Today was definitely an experience! I really want to go into broadcast journalism in the future, so working with Ms. Marcy McGinnis and Ms. Connie Conway today to produce a broadcast show was very beneficial to me. Even though I was very nervous at first, I ended up doing my anchor role twice — so by the second time, I was very comfortable, and it furthered my interest in the field of broadcast journalism.
I really liked how flexible today’s schedule was because it gave my group and me time to really work. We now have an interview completed and uploaded onto our shared ClipChamp. We also have another interview scheduled for tomorrow and we are waiting to get some responses for others. Overall, everything is really coming together nicely and I’m excited to see how our story turns out.
My group and I: This is my group and I at the end of our meeting where we discussed our schedule for tomorrow [Photo by Moriah Pettway]
I really enjoyed listening to and learning from Newsday photographer John Williams. I wasn’t expecting to take too many notes on his talk, but he gave a lot of useful information that I plan to use in my photography. I ended up using an entire page (front and back) for notes. I love how photography interacts with journalism and I became even more interested in it in the past year. It is so mesmerizing how some news photographers can capture so much emotion and, a lot of times, it isn’t staged or planned. My favorite photojournalist at the moment is Pulitzer Prize winner Julio Cortez.
This is one of my favorite photos that I’ve taken. I took it two years ago at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC.
Today I also got to speak with two other really interesting people.
Dr. Sharon Nachman is a pediatric and infectious disease expert at Stony Brook. She provided a lot of insight into COVID-19 and how the virus can spread (or be prevented from spreading). She also told us that the Delta variant of COVID-19 virus is about sixty times more infectious than the alpha strand that has been going around, which is really strange to think about because I had already thought of COVID-19 as this really easily spreadable virus and now its even easier to spread.
Kara Hahn is a Suffolk County legislator who is planning on running for Congress in New York’s first Congressional district (which is my district!). As someone who loves politics, I found this press interview really intriguing. It’s really cool to think of how much an impact one person can have on a whole county. I had known that all police officers in Suffolk carried Narcan for a while, but I didn’t know that it was only since 2012 and because of Kara Hahn’s efforts.
Day 4 was a lot of fun, rehearsing and going on air. Throughout the day we got to see ourselves and other people go on air, all compiled into a video by the infamous Mr. Phil Altiere. At the end of the day, we broke out into groups with our partners and, it turns out, we got a huge chunk of our project done.
Third day at the Greene team! We started off with using Skype to run through a broadcast script as if we were actually on the air. This was led by professors Phil Altiere, Connie Conway, and Marcy McGinnis. My role was Anchor 2 and I had so much fun doing it! It was intriguing to see how much work went on off camera and get a glimpse into how actual news reporters and anchors do their jobs. One of my favorite parts was watching the final edited version of everybody’s broadcasts over Zoom together.
The rest of the day was for the teams to work on their assignments. My team set up an interview with Steve Chassman, the executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, to talk about the opioid epidemic. It was interesting to see his thoughts on the topic and you couldn’t miss how much he cared about the people that have been already affected by addiction as well as those that haven’t been affected but still can be. Overall, I’m looking forward to what’s in store for tomorrow!
Day 1 at the Greene Institute was a great introduction. We heard an awesome pep talk from MSNBC producer Stephanie Brumsey to start the day. Her personality was incredible and I really appreciated that she was able to take over an hour to talk to us. She gave us a lot of helpful information and advice to help us in our journalism careers. Brumsey was truly authentic and her story about being adopted and experiencing some adversity in the journalism field was inspiring. Her pep talk also put me in the right head space to be hungry for the information that we’ll be learning this week.
We were also fortunate enough to meet with Josh Apter, the creator of the Padcaster. We assembled the Padcasters and were able to test them out. I’m already pretty obsessed with it in all honesty. It’s a great contraption that makes recording both video and audio much easier and the finished product just turns out better.
This device is actually genius (Photo by Julia Capitelli)
When we were experimenting with ClipChamp prior to this week, we were asked to make videos about something we like that helps people get to know us a little better. I did mine on playing the viola. I wasn’t entirely happy with how the audio turned out, particularly when it came to the music recordings. I also make quite a few viola recordings for school that I’m never entirely happy with due to the audio quality on my phone. When we tested the Padcasters, I did a test with my viola to see if the microphone on there would make a noticeable difference. I’m never making a music recording without the Padcaster ever again. The audio was significantly better and I didn’t have to waste time propping up my phone on books or tissue boxes because the Padcaster stand worked perfectly. I’m really excited to make more videos, both reporting and music, with the help of the Padcaster.
Day 1 went by pretty quickly. I’m excited to get into some more detail in the lectures later in the week. I’m really interested in broadcast media, so I’m particularly looking forward to Wednesday when we get to be in our virtual studio.
Today was great. We created our very first newscast! It was extremely nerve wracking which interrupted my fluidity, but I did enjoy it. It was intriguing because I never thought about being an anchor. I’m more into the photography, film, and editing aspects of journalism. Doing this made me apply some of what Stephanie Brumsey and Kate Nalepinski were talking about which was to be versatile, be well-rounded, and to NEVER stick to one thing.
This experience definitely shifted my perspective on what goes on behind the scenes of news. There were so many teams behind the anchors that we don’t see. I didn’t fully see the sense of fear that might occur until I was put into their shoes. My biggest takeaway from today was that I need to learn how to communicate and be myself in front of a camera.
My favorite part was watching the different newscasts. I loved how natural some people were and I definitely appreciated people who added in their little twists and went off script. It showed their personality, which made it more engaging to watch because it was no longer just a bland script. It was sort of a rendition; they made the script their own.
