Alrighty then....so far staff photo--isn't too bad. It's a challenge for me in the sense that it requires lots of patience, a virtue of which I am in short supply of. However, I am trying to challenge myself with new techniques and ideas and ways to make otherwise "boring" shots interesting and appealing. So far, so good!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Three things I'd wish I'd known at the start of reporting..
So with reporting coming to an end, it's time to look back and reflect on what I wish I had known when it all started. Below are the three big things:
- For sports, check mutigers.com DAILY!! A lot of stories, tips and news releases pop up there every day...this also helps you contact sources for other stories, for once you contact a media representative with the MU athletic department they tend to always include you on future emails (this is awesome for sports!)
- Don't worry so much about intruding on someone's space or making them (the source/subject) feel uncomfortable, it doesn't help you at all when reporting or writing a story
- Question everything, even your editors at times. Checking everything anyone says is important.
Friday, August 3, 2012
I had no idea you could kill baby animals...legally
Apparently zoos need controlled breeding....well what about breeding and rearing for the WILD, you know GIVING BACK to the environment that the world has essentially destroyed. Read this article on the controversial use of euthanasia and now contraceptives to control wildlife and exotic animal breeding in zoos.
Busy bee
Today was a good lesson in how fast-paced a newsroom environment can be. The sports' desk seemed relatively quiet in the early part of this week, and reporters sat in the mornings feeling useless.
That didn't really happen for me. I began catching an itch to work on something immediately, and I found some releases to cover. So I did those. They didn't quench my thirst though.
Luckily, as the week wore on, releases turned into stories and updates. And, by Friday night, I had a total of 7 media (stories, briefs, and a picture) up. Sunday, I have another event awaiting to be covered. I was glad to be feeling used again.
But, the real story was today. I was following Christian Cantwell in London, and the morning update got written, edited, and posted with ease. This afternoon was different.
Nick and I went to the afternoon MU basketball press-conference regarding the team's upcoming tour to Europe for 10 days. Well, of course after that was done, it was due for Cantwell's final results. So, while in the early moments of writing on the press-conference my editor flew me away and said Cantwell? So I flew, wrote an update, and flew back and wrote more of the story.
But, then I was needed to help identify people in pictures and write captions. By the time I returned to Nick, he had finished our last few thoughts and Greg had the story.
Just have to say love working with Nick as a team, he was great getting the story with and we worked fast and efficiently together to get the story done and published with complete coverage.
Needless to say, I'm tired.
That didn't really happen for me. I began catching an itch to work on something immediately, and I found some releases to cover. So I did those. They didn't quench my thirst though.
Luckily, as the week wore on, releases turned into stories and updates. And, by Friday night, I had a total of 7 media (stories, briefs, and a picture) up. Sunday, I have another event awaiting to be covered. I was glad to be feeling used again.
But, the real story was today. I was following Christian Cantwell in London, and the morning update got written, edited, and posted with ease. This afternoon was different.
Nick and I went to the afternoon MU basketball press-conference regarding the team's upcoming tour to Europe for 10 days. Well, of course after that was done, it was due for Cantwell's final results. So, while in the early moments of writing on the press-conference my editor flew me away and said Cantwell? So I flew, wrote an update, and flew back and wrote more of the story.
But, then I was needed to help identify people in pictures and write captions. By the time I returned to Nick, he had finished our last few thoughts and Greg had the story.
Just have to say love working with Nick as a team, he was great getting the story with and we worked fast and efficiently together to get the story done and published with complete coverage.
Needless to say, I'm tired.
Have we passed racism yet?
Has the world moved on past racism and scapegoating yet? Is Hitler, though dead, really gone? His Nazi ideas still seem to be lasting in socialst and neo-Nazi groups in Germany. Even an Olympic athlete from Germany admitted to being tied to a neo-Nazi group.....see here
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Views on being a journalist today
The most annoying thing about being a journalist is when you have difficulty getting anything or even hearing from a source. Thus, when you finally get a source you are so happy-even if it wasn't the top choice.
Lesson of the day: sometimes you have to take what you can get that works, and if you're lucky and you have follow-ups for a story already scheduled you can keep trying to get ahold of the source and maybe, just maybe, get a quote or two from them for the follow-up.
Lesson of the day: sometimes you have to take what you can get that works, and if you're lucky and you have follow-ups for a story already scheduled you can keep trying to get ahold of the source and maybe, just maybe, get a quote or two from them for the follow-up.
Never too old to compete in the Olympics
All I can say for Japan's oldest Olympic competitor is that I hope by his age I'd have this chance too. Read this article by the Associated Press about 71 year old, Hiroshi Hoketsu, competing in the dressage events. He will compete today in London.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Most Hilarious Football player award goes to....
And, the winner is....ELVIS FISHER~
In a recent self-posted joke press-conference, SEE HERE, Missouri offensive linemen Elvis Fisher proclaimed demands that had to be met if he was to return to play for the University of Missouri again.
The press conference? him talking to his friend in a car via a video camera
The demands: Hilariously RIDICULOUS!
