MY STORIES:

• Salt Lake City organizations promote community dialogue
• KRCL uses music exploration to connect communities
• Kilby Court provides venue for emerging artists

MY BLOG:

I had no real notion of what professional journalism looked like in practice before taking this course. All my ideas about research, sources and writing had come from classes that took a general approach. The most challenging (and the most helpful) aspect of the course was the fact that you are expected to perform the tasks of producing great reporting largely outside of class. I learned through experience that responsibility and initiative are requirements for accomplishing any form of meaningful storytelling.

Before taking this course, I had no experience working on a beat. While I was familiar with the concept, I learned to appreciate why having publications that cover specific areas and topics are vital. As I started researching the beat for this course, I started to realize just how little I knew about it. Entire communities and cultures exist within a few blocks of Salt Lake City. There are people and ideas that I would have never been exposed to if I hadn’t been looking. Now, I appreciate the purpose of a beat. There is great value in learning about people and things that are not familiar, and this is accomplished by having a group of reporters that are dedicated to telling the stories that might not otherwise get heard.

A side effect of reporting the stories of a specific community is that you learn about many of the issues that are faced by that community. Learning about immigration, homelessness and education is much different when hearing it from the perspectives of those who are actively involved in those issues. The most moving stories are the human ones, the ones that help us empathize and desire for change. In order for change to come about, these stories must exist. Reporting is vital not only for democracy, but also for our ability to care for our communities.

ABOUT ME:

Liam Elkington graduated with a BS in Communication in 2020. He has experience creating stories in multiple media formats such as audio, video and writing. Liam has shot and edited short documentaries, reported local stories and reviewed products and produced radio programs for student publications and projects. He enjoys focusing his stories on people and their perspectives, and is passionate about music journalism.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |