MY STORIES:

MY BLOG:

ABOUT ME:

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MY STORIES:

• Bri Ray: ‘Woman’
• Living the blues

MY BLOG:

My initial expectations for my beat were that it would not be to challenging because I planned on doing stories that revolved around the sports world. I have a lot of experience writing stories on athletes and thought I would stick to what I knew for my beat. However, I quickly discovered that I would be forced to choose a topic outside of my comfort zone.

I decided to write about a musician named Bri Ray for my first story. At first, I did not feel fully confident in my ability to write a strong story about Ray since I had never done a story about a musician before. While preparing for the interview I became nervous because I had never interviewed anyone about anything other than sports and did not want to make a fool out of myself when I spoke to Ray. I was worried I would not be able to ask the same type of in-depth questions I do for football because I lacked the same type of knowledge of music that I had for sports. But once I started to research my questions, I began to regain my confidence and felt like I was up to the task. I realized that my story at its core was a feature story, of which I have done several. By using the same tactics, I used to craft my questions for athletes, I was able to create a strong list of questions that I felt confident in.

Once it came time for the interview, I was also impressed by my ability to go off script with my questions and not rely on my notes so heavily. This was something in the past I had really struggled with and it felt good to know I was improving as an interviewer. When I began writing my first story and putting all the pieces together, something I found challenging was which quotes to include and not to include. I felt like I had lots of good material from my interviews, and I found the process of shrinking that list down to be difficult. This is the biggest thing that I improved on when it came time for my second story. I did a much better job of narrowing down the most effective quotes by going back over them and figuring out which ones would add to my story in the best way.

The second story I did was about an artist by the name of Harry Lee. He was also a musician but one with almost nothing written about him for me to base my questions off of. Fielding a list of questions was difficult and reflecting back I did ask one poor question. But overall, I was proud of myself for compiling a list of questions out of almost no background information. I also think I did a good job of listening to critiques on my first story and made sure I did not repeat myself and make the same mistakes in my second piece. What I learned from this beat is that I can write stories about topics that do not revolve solely around sports and it can be a good thing to get out of your comfort zone as a writer.

ABOUT ME:

JT Wistrcill is an aspiring journalist with a passion for sports at the high school, college, and professional level. Wistrcill studies journalism at the University of Utah. As a contributor to Voices of Utah to focus on local musicians in Salt Lake and their unique journeys that got them to where they are today. His desire to tell these stories came from a goal to branch out of the sports world and tell stories of individuals who strive to be great at what they do. As Wistrcill progresses in his career, he hopes to not only work in sports but also tell other stories and give people the spotlight they deserve.

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MY STORIES:

• Black artists bringing #Blackjoy to Utah
• Ignored statistics: acknowledging Black resources for domestic violence and sexual assault

MY BLOG:

Thank you. Two simple words. I almost reply, “I only did my job,” but instead I just smile.

What is my job?

A question I have pondered this semester. I am a journalist; my job is to seek the truth and report it while maintaining transparency and minimizing harm. That’s what it says on paper. Really though, was it ever that simple?

No, looking in the eyes of the community members ignored, their needs unheard and unmet by anyone, isn’t simple. Before I can even ask a question, I see their stories tumbling, spilling, pushing at the seams that hold them together. Words burst out vibrantly, telling a story I could never understand.

Yet, I maintain perfect composure, asking for more detail, for a timeline, for anything to help me grasp on to an experience so foreign to my own. Eyes that hold so much pain, also share joy in our interview, a small step closer in a direction of change.

They hand me their truth, raw and real. I hold it carefully because it has been damaged before. How can I take such a thing and share it with the masses, conveying the struggles that have been historically neglected?

I tap my pen over and over, how many other “journalists” ignored this truth. Tied it in a nice pretty package to give to the masses, because the inside is too ugly to see? I want to show it all, frustrated that these interviewees had to say thank you. I should have been the one to say thank you first. My job has never been as easy as they say it is.

I am invested in the hard truths of life and I wish I could do more than just tell it. I wish I could shout it, put it in the faces of everyone and anyone.

“Look at what you want to ignore!” But then I remember there will be many more stories, handed over to me carefully. How could I ever say no?

But I must not lose sight, their stories have found a place to rest, on the newsprint. Not the front page, like it should, but it will sit hidden in the pages, a testament to the resistance they told me I’d face. And maybe there’s hope that someone will read it and feel something. Like I did.

Because if the gift of an imperfect painful truth isn’t enough to strike the heart, nothing can be. That’s no longer my worry. But I know that I for a brief moment caught a glimpse into a truth I will never understand. It will be a lesson I carry with me, being a journalist is only momentary, but being a human is where the true reward comes from. The newsprint can sit on the stands all day long, because I’m the one that’s changed.

