Media Participation Project

Frederick News Post

Life has a funny way of providing us with affirmation as we strive to understand the complicated world around us. Originally I planned to visit the Frederick News Post facility on Tuesday, November 19. When it became clear that I would have to wait until Thursday to meet with Chief Editor, Terry Headlee, I brushed off the delay as just another routine event that “happens” in life. Call it fate, destiny, or just dumb luck, but going to the Frederick News Post on Thursday turned out more important than foreseen.

I arrived at 351 Ballenger Center Drive, Frederick MD (Frederick News Post headquarters) at 9:15 a.m.. I was fifteen minutes late because I locked my keys in the house, but fortunately Mr. Headlee was completely understanding and quite friendly about the matter.  Upon arrival I was whisked into the newsroom and then Mr. Headlee’s office where he proceeded to explain the general layout of a Newspaper, but something was different about Thursday’s morning paper. The night prior, Wednesday November 20, a murder-suicide occurred in Lake Linganore, Frederick, leaving three victims dead and a five-year-old survivor.  The story forced a last minute meeting with the editor, publishers, and reporters, so that the front page of the newspaper could be redesigned to fit the new headline.

The buzz around the major headline continued as I reached the newsroom. I talked with Pete McCarthy; a reporter turned Digital/Community Engagement Editor, at 9:30. In the digital area of the newsroom, Mr. McCarthy explained the layout of the website, the importance of accuracy in the age of speedy social media, and the necessity of digital links for modern newspapers. On a large screen in the newsroom was a web page that displayed the exact number of people viewing the Frederick News Post website at every second and what they were viewing. The number reached a high of 1,000 views (three times the average number for 9:45 a.m.) due to the breaking murder-suicide headline.  

At 10:15 a.m. Mr. Headlee took me on a tour around the newspaper complex. After viewing a historical press exhibit, Mr. Headlee and I visited the printing machine room. The Frederick News Post owns a two-story printing machine that prints twelve different mid-Atlantic papers. Mr. Headlee explained that at 2 a.m. the Frederick News Post loading docks become a crazy assembly process. Trucks deliver the Washington Post, New York Times, and other papers to the building while the workers at the Frederick News Post deliver local and mid-Atlantic papers to thousands of subscribers all before breakfast.

After the tour, I returned to the newsroom where I meet with the City Editor Comfort Dorn, Reporter Courtney Mabeus, and Reporter Daniel Gross. While talking to Daniel Gross, who had just returned from the scene of the suicide-murder, I questioned Mr. Gross about how he contacts sources and follows leads. The most exciting part of the day came while I was talking with Mr. Gross. In the middle of our conversation, Mr. Gross received a tip from a fellow reporter and a call from the county’s Chief of Police. Getting to witness a story in action was thrilling.

The day concluded in the Features and Editorial departments. In Features, Karen Garnder explained the designing aspects of the human-interest pieces that are among the pages of the Frederick News Post. Following the Features section, I meet with Editorial Page Editor Cliff Cumber who had a lot of great information about taking reporting skills to the next level in the editorial section of the newspaper. Mr. Cumber explained, in his posh British accent (accentuated by the framed picture of Queen Elizabeth on his desk), that the editorial page has two jobs; one is to create a forum for debate and the other is to reflect the public opinions of the designated area. Cumber continued saying, “The job of the newspaper, and even the media, is to hold up a mirror and reflect the public.”

I had a wonderful experience at the Frederick News Post. Not only did I feel completely welcome, I felt a strong urge to sit down a begin writing for the Frederick News Post. My positive experience was heightened by the murder-suicide headline, but remained due to the overwhelming passion I felt from the employees of the Frederick News Post. My Media Participation Project was great affirmation that I am headed down the right career path.

Media Participation Project

I became interested in broadcast journalism in 9^th grade, after I started watching the network E! I constantly would watch Guliana Rancic interview public figures from the red carpet and would have my eyes glued to the television. I realized after some time that broadcast journalism was what I wanted to do with my future. One of the reasons I chose the University Of Maryland was because of how amazing their journalism program is. In my High School, we had a program called CITV, which was where students from all grades created a 5-10 minute piece of “school news.” After all of the news was pieced together, selected students would report live from the studio. I was involved with this program and took the classes that related to CITV. When I was introduced to the media participation project I knew immediately I wanted to volunteer at UMTV. I figured that UMTV would be much different than my program in high school, and I was right.

When I arrived at the station the first thing I did was look in the control room. The control room made me feels comfortable, as it was very similar to the control room I had in my high school. The control room in my opinion is the most important part and the people in there always have to communicate with each other in case one thing goes wrong. The people in the control room have very stressful jobs and always have to be on their toes. The people in the control room have jobs such as controlling the sound or music, fading the screen to commercials when necessary and making sure the teleprompter lines up with the story that the reporter is reporting. I knew right when I saw this room that working in the control room was not something I wanted to do because I would be to nervous the whole time the production was going on. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy what I was actually doing.

Then, I went to the studio and immediately looked around the whole entire room. I saw all the people in the studio room dressed professionally. The students actually acted like professionals by the terms they were using. I was able to tell that these students legitimately knew what they were doing.  In the studio there are mac computers and usually each student is sitting at one. At the computers, the students are constantly editing clips to make sure they are perfect.  The environment was so lively. Everyone was friendly and everyone was helping each other. The students that were anchoring were sitting in another room fixing their hair and makeup. They made sure that they were perfect for the episode.  The anchors also were practicing their lines while they were getting ready. I noticed that once the students were done editing their clips the two teachers wanted to look at them and approve them. This made me more comfortable because now I know that there is a little less pressure. After the anchors were done with their hair and makeup they went to go sit in front of the screens and practice their lines while looking at the camera. The first time I volunteered the episode included a live Skype. The connection was horrible and the woman kept going in and out. Everyone became stressed however after delaying the episode for some time they were able to figure out the problem.  The second time I volunteered I again was an observer. Some people had the opportunity to observe from the control room however I have no interest in working in the control room so I did not want to waste my time. Again, I sat and watched everyone get ready for the episode. The second time I was there I was able to focus on more of the little things because I was so familiar with the atmosphere. I was also able to compare the first anchors I saw to the second anchors. I realized that the anchors really could make a difference in how the episode turns out. I also realized the second time I watched the anchors had more of a connection and seemed a little more experienced.

Observing Maryland Newsline was amazing. All my life as mentioned before, I have been set on becoming a broadcast journalist for entertainment. I know that it is hard to find a program that is only set on the entertainment piece, but after volunteering at the studio I realized that news reporting really is not my thing. I am glad that I volunteered at the T.V station because it helped me give a chance to the other side of reporting. 

Media Participation Project

For my Media Participation project, I wrote for a campus publication. The publication was Her Campus UMD. Her Campus is a national online magazine that has fun, relatable articles for dealing with life, beauty, hair, health and more written by and for college women. Her Campus has hundreds chapters within itself, which are college and universities across the country. Her Campus UMD is written primarily for college students here at the University of Maryland.

I was interested in writing for Her Campus UMD because it had a magazine-feel to it. My ideal career would be working in the magazine industry, so I thought this would be a great place to start.

In order to become a writer for Her Campus UMD, I had to apply for a position. I filled out an application, sent in my resume, and attached a writing sample for the editors to review. The writing sample was supposed to be written in the voice of a Her Campus writer, casual, fun and relatable.

Once I received note that my application was approved, I met with one of the two editors, Jaclyn, the following week. Jaclyn gave me all the information I needed to write my own articles for Her Campus UMD. I gave her pitch ideas and I got started with my article. Jaclyn also said I could edit and add to my writing sample that I gave her and could use that as my first article. My article was about avoiding the Freshman 15 at UMD. The article consisted of tips and tricks of how to avoid gaining weight in college, but was much more specifically relatable to UMD students. I had about one week to finalize the article before I submitted it. The article was published on October 9.

I am currently writing two more stories to be published for the month of November for Her Campus UMD. I will continue to write for Her Campus UMD throughout the year. I will gain more experience in writing from being a part of this group. I really enjoy the writing style at Her Campus because it is very similar in the kind of writing I hope to pursue a career in eventually. My experience here showed me that I really do want to be a part of the magazine industry in the future.

