It's been quiet for quite a while, so I just wanted to give a brief glimpse at a few of the resources I've discovered during the last several months:

- NextNewsroom (http://www.nextnewsroom.com/ -- not to be confused with the NewsroomNext project) - A college media group gets serious about modeling industry-wide change for others to emulate/adapt.

- News Videographer (http://newsvideographer.com/) - A good source of information for a new-to-video person like me.

- Shawn Smith's blog (http://www.newmediabytes.com/) - This fella is a producer at the news source for a good chunk of my old home state. Some of his ideas are intriguing.

- Wired Journalists (http://mediageeks.ning.com/) - If you have the google toolbar installed with Web Clips, this site's Yahoo-Pipes-based feed stream will get automatically installed, and it will keep you busy finding all sorts of new approaches to media. In fact, it's likely that if you watch this site's feed(s) for a bit, all three of the other sites will pop up.

Labels: journalism, media, multimedia, news, newspapers, newsrooms, organization, skills

Labels: newsrooms, young journalists

Two of my friends are doing what a lot of people wish they could do if they only had the nerve.



They quit their jobs and travelled to a foreign country. They will live there for anywhere from 6 months until forever, telling the stories of the people they meet there.



No deadlines. No health insurance. No line counts. Just stories.



John Sutter, a former reporter at the Oklahoman, has set up shop in Madagascar.

Jessie Bonner, a former reporter at The Naples Daily News, calls Guatemala her home.



They are chronicling their travels at Post-A-Card, a Web site they've set up. The premise is based on a seminar we all attended a few years ago at Poynter. All the space you need to tell a good story can be found on the back of a post card.



These two are great journalists and it would be an understatement to say that I'm a little bit jealous of them.



Check out their work and submit some post cards of your own. I know I will.

After all, everyone has a story to tell.

Labels: journalism, young journalists

It's quite in the newsroom today, with the exception of the police scanner squawking out random jibber-jabber. No phones, no printing fax machines, just:

'Suspect one is a black male, in his twenties, with dreads, baggy jeans, and large white t-shirt. Do you have a twenty on suspect one?'

The scanner is never turned off...and at some point today, I'm going to make calls (or possibly pay a visit) to all the "shops" (newsroom jargon for police departments) in our circulation area to see if anything newsworthy has transpired.

I'm actually the only one in the newsroom this morning because most reporters here file their weekend stories by Friday...or they at least do enough work so that they'd only need to come in for a few hours on Sunday.

In my first week at the Daily Review, I met three of the PIOs (public information officers) at three shops and the interim Hayward city manager...I covered my first fire, wrote cutlines (extended captions) for two stand alone photos, co-wrote a Fourth of July round-up with the only other black reporter at the paper, and began work on a story about a mother who wants the city to bar ice cream trucks from selling toy guns to kids in her neighborhood...

But today is slow. Luckily, there is a blues festival going on right up the street from the paper. I can grab a nectarine from the farmer's market one street over and then head to "B" Street. Or I can sit here, listen to the police scanner and start writing some inches on this toy gun story.

One thing is for sure: being here this first week has reaffirmed for me that I was made to do this thing called journalism.

Labels: internships

Andrew Donohue is executive editor of voiceofsandiego.org, a nonprofit, independent online newspaper focused on issues impacting the San Diego region. According to the organization's funding description, the publication is the only professionally staffed, nonprofit online news site in the state focused on local news and issues. Donohue oversees news coverage and reports on local politics. He also won the 2006 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Online Investigative Reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists. Donohue's examination of an affordable housing program in San Diego abused by participants and contractors showed "the value of cultivating sources and displaying integrity," according to contest judges quoted by SPJ. "Goes beyond just good reporting in dimension, documentation and results."



Bobbi Bowman is diversity director for the American Society of Newspaper Editors, one of the most active professional journalism organizations in North America. Recent printed works include articles on immigration and diversity issues for the San Francisco Chronicle and The Poynter Institute.

Labels: diversity, editors, education, gljjif2007, media, multimedia, newspapers, online, video, young journalists

In the courtroom, I almost lost my objectivity - and my lunch.

For the last few weeks, I sat in courtroom 4E at the Kent County Courthouse, chronicling the ups and downs of the murder trial of James Richardson, accused of killing Margaret Duffy-Stephenson in 2005.

I sit across the aisle from the family. A seat behind the defendant has my name on it. I chat with the family members about the climate in the courtroom, and joke that maybe tomorrow, I'll bring my parka.

I'm the only reporter who's been in the courtroom since day one. I sat through the motions to suppress, jury selection and opening statements. I detailed testimony in tight stories for the next day's paper. I made corrections when the family pointed out mistakes.

But mostly, I listened.

I listened when Margaret's coworkers told about how their friend was a great teacher's aide and always willing to help someone. I listened when her husband, James Stephenson III, told us about the last time he hugged his wife. I listened when her father told the court that when he found his only daughter covered in blood at the bottom of the stairs, he reached over and touched her face.

So when the prosecution showed a photo of Margaret's wounds on the projector screen in the courtoom, I almost lost it. My mouth gaped open as I stared at her wounds. I swallowed hard as the medical examiner explained Margaret's killer had cut her throat so deeply her backbone was visible through the hole in her neck. Of the 11 wounds on Margaret's body, more than half were stab wounds.

My stomach started to churn.

I looked at those pictures and no longer was Margaret just another victim in another homicide. She was Margaret. The mother of Robert. A teacher's aide at a local elementary school. The only daughter amongst a gaggle of brothers. That was Margaret's body on the autopsy table.

I glanced over at the family when the pictures went up - instinct. To my left, Margaret's sister in law was visibly shaken, tears streaming down her face. Her husband - Margaret's brother - comforted her.

I glanced down at the wooden pew, almost ashamed for having witnessed the family at such a vulnerable time. I took a deep breath and focused on the notes I was writing. I had a job to do.

After court recessed for the day, I went to my car and stared out the windshield in silence. It was all I could do to hold back the tears.

Labels: courts, ethics, young journalists

(Not to be confused with ask the recruiter)

Here's the most up-to-date (as of mid-June, 2007) list of employers whose registrations have been processed for GLJJIF 2007. Read it fully: Some singularly listed employers are actually groups of publications that could include a paper you've been looking to contact. If you're an employer who has been left out of this list, please e-mail us at bgsuspj@gmail.com. Here's the list, organized first by frequency, then alphabetically:

— DAILY NEWSPAPERS —

Ashland Times-Gazette
Ashland, Ohio
Circulation: 12,500
Ownership: Dix Communications
Representative: Ted Daniels, editor
Interested in: interns and full-time reporters, copy editors, designers, photographers, and Web
About: The T-G is a community newspaper with an emphasis on local-local. Just because we focus intensely on local news, that doesn't mean that we don't continually strive for excellence. We are consistently among the top award-winners for newspapers our size in Ohio.
Requirements: A year's experience or at least one good internship and experience at a college newspaper or Web site.
www.times-gazette.com


Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Illinois
Circulation: 576,000 daily, 937,000 Sundays
Ownership: Tribune Co.
Representative: Sheila Solomon, senior editor for recruitment
Interested in: reporter, copy editor, designer, photographer interns
Requirements: Minimum of one internship at a professional — not college — daily newspaper. Must be college junior, senior, very recent graduate or grad student.
www.chicagotribune.com


Dayton Daily News
Dayton, Ohio
Circulation: 160,000
Ownership: Cox Ohio Publishing
Representatives: Ron Rollins, Jana Collier
Interested in: interns, part and full-time reporters, copy editors, designers, photographers, Web
About: Major metropolitan newspaper in Dayton. Cox Ohio Publishing owns 9 dailies and weeklies combined as well as their Web sites.
www.daytondailynews.com


Newspaper Network of Central Ohio
Newark, Ohio
Circulation: n/a
Ownership: Gannett
Representatives: Shannon Waters, HR rep, and two editors.
www.centralohio.com


The Advertiser-Tribune
Tiffin, Ohio
Circulation: 11,600 daily, 12,600 Sundays
Ownership: Ogden Newspapers Inc.
Representatives: Rob Weaver, editor, Ryan Good
Interested in: interns and full-time
About: The Advertiser-Tribune is a morning daily. The news staff is ambitious yet the newsroom atmosphere is relaxed.
www.advertiser-tribune.com


— NON-DAILY NEWSPAPERS —

Great Lakes Publishing Co.
Cleveland, Ohio
Circulation: n/a
Ownership: Great Lakes Publishing Co.
Representative: Shannon Gilfillan, director of human resources
Interested in: interns, full-time copy editors, designers, advertising/sales, marketing, Web
About: Great Lakes Publishing publishes: Cincy Business, Cleveland Magazine, Custom Publishing, Elegant Wedding, Feast!, Home Decor, Inside Business, LongWeekends, Ohio Magazine, Web Development and West Shore
www.glpublishing.com


La Prensa
Toledo, Ohio
Circulation: 12,000 bilingual weekly print, 11,000 online
Ownership: Culturas Publications Inc.
Representative: Rico Neller, editor
Interested in: interns, full and part-time reporters, copy editors, photographers, advertising/sales, marketing, and Web
www.laprensa1.com

Labels: gljjif2007, job search, newspapers, recruiters

Have you ever had your heart set on something, arranged things so they'll turn out well and then had circumstance and poor planning just blow your plans to smithereens?

Yeah, that happened to me yesterday.

I pitched a story about the practice of putting smashed cars on high school lawns for prom season a few weeks back. My goal was to have it run on June 1, the day of my high school's prom and just before graduation season began.

But when I walked into the office on Wednesday, my boss told me that we needed my story for the centerpiece today.

Oh Crap.

I still needed to talk to an official, go to the school, see the car and interview kids. I'd planned to do all that today, but take some time to write it and give it some of my trademark detail and spunk.

Somehow, through the day, I got ahold of my town official (a feat in and of itself), and then trekked down to the high school, where I spent many minutes in the sun trying to pull quotes out of nonchalant teenagers. Then, I went to the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) meeting and talked to some kids there.

By the time I got back to my office, it was 3 p.m.

I sat down and began organizing my story. I had some statistics and an interview from our local MADD (mothers against drunk driving) chapter so I began writing in chunks. Then, I pulled in the stuff from the interviews from earlier yesterday and did a clip search to find some teens who'd died in drunk driving accidents recently.

It was approaching 5:30 and I still didn't have my lede.

Normally, I wouldn't have been stressing. However, yesterday, my paper hosted a graduation day for all of the state valedictorians. They all came to our offices, got their picture taken and were available for us to interview. I was told I needed to be there.

The picture started at 6 p.m. I could get there at 6:30 at the latest.

So I hustled. I called some journo friends -- most of whom didn't answer. I needed to talk this story out. I IM'd my lede to a friend and got her opinion, and then finally got a hold of another friend to talk things through. I struggled through the lede, spell checked and CQ'd my names and sent it to the copy desk.

6:32 p.m.

Then, I rushed upstairs and found my valedictorian. We talked and I found out that in addition to wanting to be a brain surgeon, he was also a talented fire juggler and ping pong player. Who knew? By the time I finished my interview, I was so exhausted, I just left the office after stopping in to check with the desk.

All night I stewed.

I tried not to, honest. I know I did the best I could under the circumstances, but this was MY story. And I wanted it to be great. Now, the best it could be was good. I tried to shrug it off and instead told myself that I had another opportunity to get it right tomorrow. That is the beauty of my profession I said. But inside, I knew that I was hurt.

This morning, I got up and went to an assignment. When I came into the office, a co-worker pulled me aside and asked me why my story didn't go all editions -- it was that good.

I shrugged, told her that I was disappointed in the story and that I didn't even broach the possibility of having it go all eds to my editor. I sat down and as I placed my story for tomorrow's paper on the budget, my boss came over to me.

"I think your story came out good," she said. "Are you happy with it?"

I wanted to stop the words as they came out of my mouth but I couldn't.

"Not really," I said, looking at my keyboard.

"Why," she asked. "What wasn't in there that you would have wanted in there?"

"Nothing," I said, glancing up to face my boss. "But I don't feel I had the time I needed to finesse the story the way I wanted to. It turned out fine, but I'm not happy with it."

She stared for a moment and then walked away.

I turned back to my computer and continued typing.

Labels: newspapers, story_planning

Need to go a distance to come to the Great Lakes Journalism Job and Internship Fair? No problem. We've worked out a discount for all fair-goers at the Best Western Falcon Plaza, just down the street from the our locale.

Their rate for the night of November 16 will be $76.95. Be sure to use the discount code #1047, and to tell them your with the Great Lakes Journalism Job Fair.

The discount will be available until 30 days before the fair, so don't wait too long! For more information, visit their Web site.

Labels: gljjif2007, logistics, recruiters

BRAVO USA Today! I still have faith in you.

Labels: journalism, newspapers, online

I know it's a competitive market for career growth in this field, but our generation needs to take the lead in teaching younger students -- even now, while we're still technically competing for entry-level jobs ourselves.

That's why I find this offer from the Winston-Salem Journal to be very encouraging. If you're working or interning at a media outlet, see if your editor has a similar program. If not, think about starting one.

Labels: clips, college_media, editors, education, internships, journalism, portfolio, skills, teens, young journalists

While this is not exactly an impartial story, Northwestern has always been the leader in college journalism web development. The web journalists at Ohio U were always secretly jealous of them. Of course, we would never admit it out loud and make the same lame excuses: "We don't have the money" and "We don't have the talent."

But it's always easy to look back and criticize the past, isn't it?

Last night I attended a discussion with Aaron McGruder, the Boondocks comic strip creator, at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in San Francisco. In light of the recent media controversies, I was determined to ask McGruder about his thoughts on where things like media and free speech are in America. (Yeah, I know, a broad topic to ask a cartoonist.) But McGruder, like Don Imus (who deserved it), has felt the wrath of Al Sharpton and others who indulge in media-circus-like tactics to silence the voices who make them uncomfortable.

I'd initially heard about the McGruder event on local radio. And earlier in the week I attended hip hop journalist Jeff Chang's book release and discussion. Prior to Chang's event, I was asked to go and photograph the event for Oh Dang Magazine with a writer who was interested in a possible online/multimedia component to what he would write. Chang was to lead the conversation with McGruder, so I thought it wise to introduce myself to Chang at his own event in hopes that he would be able to give me insight on how to get an interview with McGruder.

McGruder, I've been told, has been turning down interviews ever since the New Yorker ran an unflattering article about McGruder's character. The communications company coordinating the event for the JCC also informed me that the local NPR, ABC, and NBC stations had also called them requesting an interview with McGruder. So it seemed like the only way a journalist might see and hear from McGruder is at an event like this. You're acknowledged as media, but herded with the rest of the cattle (fans and enthusiasts, that is).

I did not want to take no for an answer. I believed that somehow if I approached McGruder with a humble spirit and my campus publication press pass taped to my forehead, I'd gain his sympathy and score an interview.

I had done well, I think, to introduce myself to Chang at his event. He remembered me when I approached him as he sat just feet away from McGruder, who was signing copies of his comic strip books.

"Would you have any idea what he's up to after he's done signing books," I asked, kneeling down just below his eye level as if to signal that I know I'm asking him for privileged information.

He, of course, made it clear that he could not "broker" me an interview with McGruder. And I understood that, assuring him that I was only asking if he knew what McGruder's plans were after the crowd and book signing line had died down. And I hoped, journalist to journalist, he'd recognize my determination to get the story. He recommended I wait around until after the crowds clear. So I did.

Meanwhile, I got crowd reaction quotes and photos. I got some shots of the crowded lobby from a balcony. I even interviewed legendary Black cartoonist Morrie Turner, who came to the event to meet McGruder. And once I'd gotten Turner's picture, I was certain that the story would be great if I got McGruder to talk to me.

Once the crowd began to thin considerably, I sat near the signing table. As the last few folks waited in line, it seemed as though McGruder had one foot out the door. He appeared to be ready to go. And I got nervous. So I approached Chang, who was still sitting a few feet away from McGruder. And again, kneeling just beneath his eye level, in an act of desperation, I asked:

"Do you think you could introduce me to McGruder after he's done signing that last book?"

"Don't put me in that position, man...why don't you go ask him yourself? Be a journalist."

Ouch.

Chang didn't know that I'd spent most of Tuesday calling everyone I could: people who'd hosted McGruder for talks and lectures at universities and community centers in Maryland, in Stockton, Calif. and even in New York. I had been trying to reach his rep. With no luck, and a discouraging call back from a Stockton Record reporter, I still didn't give up hope.

Fact was, McGruder himself had not yet told me no. So I stood feet away from McGruder with my M-Audio recorder in my hand, my Canon Digital Rebel around my neck, and a reporter's pad and pen.

"I'm sorry, but he doesn't do press," a lady, who sat next to McGruder, said before I could move my lips to even begin introducing myself or ask McGruder for a few minutes of his time.

"I only want to ask a couple of questions," I uttered sternly, halfway stuttering.

McGruder lifts his head after scribbling his signature on the inside cover page of a Boondocks comic strip book, looks directly at me and says, "I'm sorry, man. Nothing against you, I just don't do press."

If I was a dog, my tail would have stopped wagging and I would have limped away with my tail between my legs. I had held out hope. But at least I'd heard it from the horse's mouth.

Now, what will I make of the reporting that I've already done?

Labels: rejection

Many newspapers decided to use photos of the Virginia Tech shooter in today's newspapers. Does it glorify the killer? Check out some of today's papers at http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

This past weekend I attended the SPJ Region 4 conference in Detroit and bought my new favorite book, "The Dictionary of Concise Writing" by Robert Hartwell Fiske. I'm not usually the type to give free advertising but this book is wonderful.

I, like many young journalists, have a bad case of the wordiness. This dictionary is the solution. It allows you to look up more than 10,000 wordy phrases and find less cumbersome words to replace them. Some examples: "many" or "numerous" instead of "a lot of" and "disagree with" or "oppose" instead of "not in favor of." This book is my new best friend and I know I'll be passing it around the newsroom.

Labels: clips, education, journalism, skills, writing tips, young journalists

Okay, I know this is a student journalism blog, and there have been plenty of posts about post-collegiate work, but Patrick found a gem with this link.

