MY STORIES:

• Swing through the economy: Youth baseball leagues grow in numbers
• Swing for Hope fundraiser fights breast cancer
• Who does youth baseball better: Volunteers or employees?
• Ultimate volunteers: Youth baseball league survives with volunteer efforts

MY BLOG:

Working on this beat has shown me just how much people are willing to do and give up for the benefit of others. These people are giving up precious time, which we all know is money, to coach not only their kids, but kids of the neighborhood-a task that quickly becomes a full-time job. It’s a job that runs them into overtime but is yet to pay anything, aside from a smile from little Timmy as he hits the ball, complaints from the spouse and good memories.  The simple fact that despite times being as bad as they are right now, people are still willing to give up things they may want for themselves just to work on what is a stressful, time-consuming, and most-the-time thankless job.

While working on the beat it dawned on me just what kind of information you will find by simply asking the right, or in some cases the wrong, thing. People love to talk, about themselves, about what they are working with or know of. Not only do these people love to go off and talk about anything and everything, but the reporter then has to decipher all this information and sort it. There seems to be two types of interviewees, the one where you have to pry information out and then work to make it relevant and work with your story, then the type that just won’t shut up.

This class, which seems more as an experience than just a class, has shown me how to use all the reporting tools we’ve been learning about while going to school. It’s nice that when you are finally wrapping up the whole term of your higher education it ties together and finally makes sense. I see now how to use an interviewee to get what I need out of them, I know the differences in types of stories and interviewees. All this only helps tie and relate to what I hopefully will be doing at the next level.

ABOUT ME:

I’ve spent my entire career working to make sure the company stood out over the competition, but it’s my turn to rise up.

I’m the kind of person that will bust mine to make you look good on faith that you can do something to help me later down the road. Raised in a very competitive family where you have to do anything to stand out, I learned how to get things done fast, and get them done right, but what doesn’t show as much is the willingness to help other people get up to the same speed.

I love to joke around and make someone laugh, whether it’s at work or school. So I have a tendency to use a lot of humor my writing or focus on someone’s more humorous quotes rather than the more serious side of a conversation. I feel as though the world today is simply too serious and needs to lighten up and make it a little more enjoyable. Tell a joke or do something stupid to make someone smile, whether it’s for yourself or even better some complete stranger that you can make their day. Who knows maybe they will go tell their friends and family what happened and bring more joy.

I’m also people person, meaning that I love to interact and get to know you inside and out as fast as possible, it’s probably for that reason I’ve worked in sales my entire life. Finding out what someone needs and being able to solve that problem and know that they left in a good satisfied mood is always pleasing, especially if they remember you the next time they come back. The same thing can be handled by writing or reporting, you can influence how the people you reach react to the world, changing and shaping opinions and if they like yours and what it does for them, they’ll come back.

People in today’s society are less likely to drop what they have to just listen to someone. Whether it’s to hear them vent, listen to a problem and offer some advice, or just to find more about them. I myself love to talk, ask anyone one of my friends or family members about me and that’s going to be the first thing they mention without a doubt. Journalism seemed like the best way to voice my opinion, and interviewing someone is the best way to get to know them, interact with who they are and what they like, which will give me more experience.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |