My experience in the JMC program

Before entering the journalism and mass communications program, I had an overly-confident impression of my writing; teachers would dote on my essays, praise my diction and generously contribute to the swelling of my ego. But once I entered the University of Northern Colorado, all that self-confidence was ruthlessly demolished by a 400-page manual called the AP Stylebook. Never in my life had I been so submerged in a pool of esoteric (and sometimes arbitrary) rules and regulations. And to be quite honest, after getting back my first few JMC 210 articles covered in red ink, I considered switching my major to English. Thank God I didn’t.

I stuck it out, buckled down and utilized the resources that were available to me at the university. With the help of professors, professional journalists and The Mirror, I began to hone my skills as a writer, and I eventually regained my confidence. Once my self-assurance was reestablished, I actually began to enjoy the art of journalism and became slightly addicted to the marathon of paraphrasing, fact checking and AP style referencing.

When I first stepped into the program, I honestly didn’t expect to learn anything. I expected to receive the same affirmations that I was so accustomed to in high school and figured journalism would be a cakewalk. I was wrong. My instructors didn’t coddle me; they unapologetically corrected my errors and provided advice to improve my style. And although it required a lot of hard work and humility, I ultimately became a better journalist.

Now that I’ve completed the capstone course for my news-editorial major, I feel as though I’m prepared to enter the field of journalism. In JMC410, I was given the opportunity to cover a beat of my choice — the local music scene —, and because of that, I put a lot of work into each article, not only to get a good grade, but because I was genuinely excited and interested in the topic. If I had any doubt of making journalism my career, it was quickly abandoned within the first beat assignment. Just the idea of getting paid to learn new things that interest you and being able to share them with the world is incredible. When one looks at it in that perspective, the field of journalism is a great gig. I would encourage anyone who has an interest in this field to pursue it full heartedly. I’d advise them to not become discouraged, to not settle of mediocrity, and above all, to make use of the knowledge of professionals by either going the extra mile in class or gaining experience within the field.

Day in the Life Questionnaire

The day-in-the-life article I submitted for JMC410 delves into a music sector that many people aren’t too familiar with… street teams.

For one night, I followed two Ruins of Tomorrow street teamers and observed their efforts to promote the band’s concert taking place later that night. Initially, I had a fairly basic understanding of what a street team did, but after following Kaleigh Miller and Ryan Yost for several hours, I realized there was more to a street teamer’s job than handing out fliers on the street. For these two teenagers, their ability to promote the band (and themselves) was quite impressive. There are adults who are twice the age of most street teamers but have yet to acquire the confidence necessary to do what Ryan and Kaliegh can do — approach complete strangers and convince them to go to a concert.

Because the two people I chose to follow were far from being shy, getting them to the open up about the specifics of their job was easy. However, what was difficult was fitting detailed information about the night and background information of street teams within the word limit. The latter information was extremely necessary to incorporate because many people do not know what street teams are. But I had to remember that the whole point of the article was to recap the events of the night and make sure I didn’t compromise the night’s details in an effort to come under 700 words.

I think I did a good job of conveying specifics of the job and the specifics of the night within a limited amount of space. Getting information across in an effective and concise manner is something I’ve tried to accomplish in past pieces. And in this piece, I think I achieved it.

Profile Questionnaire

The profile focuses on the Greeley-based reggae band Trichome and their success with sending out an idealistic message in a conservative setting.

Initially, the most difficult part about constructing this profile was rounding up the band to conduct a group interview. Because of school and job conflicts, it took about a week before we could all sit down and discuss their experiences. However, once the interview started, the members of the band were extremely open during the process, which made getting answers quite easy.

During the writing process, I learned something I've never had to deal with before in writing: how to convey a message without disparaging the sources. I wanted to address the fact that the band's idealistic reactions to their supposed oppression came across as insincere. However, I needed to ensure the band did not feel attacked.

I believed I conveyed that message well. I kept the wording concise and straightfoward without connotative words. It was easy to follow.

When rewriting the story, I was informed that using parenthesis made the reading somewhat hard to swallow -- meaning the break in text throws the reader off and can cause the sentence to not flow as smoothly.

I'll continue to work on incorporating more vivid details into my stories. I must recognize a limit on word count does not mean my piece should have to lack effectiveness. Descriptions delivered in tight and concise wording can be just as propelling as long, wordy sentences.