Generation J Committee Blog

Gen J Programming

AieshaLittle — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:35:00 GMT

Hey everyone,

Do any of your SPJ chapters offer specific programs for the Gen J set? If so, what's been successful and what hasn't? Last year, the Greater Cincinnati chapter had a Gen J chairperson, but she was mostly unsuccessful in attracting younger members. What to do? What are Gen Jers most concerned about right now?

Media Bias

AieshaLittle — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:03:00 GMT

I was trying to set up an interview yesterday and the would-be source wanted to do a pre-interview interview so that he could ask me questions. "What's the point of the story? What's the format? Is it going to be just your opinion of me?" Due to previous pieces written about him, he felt that he'd been burned by the media. He's the linchpin of my piece, so I explained my position carefully. I didn't want to lull him into a false sense of security by saying that I wouldn't write anything negative about him. I don't argue with sources about how and why I do what I do (I don't think it would help anyway), but the conversation got me thinking about media bias and how we're perceived by readers/viewers/listeners. Have you had any situations where your sources thought you treated them unfairly? How did you deal with that? How do you answer allegations of media bias?

An Invitation to Young Journalists

AieshaLittle — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:41:00 GMT

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

I'll See Your "New Media" and Raise You "Old Media 2.0"

AieshaLittle — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:13:00 GMT

Sonya, we agree that the problem with j-schools is that most of them are late adopters of new media strategies, but isn't this "old media vs. new media" issue really a "plus" issue? These days, everyone should have traditional journalism skills plus a working knowledge of new media if they want to continue in this business. That's why I appreciate yesterday's 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. He 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.

Reading: Gen Yer blogs frustration about old-school j-school

SonyaSmith — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:53:00 GMT

Just read this blog post over at MediaShift.

I'm not trying to change the focus of this blog over to students. I just think it's something older journalists don't realize: not all young journalists know about the web.

In fact, I think that older journalists don't see at all that they have a huge advantage. Young reporters are graduating from way-old-school programs in which they've learned (if they're like me) things like how to count headlines in units so they fit in print, how to measure using a pica pole and the correct notations for copy-editing a story on a printed-out sheet of paper.

It's time that students stand up for and go out to get educated on the Internet.

To Tape or Not to Tape?

AieshaLittle — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:46:00 GMT

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?

Mentor Match-up Program

AieshaLittle — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:27:00 GMT

It's been about a year since SPJ started its Mentor Match-up Program, pairing veteran journalists with newbies, and we'd like to get your feedback. Were you paired with someone? How did it go? Did you request a mentor and didn't get one? If so, let us know. We're probably going to try this again next year so any questions, comments, or concerns about this year's match-up would be greatly appreciated.

Leaving on a jet plane for SPJ, with Twitter

SonyaSmith — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:53:00 GMT

Hey everyone. In just a few hours I leave for Atlanta for this year's national SPJ convention.
I hope you all are joining us for what will be an essential reminder of our code of ethics, inspiration in trying times and a time to embrace being a journalist.
If you can, and even if you cannot, make this year's convention you should follow the news and views on Twitter.
If you are scratching your head, let me explain:
Twitter is a micro-blogging site based on the question "What are you doing?" Before you ask, no most people do not simply write all day about what they are eating and other silly nonsense. The site is used to share information, inspiration and insight in the online world community.
To get started, click here and create an account. Fill in your e-mail address (required, but not visible to others) and your phone number (not required, no one sees it, this allows you to "tweet" and read "tweets" on your mobile phone -- any mobile phone that has text messaging).
Here's my account and here is the official SPJ08 Twitter account. To get updates from either, click follow. Then, when you want to "tweet" about something about the convention -- include "#spj08" (without quote marks) in your message and it will automatically be included in with all of the other SPJ tweets.
Have fun, see you soon and happy tweeting!

Dressing Appropriately

AieshaLittle — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:58:00 GMT

Tube top. No bra. Shorts that are too short. Skirts that only come mid-thigh. No, I'm not talking about how women dress in music videos. These are fashion faux pas that I've actually had to discuss with my interns in the last year or so. I'm more than a little annoyed that I have to tell 20-somethings that they shouldn't dress like they're about to go on a pub crawl. However, for some of them, the internship is a first so they aren't hip to the ways of the working world just yet. So what's the dress code in your office? Is it more relaxed in the summer? Has anyone ever approached you or have you ever had to approach anyone about dressing inappropriately?

Benefits in listening to young people

SonyaSmith — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:18:00 GMT

I'm currently serving on a committee at my organization where they listen to my ideas and ask for my advice on some topics. It's really been thrilling and I suggest that other media companies wise up and take to listening and involving their younger staff....

Or else, they could end up having situations like that written about below by Mark Glaser on PBS:

As the layoffs and buyouts pile up in U.S. the newspaper industry, and Romenesko becomes a daily wake, there is one other troubling problem: Young journalists are less willing to stay at newspapers because the papers are so slow to change their culture.

