reporting etiquette

Just to preface, there's a little bit of journalism ranting ahead.

I think I'm a relatively trusting person. Sometimes I'll leave my car unlocked if I'm running to the curb to return movies or running in my house to grab something. I generally will talk to people in public.

Today I was out reporting at local grocery stores, working on a story about "grocery line etiquette" - the dos and don'ts in the checkout line and in the aisle. A fun little story, nothing serious.

I walked up to a lady and very politely told her, after apologizing for interrupting her shopping, that I was a reporter with The Reading Eagle, that I was talking to customers today - and explained my story. Would she have a few extra moments to answer some questions? She proceeds to hesitantly answer my questions, and asks if we can walk and talk. Sure, I say.

So, she's nice, answers my questions, gives me some pretty good quotes actually, "self checkout is a beauty" "I really like to get in and get out as quickly as possible" "sometimes people just aren't very considerate of those around them - stopping and blocking the whole aisle" before I ask for her name. She tells me her first name, Bernice, and then says, "you can just call me Bernice B." I pause, and in the most polite way possible, tell her that unfortunately, I can't use anything we talked about unless I can publish her whole name.

She then insists to see some ID. Really? I can count on my hand the number of times I've been asked for a press pass and they've either been when I was A) holding a camera in my hand or B) asking for much more consequential information than "do you prefer paper or plastic?"

Of course, with my luck, I don't have my press pass on me, so I lose the whole interview.

Here's my question: Who else COULD I have been? What kind of criminal would pose as a reporter asking about your shopping habits? Who would make that up, and furthermore, for what purpose? I'm wearing a gray cotton skirt from the Gap and ballet flats. I'm not exactly intimidating.

Also, if a reporter identifies herself and proceeds to WRITE DOWN what you say - it's a safe bet you're being quoted. I guess I just thought this was assumed.

My other issue is that people like this women are probably the same ones who call newspapers untrustworthy and not credible. I guarantee if she had read that story with "Anonymous shopper" quoted, she'd have some criticism for the validity of The Reading Eagle.

I didn't understand that at all. Maybe I'm just too trusting.

a tip

To the public, or at least the small public who reads my blog:

Don't call a newspaper with really stupid questions. I'm talking about like, really stupid. Whoever you are talking with in editorial will, 99 percent of the time, hang up and make fun of you to the rest of the staff.


[Better quality blogging to come, I promise. Photos are almost all edited.]

front pager

woot!

All you ever wanted to know about bridge.

good day

If you're an avid reader, you know about how at work, they tell me if I'm leaving late, to get a security escort out to my car. (creepy).

Today I went to work to finish up a story for tomorrow, and it was completely dead, there was barely anyone there compared to weekdays. I left about 6:30, and I was going to walk up a couple blocks to drop off some mail at the post office downtown before heading to my car. So, about a block up, I cross the street and meet this security guard that is walking on the other side of the road. He all the sudden tells me that he's with the Eagle, and wasn't sure if I needed an escort but was following me anyway. He asks if I'm headed to my car. haha. So, he laughed, but walked me to the post office and then backtracked with me to my car.

He was a really nice man, he talked to me about how he was born and raised in Reading, and this was his first week on the job. Last year he was mugged walking home late one night by a large group of guys and girls, but all they took was the roasted chicken lunch his wife sent with him in a brown paper bag. Lucky him! Apparently it changed his life, and now he's much more aware. He says they're supposed to walk people out to their car even in the daytime, if they want. But even if people say no thanks, he just keeps a half a block behind them, just to be safe. We talked about the crime in Reading and how he has a daughter who is also 22 and named Lauren. Small world. He watched me get in my car and drive away, only after asking if I had called my dad today. (I did).

Something about him just really brightened my day, and made me want to be more optimistic about life.

I also went on a really nice walk today. Sidebar.

quarter life crises, anyone?

I like my internship, but my only complaint is that it's a little slow moving. It kind of seems like things here just move slower. Deadlines are all a week before a run date, and the desk only produces one piece of original content per day. Maybe two, but rarely. Pretty much everything else is wire, or a quick hit Q&A or something.

Combine that with about five or six lifestyle reporters (a combination of part time, full time and me), and there's really just not that much to do. Yesterday I asked to do a couple more stories, and those have to be fit into the budget for a couple weeks out. So, speed wise, I've pretty much maxed out. But that's okay, because it gives me good reason to take my time and make every story stellar.

So imagine my excitement when yesterday, a weekend editor came up and pitched a story for "someone" to do with a quick turn around - like, three days. I jumped on it. They looked at me like there was no way I could do it - "Are you sure?" they asked. Heck yes, I'm sure. It's community theatre, there's a press release with a phone number already on it. They only need 15 inches, maximum. Psh.

So, I'm out to prove to them that a good feature can be done in a couple of days. My first story ran today, but I didn't really like it. I'm not sure what else I could have done with it though. Hm.