Thank you for telling me your truth.

ABOUT ME:

Nina Tita is a journalist in Salt Lake City. Her experience is print and broadcast journalism from her career as a student journalist at the University of Utah.

Nina served as a local leader, Miss Rocky Mountain 2020, where she created a self-started initiative titled, Justice for Journalism, in an effort to connect citizens to their local media outlets, promote creative writing and advocate for student press rights. With the support of Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Nina’s initiative has implemented creative writing programs in over eight elementary schools across the state.

Nina also has experience in public relations and marketing from her internship at the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. There she wrote biographies for new inductees and conducted interviews with current members in the hall of fame.

Nina has interned with The Wasatch Wave, a local newspaper, and copy-edited for The Daily Utah Chronicle.

In 2018 she traveled to New York to study broadcast journalism at Good Morning America.

In 2017, Nina won the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Award for the State of Utah. She traveled to Washington, D.C., to learn from the Neuharth family and discuss the future of journalism. There she studied social media journalism.

Nina earned a degree in journalism from the University of Utah.

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MY STORIES:

• Passion for sports can traverse racial divides in Salt Lake City, some Black sports fans say 

• Academic success and social happiness for student-athletes: mentorship and support is just as crucial off the field as on the field

MY BLOG:

The teachings of real journalistic experience: what I have learned through writing two stories for this course. 

Through taking this class and creating new experiences journalistically, I have been pleasantly surprised with how accessible and willing to help some higher profile sports reporters have been. Tony Jones and Eric Woodyard very generously offered their time, and as an aspiring sports journalist, I appreciated that they let me get to know them.

I also have been pleased with my improving ability to conduct interviews that are not dealing with necessarily the most comfortable topics, including the killings that triggered the Black Lives Matter movement this summer. Finally, on a positive note, I have been very good about allotting plenty of time to write well-thought-out stories. 

Conversely, I have been disappointed in my understanding of some of the requirements, and my not reaching out in order to find clarity. I wish I were further along in understanding how to write leads and summaries. Finally, though I have improved in terms of being succinct, I definitely can improve.

While I enjoyed the process of conducting interviews and learning more about journalism, I have confirmed what I suspected about myself. I am far better at talking about the things I am passionate about than writing about them. I have learned I need to allot the time I have been allotting to have a semi-successful story.

 I have learned that I really dislike writing articles and it is grueling. However, I am happy that I have been challenged to the point where I have improved as a writer while still having confirmed my suspicions for my distaste for journalistic writing.  

I did feel like an outsider when speaking to accomplished adult African American sportswriters Tony Jones and Eric Woodyard. I felt like an outsider because I have not yet made it into that field, and am white so speaking to them about racial issues in America in part of my interviews was definitely novel whereas speaking about sports with each briefly was seamless.

I did not feel like an outsider speaking to the collegiate athletes because I have played sports my entire life and felt confident speaking to athletes around my age just due to knowing the culture of sports. 

ABOUT ME:

I was born and raised in Salt Lake City. Spending my entire scholastic career prior to college at a small, scholastically rigorous private school, I always felt different for having an insatiable interest and love for sports. Being the kid with ADHD in school never promoted me to talk. Quite the contrary. When I could speak, though, I would and I loved it. I loved the feeling of speaking of what I loved most. Even from an early age, I knew talking about, analyzing sports was a dream I wanted to pursue. I adore the movie “Peter Pan” and the quote, “Just think happy thoughts, and they lift you into the air,” has stuck with me forever. 

A quote from a movie I first watched as a 3-year-old remains pertinent and fittingly so. Simplistically, I think of what I enjoy the most, much of which revolves around sports and the joy that exudes from me when playing or spectating, and I get to share that with others and that is my dream job. 

Since the age of 6, when I realized I would not make the NBA, my original dream job, I have wanted to share my love for the sports that entertain me through telling stories of the games. Fourteen years later as a 20-year-old junior majoring in communication with an emphasis in journalism and a minor in psychology, nothing has changed, except for my voice. 

I genuinely believe there need to be more people who adore their occupation and pour their heart and soul into it, and if I can tell stories about the sports I watch, I will. I  hope through passion and honed journalistic skills, I can relay my love for speaking and telling stories and my knowledge and passion for the games I love, and provide younger generations what the great sports broadcasters provided for me, abetting the sport I could see with what I could hear as well. 