Media Participation Project

   For my Media Participation Project, I had the great pleasure of shadowing Greta Kreuz, reporter and anchor for locally based ABC-7/WJLA-TV news in Washington, D.C. She has many accolades to her name, including Emmy, Associated Press, and Edward R. Murrow awards, and has covered countless stories and interviewed many notable people including Jimmy Carter, Elizabeth Edwards, Desmond Tutu and Princess Diana. 
    Initially when I spoke to Greta, the plan was for me to come down to the studio located in the heart of Arlington, VA, where she would then give me a tour of the studio, have me sit in on a news conference meeting, and finally have me accompany her to a shoot that was to be aired during the imminent fall "sweeps" period. This was the initial plan but like the fortuitous nature of the job itself--you never know when you could discover a story worth reporting--I never really could've known what the day had in store for me. And trust me, I didn't.
     When I arrived, Greta showed me around the newsroom. It was just as wonderfully chaotic as I imagined it would be. She introduced me to her colleagues and her boss and took me to the studio where I got to see how the whole broadcasting operation works--the lights, cameras, sound-editing,  everything. Then I accompanied her to her daily news conference meeting, during which all of the reporters sit at a round table joined by the station director and producers to discuss the stories of the day. Some reporters will pitch a story they feel is worth featuring, sometimes sparking a cordial debate among other reporters. It was really cool how to see how the whole process unfolds. One of the potential features they discussed was the tearing down of the run-down houses located on Knox and Guilford Roads in College Park-- the "Knox Boxes," as Maryland students and College Park locals coin them--and the massive construction project of the residential and retail complex set to replace them starting in fall of next year. Because I'm a student at Maryland, they wanted me to accompany the reporter covering that story with her to College Park because I could provide them with insight about the area and the thoughts of the students regarding this project. That was just the first change of plans in my day.
   At this point, it was my understanding that I was no longer joining Greta to her shoot but was now joining one of her colleagues on a journey back to College Park to help with the Knox Box story. Greta made time for me to conduct a interview before she and I parted ways to different shoots. During the interview, I couldn't help but keep thinking about a local-turned-national news story that was brought up in the conference meeting a short time before. Just that week, The Baltimore Sun broke a story with a photograph placing Maryland Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Doug Gansler at a "Senior week" party where under-aged drinking was allegedly present. I was in that photo. I was there. And finally I told her  so.
   Immediately, what was a casual interview between us two turned into complete fanfare. People were pulling me in a million different directions. It was absolutely crazy and unlike anything I had ever experienced before. So again my day took another unexpected turn. I was no longer going to College Park. Instead, I stayed back at the studio and was interviewed extensively about the June party. The statements of mine and my friend who was also present at the party, made it on the top of the 6 o'clock news hour that evening, our names kept anonymous. So I went to shadow a journalist for the day and somehow ended up on the news. Not bad for a visit!
   All in all, my experience incredibly memorable and it further validated for me what I already knew--I want to pursue this as a career. I want to be one of those reporters sitting around that round table every morning. I want to be a broadcast journalist. 
  During my interview with her, I asked Greta what was the best piece of advice she could give to an aspiring journalist like myself. It is her advice that was the most meaningful part of my whole experience. Her response will resound in my mind for years to come. "Become a journalist for the right reasons," she said, "and the right reason is because you want to do a Public service. Because you want to be the watch-dog, the eyes and ears, for the people who can't do it themselves. It's not about the money. It's not about the glamour or feeling important. It's about being a public servant--being accurate, and giving the public the truth." 

UMTV - Media Participation Project

On November 13th and 14th, I had the opportunity to observe the filming and production of the Capital News Service. Observers are able to view the broadcast from two different perspectives. On the first day I observed from the News Room itself. Its not a very large area, its approximately the size of a large lecture hall. In the middle there are two rows of Mac computers where journalists create, edit and finalize their stories for the segment that is about to be filmed. There are mini rooms branching off the main room called editing bays and there is even a make up room where the anchors prep for the filming of the show. I watched as the anchors prepared themselves. They tested sound and projection and practiced a few lines from their stories. They read off the teleprompter with grace and ease. I couldn't even tell that they were reading! Practice truly does make perfect. There was one person who would signal the anchor to be ready for the camera to shift to them. She would alternate sides and wiggle her fingers at them. It was interesting to watch the process, but not something I hadn't seen before.
The most intriguing view, for me personally, was watching from inside the control room. While there is silence in the newsroom during filming, the control room is constantly buzzing. The people in charge of switching angles, displaying headers and moving to commercials are always communicating in order for the show to run smoothly. I watched as the camera fixed angles on each anchor and even heard a few terms only control room people are familiar with. These people make sure that there is an image behind every story and that the clips run smoothly. It can be a stressful environment. They are almost like the policemen of the newsroom since they are constantly surveying if everything is functioning during the program, and if something isn't they have to relay that information into the newsroom during a commercial break.
Overall, this experience gave me a taste of what broadcast journalism is like. Next time, I would like to actually volunteer with UMTV. Volunteers are more hands on and actually handle equipment so that they can learn how things work. I plan on staying in touch with the coordinators of UMTV and hopefully, I'll have the chance to be an anchor!