I'm starting to see myself doing more than just writing in my future. I think I'm starting to realize that it's not enough for me. I really like it, but I don't love it so much that I'd be willing to write stories and stories for years and years until I can get into an editing role, which I think is ultimately where I want to be.

When I think back on my experience and what I liked to do most, it was definitely management. I liked being responsible for lots of things at once, coordinating different aspects of a project and getting to use different skills every day.

With that in mind, I found a great PR job in Tulsa that I really want. Weird, huh? It's a risky move, but I figure, if I really wanted to get back into reporting sometime down the road, it would have to be because I was just so passionate about it that I wouldn't mind taking a pay cut or relocating. And if it was possible for me to feel that passionate in the future, wouldn't I already feel that way about it?

But maybe it's not the writing I'm tired of, maybe it's just the 9-5, "adult" environment. Maybe I'm just not challenging myself enough. Maybe it's just because it's not the right job. But how long would I have to work as a reporter to get the "right" job? It could be a while.

I honestly don't know the answer to these questions. I think a lot of my colleagues of the same age and time in life are feeling the same way. How do you really figure out what you want to do without taking too much time to soul search? I know it's better to do something rather than nothing while you figure it out, and even the bad experiences are meaningful, but how do you avoid a decision that might take you down a path that is difficult to back track?

Seriously, anyone have any advice?

life, careers, decisions

Last night was a thoughtful one, full of perspective. This whole transitional time is awfully important, and the pressure of the important decisions is weighing on me a little.

But, I came to some good conclusions. Everything is a learning experience, sometimes especially the bad experiences. Jobs aren't permanent, so it's better to do something than spend time soul searching. And most of all, keep your eye on the goal, know what you're working toward and realize your first job isn't your dream job.

Kelsey and I were spending some quality time complaining together about the draining environment of the 9-5 "adult" working world, and this post made me feel a little better. This blog has become a recent bookmark of mine. I found it once on accident and keep going back to it - it's got some good advice.

notes on the new job

The most amazing thing about a professional internship is that you're doing far less work, but sitting at a desk logging about double the amount of actual work hours.

Is this why so many people are bored with their jobs?

I'm currently assigned 5 or 6 stories, which sounds like a lot, except I only have 1 or 2 due a week, with my nearest deadline at the end of next week. Made all my first contacts - Ok, so what do you want me to do now? Calender listings. Sweet.

Today I overheard an editor complaining about an intern: "She started making calls Thursday night. Her story was due Monday! Great." Oh, yes. I am all too familiar. New place, same problems. (Not that I'm exempt...) Apparently the intern only turned in 4 inches. Her editor: "Yeah, I wrote the last couple inches because it was so short." Someone else: "I can't believe she even turned it in like that."

All of my fellow journalism readers - I'm sure you can feel me on this one.

In other but related news, Zach gave me a sweet recorder for graduation! It's pretty and red and holds 1 gig and has a USB port and is super cool. You'd all be jealous.

I work downtown, and it's definitely.... urban. A construction worker hollered at me today. Nice. I was also told that if I'd be leaving the office after dark I would be advised to get a security escort to my car. Earlier this week a man was stabbed in the eye by a group of men. (gang related I suspect?) Police are currently undergoing a county-wide search for 28 known drug dealers. Yeah. When I asked my editor about the crime in the city she said her 17-year-old son doesn't come downtown because he, "says he doesn't want to get shot," but she assured me that it wasn't like that. Most violence is drug related, not random muggings or anything. Good.

Another lifestyles reporter, a local veteran, was teaching me how to write cutlines. I listened attentively and tried not to let on that I already knew. She must have figured it out though, because afterward she said, "Oh, I always forget that you've worked at a paper before, sorry. A lot of the past interns haven't." Hm. Interesting.

Oh! And I was told today by a native Pennsylvanian lady I interviewed that I had no trace of a Texan accent. Also interesting.

I need some coffee. The 3:00 nap lull is coming!

ketchup

get it??

So, for those of you who don't know (JSTU! Thanks for the kudos!), I'm in Reading, PA for the summer doing an internship in the newsroom of The Reading Eagle. I'm the features intern, which means I get to write mostly for the lifestyle section, and sometimes for the weekend (A&E) and religion sections. Exciting!



















(photo courtesy of travel.webshots.com)

I'll just go chronologically since there's so much.

Zach and I headed out of Norman Sunday morning at 10:30. (We were pretty exhausted from John and Lisa's wedding, which by the way, was oodles of fun, a little bit stressful, but all together a wonderful time - congrats Mr. and Mrs. Stewart!). The beginning of our trip wasn't bad, we were entertaining each other with new music, chit chat, etc. It actually seemed to be going by pretty fast.

