Why I want this job.

I want the job of new host on The (204) at CBC. 

Why?

Because I conceived this idea in my head that I want to do radio. Who cares if I kind of have a weird voice, I'll just train myself a new one. NBD. I want to do radio.

Because I've spent basically the past year digging up arts and culture stories for The Projector. It's what interests me. That being said, I think it would be really cool to get local bands on the radio. I always imagine that every artist gets all crazy when they hear themselves on the radio the first couple times... ya know, like they do on TV. 

Radio class is one of my favourites. Sure, class isn't work and that's probably kind of lame to say because I'm still learning. But I love writing for radio, Dan seems to think I'm kind of good at it. 

In terms of what they want? I think I can do it.

You propose program ideas- Check, I do this once a week or so anyway for the Proj. And this show is weekly, so the timing wouldn't be as awkward.

Suggest and line up guests/interviewees-Check, I'm actually really good at getting interviews. 

Interviews on or off air and provide narration and linking continuity between program segments- Well, I think I know what this means and I want to say CHECK! But I could do interviews outside of the show and make it like a voicer or a script and clip. And I could have a theme that follows through my show. So its not just some scatterbrained episode after another. 

You interact extemporaneously with program participants (such as guests, interviewees, members of the audience and phone-in callers)- Sure, no problem. This could be fun. I mean, yeah, this could be kind of tricky on a show where the subject may or may not be my specialty. But the way the job posting is worded, leads me to believe that I would have a large influence on the show's content. So I think this is definitely doable.

You also have the ability to participate in public and/or community relations activities as appropriate, to promote the program(s) and/or Corporation- Check, I can definitely do this. I love promotion. I have no problem promoting my work to people I don't know. I think of this in the same terms as getting interviews. Just be confident about it.

 

Sex sells... but does death?

I always wondered how effective the use of graphic material is in the news.
Take, for example, the recent murder of Libyan dictator Muammuar Gaddafi.
Since his death on Oct. 20, social media sites have been purging stills and videos showing moments just after his death where anti-Gaddafi fighters rallied around his dead body.
Cell phone videos of the slain general’s body have circulated also circulated on different news stations, like BBC.

Sure, I know this is a pivotal moment in the history of Libya and the things he did during his reign were atrocious. But why do news sources air footage like this?
Does death sell as well as sex?
I guess the shock and curiosity factor is more likely to draw in larger audiences.
And I guess its “more acceptable” for someone like Gaddafi’s death to be shown worldwide, but what about someone like Nick Berg?
If you don’t remember Berg, he was the businessman who went to Iraq after the US invasion and was later beheaded by Islamic fighters.
While many news stations aired the footage of Berg’s decapitation, I appreciated ABC’s way of informing the country about this execution.
You can watch it by clicking here.
I might be one of those kind-of sick, desensitized from TV youth, but I know a lot of people aren’t. And to me, videos like this, aren’t meant for TV.

What do you guys think?

Learning to be in charge

Being at the top of the foodchain this year in CreComm has been a bit of a learning experience as an editor.

I spent the first half of last year and bits of the second half being a fervent writer for the Projector, rain or shine. 

By the time I was given the reigns on intern editing or full-time editing last year, my peers and I had learned the fundamental rules in writing an article. Not that there was no need for editing, but I just wasn't doing serious surgery to their words either. 

Come year two of CreComm, being the older (and hopefully more experienced) journalist, I have come across a few editing lessons learned.

1) Maintain serious communication. Within 24 hours of assigning the story, I send out emails to all my first year writers with the article information and possible contacts (for their first story only). Once I hear back from them, I give them a couple of days (maybe two) and bug them about whether they had any progress, what did they think their angle was going to, etc. And on the day before the articles are due, I send reminders to all writers. I don't know how I could do this job without a smart phone. 

2) Don't be too in-depth about articles. I spent a lot of time last year wondering why we just cover events and why we couldn't do more serious arts issues or something. Well the reason is because The Projector is training writers how to be journalists, so expecting people brand new to the game to start whipping out New York Times-esque stories is just a little too much expectation-wise. 

3) Set aside some serious hours to go over those articles. And this isn't because anyone is a bad writer or journalist, its more about making the story consistent with the rest of the section (in regards to format, amount of content, and proper grammar, etc) I've been giving myself, on average, about six hours per issue to make sure that stories flow, information checks out, they're newsworthy, and don't contain any auto-fails. 

4) Keeping a good relationship with media contacts is key. You don't want to burn any bridges by ignoring pushy PR people or being dismissive when they ask or send a reaction email to an article about them. Be honest when things can't run in the upcoming issue, apologize when mistakes are made, and always be friendly.

5) Set an initial deadline for writers a couple days before the real one. This is something that has come in handy for me in the past couple weeks. If writers get busy or someone doesn't get back to them in time, you have some extra padding.

6) Tell sources a fake deadline. Its important to let people know when you need to hear from them by so they can plan accordingly. Normally, the person you want to quote in the article will want to be quoted, its just a matter of telling them when. People are, by nature, procrastinators, so tell them a deadline a day or two before your deadline so you know you'll hear from them in time.

7) Make sure writers explain who sources are and why they are relevant to the story. Don't just say "24-year-old Dana Loewen thinks youth crime has risen in Manitoba rural towns." Explain why anyone should care what she thinks. For example, "24-year-old Youth Drop-in Worker Dana Loewen thinks youth crime has risen in Manitoba rural towns." Go a step further in the next sentence by saying, "Loewen, who has worked with teens in her town for five years, said, "....."
These added details make a story flow better, give better context to readers about the topic, and make your source all the more credible.

I'm sure this list will continue, especially after the first-years are done their mandatory articles and I'm begging people to write for me. I'm sure those editor lessons will be much more like this much cuter and much furrier beggar.

