Getting smart about art!

Today I visited Columbia's Access Art to do my feature story for package #2. I had never heard of this art center until a guest lecturer spoke about it in my Context & Culture (an art class for Journalism majors) class last week.

Artist Norleen Nosri and her husband Chris took over Access Art in 2003. This art center has a staff of 15 volunteers and works with more than 2000 students each year. The organization receives its funding from class fees, grants, and donations. It was founded in the 1960s and has been inspiring artists of all ages ever since. Access Art is open to everyone and part of the program includes working with special needs students.

I have to say, this was by far the most enjoyable shooting experience I have had thus far in any of my broadcast assignments. The students were excited and passionate about what they are doing, Norleen and Chris were more than accommodating, and everyone was delighted to have a student featuring the center. One volunteer even told me, "It's the best kept secret in Columbia!"

Shooting is the part of the package process that I usually find to be most challenging. I was pleasantly surprised to have had a good experience while shooting. While at Access Art, I tried to keep in mind the tips I've learned in Broadcast I and Broadcast 2 and I find myself thinking "oh, wow, that's a great nat pop!" and "don't forget to get sequence shots from different angles." As I drove away, I quickly realized I had truly been thinking as a journalist the entire time I was there.

The next challenge for me will be to decide how to go about writing this piece. Norleen is my CCC so I plan to use that as a start. My goal is to make this story as visual as I can, considering that it is about art which is a visual medium. It's also important that I incorporate nat sound pops which is something that I did not do very well in package 1.

Following the stress lecture today, I have a new perspective on my way of going about getting things done. I arrived in the Broadcast I lab 10 minutes early of my equipment pickup so that I could check all of the pieces and it's a very good thing I did considering one camera battery had only 9 minutes left on it! After my video is done capturing, I'm going to the Rec for a run and then I will come back to writing. What I learned from Greeley today is balance is key.

Journalism Reflection: Globalpost

As a young journalist, I've found one of the best ways to learn what makes great journalism is by reading, watching, and observing other journalists.

Today, I came across an article, "The coming war for water" on GlobalPost.Jason Overdorf is GlobalPost's India correspondent. In this story, he discusses the conflict between India and Pakistan over the rivers which flow between both of these countries. Both of these countries have inhabitants who are dependent on these water sources to survive. India and Pakistan both have links to the region of Kashmir, where these rivers are located. Pakistan controls the northwest portion and India controls the central and southwest portions (China controls the rest). For years, there has been continuous arguing between people from both countries about who controls what.

Overdorf's report does not have any accompanying video. In fact, the article includes only a file photo from April. It is this journalist's writing which caught my attention. My journalism professors continuously stress the importance of good writing. Whether it's print, where a journalist is confined by space, or in broadcast, where a journalist is confined by time, a good journalist needs to be able to have compelling writing, something that makes the viewer or reader want to continue listening or reading. In my opinion, Overdorf's opening sets the scene for the story and causes me to create a picture in my head. He writes:

" Atop the disputed Baglihar Dam in the mountains of Kashmir, the Chenab River roars like a 747 as its silvery waters churn the dam's massive turbines and boil out over the ravine in a tremendous, spiraling white waterfall. The air is moist, and a massive cloud of mist floats downstream toward the roadway, where moments ago a dozen busloads of soldiers headed for posts along India's border with Pakistan have rumbled across a narrow bridge."

Although I have never traveled to Kashmir during my 21 years of life, I was able to instantly picture this scene in my head. If I had produced this story for television, I would include a nat sound opening of water from the Chenab River flowing. Maybe, if I was lucky, I could even get some nat sound from local animal species (such as birds).

I believe Overdorf is a great journalist. Throughout this piece, he mixes words from locals, a brief history of this conflict, and how politics comes into play in this matter. However, if Overdorf was in Broadcast 2, he probably would have approached this story differently (he has an opportunity for amazing "web extras." A picture slideshow of the disputed water and local people would add tremendously to the story).

A quote from this report also caught my attention. Overdorf met with Kashmiri journalist Parvaiz Bukhari of the Mail Today who told him, "in an abnormal situation, the normal becomes news." Sometimes, something that you have always thought to be perfectly normal suddenly becomes news. This goes to show that a great story could be staring you right in the face.

Here is the link to the story: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090731/the-coming-war-water?page=0,0