Being an online journalism major with dreams of working in the buzz of breaking news and innovative multimedia, I never thought I'd end up doing for a living what I'm doing now: online advertising for a newspaper.

I know nothing about commission-based selling. I know nothing about marketing or accounting. I know nothing about online advertising industry trends. Bottom line: when it comes to impressing people at my job, I have my work cut out for me.

More than likely, though, this will happen to you. When you get that degree, you'll start looking at locations, salary packages, your big fat college debt and where your loved ones live. There's a very good chance you may end up starting anew in a field you've never imagined you'd find yourself in. I'm telling you, the sooner you get to graduation, the sooner you realize that this is the reality.

Lucky for me, I have a very understanding and patient boss. And lucky for me, I really, REALLY like what I'm doing. And even more luckier for me, online advertising is a very valuable field to master when it comes to gaining ground in the online journalism industry.

If you end up outside of you "dream job" like I have, don't be disappointed. You'll get there some day. Be excited that you are going to be jack of all trades and master of some. Actually, be grateful that you've even landed a job somewhere. It's a rat race out there.

So click on the link keeping in mind that starting your first job is very humbling, no matter where you end up. (But it's fun and exciting, too!)

It had been about six weeks since I mailed off an internship package to my number one choice. I, being confident that I'd already built up a good rapport with the "key folks" within that organization, banked on this being the most promising prospect of the several internship programs I'd applied to for the summer.

I had a phone interview with this organization's recruiter about a week after I mailed in my application. The phone interview seemed to go well:

"I'm really interested in working with "so-and-so", I really admire their approach to multimedia. And I'm especially impressed with the "such-and-such" story that you all published about "such-and-such" topic."

I was confident that I'd at least demonstrated that I knew several things about the organization and the folks responsible for producing the aforementioned work. I was then told I would be contacted in about a week or two, whether or not I was to be brought on as an intern.

Two weeks pass and I meet with my multimedia coach, who happens to work for the organization to which I had applied. She suggests that I call the recruiter and then, if I didn't hear back, send an email.

I had already called, left a message and did not get a response. So, per my coach's advice, I sent an email. And still I got no response.

Four weeks pass, and then five and then six. At this point my anxiety level had reached its highest heights. I was tired of being patient. I wanted to have some idea of what my summer would have been like.

So I hastily picked up the phone and dialed the recruiter's direct line. The phone rang twice and I heard a voice on the other end:

(paraphrased) "I'm sorry, but we did not choose you for the internship. Our multimedia editor is looking for someone who has all the skills required for producing multimedia and just hadn't had a chance to do it at a daily paper. You mentioned that you had not yet learned Flash."

I held the phone to my ear in complete shock (though my voice and tone did not express this to the recruiter). Not only was I disappointed that my ideal summer would not come to fruition, I also didn't understand how my not knowing Flash seemed to be the deciding factor in why I didn't qualify for the multimedia internship.

I immediately wished I went to school as a Flash design major or computer programming major, on top of majoring in journalism. If ever I've felt inadequate, it was after that phone conversation. It was hard for me to swallow the fact that I had worked so hard to learn every other skill involved in online media; and the one skill I have yet to learn has me wondering what else is out there for the multimedia producer who doesn't yet know Flash.

Labels: internships, multimedia

This, by far, is the most addicting thing ever.

It brings up an interesting topic, though. Do you guys at BGSU consider this type of work journalism? At Ohio University, they put the students who aspire to do this type of work in the in the school of telecommunications or in visual communications, which in no way has any affiliation with our J-school. I think it's bull.

If you watch a good one, let us know by posting it in comments.

Labels: college_media, flash, journalism, media, multimedia, online, video

Former journalist Carl Sessions Step, who teaches at the University of Maryland and is senior editor of the American Journalism Review, wrote an interesting piece for this month's edition. The story focuses on the increasing frustration among young staffers at the Charlotte Observer about their paper's slow evolution. The Observer's under-30 workers seem scared about their futures in journalism. They wonder, will they still have jobs in 20 years? The layoffs and lack of job security in the industry, coupled with their paper's "discouraging progress" (read: few A1 stories that attract younger readers, more talk than action and editors' apparent refusal to adapt at the reader's pace ), seem to be making these young journos question their industry despite their passion for it. Toward the end of the article, Step gets a little more positive by focusing on some of the staff's efforts to have more impact in newsroom decisions and become part of the solution, rather than dwelling on the problems but I was a bit sad after I read this.

What do you think about the article? Do you think young journos should be as scared as those at the Observer? I'd like to think if we focus on the future possibilities available on the Web in the form of video, flash presentations, etc., we won't need to stress as much as elder journos would tell us.

Labels: career_advise, editors, journalism, media, newspapers, organization, teens

As some of you are aware, since graduating I have been applying solely to papers in Florida. The Sunshine State provides both an excellent climate and market for a budding journalist and has great opporutunities for my girlfriend's career as well -- music education.

It also, however, has a very competitive job marketplace. I just got off the phone with the state's "#1 ranked weekly," the High Springs Herald. Unfortunately, this is about the 20th job in the past two months that I have not been hired for.

Mr. Ronald Dupont, Jr., who has previously worked with the New York Times and other large papers, had some very interesting things to say. I bought all of them and I would like to share them with you.

The first thing I asked after hearing they had gone with somebody else is, of course, "why?" And he replied to me with wisdom beyond what I have heard from all others.

"Well, Matt, one of the things that stuck out to me was that you provided some color clips, which was rare for the applicants," he said, referring to the 70 applications he received from all over the country.

But what he didn't like was how I presented those clips and how many I sent. In his long job description posted to JournalismJobs.com, he insisted that applicants send at least 10 clips, but that he preferred 20. This is highly unusual, and is certainly the first time I have heard of an editor requesting so many. What he told me, though, was that all editors want that many, but they just don't know it.

Who knows where the idea of sending only five or 10 clips came from, but that idea is wrong. I know this now, after talking with Mr. Dupont. And, even though some of you may have received jobs or internships with that many, I would still argue that a different approach will result in more bites. Especially when you are competing with 70 applicants that have as much as 30 years experience.

He said, "now, Matt I noticed you have just sort of paper-clipped these together, and that certainly did not stick out."

Why, on earth, would someone paper-clip a cover letter, resume and 10 clips together? Do they really think this is what an editor wants to do is fumble through 13 pages of clips for each of the 70 applications they receive? No!

If it's not in a three ring binder, it nearly gets thrown away from the start. And with the use of a three ring binder, you can use sections that divide all of your clips into features, news, columns, etc. The editor can just kick back in his chair, put his feet up and read YOU Magazine. Only interested in features? Well just tab over my friend. You don't have to read every headline to find one, you just read one tab.

And now back to the five clip rule. Job description says only send five clips? Send 20! Or 50! Or as many good examples of your work that you can find. There is absolutely no reason to listen to an editor that says only send five clips. This is not failing to meet an expectation, this is exceeding it.

Why would an editor be displeased with 20 well-organized and presented clips? It's not like they will have to hunt for what they want. If they want an example of a community feature, they just tab over and read a couple of features. No matter what type of clip they want, they can get it instantaneously. TRY doing that with five clips paper-clipped together!

With 30 clips all the work you have done is represented. The editor will not be overwhelmed, they will be pleased. They will think they made a mistake in only requesting five clips. You will have changed their mind.

So, from now on, I am sending a spiral bound book with a table of contents, tabs, a few color clips, and at least 20 clips that represent all the flavors of writing I have done. I am going to send it to the editors that only request five clips, and they are going to set mine aside to read after they have been through all the "others" who just send a simple envelope with loose sheets of paper inside.

Sure, I'll spend $5 to $10 more per application, but that's not as bad as the more than $100 I have already wasted.

Mr. Dupont shared multiple stories with me of times when he walked into offices where 50 applications had been stacked and his was on top. He also told me of a presentation given by a Miami Herald editor who gave everyone in the presentation an applicant's envelope. He told them to tear them open, and then toss aside any with less than a half-page cover letter or 10 clips. At the end there was only one left.

Talk about separating yourself from the rest of the pack.

I'll keep you posted on the results of this new tactic.

Labels: applications, applying, career_advise, clips, editors, job hunt, job postings, job search, job_posting, newspapers, portfolio, resumes

This could be an interesting story to follow:

Best way to put controversy to bed

"... editor Cortney Carpenter and at least two fellow staffers quit rather than follow Yoder's order to follow -- and publish -- the [school's new prior review policy] edict."

I have to congratulate Carpenter and her staff for hanging onto their integrity. Keep it up, guys. This will ultimately pay off.

Read this New York Times story, titled All the World's a Story, and start the debate in our "Comments" field below.

Is journalism, reporting and news organizations better off as a free agency model? No real newsroom, no full-time reporters, instead you outsource the story. A free agent reporter is picked up for an assignment pitched by readers, who contribute the initial facts and lead maybe. They're calling it "Wiki-journalism."

I dunno man. What do you think of the pro's and con's?

Labels: journalism, media, multimedia, news, newspapers, online, organization, story_planning

If you haven't seen it, check out SPJ's Generation J portion of their Web site. It's a fairly new creation, but they already have a lot of really good content on there.
Go spend a few minutes looking around, and you're bound to find a story that'll be helpful, like the "Wish I'd known then..." by Christine Tatum, sharing career life lessons with rookies, or
"Reading, Writing & Reality: Will Your Next Job be Online?"

We're finally getting soundslides down here at my mid-sized paper. If you don't have it, you most likely will within six months: It's cheap and handy.

Since we're getting it, I figured this was a good time to put a bit of a public service message out there to anyone going into newspapers: You'll likely be using this product, so spend a few minutes to use it correctly.

I've been looking at soundslides presentations since The State News at MSU started doing their own groundbreaking, home-grown versions, and one thing has disturbed me a ton: Most papers leave captions turned off. For example: This or this. They're nice, but they lack default access to a layer of information that would be easy to provide.

I had always thought that this was a flaw of the soundslides software until I saw this. In the first two (and most other examples available), captions are hidden behind a button, if they're available at all. In the third, captions are automatically turned on.

Now I know that we have a choice (which, incidentally, is what convinced us to finally purchase the product).

We can try to be TV stations (we'll fail), or we can be the next step in what was formerly known as print media, with a blend of images, sounds, text to provide information and links to even more information. Newspapers' strength has always been their ability to provide exactly as much context as a reader wants, whether he or she is browsing the headlines or reading a 48-inch story all the way through, complete with breakout boxes. Now it's up to us in the next generation to keep that context available instead of letting it wither.

Do you think we're up to the task?

Labels: career_advise, college_media, education, flash, journalism, maestro, media, multimedia, news, newspapers, online, story_planning, student_press, video

Actually, you'll look like a goober if you DON'T read this.

PEJ's 2007 State of the Media report

Labels: interviewing, journalism, multimedia

It's important to have your references lined up long before you need them. Here's a quick look at how one person suggests doing it.

http://www.wikihow.com/Ask-Your-Professor-for-a-Letter-of-Recommendation-Via-Email

Labels: career_advise, education, resumes

Planning on coming to the 2007 Great Lakes Journalism Job and Internship Fair?

Of course you are. So re-mark your calendars, because there are changes afoot...

Actually, nothing terribly serious. But you should know that the date of the fair has changed, from November 10 to November 17, 2007.

Got that? NOVEMBER 17. Bigger and better than ever. Be there.

Bookmark/RSS/make us your homepage/do whatever you need to do to keep checking back for updates and tidbits between now and the fair.

Start preparing those packets of clips now. You know you want to.

No, you don't. It's far too early to start making those! Who knows what neat things you'll write between now and November?

One of the great things about covering college sports at your student paper is that, after doing it for a few months, you can jump into design. I'm talking feet-first, big-decision, "how do you like my section front" design -- much faster than most news-side folks do it, based on what I've seen at several small papers.

That said, I know a good half-dozen sports folks who should definitely explore this:

http://www.snd.org/jobs/jobs.lasso?ID=39707

Hopefully another half-dozen qualified applicants, whom I don't know, are reading this as well. Click the link. It might even help you set up your March Madness bracket.

Read this very good story on Poynter.org about a bill moving through Washington's state legislature that would make students responsible for content in school-sponsored student publications in high schools and colleges.

Here's the gist: "The bill would make newspaper advisers responsible for teaching journalism, style and grammar, but even they would not be responsible for content. Nor could they be disciplined or fired for something that appeared in print. If problems arise, or if the journalism adviser lacks the training to help student editors make appropriate decisions, the principal could still exercise prior review -- just not censorship, Washington Rep. Dave Upthegrove, who sponsored the bill, said in a phone interview."

College papers aren't facing this pressure much -- yet. It's primarily high schools. But this is an incredibly progressive, and important, move in Washington that's gaining lots of support.

I remember in my high school newspaper class, our teacher/adviser never had to censor our work, she'd just often repeat "Be sure this can get across the principal's desk at the end of the month." As a total ignoramus about the importance of journalism, I just wrote fluff and didn't think twice, like all the other writers. Imagine what I could have learned if my teacher could focus on educating us about the importance of an aggressive, inquisitive student paper.

Please read this whole thing, and even check out the feedback comments at the end. Maybe you can add your own memories of a high school newspaper situation.

Labels: ethics, journalism, law, student_press

This is by far, the coolest job post I have ever seen. It looks as though the position is a little out of an entry-level job seeker's league, but it's exciting for anyone interested in the multimedia industry to know how much newsrooms are investing in these positions.

Click here and turn on your sound.

By the way, if you are a print reporter, you can easily become a self-proclaimed multimedia journalist. Utilize your school equipment that is available for rent, shoot some photos, video, or audio, and find a computer equipped with multimedia software and play around. If you need a little guidance what software to use with certain types of media, email me. I'm not sure if BGSU has an available multimedia lab, but if it doesn't, I can suggest some tried and true freeware to download to your own computers.

Beware, though. Once you start playing around with posting multimedia, it's hard to stop.

Labels: east_coast, flash, job_posting, journalism, multimedia, video, virginia

For better or for worse, most of our readers live in relative proximity to Cleveland. I urge you to check this event out:

In Their Words: Teens as Media Consumers and Predictors

It's also on the calendar at right.

You'll want the information this event provides. You might not want it now, but you'll want it when you're trying to argue with veteran newspaper reporters about why they need to adapt. You'll want it when you're interviewing for a job. You'll want it when you're trying to convince your editor to send you on that cool assignment. This stuff comes in handy.

Labels: cleveland, conference, journalism, media, spj, teens

We talk a lot about looking for internships at newspapers, but for students who are interested in other types of journalism there are plenty of options out there. You just have to know where to look.

Here is the job board for Magazine Publishers of America. If you spend some time searching through the sections, you'll see most of the postings there are for intern positions this summer. Some may have expired, but others you can still pursue.

If you think you're interested in magazines or online publications, don't let the traditional internship boards hold you back. Seek out those publications and ask them directly about summer internships. Or find big magazine ownership chains, like Crain's Communications, and look at their Web sites. Contact these people and ask if you can work for them this summer. Few people are hunting down these hidden opportunities. If you just make the effort, it may be rewarded.

http://pixelpharmacy.com/2002/

The largest newspaper company in America (90+) will place 30 graduating seniors in internships this summer, specifically tailored to train for the company's multi-platform "Information Center" work environment.

Gannett wants young talent that can step in and adjust to the new demands they've made of their newsrooms: Reporting for online first, trained in video/multimedia, and drawing readers in to participate in the reporting process. And so these 30 interns will be placed at specific, progressive newspapers for the summer, and guaranteed a position with the company at the end of the summer.

It doesn't say what intern positions would be included, but from the language I'd guess it favors reporting. Ad sales interns are also mentioned.

It also says none of the pre-existing intern programs will be killed because of this company-wide program. I'll refrain from commenting on that, since I work for a Gannett paper. But I can say that individual papers ultimately decide if they want to set aside money for an intern each summer or not.

I think this shows you what big-time Gannett is looking for in their next generation of journalists. Are your professors preparing you for these skills? If not, demand they do. And in the meantime, teach yourselves, seek out veterans to learn from, and experiment like hell at your college paper.

See details for the Gannett program here, and see the list of papers and tv stations that students would likely be sent to here. I work at one of those papers, in Lafayette, La. BG News alum Bridget Tharp works at another, in Rockford, Ill.

So you're on your first multimedia reporting gig. You've got your story, several videos of your impassioned interview subjects, three PDFs of competing neighborhood planning reports, a map of the affected area ... and absolutely no clue how to make sense of them all.

If you play your digital cards right, you can keep your readers from feeling equally confused. Check out these tips: http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/070210ruel/

As the OJR article demonstrates, it's not enough to have multimedia anymore: Writers, photographers, designers, editors and yes, even programmers need to work together in planning and organizing how a story will be told. If this sounds familiar, it's because it's essentially the gist of the Maestro process that became popular a few years back. Examples in your portfolio of this type of collaboration are likely to be the difference between getting your desired job and a facing a long search for employment.

Side note: The article makes note of Eyetrack III near the bottom. Some information on that rather cool study can be found here: http://www.poynterextra.org/eyetrack2004/main.htm

Labels: flash, maestro, media, news, online, organization, story_planning

Wanna explore on the other side of the world this summer, earn journalism credit, pad your resume and get experience with hot new multimedia skills?

Check this out, a program through the Temple University School of Communications that any college student nationwide can take part in. You'd spend four weeks in Italy or Northern Ireland with other journalism students, building a Webzine for small communities that don't get much journalistic coverage.

Click the link above to learn more. There's no defined application deadline, they accept until the openings for this summer are full. You probably should hurry though.

For photographers and page designers, there are quite a few Web sites on the Internet where you can build your own online portfolio.

Doing this will help your internship hunt tremendously. It's a low-cost way to organize and present your work. When you get an editor's attention, they can quickly see your work online instead of waiting for the mail, and losing focus of you in the meantime.

It's also an easy way to show off your work to family and friends who don't get to regularly see the print versions.

