NMJ690 – Final Project

aliens-ripley-prepares-for-final-battle

I survived. I made it. It’s been a long journey. There were a lot of ups and downs. I feel a little like a character who gets all the way to the end of the movie without getting killed by the monster. I knew the program would be a challenge. Overall, I learned a ton about journalism and myself, as well as the wildlife and conservation subjects I covered. I formed new relationships and created a network of people and organizations I plan to continue working with going forward as a professional.  I honestly feel like I truly mastered something.

The original course expectations showed I planned to develop my final project during this month. What we actually did was write a research paper about that final project. My three goals were to identify a subject for the story, develop an investigative report about it, and then use what I’ve learned to plan distribution. Obviously, this was all done the in previous months.

I can say that doing the paper really made me reflect on these concepts though. Research papers never seem like fun, but I actually enjoyed mine. I liked having to look at my project from start to finish and analyze its structure and effectiveness. It was like studying my project. This helped me see what went right and what went wrong. I had to view each component of the final piece to understand their purpose and how the each fit together with the rest.

I definitely feel confident going forward from the degree program as a professional. I fully understand how to come up with a concept for a story, develop it with multimedia elements, put it all together, and get it out to an audience. I even have a few stories I’m already working on. I plan to continue using the workflow I developed as student and use it to create more articles and projects.

NMJ650 Public Relations and Reputation Management

This month we dove into learning about how, as journalists, we can develop our brands and work within the realm of public relations. We had assignments dealing with concepts like promotional stories, brand recognition, brand journalism, and reputation management.

My initial goal expectations for the course were fairly close to what we actually experienced. The three goals I had were to learn what goes into being authentic and gaining trustworthiness among my audience, to understand ethic responsibilities of a journalist, and to define the relationship between advertising and journalism and how it affects brand credibility.

The first goal about authenticity and trustworthiness was developed throughout the month. The “about me” video really made me consider how I want to define myself to my audience. I had to create a video that would convey my personal brand and lend credibility to my content through a brief but substantial message. We also looked into promoting our brand by focusing on some key influencers who work within our content niche. Understanding why I look up to them helped me understand the qualities that I should strive for as a professional journalist.

The second goal that focused on ethics was met to a small degree. In week two we learned about the ethical considerations of public relations professionals. We read about the code of ethics that has been established by the Public Relations Society of America. This all seemed pretty straight forward and understandable.

The third goal was about learning how advertising and journalism tie in with brand credibility. We did an interesting assignment to explore this concept. We had to do a brand journalism story about a specific product and how it can be used in an unintended way. I looked into how Coca-Cola has been suggested as a remedy for jellyfish stings. We also defined reputation management by learning how to analyze our brand online.

My favorite assignment was the week 1 promotional story. I liked figuring out how to profile a conservation focused organization called SeaFood Watch and promote their mission through a story. I plan to do a lot more of this type of project in the future.

Polishing, Analyzing, and Planning My Social Media Brand

My three initial goals for this course were to build my brand across multiple social platforms, understand how to use analytics to make sure my sites are effective, and to create a network of online communities that relate to my main beat.

Overall, I would say that I met all of these goals during the class. I had already begun to establish myself on social platforms as a journalist prior to the class. But, I did take a look at all of them to polish and improve them this month. The article we read in the first week, Social Journalism: A Movement Whose Time Has Come, really helped me to understand how to approach social media from a professional perspective.

As for using analytics, this was also something I had done before but was able to look at them and study them a bit closer this month. Understanding the dynamic between effective social media posts and site traffic is so important. I’m glad we went over that this month. I found this extremely insightful. I think the tutorial we had in week 4, Social Media Analytics & Content Strategies, gave me a great idea of how it all fits together.

I was able to begin establishing a network of organizations and sites that are related to my content early on in the program. But, this month I had the opportunity to strengthen some of those connections through my research and data collection for my stories.