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MY STORIES:

• HoneyComb Café: A taste of a rising small business that’s using one of Utah’s natural ingredients
• Caribbean Nightingale: Utah’s first poetry salon connecting the community through the arts

MY BLOG:

At the beginning of this semester, I didn’t know what else I could learn about writing. After all, (insert sarcasm here) I was already an established music writer at a local magazine; what more could I learn about the craft of writing a story? I am pleased to say that I couldn’t have been more wrong. The information and advice I’ve obtained in this course has boosted my writing skills more than I could have ever thought. 

One thing in particular that I realized came from our designated textbook for this class, “Writing as Craft and Magic.” One of the first assigned readings made the distinction between the definitions of a writer and a reporter. The epiphany I had with this new token of information is that I lean more toward a writer mentality that borders on journalism more than I do with reporting. While I love to tell stories about the community around me, I know my passion does not lie in churning out news on a daily basis. I like to take my time with pieces to fully indulge myself in the content while also staying as creative as I can with it. A daily news reporter has more restrictions than my creative writer brain could ever handle for a long period of time. 

Our focus on beat reporting this semester has helped my professional career by teaching me how to balance writing four feature stories at a time. Right before the semester started, I was offered the opportunity to write my first feature stories for SLUG Magazine on two different bands for the Virtualized Showcase. I was progressively writing these features while also developing my two enterprise stories for this class. The overlap made my workload immense but ultimately taught me how to manage my time for possibly similar future scenarios. One of the most difficult parts about it, though, was the worry that I wouldn’t be able to give my full attention to each piece to make sure that each article was getting the proper attention and representation that it deserved. I’ve found that a lot of panic and hope goes into being a professional storyteller. But the satisfaction of seeing your hard work published for the world to see is an unmeasurable and addictive feeling.

I plan to continue with my involvement in reporting on the African American and other marginalized communities after my academic career is over. It’s important for a community to be properly represented and given a platform to spotlight the positivity that supports our diverse public. At the moment, I am a music writer for SLUG Magazine, and I will make sure in all future endeavors where I’m reporting on a community that I’m not casting out any minority groups that may have been overshadowed by my own blinded ignorance. It’s important to dive deep in the smaller communities of Utah so our cultural diversity can grow and Utah can be seen for the developing diverse state it is becoming.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Kenzie Waldon and I am a junior at the University of Utah on the Journalism track in the Communication department with a minor in Creative Writing. I am a music writer for SLUG Magazine, a local publication dedicated to spotlighting the underground community of Utah. I’m also the recipient of the Robert K. Avery Scholarship for the 2021-2022 academic year. If I’m not working on school or writing, I’m singing and playing guitar in the glam rock band Slick Velveteens or at home cuddling my two dogs.

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MY STORIES:

• Out of state student-athletes of color at the University of Utah speak out

• University of Utah athletic team use their platforms to promote social justice

MY BLOG:

When I was told we were going to be writing our stories on a specific beat this semester I soon asked myself, what is a beat? I had no idea what that meant. But thankfully, Voices of Utah taught me exactly what a beat is, and for that, I am grateful I had the opportunity to be in this class. 

I quickly came to learn that we were going to specifically be writing about the African American community within the state of Utah. At first, I thought this would be more difficult just because of the Utah demographics. But then, I realized this beat is not focused on very much in Utah, so I was excited to take on this opportunity of focusing on this beat.

My expectations for this beat changed quickly as the semester went on. I was so eager to learn more about this community and really understand others from a whole different perspective. This beat taught me to have conversations that might be out of my comfort zone, and this has already helped me become a better interviewer for my future. 

I wanted my stories to be focused on the African American community within Utah athletics. As I had the chance to interview many student-athletes, it really opened my eyes by hearing some of their stories and experiences at the University of Utah. It made me feel a way that is unexplainable, and taught me new things such as how undiverse some of the Utah athletic teams really are. As a journalist, I found a sense of respect toward these individuals because of their willingness to open up to me. They shared some parts of their life that were very hard conversations to have. 

I hope to continue my involvement within this community because it really needs to be focused on more. Hearing more stories about this community is something the state of Utah should incorporate more into their news reporting. I enjoyed learning things I had not known before as well as hearing about some experiences that have really affected the individual. I hope wherever I go with journalism, I have the opportunity to meet new people within this community and build relationships with individuals that can help me become more educated. I am eager to learn more and listen within this community and am excited to see where journalism next leads me.  

ABOUT ME:

Brianna Pearson is a junior at the University of Utah and is majoring in communication with an emphasis in journalism. She has a huge passion for sports as she is a part of the Utah women’s soccer team, competing at one of the highest levels in college soccer. 

Her ultimate dream is to be a sports broadcaster for ESPN. But if that does not work out, she would love to work in the sports industry. Her passion for soccer has driven her in wanting to have a career within the sports world. 

