Journalist Interview R.J. Johnson: Daily Universe

1. Why did you go into journalism?

Sports reporting has always appealed to me, but when I got my first part-time job covering high school sports, I immediately fell in love with the business. There’s something about getting to know the players and coaches on a deeper level, while enjoying the atmosphere of sports.

2. How did your break in the field?

I did some work in high school, and so during my freshman year of college, I saw a part-time job published in the local daily St. George newspaper working on the sports desk. I applied, and three months later, they moved me on the desk and started sending me out to cover local events. That experience really helped me when I finally graduated, allowing me to land a copy desk job and eventually move to sports after 10 months on the desk. After two years of working in sports, I moved into a news position as the Bureau Chief in Cedar City for the Spectrum & Daily News, then eventually moved into a supervisor role at BYU.

3. How do you define “good” journalism?

Good journalists are ethical and know that they are the fourth estate. Journalists are professional and understand that their jobs are not to “get” somebody “or bring them down” but rather to inform the public of what it wants and needs to know.

4. Do you feel like your news organization practices “good” journalism?

Yes. I believe that since we’re in education, there are occasions when students cut corners or simply are not far enough along in the process to understand good journalism practices. But I believe the faculty and staff understand good journalism and do their best to train the students in good journalism practices.

5. How would you define the type of journalism you do?

Right now, I work in an education role, training journalists in skills they need to get jobs.

6. Does your organization allow you to do the type of journalism you want to do?

Sometimes I miss getting out of the office and covering games, but I really love mentoring students.

7. How does the journalism you practice serve your community?

This job allows me to share what I’ve learned and help train the next generation of journalists. We also are able to help inform the BYU student of issues that affect them.

8. What is your opinion about recent movements such as community, citizen, civic, and public journalism?

I think it’s great to get the public involved in issues they care about. However, I believe there will always be a need for professional journalists to act as a filter. They know how to act ethically, have been trained to be objective and present all sides of an issue, and understand how best to present the information. However, one thing I think journalists have always struggled with is a “disconnect” from readers. Too often, try to tell the public what it wants, instead of listening to the public’s needs. Involving consumers in journalism is a good way to connect and make sure you are fulfilling your public’s needs, instead of what you perceive to be its needs.

9. Have you ever had an experience in which you felt your work as a journalist really made a difference?

People joke that sports journalism is the “toy section” of the newspaper and that it’s not important. But every time I’ve ever had a reader or a source thank me for a story, I really feel like I reached somebody — even if I didn’t help “bring down” a political administration. I think that type of journalism is important to the people you cover— reaching out to people in the community and sharing their stories with others.

10. How have your views about journalism changed over the years?

I think I have a better understanding of the role of a journalist from the experiences I’ve gained than I did when I was in college.

11. Have you been affected by dropping circulations, ratings, layoffs, and growth of citizen journalism?

Not personally, but I know plenty of people who have.

12. What advice would you give students wanting to go into journalism?

Don’t be afraid to work hard and pay your dues. Make sure that you understand that as a journalist, you serve the public, and not the other way around.

13. What importance do you place on new media and social media in the journalism industry and do you

have any examples that express its importance?

I think it’s the next step in the future of journalism. I believe young readers are more interested in social media because there are so many options out there that you compete for their attention.

14. How do you think BYU’s online newspaper compares to other college online newspapers or local or national online newspapers?

We’re still behind. We are far better than we were a year ago, but we hadn’t updated our Web site in eight years and it showed. In the past year, our multimedia content, the increased convergence with the Daily News TV show and the redesign of the Web site have helped. But if we’re going to prepare students to get jobs as online journalists, we still have a long way to go.

15. What future media ideas or plans do you have for the online Daily Universe?

Right now we’re working on implementing more social media tools: Twitter, Facebook, use of mobile technology to cover stories, cover it live. I see that as our next big step.

