Week 29

This week I began catching up my portfolio, interviewed another individual for my final product, and completed some assessments.

Some of the successes we are having have been with the interviews. I have grown more comfortable conducting the interview without help from Mr. Trahan, and the opinions and ideas we have received will create a great story. We have also had success with logging the video because it has taught me how to work quickly and efficiently, while drawing out the quotes and ideas that are most prevalent to the story. 

A difficulty for me has been the “stand ups” Mr. Trahan has had me do. This is when you report into the camera in an introductory blurb. I have found it difficult because Mr. Trahan has me improvise the whole thing. I tend to use flowery language and long-winded sentences, especially when thinking on my feet. Mr. Trahan has been teaching me, however, that short, concise sentences are better because it makes them easier to work with in a story. We have also had difficulty obtaining wildlife footage. Our story will be fine without it, but it would create a nice touch if we could include this footage. 

I am highly pleased with the way the product is progressing. My only regret is that there is not enough time for our story to go as in depth as we would like. But for the amount of time we have been given, we are making the best story possible.

Week 28

It was another fantastic week in the Independent Study and Mentorship Program. My mentor visit was a greatly important experience as I learned a new and valuable lesson. I've been learning about the process of creating a story is making sure that you cover the topic from all sides. It is incredibly easy for a reporter, and in turn the viewers, to only see a story from one perspective. This is dangerous as it can shift the feelings on a subject and completely change a person’s mind. News is supposed to be an outlet to gain accurate, unbiased information. This, unfortunately, has not proven to be the case. Many corporations narrow-cast, or reach out to specific audiences by sharing news in a way that people of a certain belief will agree with. On top of this, media groups are capable of agenda setting, or deciding what shall be reported on and how much attention the issue gets. Therefore, the overall population can sometimes come away with a very different idea of the problems the country faces than are actually true.

           

This is depressing! I want to enter into this career field in order to alert people to the problems at hand, not hide or shape the truth to make it something it is not. Moving forward, I will have to keep this in mind with everything I do. I should never get to a place where I utilize clips of interviews to make them sounds like they are saying something that they actually aren't. I should never seek information from only one side of a situation. I should never sink to the level of reporting in a way that is beneficial to me but not the general public.

Weeks 26-27

This week I conducted an exciting interview with an urban biologist. His name is Brett Johnson and he works at the Cedar Hill National Park near Granbury, Texas. My mentor and I made the long drive to the park in order to obtain the extremely important interview.

Mr. Johnson's job as an urban biologist means that he has extensive knowledge in the area I am researching regarding bobcats and coyotes. We explained how we are investigating the strange overpopulation of bobcats, coyotes and other forms of wildlife in the Frisco area, and he gave us his professional opinion on why the animals are there and what people should do in response to the phenomenon. Mr. Johnson explained that although Frisco is highly developed, it is filled with wildlife corridors, which are areas of refuge for wild animals. This could include creeks, wooded land, and undeveloped property. Due to these corridors, wildlife have no reason to leave the area. As of now, Frisco plans to keep many of the corridors in tact, so the wildlife will continue to live in the area. Due to the fact that these corridors are also small, the wildlife often have to venture out into neighborhoods in order to find food sources.

Meeting with Mr. Johnson was an incredible experience and incredibly beneficial to the story.

Week 25

This week I submitted my Product Proposal and Calendar, learned how to log video footage at my mentor visit, and gave my Original Work Presentation.

The Product Proposal is a helpful tool in planning out the process of creating your final product and the steps you are going to take to get there. It includes sections covering:

• Introduction and Statement of Purpose,
• Review of Skills and Research,
• Methodology,
• Materials, and 
• Conclusions.

The calendar is a helpful tool as well because it allows you to plan out exactly when each individual aspect of the product will be completed.

My Original Work Presentation went great as well! My opening was strong because I started with a story from one of my mission trips to Guatemala that explained why I am interesting in investigative journalism and global issues. Showing the videos produced by WFAA-TV that had to do with the research I found was awesome as well.

This week's mentor visit was very exciting as well. I learning the process of logging video footage, which is when you go through footage and locate key points and quotes that will benefit the final story. I logged the video footage we shot last week by myself and lobed every minute of it.