Synopsis:
This past semester has rapidly expanded my knowledge of and experience in journalism. In my digital journalism class, JMS 430, I have been able to apply my reporting to a variety of media. Beginning to master the digital realm of journalism or any content creation is something I feel is essential to the job market and media landscape of today. In addition to this, JMS 430 has given me new tools to grow my storytelling capabilities. Through my work on my story, SDSU Speaks, I’ve been able to use data journalism and numbers to provide context in my infographic. I was able to have the people the story reflects, my sources, tell it for themselves in my audio file. ves.
Developing the Story:
While working on this story, there were some necessary ethical guidelines that I kept in mind. The SPJ Code of Ethics requires that journalists seek truth and report it. This was something that I had returned to over and over when having to verify and credit every bit of information, while still providing context without personal speculation. I had to seek out primary sources, such as first hand accounts, legal documents and SDSU provided files to back my findings.
Another ethical guideline under the SPJ Code of Ethics that I felt was relevant to my story development is to minimize harm. As I was writing about the No Kings protests I wanted to hear from a student that had actually been to one. After a bit of a struggle to find someone, I met with my source. He was uncomfortable using his full name as he spoke critically about the Trump administration and freedom of speech in America. He had mentioned several news stories of international college students who had been deported after they had spoken out against the American government.
Although he was uncomfortable with me including his full name, I knew what it was and he did not explicitly ban me from using it. Given the gravity of his concerns, I felt that his full name was not required for the story. Including his last name would not provide a necessary piece of information and instead, would violate my relationship with him as a source. Returning to the SPJ code of ethics during this consideration reminded me that it is my duty as a journalist to prioritize the public, regardless of where the story was going to be published.
Confirming information was the primary challenge that held me back. I had heard plenty of abstract information on concepts in my story, but I needed to verify everything. Another challenge I faced was editing my multi-media project. I had about 15-30 minutes of audio for each of the three interviews I included in the story. Although creating the audio story was enjoyable, it was cumbersome to review all of the audio, edit it and include my own narration.
Some of the best aspects of my story process were when I could incorporate the quotes perfectly into the narrative. I also felt very successful in organizing my background information. SDSU has a lengthy activism history, which ties in directly to historical movements and events that occurred across America. This meant that I had to briefly summarize up to 100 years of American activism and politics and the influence that it has on the current culture. Although this was a daunting task, I feel satisfied with my simplified, yet straight-forward coverage of all of that historical context.
Digital Media Experience:
This experience has broadened my understanding of digital journalism through my work on the infographic, my audio story, social media content creation and overall organization on my Adobe Portfolio website. The variety of multimedia included in this project required me to develop technical skills such as: search engine optimization on my website, file editing and coordinating in my audio story, and social media competency in creating my professional account and the post for the story. The infographic required online data journalism skills and organizing the website gave me insight to how the sites are made.
Before taking this class I had no experience in data organization through formulas on Google Sheets. I have only really pulled from statistics in articles or from research centers in my stories. JMS 430 has provided me with the ability to pull from primary sources, organize that data and collect my own data. Google Sheets is a tool that can make it much easier for data journalists to interpret data and use it to strengthen their narrative.
Some of the most enjoyable moments in JMS 430 and during my work on my story was when everything came together after learning something new. For example, when creating my audio story, piecing the sound bites together was something I was unfamiliar with but as I developed the story, the pieces came together in a medium that offered a perspective that a written story couldn’t. The variety of media offered through digital journalism enriched the narrative I was developing in the written story while allowing the sources to speak for themselves.