Photojournalist Interview

As a photojournalist, this aspect of journalism has hold of my highest interests.  I've had the chance to chew the fat with a few other photojournalists here locally.  One who has sort of become a mentor and example to me is Jeff Allred, who shoots for the Deseret News in SLC, UT.  I had a chance to pick his brain about some of the plights, challenges, and expectations of the photojournalism industry:

Jeff Allred Deseret News:  On the Photojournalism Industry

 

            Jeff Allred is a veteran Photojournalist for the Deseret News in Salt Lake.  Having a chance to talk with him about the Photojournalism profession and the future of the profession was insightful yet unsettling at the same time.

 

            He first discussed the type of skills and education needed to pursue a career in photojournalism.  Many photojournalists come from different education backgrounds.  If feel that I’m on the right track as far as my school goes but that I might also need to seriously consider graduate school for (photo)journalism.  He also mentioned the importance of multimedia in the journalism world today.  Photojournalists as opposed to only requiring still photography are requiring more and more photo, video, and computer skills.

 

            Photojournalism as an occupation, Allred said, can be a narrow field.  You are basically looking news publishing.  However, it is possible to break off to other areas of photography, i.e. advertising, teaching, wedding photography, etc.  Unfortunately with the way the economy is going, Allred doesn’t believe things will be getting better all that soon.  Many photographers have been getting laid off from major newspapers in major cities. 

 

            Security lies in being a veteran photographer with a newspaper, but even then that isn’t a guarantee for employment.  The salary of an established photographer depends on the newspaper, its size, and its circulation, but the expected average is around 40,000—45,000 dollars.  For any entry level photographer the expected salary is around 30,000 dollars.  I do believe, however, that this is on the higher end.  Most newspapers consider a 5-year photographer and established or veteran photographer.

 

            When looking for a newspaper or company to work for, Allred suggested reading the newspaper for a few weeks before considering a job there.  As a photographer you want to know the layout of the publication to make sure it meets your standards and so you know if your work will be properly published. 

 

Despite the weird hours, having to work some weekends and holidays, Allred considers Photojournalism “the greatest profession on the planet.”  He also stated, “…If you love something you’ll do good at it and the money will follow.   Photojournalists get to do and see things that most people only dream of.”

Snow Regan Buck is face masked by Butler's Deandre Howard In the Top of the Mountains Bowl Dec 6, 2008 in Sandy.     --Jeffrey D. Allred

The Online "Menace"

New, unfamiliar things are always a bit scary, especially in the world of media. When the first renditions of printed news came about in the 18th century politicians became fearful of its ability to discredit their reputation by providing the public with information regarding their less appropriate actions.
After newspapers became established a new media threat appeared. With the geographical and timely advantages of radio technology, newspapers were challenged as advertisers left print and took their business to radio. With voices like Edward R. Murrow reporting on World War II radio gained a loyal news audience.
However, the threat of new media doesn't end with radio. Just like newspapers and radio before it Television was viewed as a threat to the already existing media.
Now,the 21st century has done it again. The world wide web has started a media revolution especially within the industry of journalism. Newspaper organizations have their hands full with the mess of adjusting to the online world. Some agencies are using both print and online versions, others or weening off of print altogether in order to take full advantage of seemingly limitless online possibilities. Others are firing all their employees and rewriting their job descriptions to make room for those employees best equip to carry their agency through this media revolution.
Despite the jittery state that journalists and news agencies find themselves in the format for distributing news is changing. The internet has given the public more access and more vocal clout than it has previously been exposed to. News has become (or could become) more of dialogue, a conversation, a collaborative effort between both journalists and the public to present all the facts and all the truth.
As "radio has given the President [FDR] a weapon such as no ruler has ever known," said Radio Guide editor of 1934, so will the internet give journalists and the public a means of changing the way we view news and the media.

American Journalism in Historical Perspective (Overholser)
http://mediactive.com/2009/09/12/eleven-things-id-do-if-i-ran-a-news-organization/
http://yeetorrents.com/news4/2009/09/15/7-ways-to-make-news-sites-more-social/