Media Participation Project: Terps TV

For my media participation project I volunteered with TerpsTV. I chose TerpsTV because I wanted to experience a little bit of the broadcast side of journalism. I am unsure of what direction I want to go with my major, so since I already have a little experience with print, I figured I'd give broadcast a try.

Although I didn't get to do as much as I hoped, I still had a lot of fun with this. I helped with a women's field hockey game one Sunday afternoon by filming from the sidelines. I had to get to the game two hours early to help set up all the equipment and hook up all the chords for the cameras to hook up to the computer. After everything was set up, one of the girls who works for TerpsTV regularly gave me a quick tutuorial on how the camera works. After this, Ed, the man who oversees everything, gave me a headset and the game began.

The game was a five camera show, and I was placed by the sidelines. I had to film as if I was always live, but Ed was speaking to us in the headset letting us know when what cameras would be airing during specific times. For example, I was camera number five, so when he wanted my camera live he would say something along the lines of, "ready camera five, go." It was a little stressful because I always had to make sure I was paying attention and that my camera was looking at the action. A field hockey ball is very small, so it was difficult locating where the ball was at certain times.

After the game I helped put all the equipment away. I was told that I did a good job, and that made me feel really good. It was really cool knowing that I helped contribute to the airing of the field hockey game, and I had so much fun experiencing something I've never done before. TerpsTv is something I'm definitely interested in doing again.

Media Participation Project

For my media participation project, I got the opportunity to shadow Keith L. Alexander, a crime reporter for the Washington Post. When he informed me that we would be meeting at the D.C. Superior Court to follow some trials, I was both nervous and excited. When I arrived at the court, I used my extra time to gaze upon all the different personalities that entered the building, asking myself: "What is their story? Why are they here?" For some, it was just the menial task of performing jury duty; for others, it was the undying pursuit of justice. After our formal introduction, Mr. Alexander gave me a quick tour of the court house and told me some interesting facts, such as that the third floor consists primarily of homicide cases.
This happens to be the floor that we most frequented, as we sat in on a trial reviewing the case of Michael Poth, an ex-Marine that was charged with second-degree murder in 2012. I had no idea what to expect going into the trial, but I was excited to experience a real murder case. It also came as a surprise to me that the courts are open to the public (except for family court cases), so essentially anyone can attend a trial as long as they pass the security lines. Since the trial started later than anticipated, Mr. Alexander and I sat down and drank coffee in a little cafeteria downstairs.
This was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about his background and interests. I was interested to discover that, even at a young age, he was confident in his ability to become a reporter. He graduated from Howard University with a journalism major, and was a business writer, with a focus on airlines, for fifteen years. Before the Washington Post, Mr. Alexander worked for several publications, such as USA Today. However, it was at the Post that he realized that he found the realm of criminal reporting to be the most intriguing, as he enjoys covering real people and emotional issues.
Since it was now time for the trial to commence, we prepared ourselves to go back upstairs. One of the elements that stood out the most to me during the trial was the persistent behavior of the defense attorney, Bernard Grimm. Just as I believed that the prosecutor had exhausted all possible evidence from the witnesses, Grimm employed clever techniques in order to extract exactly the right information to defend his client. It also took me by surprise when the witness, Megan Moore (a close friend of the victim), started to get emotional when describing the scene of the crime. Her demeanor was extremely professional until that point, which emphasized how she felt, even a year after the crime took place. We also attended another trial that focused on gang violence and conspiracies, which was interesting to see, especially as one of the witnesses was wearing a blue jumpsuit, along with handcuffs.
Overall, I found my experience shadowing Mr. Keith Alexander to be extremely interesting and beneficial. I have always been intrigued by the realm of crime, as I enjoy discovering the motives of the criminals, and how the defense plans to be successful. It is also fascinating to try to decipher the stories behind all of those who sat with me in court. I enjoyed attending some of the trials, which allowed me to discover a new possible career path. Ultimately, I would say that my day exploring the D.C. Superior Court was very successful, and I am grateful for experiencing this opportunity.
-Emilie Boyer