My selection for the election and more.

As many (if not all) of you know, Tuesday night was the provincial election in Manitoba. And as journalism students, we all went off to our media outlets of choice.
I had chosen CBC and was really excited to get in there and see what they would have me doing for the night, not to mention seeing what THEY would be doing for the night.
I chose CBC because its CBC. Growing up, that was the big new source in my family, and in my opinion, one of the top of the line that Canada has to offer.
Anyways, my excitement risen when I got an email from my contact there saying we would probably be going out with videographers and shadowing reporters in the field. I don't have a huge interest in doing television news, but I have an open mind about all things that make a journalist and want to know all of the different paths that can get me there.
Back to the story, so my classmate and I get to CBC at 7:25 p.m. (20 minutes earlier than we were told, but what can I say? We were keen.) All afternoon we were wondering what we were going to do and, almost as importantly, what should we wear?! But we were finally there.
After being introduced to our evening "supervisor", Pat (who is super nice and great), we were told that we missed the boat on going out into the field with reporters and we would be staying back in the hub with everybody. After a dose of mild disappointment furthered by the knowledge that first years were on camera upstairs, I realized that what we would be doing tonight was much more valuable. Sure, it would have been fun to help reporters at candidate HQs but at CBC we got to see how an integrated newsroom operates and how CRAZY busy everyone is all night.
An integrated newsroom is when all the different kinds of outlets (radio, tv, online, etc) all work together in the same room and alot of the content comes from the same person, breaking down the barriers between departments. For instance, a person who writes for the web may also do some live hits for the tv station.
I was a bit suprised with how few people were working that night, but was pretty impressed with how much a writer can get done in just an hour.
So our job for the night was to observe. After we toured the building, we sat in some empty desks in the hub with the online writers, editors, and reporters who were writing for a scheduled live hit, along with many other jobs.
In such a night of frenzy, it was pretty funny to watch reporters freaking out, trying to get their hit done by their deadline. We were standing outside with one particular who had been working since 4 a.m. who had just finished writing hers, and we watched her vent for a bit then turn into a complete pro as soon as the camera was on her. The transfomation in her was amazing, and hilarious- to just watch people switch off their current mood and get into reporter mode. I know everyone does it, and if I've learned anything from Anchorman, crazy things happen before the camera turns on.
My night at CBC was a big eye opener to how people are adjusting to the evolution of journalism. One of the reporters told me that a journalist's job has definitely exanded over the past years with social media, needing an online presence, and needing to have skills across the board, not just in one specialty. But this just confirmed that I was in the right program because these are things we do everyday, or at least once a week. AND it was also a nice slice of reality to know that I will be busy for the rest of my life, if this is something I choose to do forever, anyway. I had suspicions but seeing how quickly everyone moved and the stress that came with it, I know now. BUT, that's okay, I'm the kind of person that likes to be busy and feels useless when I'm not.
It was really cool to watch pros like Janet Stewart host the show. Yeah, I know that she reads of a teleprompter so everything she says isn't off the cuff, but teleprompters aren't easy either!
Last week we did a teleprompter exercise with Joanne Kelly that tested our ability to pronounce foreign names and not just rely on what the screen in front of us was saying. Some of the stories would have typos, a bunch of names that sounded the same, complete words missing, and run on sentences-all while listening to Lora talk in your ear. This was no piece of cake.
A few lessons: you need to read your stories first, know the pronunciations, take your time, and bring personality to the show. Also, there is no such thing as Lead Zepekin.
Even though Thursdays are never my greatest days, I'm always amazed that I made it through. But, I figure once I'm used to writing for tv, editing video, and talking on camera and trying to have it done within two hours, this should be a piece of cake, right?
Until then... I'll take comfort in the great names making some mistakes.

Is this what we've been waiting for? ..Or is she just a nut?

Just today I was pointed to an alternative news channel in town.
The Natalie Pollock News Channel. 


Started in what appears to be June 2008, Natalie Pollock has taken journalism into her own hands on the YouTube channel NiftyNataliePollock. She's covered a variety of local events from the Winnipeg Gay Pride Festival to this year's provincial election. 


And by covered, I mean she has gone out with a shaky video camera, acting as the videographer, and asking inane questions or pretending to be the interview subjects. 


This news channel could resemble a satirical Onion-esque tv channel. But for the most part it lacks the sophistication and intelligence of actually reporting news or having real interviewees. Pollock chooses "stories" that have more comedic content than actual news worthiness. For example, her (or her husband's) interview with Joe Chan, Liberal Canadidate for the Logan area.

Other instances of Pollock's "reporting" include a camera focussed on a Jon Gerrard picture online, adopting a fake voice and pretending to be Jon Gerrard, Liberal leader of Manitoba, begging for votes.

Is this the future of journalism? No. To play devil's advocate, I suppose, she does accompany all of her videos with a brief summary of information regarding the clip. For example, in the following clip, Pollock describes the older man in blue, St. Vital Liberal candidate Harry Wolbert, who claimed last week that Jon Gerrard was not equppied to be Liberal leader anymore. However, there is absolutely no news content in the accompanying video or credibility behind a woman who considers this a news story:

Though it doesn't appear that Pollock has collected much of a following in the past three years. Her video with Joe Chan has only accumulated 363 views even in the time of an election.
But the big question I have is: Is this a joke? Are these "news stories" just for amusement for Pollock and her husband? Or is this just the satirical news source that Winnipeg has been waiting for since the creation of (Our) Beaver magazine?

And when Natalie isn't reporting her breaking news, she takes part in another YouTube channel of hers called GossipShow, where she takes the on-cam spotlight.