Being a student-athlete, she has learned many things, but the most important thing she has learned is time management. Brianna has had to balance being a Division I Pac-12 player while also maintaining good grades in order to compete. Long days of practices, lifts, film sessions, treatments and rehab, has only made her appreciate the ability to be a 3.86 GPA student.  

As athletics have taken up a ton of her time throughout her life, she hopes to find an internship as a social media marketer, or as a journalist within the sports industry during the summer of 2021. Voices of Utah has been the only experience she has had with journalism so far.

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MY STORIES:

• More than a Black female athlete

• Black Faculty and Staff Awards honored University of Utah employees for social justice

MY BLOG:

Before joining this class I had no idea what a “beat” was or meant. I thought this course called Voices of Utah was going to be about something completely different. I never knew how much it would impact me in such great ways before joining this course. 

Having the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone not only talking to/interviewing new people but talking about social injustice with affected communities has been extremely eye-opening. I have learned so much about social injustice and listened to personal stories that touched my heart. I knew this class would force me to have those hard but important conversations that needed to be talked about and heard. I feel so grateful to have met such amazing people, who felt comfortable enough to share those personal stories with me. They educated me and I could not be more thankful. 

My expectations for this beat initially were low, only because I was stressed and nervous to be interviewing people, let alone addressing topics that can be difficult at times. But my perspective changed quickly and I became excited and eager to come up with questions to ask to educate myself and get the most out of this unique experience. This beat has helped me develop professional skills when interviewing. It has taught me to be confident when I speak and that no question is a dumb question. It has also allowed me to make connections with people on a deeper level quickly. I was happy about that mostly because I haven’t had a lot of human contact since COVID-19 hit. 

After this course, I will continue with my community involvement because I want to be a part of the change. I know more information and have gained knowledge on the social Injustice around us and I want to help as much as I can to make our community better. 

ABOUT ME:

I am currently 21 and a junior at the University of Utah. I will graduate in Spring 2022 with a degree in Communication with an emphasis in journalism. My goal is to become a sports broadcaster for ESPN and be a field reporter.

I am passionate about my career choice because I have been involved with sports all my life. From the age of 4 until 20 I played competitive soccer and even played at the collegiate level for three years. I used to play for the University of Utah women’s soccer team from 2018 to 2020. Sports has shaped me into the woman I am today and taught me very important life skills. Being a student-athlete at a Division I school is no easy task. From having weight lifting practice at 6 a.m. to having another practice at 2 p.m. and doing school in between is something that takes time management, organization and perseverance to accomplish.

Besides being involved with sports, I also really enjoy time with my friends and family. I love to hang out and be outside with the people I love because it refreshes me when I’m overwhelmed and makes me happy. I am extremely excited for my future and  hopeful that one day I’ll be on TV reporting on the U.S. women’s national teams games. 

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MY STORIES:

• Cooking with love: Sauce Boss Southern Kitchen
• Versatile Image: helping artists monetize

MY BLOG:

This class has really helped me become more aware of the civic duties of journalists. I felt a tremendous responsibility while writing my two stories. I was an ambassador between the message of the terrific businesses I interviewed and the public.

I found a pressure to making sure I got the right messages across. Luckily for me I found two standup businesspeople and was able to portray them in a positive light, which helped amplify their stories, which is really what I was hoping to do.

I think what I have learned about myself is that I can be flexible. Things didn’t always work out on the beat. I had one of my stories just not work out entirely. I never heard back from my sources and had to put something else together on the fly. I worked with one of my other classmates though, to figure out a new story. I was given a nice lead that I followed up on and eventually was able to find a great story with my discovery of the Versatile Image story.

I also worked on deadlines well. I really forced myself to stay within a timeline for my interviews and drafts of my article. I also wanted to give myself enough time to meet with my editors, and understand why they made the edits they did so I could try my best to adjust to them in the future.

It wasn’t always easy, but I really did try to push myself to improve from story to story and cut down on my mistakes. I didn’t necessarily always succeed but I made a real effort to improve and I think I did as the semester went on.

I do think that finding a way to continue to do community reporting might be fun. I have my own blog, I see no reason why I couldn’t find things within my community that interest me and report on them. I have learned this semester that journalism, in large part, is just asking the right questions.

I think I can find things that interest me in my community and pursue them. I really enjoyed writing business profiles, but I think I might also like to try my hand at more food journalism. I love restaurants, I love going to restaurants and I love writing about them. I see no reason I couldn’t do more pieces on them.

Overall, I had a really good semester. I came in wanting to stay away from sports and learn how to write something different.