The most popular page design site is News Page Designer, this is where all the professional designers have their portfolios.
One very nice up-and-comer is College Front Page. There both photographers and designers can build their own CFP Personals Page, which shows off your work in a very nice revolving slideshow, complete with detailed captions you can type explaining your thoughts for each piece.
CFP Personals also is a bit more fun, it's sort of like the Facebook of journalism portfolio sites.
Photobucket is one of the more popular free sites for amateur photographers.

Regardless of where you build an online portfolio, you'll need to make your pages into much smaller jpg or pdf images. News Page Designer has a tip sheet on how to do this.

Labels: applications, applying, career_advise, clips, college_media, editors, flash, internships, job hunt, media, multimedia, newspapers, online, portfolio, resumes, skills, snd

For most student journalists, the dreamy goal that drew us into this major was writing or broadcasting for some big, extravagant city newspaper or television station. But at the end of 2006, those were the media outlets going through more financial pains than any other in the U.S.

And so it makes a late January piece by the Poynter Institute, titled "Tighter Budgets Slashing Internships," all the more logical. Big metro papers especially are reporting cuts to their internship programs for 2007, unlike any in recent memory. Metro tv news stations aren't making the same slashes, primarily because broadcast journalism students have been willing to work unpaid internships for much longer than print students have (click the title link above to read the complete story, in all its grueling, interesting detail).

We could debate why it's foolish for these papers to cut intern slots -- they're basically failing to train us youngsters properly, and we're the people who may feasibly bring new ideas that could save their sorry butts. But let's focus on what we can control: Pursuing the internships that are available, and learning how to separate ourselves from the pack, in an ever-growing crowd of competition.

Since the mid-1990's, the number of students who've majored in journalism nationwide has increased every single year, through today in 2006-07. That's odd don't ya think? It directly contrasts the dwindling job openings, as this profession goes through a big transition. Most of these students come in dreaming of being the next Anderson Cooper, but will later embrace a public relations opening, or non-profit work (both growing job sectors). But right now, a majority are in the same competitive internship race that you may be in.

So how do you stand out? By starting earlier in college, and realizing the big prize won't be handed to you. Those small community dailies and weeklies are a great place for a freshman or sophomore to work at during the summer. Develop a strategy where you target the papers around your home, or in the cities where relatives live (those you could stand to crash with for the summer, anyways). The days of a sophomore or junior being accepted at a big metro paper after one, or zero previous internships will be gone soon. You will be at a great disadvantage if you wait until junior year to get serious about internships.

Also, print students who do start early should realize a lot of these small papers may not be able to pay much, if at all. That's ok, work there anyways. Broadcast students have been working unpaid for more than a decade. Nobody likes this, even some editors in the Poynter article say hell will freeze over before they don't pay an intern. But it's the reality of working your way up in life.

The Poynter article also says that online and multimedia skills are considered gold by the editors when they choose an intern. That's not really a news flash. Our generation is supposed to be the pioneers of these "new media" efforts. If your journalism program isn't aggressively trying to train you in online, multimedia and convergence efforts, then they are stealing your money. Stand up and demand this training, and go work at the student newspaper and try to figure it out yourself in the meantime while the professors get their acts together.

This week, the beginning of February, is the hottest time for internship application deadlines. If you read this article and feel like you need to get your act together, there's still time. Go to a veteran editor at the student newspaper, or a professor you trust, for advice on how to develop an internship hunting strategy immediately.
Or feel free to e-mail me at bobmoser333@yahoo.com. I'm eager to stay up late into the night to help you polish a resume, craft a killer cover letter, and blow your competition out of the water.

-- Bob Moser
Business Reporter, The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, La.)
Bowling Green State University journalism grad, May 2006

Labels: college_media, internships, job hunt, resumes, skills, young journalists

New calendar item added to the side-rail: March 31 is the application deadline for the Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute. It looks like a pretty cool event, with about three weeks of class and internship work. College credit is available.

Down here in Louisiana where I work for a newspaper, a hot topic in journalism circles has been the censorship of Grambling State University's student newspaper, The Gramblinite.
Read this SPLC writeup on what happened, or this blog by SPJ President Christine Tatum defending the student paper.

It's an interesting debate to get into: Does a university have a right to reach into a student newsroom and impose prior review, if that student staff makes so many mistakes that they risk being sued?
The short and simple answer is: No. We can get into all the reasons why it's unethical, in conflict with the First Amendment, and often goes against promises of editorial independence most student newspapers are given by their universities -- often in writing.

None of that matters when a university administrator is hell-bent on "fixing" a student media outlet on campus. The Gramblinite's editor-in-chief has said the GSU provost attacked their newspaper after it had printed unfavorable stories of the administration this year.

Instead, what can we as student journalists do to put protection for our newspapers into law? We can organize with our professional journalist peers, and lobby state legislators for protection. It is in the works for student journalists in California (read here), and in Washington (read here).

This may be a project the student SPJ chapters around Ohio, and student newspapers in the state, might want to rally together on. Take the initiative to contact one another. Even if there aren't any problems for Ohio student newspapers right now, this wouldn't be a bad project to take up. Professionals are pushing for shield laws in every state, regardless of how much censorship has happened there in the past.

After seeing the latest development in the Zach Fox saga unfold, I have to wonder how this will affect Fox's career. I'm sure he meant to stir things up, but probably not to the point of getting negative national attention. It brings a few questions:

-How revolutionary can college journalists be if they're worried about their future careers?

-Does this scare true revolutionaries away from even trying for journalism and journalism-related degrees?

-Am I reading too much into this? Most likely. I'm guessing most college writers and editors don't really worry about this type of thing.

Finally, would this specific event have happened if the USC paper was financially independent? I must admit, I was a bit surprised to see a school-dependent student paper in a media market as large as the one surrounding USC. Even Toledo's student paper has taken a decent stab at going it alone financially; why not USC's?

Labels: campus, college_media, financially_independent, fox, newspapers, student_press, usc

I've been on a calendar update binge, inputting events that other people have mailed to us (and also going out and grabbing a few on my own). The results are in the updated list at right.

Incidentally, it's one of the non-updated items that has me most excited. I'd meant to blog earlier about the great attraction of having APME and SND slated for a giant group hug in Las Vegas come 2008. I procrastinated on the blog entry for way too long, but the event has been sitting in the back of my mind like a song by the Supremes.

This event will literally be one of the places where the future of newspapers is really decided. While academics love to debate journalistic ideals (as they should), it's the actual managing editors (APME) and designers (SND) who determine whether those ideals get put into action, and whether anyone with a short attention span reads them, respectively.

Which brings me to my final bit of this entry: The Two Pleas.

Plea 1 - Find a way to go to this event (it's waaaay down there at the bottom of the calendar). Since most readers of this blog aren't AP managing editors, that probably means joining SND.

Plea 2 - Submit newspaper advertising industry events! We've got a wonderful slate of calendar items for the newsroom side of things, thanks to reader submissions, but newspapers survive on a symbiotic blend of ads and articles. So get to it!

That's all for today from down here.

Labels: advertising, apme, calendar, snd

This article offers plenty of useful links for any college journalist. Check it out for scholarship ideas, a jobs database and info about some of the best orgs for young journos.

Click on it:

Poynter's Guide to College Journalism Sites

To all our 2006 recruiters and recruits: Congratulations. You made this year's event a tremendous success. Now, it's time for a breather.

There is more in store, however. We've already started planning for next year's Great Lakes Journalism Job & Internship Fair, which will be Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007 at BGSU. We're working to make sure it's even better than the 2006 fair. Any questions about next year's event can be directed to our bgsuspj@gmail.com group e-mail address.

We're also looking outside of our own event's sphere to make this site a tool for growing journalists. Over the next several months, we'll work to include features like a calendar of other industry events, more tip sheets for job seekers, links to innovative presentation and story ideas — information you can use. Want to write an article on journalism? Send the article (or a link) to us at bgsuspj@gmail.com. We might link to your blog, or you might even end up reading it here at some point in the next few months. Don't be shy.

We look forward to hearing from you.

***

If you are reading this post, it may mean you've come across this Web site after hearing of the Great Lakes Journalism Job & Internship Fair.
Going into this month, we had two deadlines for student registration, the first on Oct. 1, and a second one set potentially for Nov. 1.
However, we never expected to get such an incredible response from student applicants for the Oct. 1 deadline.
Because of this amazing turnout, registration for the fair has closed, following Oct. 1.
We are sorry for any confusion this has caused. We are also sorry we had to retract our second deadline of Nov. 1. We have done this for the good of the fair overall.
Any students that waited to register till the very last minute, if your envelope was not postmarked by Sept. 30 (Sat.), then you will be considered past deadline, and won't be registered. For the few students that fall into that category, we will Void your $10 check, and notify you of this.

We don't want to leave latecomers completely in the cold, however: With that in mind, we want to direct you to the ASNE job fair directory and the JournalismJobs.com event listing. These listings include events at which you can put to good use all those hours you spent on resume and clips. We strongly encourage you to sign up for them.

Back to GLJJIF stuff now.