We stop for gas and snacks in Springfield, and hit the road again. But, weird, the air vents seem to not be blowing as hard as they usually do. Maybe we're just imagining it, we think. Then... wait, this feels not so cold anymore... within 10 minutes we were sweating with windows down. Busted AC. AWESOME. This is going to make for a great trip.

So, we use the iPhone to look up a Mazda dealership in Springfield, only to realize when we get there that it's Sunday. After some calling and google mapping, we find an open Firestone. THANK GOD FOR FIRESTONE! We drive there, and Zach hits the AC button, just one more try for good measure. It works PERFECTLY! Ice cold, rushing winds of air. I never thought I'd love wind so much. We get it checked out anyway, just in case it's possessed with secret AC problems (the kind that crop up on brand new cars, apparently), and we don't want it going out again on Memorial Day. They look at it and say there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Strange. So, we continue on, never another AC problem. Good, but weird.

Zach almost missed St. Louis due to an unplanned nap, but woke up in time to snap a couple arch photos...




























It's Lauren and the arch! (The trip is already wearing me down...)



















The trip really wasn't so bad - we played the alphabet/celebrity name game (does it have a real name?) and developed a point system that added some serious competition. We find a place to stay in Columbus, OH, but decide to drive through the night instead. The last leg across PA was brutal, we switched drivers about every hour and fought just to keep our eyes open. We caved and took a nap in the car for an hour on the side of the road. But we finally made it!

The most immediately apparent differences in PA were:
1. trees
2. lots of green
3. no open space
4. hills

We get to the dorm and get our rooms (The college I'm living at, Alvernia, a small private school in Reading, comped Zach a room on the boy's floor for the week, sweet!) and my room doesn't suck!! It's a triple room, so three beds, desks and wardrobes, and it's a corner room so it's a little bigger.

View upon entrance:




















Food nook:




















Front door:




















Back corner:




















Look how big it is!! (That's what she said!)





















Hey good lookin'





















Alright, that last one was just for fun.

After a MONSTER nap, we woke up and ran some errands. First on the list, find a Walmart. Achieved. It's no Super, 24-hour Walmart, but it'll do. Second, drive to work - super easy. Hooray!

Day one of internship (subhead)

Woke up early, what a shocker! Decided not to go with my new light gray suit and lavender button up because I want to look nice but I also want to blend in. I keep the lavender shirt and switch for brown pants. The wonderful boyfriend drops me off after buying me some McDonald's breakfast (what more can a girl ask for?). I read the paper while eating my breakfast burrito - I have fears of being quizzed on the news my first day. Too much school in my past.

Get there at exactly 8:45 (perfect!) and come in to meet the editor. He's nice, older white guy, seems conservative, pretty much what you'd expect in a family-owned newspaper editor. We try to make small talk for 10 minutes while we wait for the other intern (Vikram from UT) gets there to start orientation. We have some awkward small talk, but both seem relieved when we find we have something in common - he's a Dallas Cowboys fan!

Vikram arrives and we're sent to test our urine! Woo! We quickly bond over the stress of being able to produce enough to fill the cup. The urine tester ladies are Nazis! We come back, attend the morning meeting (which, strangely, isn't as different as you'd expect from Daily budget meetings, in some ways...) and go to lunch with our editors; mine is Kathy, the lifestyles section editor, and his, the design editor. It's nice to have a lunch plan since no one ever knows what they're doing for lunch on the first day.

We talk about the city, the paper, and they give us some helpful information. Kathy is really really nice and super helpful, which is great.

The newsroom setup is exactly what you'd expect - a huge room, all on one level, where everyone can see each other. It's awkwardly quiet.

After lots of paperwork, email and phone setup, and "tech" training (they just made the big switch over to InCopy and InDesign from Word and Quark, so I'm all set there...) we are sent to our respective sections. I'm taught how to enter weekly entertainment listings, one of my more tedious intern duties, and then I'm given some assignments! Hooray! I will list them.

1. a weekend story about three generations of family members performing in one community theatre show (oh my!)
2. a fitness profile - Q&A with a nominated local person with a commitment to fitness.
3. a feature on bridge (the card game)
4. a religion story on a pastor who is also a magician (yep)

... I think that's it. For now. Excitement.

My editor informs me that she's not too hard on hours - as long as she knows where I am and if I'll be late, and mostly, as long as I get all my work in, it's all good in the hood. So that's cool.

Nothing else too exciting, really. Today I just sat at my computer, emailed a couple sources, called a few (which is horrible in front of lots of people), checked my email a lot, asked a couple dumb questions, went to lunch with Zach and peaced out at 4:30. Niice.

I really like it so far. Hopefully I get a good amount of clips.

I feel like this is way too long, so I'll wrap it up.

Anyone know anything about The Tennessean, Nashville's paper? They posted a job I really want! That's all for now.

PEACE... FROM THE NORTHEAST.