Personal Reflection: VO Patrol #1

Today, I completed my first VO Patrol shift at KOMU. I have to admit I was very nervous. 

From 2 to 6, I was responsible for producing a VOSOT for the 6 p.m. newscast. Upon arriving at the station, I started to panic (just on the inside of course!)...I started to think "what's the process of getting out a station car?" to "don't forget to check your equipment" to "what if I don't make it back in time!" After 2 minutes, I said to myself "breathe, Lindsey, breathe, you'll figure it out."

After pitching several story ideas, the news director recommended I cover an event at Columbia Regional Hospital. Representatives from several local Kohl's stores were to present a check to staff from the hospital's trauma unit.  Before leaving the station, I gave the hospital's Media Coordinator a call. I realized I had worked with him before at another hospital event this past spring for a radio story. He remembered me and served as a great resource for my story. This proves that you never know who you may cross paths with again in the future! 

When shooting at the event, I put my knowledge from my broadcast classes to the test. I tried to remember to white balance before each shot, get shots from different angles, and try to get shots with "movement" whenever possible. Some things I wish I did differently include framing my interview tighter and getting more cutaway shots. Hopefully, I will not make the same mistakes again at my next VO Patrol shift (in a week).

Was my first shift a disaster? No. Was it easy? No. However, I survived. My greatest lesson learned from today is to never be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. Eight people answered different questions to help me get through today. While I felt I was being "annoying," I swallowed my pride and explained I am "just getting my feet wet" at the station. Each person I asked was more than willing to help. It was a good feeling to see my finished product air--on schedule--and an even better feeling to know members of the newsroom are supportive of one another!

Journalism Reflection: France 24

For my journalism reflection this week, I decided to discuss a report from French media outlet France 24. After browsing through various stories, I came across the headline, "Sarkozy 'nepotism' row puts country's reputation in the dock." Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, has been a focus of attention in international media for more than a year for reasons ranging from his remarriage to a former supermodel to his support for the recently elected President Barack Obama. I was curious to read why Sarkozy is making headlines this time.

On Thursday, the story broke that Sarkozy will be appointing his 23 year-old son, Jean Sarkozy, to become chairman of the EPAD agency. This is one of the highest ranking positions in France's top business district, La Defense. In the written portion of this report, France 24 compares the responses to this story from different media outlets throughout the world. An Italian newspaper accused the President of trying to create a "succession to the throne." A publication in Paris calls it an "act of nepotism." In a newscast, CCTV, China's State Television Channel, presented the President's son as an exception to all rules. It is important to keep in mind France 24 included only a few examples. However, it is interesting to read similar statements from news sources in different countries, seeing as each country has differing cultural and political viewpoints.

France 24's broadcast of this recent controversy begins with "On Wednesday, Jean Sarkozy was supposed to attend a meeting in Paris, but in the end, two ministers came without him." I thought this lead was a good choice for an introduction as it caused me, the viewer, to ask "why isn't he there?" The reporter grabbed my attention and I wanted to continue watching to get an answer to my question. This story presents both sides of the story, including the viewpoint that this is an act of "nepotism" and the viewpoint that Jean is a qualified candidate for the position regardless of the fact he is the President's son. You can view this broadcast by clicking on the video located under the story headline.

So, what's a dad to do after reading these headlines about his son? President Sarkozy responded today by saying his son has been "thrown to the wolves" by the press and feels Jean has been unfairly targeted. As a journalist, I cannot help but wonder did the press go too far? Where does one draw the line? Did reporters from these media outlets stay true to their duty as objective journalists? From this report, I believe many people have strong opposing feelings to the President's speculated appointment. Yet, as journalists we must remember we are to present the facts of a story, including both sides, in an objective manner. 

I am curious to see if President Sarkozy follows through with the decision to appoint his son (and it is approved by a board) or if another individual is chosen due to the response from the press.