More than 150 students have signed up for the fair by our Oct. 1 deadline. With 40 editors/recruiters scheduled to represent more than 90 publications overall, our Job Fair Team will spend the next month working diligently to prepare an infrastructure that will give all of these registered students a great experience at the fair.
That means we'll be adding more employers, and we'll also be developing "advice sessions" that will run all day in classrooms next to the fair space. These sessions will be run by print journalism veterans, and will cover a variety of topics, including:
-- How to write the perfect cover letter to use as a follow-up during the week after our fair.
-- How to gameplan a successful journalism career, and recognize all the options available to you following that first reporter, copy editor or photography job.
-- How student editors can carry the momentum of this fair back to their student newsrooms, building unity amongst their staff through progressive managerial tactics.

For students who have signed up, Nov. 10 is going to be a great day. Stay tuned for e-mails in the month to come with tips on how to succeed at the fair.
For those who missed our Oct. 1 deadline, we are sorry we had to cut you off. While we understand how you may feel, we feel that our prime responsibility is to the 150 students who signed up early. They have shown so much initiative early in the school year that it would be truly sinful to give them anything but 100% of our attention. With that in mind, we respectfully ask that you go elsewhere, and wish you luck.
Thank you to every student who took the time to perfect their resume last week, and make our student recruitment efforts a wild success!

- Bob Moser, and the journalismfair.org team


------------------------------------------------

Clarification: We have had some questions about "open times." Due to the number of resumes received, students who have missed the resume book postmark or e-mail deadline will now not be allowed on the recruiting floor at all. While they may still drive to BGSU and pay to see the side-room presentations, they will be unable to access the main room, as recruiters are already booked solid. Please respect our fair's recruiters and the more than 150 pre-registered students by going to a different event. Try seeing Detroit's Spirit of Diversity fair for another incredible option. Hurry, though; their registration deadline is October 13, and they're filling up fast!

- Patrick

By JOE GRIMM
Detroit Free Press
Recruiting and development editor
(You can get more advice like this - better, even - on the JobsPage at
www.freep.com/legacy/jobspage.)
Someone once asked for 10 do's and 10 do-not's for people who attend
job fairs. I don't know why there need to be 10 of each. Moses did
nicely with 10 commandments that covered both angles. But then, he had
help.
So, here we go:
10 DO's
1. Interview with everyone you can, even if they work for some tiny
paper you never heard of in a city with a name ending in -ville that
you think is at the edge of the Earth. Pass up a table with an
unoccupied recruiter, and you could be passing up a good mentor, the
piece of advice you need to get started or a great first job.
2. Use the down time. Meals, receptions, workshops and unscheduled
breaks at a job fair can be as productive as the interviews
themselves. Be available. Introduce yourself. Buttonhole the people
you want to meet.
3. Prepare for your interviews. Even if it means cruising by the
recruiter's table and scamming a piece of the literature to read
before you sit down. Try not to sit down without an idea in your head.
4. Sell yourself in the interviews. In addition to fielding questions,
be prepared to make a couple of pitches for yourself. What is it that
they must know about you? Put it across.
5. Have a good question for every interview. It can be the same
question all day long, if you want to compare papers. It could be
something specific to the paper. The best questions are keyed to
recent events at the paper and their impact. Good personal questions
might have to do with your interests in work, training or the newsroom
culture.
6. Stay fresh. Job fairs can be grueling with one interview after
another. They are especially grueling on people who party the night
before. Even for the rested, the room can get stale and the interviews
monotonous. If you start to flag, get some caffeine going or take a
walk around the block to revive your spirits.
7. Leave every recruiter with something. An impression, a good package
of clips, a personalized letter, a strong résumé and a promise to
follow up all help you stick in their mind.
8. Take something away from every interview. Ask questions that will
turn up the nugget of information or advice that each recruiter has
for you. Dig until you find it. Be active.
9. Write thank-you notes. Most people at the job fair won't. Cite
something specific from your interview: "I'm taking your advice about
my clips on the dog show and weeding them down to just one." This will
help make you memorable -- and show that you can take good editing.
10. Do some follow up. After the job fair, try to get in to see the
paper, apply for an opening or find out more about it. People who are
successful at using job fairs do half their work after it's over.
Treat the job fair interview as a first contact, not the last.
10 DO-NOT's
1. Clicking your teeth with your tongue stud will set you back with
some recruiters. Clicking your teeth with your navel ring is almost
always bad.
2. If you run out of copies of your résumé, do not write it on a
cocktail napkin. The one-page rule will still apply.
3. Do not pass your résumé under the partition to the recruiter in the
next stall.
4. Do not ask questions that are answered in the name of the paper.
Wrong question for the Boston Globe: "Where are you located?" Wrong
question for the Daily Herald: "So, like, how often do you publish?"
5. Do not let mild adversity get in your way. If you are in your room,
your hair dryer sets your clips on fire and you fall off the balcony
and into the hotel pool to escape the flames, go to the job fair,
anyway. Editors like tenacity.
6. Yawning, belching and wax removal are better left for
between-interview times.
7. If your clips are full of typos, do not present them by pointing
out the typos for the editor and explaining whose fault they are. Just
smile and hope that the editor doesn't read clips.
8. When the editor asks, "Could you write a four-page autobiography to
go with your application?" do not ask, "Should it be about anybody in
particular?"
9. Do not leave gum, banana peels or false teeth (your own or anyone
else's) on the recruiter's table. It is untidy.
10. Do not cry at the job fair. There is no crying in journalism.

Students or professionals who'll come to the Great Lakes Journalism Job & Internship Fair should get their application -- and resume -- to us by Oct. 1. If you do that, you'll be in the resume booklet well before the fair, which employers use to choose their favorite candidates. Those favorites will get priority scheduling with employers who like them.

We know that revamping your resume can seem like a pain. But by following the advice of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, you'll be able to build the perfect journalism resume in as little as one night.

To the right of this post, under the "Links" section of this blog, click on "Good Tips/Examples for your Resume."

There you'll find a great, detailed list of "Do's" and "Don'ts" for your journalism resume, and even a few different examples you can model your own resume after.

Some of the key tips include:
-- Resumes are a key part of your presentation, but editors often give them less than one minute of attention. So keep the style clean and simple. Easy to read, and easy to absorb the information about you.
-- Going right along with that, you should probably keep it to one page. Very few of us students have enough work experience in the field to warrant a second page. If you see yourself spilling onto Page 2, you should look back at your descriptions under each section, and see if you can eliminate unnecessary words. Be brief, clear, and highlight the UNIQUE things you've done. Don't list the general management duties when you were a college paper's City News Editor, because most recruiter's will know what the average City News Editor was responsible for, anyways.

So click on the "Resume Tips" link to the right, or go to http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/resumes.asp

Don't put that resume off any longer, get it done, get it in, and we'll see you at the fair on Nov. 10!

-- Bob Moser, job fair coordinator

In early 2005, five Bowling Green State University students got in a car at 5 a.m. and drove to Muncie, Indiana for a job fair at Ball State.

Now seven BGSU students are asking you to get in a car with your friends (maybe even earlier than 5 a.m., depending on where you live) and come to Bowling Green, Ohio. Hopefully you'll have as much fun as we did.

Road trips are an excellent tool for creating a strong team atmosphere at your student publication. Getting a dozen people in a couple vehicles to attend a job fair will not only result in some great career-building moves with professional newspapers -- it can literally influence the quality of your own paper almost immediately. Newsrooms where people are comfortable communicating are newsrooms that function well, and one of the fastest ways to create that comfort is in a moving vehicle.

To facilitate road trips, we've done a couple things. We've set up a discount program with a local hotel, and we've created a facebook event so that student journalists can virally spread the message about this opportunity.

To contact nearby editors directly, you can look up local papers in a variety of locations. None of them are complete, but here are some good starts:

Indiana State Library listing A bit brief
Campusfundraiser.com's listing More detail
The USNPL list Pretty similar
US! - We have a pretty decent list of contacts. Just ask.

If you're interested in inviting your own student team to the event, via facebook or through other methods, you may e-mail us at bgsuspj@gmail.com. We'll do our best to make your road trip a success. Ours certainly was.

Here's the first of our "war stories," a set of tip sessions from employers and job seekers.

This one comes from a manager at a mid-sized suburban chain somewhere in the Midwest.

Don't let this happen to you.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

EVERYONE HAS WAR STORIES to tell with regard to resumes and the interview process, and I believe I will tell this story for a long time. After weeks of interviewing for a supervisory position, we decided to hire from outside the firm. During the second and third interview, we had informed the candidates that we were interviewing individuals who wanted to be considered for a promotion, as well as individuals who had applied outside the company.

In making the offer, we told the “new hire” that if she/he did not feel comfortable accepting our offer, that we would then probably offer the position to an “inside” candidate. The next morning we received a telephone call from the candidate, accepting our offer. We replied, telling her/him that we would now contact the other candidates and inform them of our decision.

Obviously, this “new hire” was very excited about the job offer ... At lunch time she saw the daughter of an employee and announced, “Hey, guess what, I’m going to be the new manager at XYZ Company.”  A new hire should allow the company to make announcements of this nature. As it turns out, the mother had also applied for the position and now was hearing the news through her daughter and NOT from the company of her employ.

This story gets even better ... or worse. XYZ Company called the “new hire” and asked if she had announced her new job to the daughter of the employee. She/he admitted that she/he had and responded that the firm had not told her/him to remain silent until an official announcement was made. The interviewer said “we probably need to meet and discuss this situation.”  A time and off-site location was decided and agreed.

