It was the last day of the convention and after checking out of our hotel and grabbing breakfast and coffee at Starbucks, we made our way to Planet Hollywood for more session before we had to return to Indiana. For our first session, Stephanie and I along with Professor Joe Coleman chose to attend "Haiti Earthquake: Covering the Tragedy with No End in Sight," where two journalists shared their experiences of covering the earthquake.
Jacqueline Charles covered Haiti as her beat and works for The Miami Herald. She speaks creole and when her plane landed in Haiti she was met by the president and his wife. Her dedication was amazing - when she couldn't use her phone or email, she sent stories in via text message. Also, it was really great to hear from someone who covered Haiti before and is still covering the country.
The second journalist was Carrie Kahn from NPR. She told us that she sent her boss an email that said "I'll go" after the earthquake hit an the next thing she knew, she was on a plane to Haiti. Her bravery impressed me. Not only did she volunteer to go, but she had no connections when she got there and didn't speak the language.
But I think the biggest thing I learned from these two reporters is that when we as journalists go to areas where there has been a disaster, we need to understand the culture of the place and know that the problems it faces are usually more complicated than just the disaster.
The official blog of the IU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Check here for all IU SPJ news, events and journalistic opportunities.
Friday, October 8, 2010
National convention is actually a journalist reunion
After months of excitement and planning, it's hard to believe the SPJ national convention is over. And honestly, I am already excited for the regional convention on April.
This year wasn't my first convention. I have been lucky enough to go to nationals last year and the past two regional conventions as well as the Ted Scripps Leadership Institute (which I highly recommend).
Every time I go to a convention, it is even better than the last time. The session are consistently great and inspiring, but one of the best parts is catching up with old friends from past conventions. These friends include professional journalists and SPJ national board members, who I talk to during the year for advice for our chapter events and information about applying for grants. But at convention, I can see them face-to-face, hear what they are working on (both in their career and chapter) and talk about ideas and events.
Also, another great thing about nationals is student chapters are there. This is a great way to talk abut what works and what doesn't for different student chapters. Plus, we can just hang out and talk about what it is like to be a student journalist.
This year, nationals was a great chance to catch up and meet journalists. Not only is the editor of Quill magazine Scott Leadingham an IU alumnus, but I think at least four journalists came up to our chapter officers because they were alumni or they live in Indiana. Hearing their stories about late nights at student media was great and I think all those conversations either started or ended with "Go Hoosiers!"
Going to convention is similar to the stories that journalists write: it's the people that make it unique.
This year wasn't my first convention. I have been lucky enough to go to nationals last year and the past two regional conventions as well as the Ted Scripps Leadership Institute (which I highly recommend).
Every time I go to a convention, it is even better than the last time. The session are consistently great and inspiring, but one of the best parts is catching up with old friends from past conventions. These friends include professional journalists and SPJ national board members, who I talk to during the year for advice for our chapter events and information about applying for grants. But at convention, I can see them face-to-face, hear what they are working on (both in their career and chapter) and talk about ideas and events.
Also, another great thing about nationals is student chapters are there. This is a great way to talk abut what works and what doesn't for different student chapters. Plus, we can just hang out and talk about what it is like to be a student journalist.
This year, nationals was a great chance to catch up and meet journalists. Not only is the editor of Quill magazine Scott Leadingham an IU alumnus, but I think at least four journalists came up to our chapter officers because they were alumni or they live in Indiana. Hearing their stories about late nights at student media was great and I think all those conversations either started or ended with "Go Hoosiers!"
Going to convention is similar to the stories that journalists write: it's the people that make it unique.
Viva Las Vegas!
Las Vegas is a city unlike any other one I have ever visited, and SPJ could not have picked a better place to hold its national convention. The city is a reporter's dream, as there are dramatic scenes and crazy characters everywhere you look. For the entire trip, we felt like cultural anthropologists analyzing Sin City- the gluttonous amounts of fatty food and alcohol available, the scantily clad people, and the millions of lights wasting energy represented the best and worst about the United States in one place. It was entertaining, but also strangely mesmerizing.
On Sunday night, we took our time walking back from the conference sessions to our hotel. We stopped to watch the fountains dance at the Bellagio, and we looked at the intricately themed hotels. We were ready to go to sleep, but the city was just awakening. While crossing the street, we stopped at the top of a pedestrian bridge crossing the traffic to look over the city. All of Las Vegas was lit with lights: the Eiffel Tower of the Paris, the Empire State Building from New York New York, the towers of the Excalibur's castle, even the four story M and M's World. We couldn't help but stop and stare. Las Vegas was the perfect setting to learn from the pro's about real issues in the journalism industry, and we felt so lucky to have made it to the conference.
On Sunday night, we took our time walking back from the conference sessions to our hotel. We stopped to watch the fountains dance at the Bellagio, and we looked at the intricately themed hotels. We were ready to go to sleep, but the city was just awakening. While crossing the street, we stopped at the top of a pedestrian bridge crossing the traffic to look over the city. All of Las Vegas was lit with lights: the Eiffel Tower of the Paris, the Empire State Building from New York New York, the towers of the Excalibur's castle, even the four story M and M's World. We couldn't help but stop and stare. Las Vegas was the perfect setting to learn from the pro's about real issues in the journalism industry, and we felt so lucky to have made it to the conference.