I found the paper we wrote about our social media plan to promote our capstone extremely useful. It brought a lot of attention to some things I had not considered about how I was going to approach sharing the story. My goal is to use this knowledge and advice from the article we read, How to Create a Social Media Marketing Plan from Scratch, to effectively promote my capstone.

NMJ590 Multimedia Reporting

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

That quote is actually the motto for LIFE magazine. It’s one of my favorites. It also comes from one of my favorite movies, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In the movie, Walter, played by Ben Stiller, is tasked with tracking down an elusive freelance photographer who is supposed to have an important photograph that is needed for a story in LIFE magazine. His journey takes him all over the world getting caught up in intense, and sometimes dangerous, situations. The journey becomes the reward for him as he pursues the seemingly impossible task. He pushes on, determined.

This is how I’m feeling about my Full Sail journey right now. I’m getting so much closer to the end, and I have to remain focused and motivated.

This past month the Multimedia Reporting class has helped me stay on target and keep moving forward with my work. There were a few setbacks with some of the stories I worked on, but it was all a great learning experience.

The three goals I had initially planned for this class were to, first, identify a key issue in my beat of wildlife conservation and put together a multimedia story about it, second, select an innovative media leader and learn how they use new media, and third, find out which technology is most effective in the new media field. I definitely knocked out the first one in the first week by doing a follow up story about invasive crayfish. The second goal I’ve been doing for a while now. I work with an NBC correspondent named Gadi Schwartz who has perfected doing important news in a condensed version for social media. The third goal I have also been thinking about quite a bit throughout the whole degree program. I feel my photo and video skills are the most effective mediums in my work. It’s easier to convey information quickly using these visual elements.

The class has prepared me for my journalism career by helping me further understand how to properly put together comprehensive and professional multimedia news stories. I really liked the follow-up assignment. It got me back out in the field with people I had previously done a story with, which helped deepen our professional connection and trust. Having this network will be a valuable resource I can use to create future content.

 

Cloudy with a Chance of News Production

This month I feel like I finally started to understand how I will be able to help people see my vision. My photos have always done a great job, but making video news pieces is a great way for me to express my passion for wildlife and nature. Like little Flint Lockwood in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, I’ve always felt like I have something unique to offer the world; If I could just get people to see it. I’m beginning to understand how.

My three main expectations for this Digital News Production course were to develop content for social media, understand how social media is driving change for traditional media, and to determine what the digital newsroom workflow is like.

I believe all three of these were met in some way. We didn’t necessarily focus specifically on social media, but it was a main component for all of our assignments. We had to post each new story on our social platforms, and then we got feedback for each about how effective those posts were and what could be improved. This was really helpful. I’m not used to using some of these outlets at all, let alone for professional reasons. I think my continued learning of how these platforms work is helping a lot.

The course expectations of me were to produce quality news stories, distribute them, and then analyze how well all that was executed. One thing that became immediately apparent, was that the pace and workload have both increased a bit this month. There were moments that seemed a little overwhelming. The most stressful aspect was coming up with topics and booking interviews it a short amount of time week after week. This was actually really helpful. In the real news business, sometimes you only have a few hours to write the story and get your interviews if the topic is breaking news.

The content that was most helpful were the lessons we learned about shooting and editing. Even though I got my bachelor’s in film and video production, it never hurts to revisit the fundamentals. Going back over how to shoot and edit helped me start to think in terms of video production again, which is so different than the still photography I mostly do. Having to consider sound and how each shot will edit together is still something I’m working on. But it has been a fun process of trial and error to get it all working.

The course has prepared me for a career as a journalist by providing a lot of the challenges I’ll be facing on a regular basis. Managing my time to get a complete professional video package and article is tough, but an essential workflow to be perfecting. Also, the course allowed me to refine some of my video skills that got a little rusty. I’m excited to keep working on all these things as I make my way to becoming a professional journalist.

Goooooooood Morning MDV!!!!