Prior to the session, the two involved managers met and discussed how they would proceed under the circumstance. Consensus was reached that this person’s announcement suggested a learning process in selective constraint was needed, but that her/his enthusiasm outweighed her/his lack of control with regard to announcement timing.

“The applicant will approach us, very apologetic, suggesting that her/his excitement got the better of her/him and that she/he was a bit reckless ... And that we could be assured that she/he would exercise greater constraint in the future.”  Obviously, the two managers felt strongly enough with regard to this candidate’s knowledge, experience, etc. that this situation could be overlooked. They both were ready to move forward with this “new hire.”

To the shock of both managers, the “new hire” abruptly sat down at the table and quickly said ... “I just want the two of you to know that I had every right to tell anyone and everyone of your offer and that I have contacted my attorney and he said that I should fight the issue and force you to reconsider before revoking the offer.”

It was very clear to both managers that she/he fully understood she/he was in the wrong ... but she/he was more interested in “forcing” the issue and made an assumption that the two managers were planning on revoking the job offer. The candidate’s assumption left no room for further debate, and the managers obliged the candidate.

A number of lessons should be learned with this occurrence:
1)      Allow the company to announce your hire.
2)      Do not include employees and/or relatives/friends into your “circle of trust” because word travels at a high rate of speed.
3)      Do not rush to an attorney before knowing the FULL story.
4)      Never assume you know what others are thinking.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Have a story for our War Stories department? E-mail bgsuspj@gmail.com with subject line "War Stories"

For those coming into town from far away who'd like a hotel room, we encourage you to take advantage of a discount room block that has been set up for fair attendees with Bowling Green's Best Western Falcon Plaza.
Since the fair starts promptly at 10 a.m. Friday morning, you may want to come into town Thursday night. Also, many students may want to stay Friday night as well, and enjoy Bowling Green's student nightlife downtown on Main Street.
The Plaza offers van service to and from the fair site on BGSU's campus, an exercise room and hot tub, free newspaper each morning, continental breakfast, business center with photocopy services, high-speed wireless Internet access, and discounted rooms: Simply mention "Great Lakes Journalism Fair" and use group code 101153 when making your reservation before Oct. 20, and get a room for the discounted rate of $75.
Call:(419) 352-4671, or visit their Web site at http://www.bgbestwestern.com/ to learn more.

For both employers and students attending the Great Lakes Journalism Job & Internship Fair on Friday, Nov. 10, you'll get to park right up next to the building where the fair is being held.
On the campus of Bowling Green State University, the fair will be held in Olscamp Hall. Visitors will want to park in Parking Lot N, which can be seen on a map with this url:
http://www.bgsu.edu/map/section5.html

More driving directions will be sent to employers and students via e-mail as the fair date draws closer.

A few people have expressed curiosity about which Pulitzer-winning papers are attending. Here are all the ones signed up from Ohio, along with The Indianapolis Star, and Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, and Detroit Free Press, courtesy of www.pulitzer.org. There you can search through all the years of Pulitzer Prize award winners, and can focus on Ohio, Indiana or Michigan by putting the state's name in the Search field. It appears that all of the currently-publishing Pulitzer winners in Ohio have signed up (minus The Plain Dealer).

Detroit Free Press (Gannett), winner of eight pulitzers since 1932. The latest, in 1990 (feature photography, for photographs of the political uprisings in China and Eastern Europe)

The Indianapolis Star (Gannett), 1975 (local investigative reporting on police corruption), 1991 (investigative reporting on medical malpractice in the state)

Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (Ogden), 1983 (spot news reporting for their coverage of a devastating flood in March 1982)

Akron Beacon Journal (Black), 1971 (spot news reporting for coverage of Kent State shooting on May 4, 1970), 1954 (if you count a freelance photo they were first to publish), and 1994 (gold medal for Public Service, for a yearlong examination of race relations in Akron)

Xenia Daily Gazette (Brown), 1975 (spot news reporting for coverage, under incredible difficulty, of a tornado that tore up the town in April 1974)

Dayton Daily News (Cox), 1981 (editorial cartooning)

Toledo Blade (Block), 2004 (investigative reporting of Tiger Force atrocities during the Vietnam War), 1992 (feature photography)

In addition, the now-defunct Canton Daily News received an award in 1927 for "its brave, patriotic and effective fight for the ending of a vicious state of affairs brought about by collusion between city authorities and the criminal element, a fight which had a tragic result in the assassination of the editor of the paper, Mr. Don R. Mellett.

(Not to be confused with ask the recruiter)

Here's the most up-to-date (as of summer 2006) list of employers whose registrations have been processed for the inaugural GLJJIF event, coming fall 2006. Read it fully: Some singularly listed employers are actually groups of publications that could include a paper you've been looking to contact. If you're an employer who has been left out of this list, please e-mail us at bgsuspj@gmail.com. Thanks to Bob for typing this up. Here's the list, in alphabetical order:


-- DAILY NEWSPAPERS --

The Advertiser-Tribune
Tiffin, Ohio
Circulation: 11,600 daily, 12,600 Sunday
Ownership: Ogden Newspapers, Inc.
www.advertiser-tribune.com
Representative: Rob Weaver, editor
Interested in: Interns, full-time and part-time applicants for reporting, copy editing and design positions. The Advertiser-Tribune is a seven-day-a-week morning newspaper, unusual for a papers our size. We are part of a growing national chain, with properties from New York, to Florida and Hawaii. Management is eagerly embracing digital media.

Akron Beacon Journal
Akron, Ohio
Circulation: 138,000 daily
Ownership: Black Publications Ltd.
www.ohio.com
Representative: Bonnie Bolden, manager of recruiting and development
Interested in: Interns for reporting, copy editing, design and photography positions. The Beacon Journal has won four Pulitzer Prizes, including the 1994 Gold Medal for Meritorious Public Service for their series, “A Question of Color,” a yearlong examination of race relations in Akron. They employ about 140 reporters, editors, photographers and artists.

The Arizona Republic
Phoenix, Ariz.
Circulation: 430,000 daily
Ownership: Gannett
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic
Representative: Bill Hill, deputy editor/administration
Interested in: Interns for the Pulliam Fellowship Program, which offers 26 fellowships each summer at the Indianapolis Star and Arizona Republic. Also will consider candidates for other Gannett newspapers.

The Blade
Toledo, Ohio
Circulation: 140,000 daily, 180,000 Sunday
Ownership: Block Communications, Inc.
www.toledoblade.com
Representative: Luann Sharp, assistant managing editor
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for reporting, copy editing, photography and Web positions. The Blade won the Pulitzer prize for investigative reporting in 2004, and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2000 and 2006.

The Boston Globe
Boston, Mass.
Circulation: 450,000 daily, 650,000 Sunday
www.boston.com
Representative: Dina Rudick, photographer
Interested in: Interns for reporting in Metro, sports, living/arts, business, and the Washington, D.C. bureau, as well as interns for photography, graphics and copy editing. Applicants must have had at least one prior internship at a daily newspaper.

Canton Repository
Canton, Ohio
Circulation: 65,000 daily, 85,000 Sunday
Ownership: Copley Newspapers
www.cantonrep.com
Representative: Rick Senfton, special projects editor
Interested in: Interns, full-time and part-time reporters, copy editors, designers and photography. Senfton will also be representing two other Copley Ohio papers: The (Massillon) Independent, and The (New Philadelphia) Times-Reporter.

The Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Ill.
Circulation: 957,212 Sunday average, 579,079 M-F average
Ownership: Tribune Company
www.chicagotribune.com
www.tribune.com
Representative: Sheila Solomon, senior editor for recruitment
Interested in: Looking for interns and full-time applicants in a variety of positions.

The Chronicle-Telegram
Elyria, Ohio
Circulation: 25,000 daily
Ownership: family owned
www.chroniclet.com
Representatives: Patti Ewald, managing editor; Matt Westerhold, assistant managing editor
Interested in: Full-time reporting, copy editing, photography and Web applicants. The Chronicle-Telegram is located about 25 miles west of Cleveland.

The Columbus Dispatch
Columbus, Ohio
Circulation: 256,000 daily, 370,000 Sunday
Ownership: Wolfe family
www.dispatch.com
Representatives: Carol Ann Lease, city editor; Rob Messinger, assistant city editor
Interested in: Reporting interns for a 12-week summer internship program. Interns are treated as full-time reporters, expected to turn around both daily and weekend stories. They are assigned a veteran reporter as a professional partner, and work closely with an assigned editor. The internship program also features weekly brown bag lunches led by veteran reporters and editors.

The Crescent News
Defiance, Ohio
Circulation: 18,000 daily, 19,000 Sunday
Ownership: Dix Communications
www.crescent-news.com
Representatives: Steve VanDemark, general manager; Dennis VanScoder, editor
Interested in: full-time applicants for reporting, photography and Web positions.

The Daily Herald
Arlington Heights, IL
Circulation: 155,000 daily
Ownership: Paddock Publications Inc. (private)
www.dailyherald.com
Representative: Patricia Palbicke, employment recruiter
Interested in: Interns for Spring and Summer 2007, in reporting, copy editing, photography, and ad sales. Full-time positions may be available.