In a recent self-posted joke press-conference, SEE HERE, Missouri offensive linemen Elvis Fisher proclaimed demands that had to be met if he was to return to play for the University of Missouri again.
The press conference? him talking to his friend in a car via a video camera
The demands: Hilariously RIDICULOUS!
- New soap in the locker room
- A personal Segway
- Twitter name on Jersey
- Personal assistants
- New shirts
The soap, Well I hope Mizzou does this actually Fisher, because boys are smelly after practice and games.
As for the Segway...are you joking? Segways are for old men and cops....you should've asked for a brand new Ducati (just saying :) )
Twitter name? Hell yes! Go Fisher for entertaining the influx of social media! Journalists will applaud you everywhere.
Personal Assistants? Isn't that why you have a cheerleading team....
New shirts, we agree. Bookstore creativity has been lacking as have game-day shirts. Maybe you should create an anonymous email with a football shirt design contest and then you get to wear all the submissions (all in T-shirt form of course)
Fisher, have to say I enjoyed this. Wish more athletes could show the funny sides of themselves instead of being so serious all the time. You are all still in college so :)
Good luck this fall!!
Have guys really grown past gaming in college?
I come home every so often to Dallas, the most active and exciting city in Texas other than the famed college towns of College Station and Austin. And when I come home, I expect to find my parents working, my dogs tearing up the backyard and my brother out with his friends.
This time, coming home in May was no different, except for my brother.
I found him in what I called his "pre-college" state; sitting at his laptop with a headset like that of a telemarketer and talking to no one. Well not no one, but to his fellow gamers all wasting time on World of Warcraft. There he was, still in pajamas, lounging on the couch, a five-o-clock shadow growing at 10 a.m. and smelling as if he hadn't showered in a day.
I really had thought college had been the turning point. He had lots of friends, was interested in girls, and he was never home. He was always at the movies, going bowling or golfing, partying and watching sports at his friends houses. Apparently, I was wrong.
The whole week I was home, I never saw him leave that laptop. The headphones never came off except for bathroom, TV and food breaks. Sometimes, he would go workout and go off with friends, but not enough. By the third day I was home the imprint of his ass could be seen indented into the leather love seat; the leather had actually started to look worn.
I began to think of other guys I knew. They were huge gamers too.
It seems for some guys in college, there is just no escaping the world of computer fantasy games. I've literally learned that unless it's time for class, to go out, or drink and maybe sometimes TV, the world of games is just too fascinating.
An article by the Huffington Post said 97 percent of children play video games. Now, 63 percent of the entire American population, age 15-65, is playing games! Gaming is on the move, the article said.
This time, coming home in May was no different, except for my brother.
I found him in what I called his "pre-college" state; sitting at his laptop with a headset like that of a telemarketer and talking to no one. Well not no one, but to his fellow gamers all wasting time on World of Warcraft. There he was, still in pajamas, lounging on the couch, a five-o-clock shadow growing at 10 a.m. and smelling as if he hadn't showered in a day.
I really had thought college had been the turning point. He had lots of friends, was interested in girls, and he was never home. He was always at the movies, going bowling or golfing, partying and watching sports at his friends houses. Apparently, I was wrong.
The whole week I was home, I never saw him leave that laptop. The headphones never came off except for bathroom, TV and food breaks. Sometimes, he would go workout and go off with friends, but not enough. By the third day I was home the imprint of his ass could be seen indented into the leather love seat; the leather had actually started to look worn.
I began to think of other guys I knew. They were huge gamers too.
It seems for some guys in college, there is just no escaping the world of computer fantasy games. I've literally learned that unless it's time for class, to go out, or drink and maybe sometimes TV, the world of games is just too fascinating.
An article by the Huffington Post said 97 percent of children play video games. Now, 63 percent of the entire American population, age 15-65, is playing games! Gaming is on the move, the article said.
London trials
So it's the last two weeks as a sports reporter at the Missourian, and well it's trying. It's trying in the sense that there is essentially NOTHING going on locally that's news. Yes, yes, there is always something as my editor Grant says, but truthfully it feels efforts looking for things are fruitless.
I'm going to MU Fan Day on Sunday the 5th to cover that. There we go :)
Also, I am keeping up with former MU shot-putter Christian Cantwell about his performance in the shot--put in London at the Olympics on August 3rd. WE are trying to get a story beforehand, an attempt that resulted in some back channel searching and luckily finding--finally--a London USTF contact who was so sweet and emailed me back this morning that she would get in touch with Christian and try to get something worked out for me....will let you know soon.
So wisdom of the day? Don't give up. Look through those back channels and wayside roads....they will sometimes produce "fruit".
I'm going to MU Fan Day on Sunday the 5th to cover that. There we go :)
Also, I am keeping up with former MU shot-putter Christian Cantwell about his performance in the shot--put in London at the Olympics on August 3rd. WE are trying to get a story beforehand, an attempt that resulted in some back channel searching and luckily finding--finally--a London USTF contact who was so sweet and emailed me back this morning that she would get in touch with Christian and try to get something worked out for me....will let you know soon.
So wisdom of the day? Don't give up. Look through those back channels and wayside roads....they will sometimes produce "fruit".
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