Journalism Reflection: MediaStorm

For my journalism reflection this week, I decided to view and read reporting from MediaStorm, a multimedia production studio founded by a Missouri J-School alum. I perused the website of this news outlet earlier today and came across a story "The Ninth Floor." Nearly 10 hours later and I am still thinking about this story since I first watched it. If that does not accomplish a journalist's goal of leaving the viewer with a lasting thought about a featured story, then I don't know what does.

Multimedia Reporter Jessica Dimmock followed a group of 20-30 young drug addicts from 2004-2007. This group had transformed an elegant apartment on the ninth floor of a Fifth Avenue building into an area of extreme chaos. The living situation was deplorable: the group did drugs whenever they could and did not take care of the space. Dimmock documented the process of this group getting evicted, their struggles to get off of drugs, and the many tribulations facing them during the process.

Dimmock's story is certainly not something one would see on a nightly newscast. It is more than 13 minutes long and features some pictures not suitable for air. It is a longer form story and goes into great depth. Though there is no video, Dimmock's sequence of still photographs tell the story. Her use of different music and short descriptions of each person work well together to humanize this story.

The aspect I enjoyed most about this piece is the inclusion of audio clips of personal reflections from the addicts. These can be compared to "nat pops" a reporter would include in a package. I was so moved by Dionn, a drug addict, talking about seeing his newborn baby for the first time. He told Dimmock how his daughter looks at him "like he is the best thing in the world" while he thinks "if she only knew." That segment brought me to tears. One of a journalist's main goals is to evoke emotion in the viewer. This journalist certainly accomplishes this goal.

I enjoyed viewing this piece and learned how important it is to humanize a story. It gave me, the viewer, a sense of being there with the subjects and empathizing for them throughout their struggles.

Personal Reflection: A whirlwind of a week!

For package #3, I decided to cover the "Memory Walk" event sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association's Mid-Missouri chapter last Sunday. Covering an event is like eating an Oreo cookie: take small bites and enjoy both the hard cookie and the frosting or open up the cookie and go straight for the frosting, then eat the hard part. I decided to take the small bite approach when covering this event. I arrived to the event an hour early to set up my equipment and get a feel for the lay of the land to determine where I should stand during my shots. When the event began, I shot b-roll of many different scenes from the event, including registration, face painting, and pre-walk stretching. I did collect some great natural sound but got caught up in collecting a bit of everything and lost track of time. With 10 minutes remaining until the walk began, I panicked and attempted to find my CCC. I did find a team leader who is head of the Alzheimer's wing at The Bluffs in Columbia and tried to work from there. I interviewed several of her team members as well as 2 event volunteers. However, if I could shoot this package again, I may have gone straight for the "frosting" by finding my CCC initially and then trying to get b-roll of the various happenings as well as other interviews.

When I returned to edit my package, I browsed through my shots and thought to myself "I should have framed this closer" and "why didn't I get that angle?" While it was easy to get frustrated, I realized the event was done which meant I had to work with what shots I had collected. I wrote, rewrote, and rewrote twice more for this package. An event is difficult to summarize in under two minutes because there was so much to tell. I could have made this story into a 5 minute spot easily!

When I received news I had been cleared following submission of this package, the feeling was indescribable. I am honored my teacher feels I am ready to move on to the next phase of Broadcast 2. I realize reporting at the station will not be easy. My stories will no longer be seen by my lab of 8 students but rather many viewers throughout Mid-Missouri. My goal for my time at KOMU is to cover my stories fairly and accurately and to establish credibility with viewers. I know I will make mistakes along the way and that is something I fear. However, I have to learn from them and I will become a better journalist because of them. Rich Ward, a longtime photographer at Fox 25 News in Boston gave me this advice last week in an email: "everyday will be different out there in the field and it will always be unpredictable. That is good, everyday will be a new experience, and bad, nothing is predictable and no one thing works all the time. It's okay to make mistakes. Just remember you are not a heart or brain surgeon in an operation. A mistake there could mean some serious results. You are doing TV. Do your best, be patient, and learn, learn, learn everyday."