Good Morning Vietnam is one of my favorite movies. One great lesson from the film is how powerful and effective media can be on an audience. Adrian Cronauer became an important and influential figure for the lives of the American soldiers fighting during the Vietnam War. It was through the medium of radio that he was able to reach out to these men to fuel their morale and give them a little light in the darkness of war. While making my podcast this month, I couldn’t help but think about how I can use my voice to reach people and hopefully influence their lives as well. My goal is to shine a light on wildlife and conservation concerns to create better understanding and awareness of these issues.

This month in our Multimedia Development and Editing class we had a chance tell stories through a variety of different media. We did a photo essay type assignment, which I had a lot of fun creating. Obviously, as a photographer, I felt right at home going out to shoot photos for the story. But, it was the podcast assignment that I think I enjoyed the most. I wasn’t too sure how it would work out. I’m not used to working with audio very often. Besides some initial trouble finding an interview subject, everything went great and I was really pleased with my recording in the end.

My course expectations were to outline the workflow for completion of a multimedia project, to create a multimedia project that highlights a conservation issue, and to explore different projects of the wildlife and conservation industry leaders. All of these expectations were fully met during the class. Our lessons walked us through the creative process. All of the work that I did this month focused on wildlife and conservation. And during the research phase for each assignment I relied on browsing the work of others to see how they report on nature subjects.

The course definitely got me to think outside the box a bit. It challenged me to engage in areas I hadn’t considered or been interested in like posting everything across social media. I’ve been active on Instagram for a few years, but I hadn’t bothered with any of the others. Every week we were required to use Twitter and Facebook as well to promote our work. This took a little getting used to, but I’m starting to understand their value more.

I think the podcast and the Adobe Spark lessons were the most valuable things I learned. They will help me expand my content as a professional. I feel confident enough to use these tools going forward, and hopefully I’ll be able to successfully adapt these new skills, giving a voice to the wildlife and habitats that most need attention. I’m excited to see how much more I can grow in these areas.

RIS Mastery Journal Post

Looking back at my initial mastery journal post about RIS, I noticed two of my goals were met. The third one was something I could have given more thought during the course. I definitely learned some things about research practices that are useful. Diving deep into subjects I want to focus on is something I’m used to doing. Before going out to photograph wildlife, I always make sure to read up on the behavior of the species as well as the location where I plan to shoot. This class helped me understand how to apply research and investigation skills to my writing.

The first goal I initially wrote was to form a theory within my field and gather information to support it. I don’t feel like I defined any specific original theory of my own this month. I did, however, get a chance to research theories like what makes an infographic effective and how to conduct a good interview. So, the concept of supporting a theory makes sense to me.

The second goal I had in mind for the course was to select a specific topic dealing with wildlife conservation and do in-depth research about it. I met this goal by looking into Steelhead Trout, a subject I’ve been interested in for a while. Through my research, I discovered some places and subtopics I can continue to research and expand my writing about them like local dam removals and stream restorations.

The third goal was to identify an existing research program and collaborate with them using my skills. During my investigation into the Steelhead I got a chance to network with the California Trout organization and offer my skills as a photographer and writer to help them as they continue their mission of protecting and restoring habitat for trout. I plan to stick with them and cover the progress of their projects.

Three of the most helpful pieces of information I learned from the course were creating infographics, conducting research using public resources like government agencies, and how to support a subject by citing researched data within an article.

The creation of infographics was a good lesson because they are appealing to readers and can convey a complex message in a simplified format. They help readers understand and remember what they learned more efficiently than just writing.

Learning how to utilize public sources for information was really helpful for me to learn. So much of the information I’ll need for my conservation writing can be found through the government agencies that handle environmental affairs like clean water and wildlife management.

Understanding how to provide links and citation for the data used to create an article helps the reader understand the subject more. It also gives them a deeper feeling of trust since they can see the information backed-up by a second reliable source.

