final Cut, Photoshop, After Effects and all the MS Works programs. It can be as in-depth as physically using these programs at school, or just reading manuals and watching tutorials on the software. It is of the utmost importance to know something. Most internships will require that you have some experience with that, and they will be very disappointed if the person they chose to intern has no experience or knowledge of their software.
We all know Scripps has Photoshop and Final Cut available (as well as MS programs) to their students. Go out and take photos or shoot some video and get some experience working with these programs. You'll be thanking yourself when you are asked to do these same tasks at your internship.
I do not know about the availability of Avid or After Effects at school, but there are great tutorials and guides that will at least walk you through the basic tasks. That is usually all most publications will want. As an intern, you are there to learn to run with these programs. They hope that you have learned to walk with them already. It doesn't take much time to practice with these programs. Getting the basics comes very quickly. As you get more time with them, you will find that the programs are not as difficult as they once seemed.
And, hopefully, with some practice, you will look like a pro at your internship. Well, maybe a semi-pro.
Before taking most multimedia internships, I'd suggest you have some type of knowledge using Avid, Final Cut, Photoshop, After Effects and all the MS Works programs. It can be as in-depth as physically using these programs at school, or just reading manuals and watching tutorials on the software. It is of the utmost importance to know something. Most internships will require that you have some experience with that, and they will be very disappointed if the person they chose to intern has no experience or knowledge of their software.
We all know Scripps has Photoshop and Final Cut available (as well as MS programs) to their students. Go out and take photos or shoot some video and get some experience working with these programs. You'll be thanking yourself when you are asked to do these same tasks at your internship.
I do not know about the availability of Avid or After Effects at school, but there are great tutorials and guides that will at least walk you through the basic tasks. That is usually all most publications will want. As an intern, you are there to learn to run with these programs. They hope that you have learned to walk with them already. It doesn't take much time to practice with these programs. Getting the basics comes very quickly. As you get more time with them, you will find that the programs are not as difficult as they once seemed.
And, hopefully, with some practice, you will look like a pro at your internship. Well, maybe a semi-pro.
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