The ethics of social media
One of the most interesting sessions we attended during the conference was about the ethics of social media like Facebook and Twitter, for both news-gathering and personal purposes. The room was packed with college and professional journalists looking to learn about a relatively new ethical dilemma; most journalistic codes of ethics, like the SPJ Code of Ethics, have not yet been updated to address these issues. The panel of professionals at the session said it is important to be aware of professionalism online, but not to be afraid to use social media as a journalist. Here are some of the interesting things I learned from the panel:
1) If you wouldn't want to see something while eating breakfast, don't post it... even if it's online.
2) Live tweeting is like broadcasting, so the same professional standards apply.
3) Friend or follow all sides of a political debate to receive information from all sides and to keep viewers or followers from thinking you are biased.
4) Develop a personal ethics code to guide you through ethical decisions for all forms of media. Think about what you will do, what you would feel uncomfortable doing, and what you absolutely won't do as a journalist.
1) If you wouldn't want to see something while eating breakfast, don't post it... even if it's online.
2) Live tweeting is like broadcasting, so the same professional standards apply.
3) Friend or follow all sides of a political debate to receive information from all sides and to keep viewers or followers from thinking you are biased.
4) Develop a personal ethics code to guide you through ethical decisions for all forms of media. Think about what you will do, what you would feel uncomfortable doing, and what you absolutely won't do as a journalist.
BP Oil Spill Session
One of the sessions that I went to was about the BP oil spill and how the
media covered it. People from CNN, the New York Times and Poynter sat on the
panel and discussed how each of their outlets covered and is covering the spill and
its effects.
This session was interesting to me not only because of the huge ramifications
of the spill, but also because while I was taking a class in London this summer, we
did a content analysis over the coverage of the spill in America media versus British
media.
I thought it was interesting how each media outlet represented at the panel
covered the spill differently. Though the spill is cleaned up, there are still going to be
economic and environmental effects for years to come. The panel discussed how,
though the oil is out of the water, there is still a story there and it still needs to be
covered because the public needs to know.
media covered it. People from CNN, the New York Times and Poynter sat on the
panel and discussed how each of their outlets covered and is covering the spill and
its effects.
This session was interesting to me not only because of the huge ramifications
of the spill, but also because while I was taking a class in London this summer, we
did a content analysis over the coverage of the spill in America media versus British
media.
I thought it was interesting how each media outlet represented at the panel
covered the spill differently. Though the spill is cleaned up, there are still going to be
economic and environmental effects for years to come. The panel discussed how,
though the oil is out of the water, there is still a story there and it still needs to be
covered because the public needs to know.
Vegas Fun
Vegas is unlike any other city in America. Not only is it the epitome of
America (no one loves neon signs like the good ol’ US of A), but each hotel is like a
city unto itself. Just looking down “The Strip” at night causes a sensory overload.
But, it is TOTALLY worth it.
We went to some of the hotels (Planet Hollywood, the Belagio, Caesar’s
Palace – it this the real Caesar’s palace? I didn’t think so – Paris, among others)
and it was like we actually transported to whatever place the hotel was themed.
My favorite was Caesar’s Palace. This may or may not be solely based on
seeing “The Hangover” approximately 12y77538964 times (and yes, there is a y
in there because there isn’t a number big enough). We only saw the lobby and the
casino, but that was enough for me. Plus, the fact that I may have recited multiple
lines from “The Hangover” while standing in the lobby only made me happier and
exponentially nerdier.
It was seriously enough to just walk through the hotels. Each one was so
amazing, however because of tinting and the fact that you are in Vegas, it constantly
felt as if it should be night outside. Let me tell you, it was always a shock to walk
outside and it be daylight, even though I knew it was about 8 a.m.
America (no one loves neon signs like the good ol’ US of A), but each hotel is like a
city unto itself. Just looking down “The Strip” at night causes a sensory overload.
But, it is TOTALLY worth it.
We went to some of the hotels (Planet Hollywood, the Belagio, Caesar’s
Palace – it this the real Caesar’s palace? I didn’t think so – Paris, among others)
and it was like we actually transported to whatever place the hotel was themed.
My favorite was Caesar’s Palace. This may or may not be solely based on
seeing “The Hangover” approximately 12y77538964 times (and yes, there is a y
in there because there isn’t a number big enough). We only saw the lobby and the
casino, but that was enough for me. Plus, the fact that I may have recited multiple
lines from “The Hangover” while standing in the lobby only made me happier and
exponentially nerdier.
It was seriously enough to just walk through the hotels. Each one was so
amazing, however because of tinting and the fact that you are in Vegas, it constantly
felt as if it should be night outside. Let me tell you, it was always a shock to walk
outside and it be daylight, even though I knew it was about 8 a.m.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Officers in Vegas!
We have been in Vegas for two very jam packed days now. I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the convention. We've attended so many sessions, from event programming to reporting the census to weird jobs in journalism. Also, we've met great people during the sessions, such as IU alumni, members of the Indy Pro chapter and students from around the country.
But the best part of convention is all the ideas we will bring back to the chapter for programs and training. Keep checking the blog for more updates about the national convention and the sessions we attended!
But the best part of convention is all the ideas we will bring back to the chapter for programs and training. Keep checking the blog for more updates about the national convention and the sessions we attended!
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