Broadcast Journalism
I first joined journalism to be a part of our broadcast program. With one look at my resume, it’s easy to tell that is not precisely what happened.
Joining the newspaper was the right choice for me — of that, there is no doubt. Telling stories on paper allows me to capture moments in the past in vivid detail, something much harder to do in a broadcast medium. For the first year I spent at “The Hawk Eye” I would’ve sworn by this fact; writing was, objectively, the best way to tell stories.
I was wrong.
While there are definitely perks to telling stories on paper, there are just as many on broadcast. Telling stories in videos allows the viewer to truly see the scope of someone’s talent: how well can they actually sing? How fast can they actually run? It’s more than just a fact written in a transition — it’s something a reader gets visual proof from.
I have not had a lot of experience with broadcast, or with multimedia outside of photos. I tend to stick in my own lane, as most students in my publication do. But, on occasions, broadcast isn’t just the best way to cover parts of a story — it’s the only way to do it right.
Below, I’ve outlined my experiences with using a multimedia platform for short videos, broadcast stories and podcasts.
Interview Clips
At the journalism convention in Austin my senior year, my web editor and I knew we needed to add to our website. Our writing was strong as a publication, but there was rarely video components. So we crafted a new idea for every Hawks Uncovered --- a video of the interview. Because the quotes aren't used in story, it gives every reporter the pick of any quote of their interview to add visual and auditory emotion to the story. In this particular case, I filmed the video and edited the quote together.
"Look-Live Anchor Toss"
When KCBY-TV reached out to my adviser, it was under the hope they would get a student from our broadcast program to help with a story about state funding. Instead, due to my extensive covering this year, my adviser sent them me. I recorded B-Roll and an anchor, then sent it to KCBY-TV to be included in the episode.
In-Depth Package -- Competition
One of my favorite parts of the In-Depth Package competitions, besides the time crunch and the feeling of "real journalism," is working on a broadcast component. While it's not an impossibility for us to do within our publication, it is not something common. So, when on-site competitions roll around every year, working on broadcast components swells my hopes. In this instance, attending the 2023 national convention in Boston, I recorded interviews, stand-up segments and voice-overs for my teammate to edit together.
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"Excellent," JEA
I knew from the beginning of my sophomore year that I wanted to record a podcast. That's why, when I talked to my friend, we created "Get Lit." It was a spin-off of some of the blogs "The Hawk Eye" had done a few years prior, but we knew a multimedia version would allow us to be more expressive and give us more room for creativity. Before each episode, I would research the genre and show Heather the script, then edit the podcast the night after recording.
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"Excellent" in podcasts, TAJE
Nearing the end of my junior year, I knew I wanted to try my hand at podcasting one more time. Only, with my next attempt, I wanted to go further than just entertainment. My best friend and I had gone on dozens of interviews together to tell someone else's stories; this time, we wanted to tell our own and the stories of those around us. That's why we made "On the record" --- personal columns could only get people so far and we wanted our readers to know who we were as a staff. Each cycle, we record two episodes to be posted over the next month. I edit them together the night of recording.