This was by far my favorite class (so far). First, we met with Long Island Herald Editor Kate Nalepinski, who taught me to be versatile and try different things no matter what I’m interested in, which I already do. But the fact that she explained the importance of having more than one skill made me want to explore more. She made me understand the importance of prior research and always watching the news and seeing the same story from different perspectives.
My favorite part was talking to Newsday photographer John Williams. I was so interested in everything that he experienced. He met Nelson Mandela and has seen the inside of a body — the heart and all. I loved the advice he gave us about lighting and that a good photographer takes control of their photos despite what the subject might say. I’m most interested in the film and picture career of journalism so everything he said lit me up inside.
Then we talked to Stony Brook University Professor Rick Ricioppo, who gave information about capturing the moment including action and reactions. We also spoke about taking as many shots as possible to keep the audience engaged. As well as, writing for the ears and not the eyes so write very conversational and taking more film than needed so we can have more to edit with.
We also spoke with a county legislator which was very interesting especially because we got insight into her life and V.I.P. information. I loved today’s class but I kept getting hungry, so I kept eating.
Yes, I did have tacos for dinner.
I appreciated the amount of information that was acquired in such little time.
Today we got to speak with MSNBC producer Stephanie Brumsey. I loved her energy and her vibrant personality. She taught me to get out of my comfort zone, take risks, be okay with rejection, and be comfortable with the uncomfortable. She also taught me that no matter who I may be talking to, never shy away from being myself. The reason being, people are more interested in my personality than my skills. Anyone can have those skills but not everyone can have my personality. I’ve learned so much from her and I had so many takeaways from just hearing her story.
Something that she said stuck with me: “Some people will tell you the world, if you allow them to.” When I heard that, my eyes instantly lit up. I felt deeply attached to that quote because of how quickly I could relate it back to my life and the conversations I’ve had with people.
I also asked her about her personal experiences with letting feelings get in the way of information she puts out. Through asking, I learned about the distinction between bias and point of view, which was interesting because it made me think of how people have to step out of who they are in order to deliver trustworthy news.
Today is Day 3 of the Greene program! We learned many different genres that journalism has to offer, from being an unbiased reporter to photography.
Before we got into it, we had another guest speaker! Kate Nalepinski, a print journalist and editor at the Long Island Herald, came to shed her light onto the students of the Greene Program.
“Be versatile and find your niche,” Nalepinski told the Greene students.
Being skilled at more than one aspect of journalism will prepare us for being able to get a job in any field that is provided to us.
After Nalepinski finished helping us understand that we are “a one man band,” John Williams, a photographer, came and began to show us the secrets of photography.
“Background and lighting are the most important thing when it comes to taking photos. Do not make the background be too noisy and do not make the subject’s face be hidden.”
A picture John Williams took of Nelson Mandela in late 1990s.
After John Williams finished his segment on photography, Professor Rick Ricioppo gave us an amazing lecture on the similarities and differences between digital journalism and print journalism.
“KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.” KISS is used to explain to students that writing for both broadcast and print journalism should be able to be easily grasped by the public.
Broadcast journalism is used for the ears, while print journalism is for the eyes. People are supposed to be able to be in their kitchen and understand the news that is on their television screen in the living room. Newspapers are supposed to hold the readers’ eyes and keep them intrigued for the entire time.
As Professor Ricioppo finished his lecture, the Greene team had a press conference with Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn.
Hahn provided us with an exclusive that was not yet known by the public about the way funds should be used to help the community.
Hahn’s ideas roared like thunder onto the Greene students and left them full of inspiration to try their best to help the community as well.
Help the community and take great photos! This was Greene’s Tuesday Thunder!
Day Two got off to a quick start with a pep talk from Long Island Herald Editor Kate Nalepinski. She gave us advice based on things she wishes she knew when she was first going into journalism. What she and Stephanie Brumsey both made clear was that connections are important. I’m glad that we have this opportunity to create a network during this program. Nalepinski gave us three main points: think of yourself as a content creator, find your niche, and be a daily consumer of the news.
Being a content creator gives us more of an opportunity to find a job because we have a wide variety of skills. This is something that I need to work on. My main skill in the journalism area so far is writing. I need to get better at photography and video editing in particular since I’m not exactly tech savvy. I’m not concerned about finding my niche. I’m passionate about hockey, and that’s what got me into journalism to begin with. My niche is sports journalism. I’m a daily consumer of the news in the sports area for sure, particularly hockey, of course. But I recognize that I need to take the time to read through stories on other news as well instead of just quickly taking in headlines to see what’s happening.
We had an incredible opportunity to meet with Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer John Williams next. His instruction was informative and I feel like I truly learned a lot. As someone who had essentially no experience with photography prior to today, it was a little bit overwhelming but I enjoyed it. His photos were amazing and I was speechless looking at most of them. I greatly appreciate that such an important and skilled photographer took the time out of his day to talk to us.
One of our teams is doing a story on Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn. She joined our Zoom meeting for their interview today. While it was more orderly than an in-person press conference would be, it really felt like our first real journalism experience. I was interested in everything she had to say, especially her main focus on the opioid epidemic. It was pretty surreal to be able to sit in on an interview with such an important person.
Stony Brook’s own Professor Rick Ricioppo did a lesson on shooting video and visual storytelling. His presentation was a lot to take in, so I took extensive notes. I’m looking forward to being able to employ some of his tips.
To close out the day, we met with our teams. My team has decided to do a story on Stony Brook medical students that were on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We sent out some emails today to Kali Chan with public relations and Dr. Adam Gonzalez as well as a couple of the school’s medical clubs to try to get some contacts and interviews. It has the potential to be a really interesting story and I’m excited to see where it goes. We’re going to be in the virtual studio tomorrow and I can’t wait to experiment with broadcasting.
