Reflections of a Journalist

8 April 2011

In so far as meeting the criteria outlined in the unit guide, I am happy with how this year is progressing. There is a new enthusiasm in my approach to researching and developing stories this time around. I find that the stories I am identifying are much more news worthy in the eyes of the general public than were last year’s.

The first assessment piece was for me a great success both practically and technically. While researching the hyper-local story I was nervous about talking to prominent members of the public, such as council representatives and business owners. As the process went along however, I found them to be very approachable and very willing to discuss the issues at hand. From this I realised something I guess I always knew, that these are just people doing a job, that they need the media to promote their interests, to justify their existence, and to garner support for their causes. I have learnt that a nervous, even timid approach is futile and the best way to overcome that is to, a) know what you are talking about before approaching these people; do your research, have a good understanding of the story, through knowledge comes confidence and, b) understand that the role the journalist plays in society is vitally important and you have a right to ask questions, in fact a duty.

On the technical side, I feel I have gained a lot from taking the time to explore the functionality of web pages and would suggest that the best way to understand and appreciate the flexibility and potential of online media is to create your own page, be ambitious about the content and really push to make it happen. Coupled with the seminars and the guest lecturer I feel like I have benefitted enormously and have a new confidence in creating online content.

Looking forward I want to work on my fieldwork. The next feature story will provide a good platform for this, as it will require me to go into an informal settlement and canvass the residents there. I have doubts about my safety, but am excited at the same time. While covering the violent protests in Zandspruit, I was at times worried about my safety, however the experience I gained from talking to the people in such a dramatic setting as well as being around other journalists was invaluable. There is so much happening at the moment that it is an extremely busy time for ambitious journalists.