Thalia Assuras Closing Boot Camp
Thalia Assura addressing the students
Until recently Thalia Assuras was a co-anchor CBS Evening News Saturday. She is a very interesting person to listen to mainly because of all the experience she has in the field of journalism. It’s easy to tell by the way she talks, that this lady knows what she’s talking about.
Every journalist has to pitch their own story, write their own copy, do the research and understand how video works. It’s either sink or swim. A good journalists is always ready to go anywhere at anytime. Your life does not belong to you. Your life belongs to the network.
Anxiety and fear of failure are part of the job. Covering stories you might not be interested in are also part of the job. You just have to tell yourself: I’m a journalist, this is my job and this is what I have to do. The wise words Assuras shared with us are ones I wont soon forget.
Thalia Assuras was the last of the many amazing people we got the chance to meet during the three weeks of Boot Camp. Now that’s what I call ending with a big bang.
Pulitzer Prize winner Jan Schaffer on New Media
Pulitzer Prize winner Jan Schaffer, Executive Director of J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism graced us with her presence at Boot Camp today. She talked about the journalism reform movement and the direction journalism is heading. Rethink journalism so that it has historic impact. Be on top of the trends that are happening in the journalism industry. She talks about the connections and disconnects between Newspapers and new media in this next video.
What a beginning it was…
As boot Camp nears its end I find myself struggling with the many different thoughts that enter my mind. I am happy I survived it and the year is just getting started. At the same time I can’t help but feeling that something special is ending. We won’t have a first week at AU again. We won’t have the strange awkward moments we had the first week when we didn’t really know each other and were trying to figure out who we liked the most or how to act appropriately.
“You wanna grab a cigarette man?” I said. “Sure” he replied, and before we knew it we were sharing drinks, funny stories and texting about that new blog post that was driving me crazy because I didn’t know how to finish it. Yes, we all made new buddies and one even wears funny orange shades that really work for her. One is Asian, another is a South-African and some are Iranian. It’s a very diverse group of people and I wouldn’t have it any other way. A year from now we’ll still remember these first three weeks. A year from now some of us will probably notice a new wrinkle that wasn’t there before and know that it was worth it.
I was talking to a friend on the phone and I was telling him about the fact that I learned so much these first three weeks. So much my resume is ready for an update. Professor Olmsted and Professor Hatch, thank you for putting up with us every single day (even Saturdays) and teaching us so many different aspects of the journalism field. Thank you to all the people that took time out of their busy schedules to guide us in the right direction.
No, I am not sucking-up. This experience has been exhausting but amazing and powerful at the same time and I wouldn’t change anything, except for maybe the first quiz.
This is Just the beginning and what a beginning it was…
Jim Brady: The Future Starts Now
Jim Brady explaining his view on the future of media
Jim Brady was the guest of honor at the AU School of Communications Boot Camp this Thursday. Like many others he delivered the message that new media is the wave of the future. There is no way around it. If you haven’t figured that out by now there is probably no place for you in the journalism field.
The interesting concept new media revolves around is the fact that it is a niche medium. There’s a website for every topic and specialized field. Newspapers are a general interest medium. This will probably stay that way for the next years because the actual newspaper still accounts for about 75% of the revenues. The websites can’t compete with those numbers yet. Times are changing and so will this fact.
Jim told us that the only way to build a successful website is to communicate with your audience. Acknowledge that you’re part of a society. It’s not just about what you write it’s also about what you think are the best places to get certain information. Build your audience first and eventually the revenue model will drag along.
The Hot Map
Recently Keyana Farkondepay and I did a story on washingtonians and tourists enjoying or disliking the heat in DC. This map illustrates where we did most of the shooting and interviewing.
View Larger Map
Susan Zirinsky Profiles Walter Cronkite
Boot Camp students listening to Susan Zirinsky
The students watched some of Susan’s work on a special about Walter Cronkite before they had the chance to interview Susan. It was an amazing piece of art that really illustrated the highlights of Mr.Cronkite’s life. Words can’t explain the cultural impact Mr.Cronkite had on many viewers in America.
Walter Cronkite himself called Zerinsky after the first version of this piece of art had aired. He was very pleased with the end result. His grand kids could finally understand what it was he devoted his entire life to. I to finally understood who he was and what his impact on history was.
Washingtonians and Tourists Enjoy the Heat
The extreme heat in DC affects everyone in the city. In this next video you’ll get a glimpse of how people react to the heat.
The Heat is On
The extreme weather conditions in DC provide great stories. Any good journalist knows that by now. All the journalists set out to get the unique take on the not so unique weather. The AU Boot Camp students were divided into groups of two, and were all on a mission to get the best footage to create the story they were assigned.
While strolling around the city my partner, Keyana Farkondepay, and I made sure we had enough liquids to keep us properly hydrated. We analyzed many people and their behavior. It seems that there are quite a few people enjoying this heat in many different ways. Many people enjoy playing Frisbee, flying kites and cooling their feet in a nearby fountain when the sun is smiling.
Keyana and I have never worked together on a project, but I was pleasantly surprised by the way we clicked artistically. Of course we had our differences, but with a little give and take, we seemed to smooth things over pretty quickly. The project will take a couple of days to finish, but I am not worried at all. The process has been good so far and I am sure that will be reflected in the end result.
Rawand Darwesh on Iraq
Rawand Darwesh
Rawand is an alumnus of American University, School of Communication and currently resides in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He spoke of the situation in Iraq and gave a different point of view as opposed to what he called “The CNN effect”. The CNN effect reveres to the imagery large corporate media companies focus on, in order to get favorable viewer ratings.
It was nice to hear that certain parts of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, have not been affected by the war. Many people live in peace everyday and still have a very normal life. These regions have however, been confronted with the many displaced people who fled the War affected areas.
Rawand also presented a fresh perspective on the love-hate relationship the Iraqi’s have with the USA. Many Iraqi’s were filled with joy towards the USA when they freed the people from the infamous leader Saddam Hussein. Later the relationship between these two countries took a turn for the worse. As Rawand spoke of the gratitude the Iraqi’s had towards the soldiers of the USA, I couldn’t help but recall the images of joy many Iraqi’s displayed when the retreat of the United States’ soldiers was announced. I guess there are always two sides to every story.
Inside USA Today
The Gannet Company and USA Today Headquarters
We approached this architectural gem while wondering what the day had in store for us. Once we entered the building, hallways of perfectly polished natural stone greeted us as the hints of the intricate design structure of the building fascinated me. This is where it all happens. This is where the head of USA Today rests. Josh Hatch was our tour guide for the day. He seemed more than willing to show us every single corner of the building.
We started the tour at the sports department. It was surprisingly larger than I had ever thought it would be. The place was filled with sports memorabilia. On every desk there was something a sport fanatic would own. Like Bobble heads, signed baseballs and pictures of famous athletes. At first it seemed disorganized on this beautiful Saturday morning. But every little thing that was present was a testament to the different kind of sports, the people that usually occupy the desks, are passionate about.
The design department was considerably smaller but creativity was dominating in this department as the strategically placed work of art stood near the entrance. It’s one of the few places in the building where the Mac computers are dominating the offices.
We also had the chance to talk to Ms. Megan Chan. She is part of the team of people who runs the ”home front” as they call it which is the home page of USA Today. They decide what story is placed high on the website thus visually more prominent. They also pick all the other elements on the page. While she was explaining the process of monitoring the home page you could clearly see the USA Today image database on her computer screen and not so surprisingly she was searching for the best Sonia Sotomayor pictures.
