So, I spent a semester talking to people about my project, learning new things about the world of print media and the people involved and learning new things about the blog world. I had some stimulating conversations and read intriguing articles. I took some pictures, and I am still working on my photography technique. I discovered that I can actually write a blog entry without sounding like a total goofball, but I obviously have a ways to go.
The four interviews I had with women involved with journalism proved to be very insightful. Though Marti was laid off from her job at the Tribune, she, like Becky, Diane and Heather, is still optimistic about the future of journalism in general. Diane is finding continued success in the small community of Yellow Springs, where the citizens rely on its weekly newspaper for their local news. Becky, like so many others, knows that print media is dying, but forsees a new medium for the delivery of news in the future. Finally, Heather is a positive example of a young person inspired to get into journalism who has stuck with it and found her niche.
I just walked across the stage at Earlham College's graduation a short 8 days ago with just as many questions hanging over my head as anyone else my age. Many friends of my parents and some of my friends ask if I want to go into journalism, but I am still not sure. This is my first experience with publishing anything online; I worked for my high school newspaper and spent most of my college career working for the Earlham Word. Will I go into journalism? Perhaps-- my first goal is to attend library school to get my Masters in Library and Information Science. I am going to continue to follow the saga of print journalism with interest. Who knows how things will change in five or 10 years?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Some useful links
Below is a list of links that anyone interested in this topic may find helpful. I consulted many of them while pursuing my project, and hope others may find them useful and interesting.
The State of the News Media 2009
The State of the News Media 2010
These two sites offer reports on American journalism from print to radio, are easy to navigate and provide a plethora of information. The current report is the seventh edition of the annual report.
The South Bend Tribune
The website of the South Bend Tribune.
Yellow Springs News
The online edition of the YS News.
Poynter Online
Poynter.org is updated every day with information for journalists and has a career section to help those struggling with their job search.
Ask the Recruiter
Joe Grimm, formerly of the Detroit Free Press, started this blog to help answer some of journalists' toughest career questions. The blog is updated daily and readers are invited to ask Joe questions, as well.
Online portfolio of Amanda Sommers, a Ball State journalism student
Amanda's portfolio is an example of how many employers no longer want hard-copy portfolios-- they want to see your work online as well for ease of access!
Tips for journalism grads
A post on 10,000words.net with 30 tips for recent graduates to learn to market themselves!
American Journalism Review
This is the web site for the American Journalism Review, a magazine published 6 times a year that covers everything from print to online media.
I will try to update this later with more links. Hopefully these will be of interest!
The State of the News Media 2009
The State of the News Media 2010
These two sites offer reports on American journalism from print to radio, are easy to navigate and provide a plethora of information. The current report is the seventh edition of the annual report.
The South Bend Tribune
The website of the South Bend Tribune.
Yellow Springs News
The online edition of the YS News.
Poynter Online
Poynter.org is updated every day with information for journalists and has a career section to help those struggling with their job search.
Ask the Recruiter
Joe Grimm, formerly of the Detroit Free Press, started this blog to help answer some of journalists' toughest career questions. The blog is updated daily and readers are invited to ask Joe questions, as well.
Online portfolio of Amanda Sommers, a Ball State journalism student
Amanda's portfolio is an example of how many employers no longer want hard-copy portfolios-- they want to see your work online as well for ease of access!
Tips for journalism grads
A post on 10,000words.net with 30 tips for recent graduates to learn to market themselves!
American Journalism Review
This is the web site for the American Journalism Review, a magazine published 6 times a year that covers everything from print to online media.
I will try to update this later with more links. Hopefully these will be of interest!
Journalism student plans venture into online world
Sorry for the delay in posting. I got my left hand slammed in a door a few weeks ago and have only just recently regained the ability to type with some semblance of speed. Sigh. I was able to do one final interview, but the student I spoke with was so busy wrapping up her school year, I was only able to conduct an email interview with her-- which still gave me some useful information.
Heather Fullenkamp, a bubbly 2009 Ball State graduate with a degree in Journalism Graphics, just completed her first year at the University's Journalism Graduate School, where she is studying basic Journalism. While she was an undergraduate at Ball State, she studied "a little of everything" under the Journalism Graphics umbrella, including graphic design, advertising, writing, marketing, web design and multimedia. Unfortunately, when Heather enrolled in the graduate school, she found her choices were much more limited.
"The only options for the Journalism Graduate School are basic Journalism, PR, and Literary Journalism...so I went with basic Journalism with the hopes of taking more graphics-based classes. Which I haven’t yet- but still plan to," she wrote in her email.
Like other young people who may be wary of going into the print journalism world post-graduation, Heather plans on using the skills she has learned to pursue a career in web design. She appreciates what studying journalism has taught her, she said. "I know that the skills I learned because of journalism...the skills to communicate clearly and efficiently, will go with me no matter where I end up."
Heather is certainly aware of the state of print journalism today, but like the other women I have interviewed over the course of this study, she is optimisic about the future of journalism in general. She wrote, "In our electronic world, many print items are being left to the collectors, but the fundamentals of those fields like English or journalism, will remain. It will always be important to know how to convey a message to a large audience."
In the current economic crisis, Heather is lucky-- she has also been able to use her skills to secure a job at WIPB-TV and Indiana Public Radio, where she has been doing web design and occasionall print design for two years. Her advice for recent grads like herself looking for work? Make yourself marketable! "The fundamental writing or print design skills will always be helpful, but it’s also important to step outside the box and familiarize yourself with as many different skills and capabilities as possible," she wrote.
In the changing world of journalism, it is clear that someone interested in the field must be dynamic and able to work with many different aspects of journalism. It may seem daunting, but as younger people Heather has found, it will pay off.
Heather Fullenkamp, a bubbly 2009 Ball State graduate with a degree in Journalism Graphics, just completed her first year at the University's Journalism Graduate School, where she is studying basic Journalism. While she was an undergraduate at Ball State, she studied "a little of everything" under the Journalism Graphics umbrella, including graphic design, advertising, writing, marketing, web design and multimedia. Unfortunately, when Heather enrolled in the graduate school, she found her choices were much more limited.
"The only options for the Journalism Graduate School are basic Journalism, PR, and Literary Journalism...so I went with basic Journalism with the hopes of taking more graphics-based classes. Which I haven’t yet- but still plan to," she wrote in her email.
Like other young people who may be wary of going into the print journalism world post-graduation, Heather plans on using the skills she has learned to pursue a career in web design. She appreciates what studying journalism has taught her, she said. "I know that the skills I learned because of journalism...the skills to communicate clearly and efficiently, will go with me no matter where I end up."
Heather is certainly aware of the state of print journalism today, but like the other women I have interviewed over the course of this study, she is optimisic about the future of journalism in general. She wrote, "In our electronic world, many print items are being left to the collectors, but the fundamentals of those fields like English or journalism, will remain. It will always be important to know how to convey a message to a large audience."
In the current economic crisis, Heather is lucky-- she has also been able to use her skills to secure a job at WIPB-TV and Indiana Public Radio, where she has been doing web design and occasionall print design for two years. Her advice for recent grads like herself looking for work? Make yourself marketable! "The fundamental writing or print design skills will always be helpful, but it’s also important to step outside the box and familiarize yourself with as many different skills and capabilities as possible," she wrote.
In the changing world of journalism, it is clear that someone interested in the field must be dynamic and able to work with many different aspects of journalism. It may seem daunting, but as younger people Heather has found, it will pay off.
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