Newspapers have a history as top-down organizations where senior management huddles in conference rooms to decide what everyone else will do. Innovative ideas usually die on the vine or in bureaucratic red tape. And that’s frustrating for young folks who want to be change agents at newspapers and make a difference.

Pursuing freelance work

GenePark — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:30:00 GMT

I've recently been contemplating pursuing freelance work as a way to supplement my own regular wages. Some coworkers of mine have done so. One freelances regularly for People Magazine, covering celebrity news in Hawaii.

I'm from Guam and have kept in contact with many of the folks there. Guam and Hawaii often do business together because they have similar economies, so I've been considering doing freelance work for a business journal at my old home island. I used to do business reporting, so it'd be an easy fit for me. The important thing is that I do not work for a publication that competes directly for advertising dollars in the Hawaii market.

Do you all know what your freelancing policies are at your respective companies? Have you ever considered freelancing? Have you ever done it? Is it worth giving up your spare time to do more reporting? Am I just going to burn myself out?

Facebook, Where Have You Been All My Life?

AieshaLittle — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:40:00 GMT

OK, so I finally took Sonya’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 good candidates turned up as a result. I hope to use it more like this in the future. How has Facebook changed your work life? If you haven’t signed up for it, why not? Does anyone see these kinds of sites affecting them in negative ways?

Prepare for your future at the 2008 Convention & National Journalism Conference

JoeSkeel — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:54:00 GMT

Learn from professional journalists, get hands-on training and further your career at the 2008 SPJ Conference & National Journalism Convention, Sept. 4-7 in Atlanta, Ga. Listed below is a mere sampling of the development sessions designed to fit your needs!

The First Five Years: You Can Do It

Description: For new journalists, the first five years can be brutal. The hours are long, the pay is low and the moves are frequent. It can be tempting to leave journalism for greener pastures. Hear from a panel of journalists going through the first five years and those who have survived. Get tips for making the most of your early career years while avoiding common mistakes. Leave energized and ready to move to the next phase of your career path.

Speakers: Andria Simmons, reporter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Leslie Froelich, reporter, Mundo Hispánico/Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Adrian Uribarri, reporter, Orlando Sentinel

It’s All About Storytelling: Criteria for Telling Effective TV Stories

Description: Learn how to prepare your tape and determine what sets you apart in your storytelling. Elements of storytelling to be discussed include: Writing, Video, Use of Sound, Delivery, Standup and Impact.

Speaker: Terry Likes, professor, Western Kentucky University

It’s Not YourTube or YourSpace

Description: The internet offers an inexhaustible supply of photos, film clips and other juicy tidbits, deceptively free for the taking. Using material gathered from the Internet raises tricky questions both of law (copyright, defamation) and ethics (verification, attribution). This phenomenon is only growing more complex as news organizations augment their coverage with user-generated content and the work of “citizen journalists.” From “don’t Taze me bro” to “Client 9,” a look at the legal and ethical issues presented when relying on third-party content gathered on-line. The internet offers an inexhaustible supply of photos, film clips and other juicy tidbits, deceptively free for the taking. Using material gathered from the internet raises tricky questions both of law (copyright, defamation) and of ethics (verification, attribution). This phenomenon is only growing more complex as news organizations augment their coverage with user-generated content and the work of “citizen journalists.” From “don’t Taze me bro” to “Client 9,” a look at the legal and ethical issues presented when relying on third-party content gathered on-line.

Speaker: Frank D. LoMonte, Esq., executive director, Student Press Law Center

For a full list of programs offered at this year’s Convention & National Journalism Conference, visit http://www.spj.org/c-programs.asp.

Mentoring, Advising, and Beyond

AieshaLittle — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:47:00 GMT

I just turned 31 a few months ago. No, this isn't a post about being "traumatized" by getting older. It's about recognizing when you're old enough to be another person's mentor. I simply don't feel like I'm old enough to guide other people in their pursuits of journalism careers. I did my first journalism internship in 1995 and I still have a lot to learn. But here I am, managing my magazine's editorial internship, letting high schoolers shadow me on the job, helping a former intern get his first freelance magazine assignment, organizing a half-day high school journalism retreat, and giving professional advice to a local collegiate chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. So what makes a good mentor? Does it come with age? Experience? (Are those two things the same to you?) Or is it simply helping where you can and not thinking about it too much?

Asking For a Title Change

AieshaLittle — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:53:00 GMT

Anyone have any experience with asking your boss for a title change? Does title really matter all that much if it doesn't mean a change in job responsibilities? (Or pay.) Why are we always trying to label and re-label ourselves? *shakes head*

I've been an associate editor for almost four years now and I'm worried that I'm going to be stuck with this title for too long. It's not a bad title or anything...I'm just thinking about the future. If I apply for a senior editor position somewhere else in a few years and I'm still an associate editor, will they take me seriously?