The experience and knowledge I have gained from the class will help me make strong cases through my writing. I feel well-equipped to select a subject, do extensive research, and report the pertinent facts to help readers understand issues related to wildlife and conservation. Being able to demonstrate to readers that meaningful research has been conducted to write the article will instill confidence and they will likely feel compelled to follow more of my work.

Overall, I think my expectations were met for this course. I expected to learn research practices to build strong effective writing. I believe that is exactly what I gained from going through the class. I look forward to applying the skills learned here as I continue my professional journey.

Legal Aspects of Media

This month in our Legal Aspects of Media course we learned quite a bit about the laws and regulations that affect communications and the media industry. It has been really helpful for me to better understand the concepts discussed in the course. Some of theses concepts I had a general familiarity with, like freedom of speech. But, through the course materials we took a closer look at how laws dealing with each concept relate directly to real-world situations. I think learning how to analyze a case study and pull critical information from the text has been a great practice. I can see this being valuable to me as someone who wants to cover environmental concerns and public policy regarding natural resources and wildlife. Understanding how to read through cases and court documents to pull out the necessary information to report on will be extremely beneficial to the efficacy of my work.

What was your favorite assignment in this course? Please explain.

My favorite assignment for this course was finalizing the article about an event I attended in the third week. As someone who loves the outdoors, especially when observing wildlife, I was thrilled to find an event close to my home led by the Audubon Society to look for birds in Malibu Creek State Park. I got to walk the trails, look for elusive animals, and take photos of the species we found. This is pretty much what I do in my spare time anyway. So, to have a great excuse to turn the activity into an assignment was perfect. We had fantastic weather and saw some interesting birds. I was able to get some awesome photos and incorporate them into my article. It was a fun experience.

Of the course topics covered this month, which one(s) do you think will be most helpful to you as a communications professional?

I believe learning how to fill out a FOIA request properly will be helpful to me. A lot of times, environmental issues and concerns are directly related to public policy and government action or inaction. Being able to pull the essential documents and build a case or story around them should be extremely helpful for my reporting.

How will the knowledge you acquired this month prepare you to handle potential legal issues in the communications industry?

I am definitely more aware of where the boundaries are regarding free speech, copyrights, defamation, and other topics we learned this month. I feel much better prepared to effectively produce content without violating those boundaries, and if someone does come after me with a lawsuit, I feel well equipped to defend my work if necessary. I know how important it is to comply with these laws. There are steep consequences for those who break them. Freedom of speech and press is an incredibly powerful right we have in the United States. So, fully knowing how the protections work and how they apply specifically to my work is imperative.

Boots in the Mud.

The Marshall Tucker Band made a song called Fly Eagle Fly. I included it with this post because it’s essentially a conservation ballad. It’s all about how the world would be a really sad place without wildlife and natural lands. It’s like an anthem for the work I want to do with my photography and reporting – show the world how amazing nature is and why we need to protect it.

This month was a great experience. I finally got to put my boots on the ground, as the expression goes (or in the mud in this case). It felt awesome to go out into the field and make contact with people – experts who gave me tons of information I was able to couple with my photographs. The knowledge they have brings context and substance to the photos I’ve loved taking for so many years now. I’m beginning to understand how to bring the stories to life and address issues I want people to be aware of. The conservation component of my goal of becoming a wildlife and conservation photojournalist is taking shape. I feel my expectations for this course were pretty accurate. One thing I initially posted as an expectation for the course that I did not do, but plan to very soon, is take an existing story and format it for a variety of platforms. I plan to take one of the stories I composed this month and either condense it or expand it for various outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and a newsletter. Each one has a unique style to match in order to tell an effective story. This is a great time and opportunity for me to practice this technique which will allow me to reach a broader audience. I actually loved the worksheets we used to outline our assignments. They were super helpful in organizing my thoughts and resources to assemble a good story. I’m actually planning on saving many of those templates and using them as I go forward in working on other school projects and stories I’ll be composing for my professional life. I feel I have a really good handle on how to best proceed and put together compelling stories that are timely and newsworthy after going through this course.