Dayton Daily News
Dayton, Ohio
Circulation: 139,000 daily, 194,000 Sunday
Ownership: Cox Enterprises, Inc.
www.daytondailynews.com
Representatives: Ron Rollins, assistant managing editor of Features and Sports; Jana Collier, deputy managing editor
Interested in: Interns, part-time and full-time applicants for reporting, copy editing, design, photography, Web, advertising/sales and marketing positions.

Dayton Suburban Newspaper Group
Four daily newspapers and 14 weeklies from the Dayton area
Circulation: varies for individual papers
Ownership: Brown Publishing Co.
www.tcnewsnet.com
Representatives: Frank L. Beeson, group publisher; Terry Baver, managing editor
Interested in: Interns, full-time and part-time applicants for reporting, design, photography and advertising/sales positions. The Dayton Suburban Group daily newspapers include: Xenia Daily Gazette, Fairborn Daily Herald, Beavercreek News Current, Greene County Shopper.
The Times Community Newspapers’ weekly publications includes: Enon Messenger, Englewood Independent, Huber Heights Courier, New Carlisle Sun, Tipp City Herald, Vandalia Drummer News, West Milton Record, Beavercreek News Current EXTRA, Centerville-Bellbrook Times, Kettering-Oakwood Times, Springboro Sun, Times Weekend Edition, Wright-Patterson AFB Skywrighter, and Scoop.

The Delaware Gazette
Delaware, Ohio
Circulation: 9,000 daily
Ownership: Brown Publishing
www.delgazette.com
Representative: Jeff Robinson, editor
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for reporting, copy editing, design and Web positions. The Gazette is Delaware County’s only daily newspaper, covering Delaware, Sunbury and other cities and townships in Ohio’s fastest growing county.

Detroit Free Press
Detroit, Michigan
Circulation: 345,000 daily, 500,000 Sunday
Ownership: Gannett
www.freep.com
Representative: Joe Grimm, recruiting and development editor
Interested in: full-time or internship positions in reporting, copy editing, design and photography. The Free Press is the largest newspaper in Michigan, and one of the largest in the country. Among newspapers, the Free Press has one of the highest proportions of minority employees on its professional and management staff and is committed to continuous progress.

Erie Times-News
Erie, Penn.
Circulation: 62,000 daily, 85,000 Sunday
Ownership: Mead Family
www.GoErie.com
Representative: Liz Allen, administrative editor
Interested in: Interns for reporting, copy editing and design positions. Also may be hiring full-time reporters, and an online reporter position. We were selected as the Pennsylvania Newspaper of the Year in competition with all circulation sizes in 2003, and one of our feature reporters is a two-time winner of the Distinguished Writers' award presently annually by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Foundation. In recent years, our staff has also been honored for its investigative reporting, including a second-place award from in the National Headliners competition. Interns should be college juniors, with experience on a college newspaper or previous internship experience.

The Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Circulation: 70,000 daily
Ownership: Inskeep family
www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/
Representative: Ed Breen, asst. managing editor
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for reporting, page design (more info. to come soon)

The Lima News
Lima, Ohio
Circulation: 34,000 daily, 43,000 Sunday
Ownership: Freedom Communications, inc.
www.limaohio.com
Representative: Jim Krumel, editor
Interested in: Photography internships and full-time design and reporting positions.

Marion Chronicle-Tribune
Marion, Ind.
Circulation: 18,000 daily
Ownership: Gannett Inc.
www.chronicle-tribune.com
Representative: Tammy Pearson, managing editor
Interested in: Interns or full-time applicants for positions in reporting, copy editing, designing and photography.
The Chronicle-Tribune has a strong history in community journalism that it produces daily for its print and online editions.

Newspaper Network of Central Ohio (2 tables)
10 daily newspapers and two weeklies throughout Ohio
Circulation: varies for individual papers
Ownership: Gannett Co., Inc.
www.centralohio.com
Representatives: Didi Chamberlain, human resources manager; Shannon Waters, human resources; Ed Shur, managing editor; Len LaCara, managing editor
Interested in: Full-time and part-time applicants for a variety of editorial positions.
Newspapers represented include: The Newark Advocate, Chillicothe Gazette, Coshocton Tribune, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, The Marion Star, Mansfield News Journal, Port Clinton News Herald, Fremont News-Messenger, Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum, Zanesville Times Recorder, The Granville Sentinel and The Pataskala Standard.

The News-Sentinel
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Circulation: 30,000 daily
Ownership: Ogden Newspapers
www.news-sentinel.com
Representative: Linda Austin, executive editor
Interested in: Interns and full-time for reporting, copy editing, design and Web positions.

The New York Times
New York, NY
Circulation: 1,142,000 daily; 1,683,000 Sunday
Ownership: The New York Times Co.
www.nytimes.com
Representative: Nancy Sharkey, senior editor of recruiting
Interested in: Interns for reporting, copy editing, design, photography and Web positions. Also, full-time copy editor trainees with two to three years experience.

The Sandusky Register
Sandusky, Ohio
Circulation: 24,000 daily
Ownership: n/a
www.sanduskyregister.com
Representative: Brandon Wray, city editor
Interested in: Interns for a variety of positions, full-time applicants as well (more info. to come soon)

Springfield News-Sun
Springfield, Ohio
Circulation: 26,000 daily, and 30,000 Sunday
Ownership: Cox Newspapers
www.springfieldnewssun.com
Representative: Michelle Everhart, assistant city editor
Interested in: Interns or full-time applicants for positions in reporting, copy editing and photography.
The News-Sun emphasizes local news in Clark and Champaign counties.

The Review Times
Fostoria, Ohio
Circulation: 4,000 daily
Ownership: Findlay Publishing Co.
www.reviewtimes.com
Representative: Joel Sensenig, news editor
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants (potential openings) for reporting positions. The Review Times is a small 6-day newspaper that puts an emphasis on local news coverage.

The Vindicator
Youngstown, Ohio
Circulation: 60,000 daily, 90,000 Sunday
Ownership: Vindicator Printing Co.
www.vindy.com
Representative: Robert McFerren, editorial art director
Interested in: Interns for reporting, copy editing, design, photography, and Web design positions. The Vindicator serves the five-county area of Mahoning, Trumball and Columbiana counties in Ohio, and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania.



-- NON-DAILY NEWSPAPERS --

The Dispatch Publishing Company
Columbus, Ohio
Circulation: varies for publications
Ownership: Wolfe family
www.dispatch.com
www.columbusalive.com
www.thisweeknews.com
Representatives: Katy Thompson, recruitment specialist; Cortnee Mironik, advertising recruitment specialist
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for reporting, copy editing, photography, advertising/sales and marketing positions. Areas open to applicants include: The Columbus Dispatch’s news, sports and features editorial departments; The Dispatch’s advertising/sales and marketing departments; Alive! alternative weekly newspaper; and 22 ThisWeek community newspapers.

La Prensa
Toledo, Ohio
Circulation: 17,000 bilingual weekly distributed in Ohio and Mich.
Ownership: Culturas Publications, Inc.
www.laprensa1.com
Representative: Rico Neller, editor
Interested in: Interns, full-time and part-time applicants for reporting, copy editing, advertising/sales and marketing positions. Spanish-speaking skills a plus.

Ohio Newspaper Association
Columbus, Ohio
Circulation: n/a
www.ohionews.org
Representative: Frank Deaner, executive director
Interested in: interns for reporting, design, advertising/sales,
marketing, Web and public relations. The Ohio Newspaper Association is a trade association for 250 daily and weekly newspapers in Ohio.
Office includes a for-profit advertising subsidiary and a non-profit foundation.


Toledo Free Press
Toledo, Ohio
Circulation: 80,000 weekly
Ownership: Toledo Free Press, LLC
www.toledofreepress.com
Representatives: Michael Miller, editor-in-chief; Justin Kalmes, metro reporter
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for reporter, designer and advertising/sales positions.


-- MAGAZINES --

Cincinnati Magazine/Emmis Communications
Cincinnati, Ohio
Circulation: 37,000
Ownership: Emmis Communications
www.cincinnatimagazine.com
Representative: Linda Vaccariello, executive editor
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for reporting, copy editing, designing, Web, advertising/sales and marketing positions.

Crain Communications, Inc.
Detroit, MI
Circulation: varies per title
Ownership: Crain Communications, Inc.
www.crain.com
Representatives: Magdalena Szewczyk, HR specialist/recruiter; Lynn Anglebrandt, regional HR manager
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for positions as a reporter, copy editor, advertising/sales, marketing and web design. Crain Communications, Inc. provides news and information to business industry leaders and consumers with nearly 30 publications throughout the country.

Great Lakes Publishing Company
Cleveland, Ohio
Circulation: varies for each magazine
www.glpublishing.com
Representative: Shannon Gilfillan, manager of human resources
Interested in: Interns and full-time applicants for all positions. Great Lakes Publishing Company includes: Cincy Business, Cleveland Magazine, Custom Publishing, Feast, Home Decor, Inside Business, Interactive Media, Long Weekends, and Ohio Magazine.