I also wanted to learn how to become a better interviewer, how to become a better self editor and I believe I have accomplished most of those goals. I think I have learned that I am an effective writer who can get my point across. I need to work on becoming more concise, using commas more, and reading pieces out loud. If I keep working on those things though, I do think I can continue to grow as a writer.

ABOUT ME:

Eric Jensen is a radio producer at 1280 The Zone Sports Network in Salt Lake City. He also writes for The Daily Utah Chronicle website as a sports writer, covering University of Utah women’s basketball.

He is the host of the Endzone podcast, a football podcast over 350 episodes old. Eric will be graduating from the University of Utah in 2022. He has been doing writing and journalism since the eighth grade.

Eric has a passion for writing and telling stories. Though his first love is sports, he is interested in a variety of things including global events, poetry and literature, music, and culinary arts.

He recently found the desire to write profiles on local businesses in his community, including restaurants. He is also open to the opportunity to do journalism abroad.

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MY STORIES:

• University of Utah Friday Forum tackles racial inequity
• The Black Student Union provides space for Black students, even during pandemic

MY BLOG:

At the start of this semester, I will admit that this beat brought me a lot of anxiety. I didn’t feel like it was my place to discuss the topic of minority groups in the community. I expected to struggle with my anxiety throughout the semester. Luckily, that turned out to only be half the case. My anxiety has curbed, but I will admit I did, at first, have some trouble with this beat. It took a lot of time, but I was able to nail my first topic down rather quickly. The second took more time to come up with, but it ended up being such a good learning experience.

My first topic covered the Friday Forum I attended, which included topics such as Black Lives Matter and philanthropy in the community. This piece turned out to be more of a summation story than I would have liked, as I could not seem to land any more personal interviews. I did the best I could with the information I gathered.

My second topic covered the Black Student Union and the organization’s efforts to include students on campus, what political activity is like within the BSU. I was able to speak to Maryan Shale, the president of the organization. She was more than happy to speak with me, and answered all sorts of questions. I struggle with making calls to interview people, as I don’t want to be too intrusive. She made the interview process so easy and so enjoyable. I learned to get over myself and remember who this information will be for, the reader.

Even if I didn’t feel like it was my place to cover this topic, I will say that the topics have brought more awareness of social justice issues. The Friday Forum I attended was completely about addressing social inequity and social justice issues. It was great to be able to focus my attention on such important topics.  Through this beat I realized that if not me, then who? I’m in a position to cover this community, so why not use my position to shine a light on a group that may otherwise be overlooked?

Shale told me about the BSU’s efforts to create a more equitable environment for Black students and faculty. BSU members wrote a bill that the student government organization helped sponsor. I had no idea that this kind of work was going on at the university, and it made me feel much more confident in our school.

My biggest disappointment this semester was that I was unable to get better sources for my first story. Perhaps it was that I was out of practice, or just could not seem to get in contact with anyone relevant to the situation. My biggest success was a bit more personal than it was academic. I was able to push my anxiety to the side to get the work done. Getting out of my own head was the biggest help to this beat. This semester has been a wonderful learning experience, and I look forward to implementing the skills I learned in future endeavors.

ABOUT ME:

Mason Hardy, originally from Las Vegas, is a senior Journalism student graduating with his bachelors degree in communication in May 2021. He currently serves as a writer for The Geekwave. Mason received his associate degree from Dixie State University, where he acted as a news anchor for Dixie Sun News. He loves to spend time with his wonderful husband and dog Lucy, and take road trips with them whenever possible!

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MY STORIES:

• The Salt Lake Commission on Racial Equity in Policing outlines its latest diversity initiative
• Breaking down a “foundation of racism” through film

MY BLOG:

Initially I believed that my beat would be easy to cover because I could imagine that given the nationwide George Floyd protests and ensuing riots, Black police officers were more likely to feel at odds with their career. As I got to talking with more sources, such as the community resource officer of the Ogden City Police Department and a member of the Commission on Racial Equity on Policing, I learned that entities qualified to speak on the subject of community policing were more at liberty to tell me what was going on with Black officers in the police department than the police departments themselves. My beat taught me that as a reporter, you cannot create problems for the sake of creating problems. If Black police officers find that their time on the force was not at all conflicting with their identity, you have to respect the source.

An epiphany I recently experienced in regards to my career is that in some ways, journalism is the more creative medium that what I initially wanted to do: creative writing. Journalists are able to depict scenes faithful to the sources who witnessed them while adding their own flair. I discovered just how much I enjoy writing creative ledes and how I could potentially make a career out of writing feature pieces with the kinds of melodic ledes I enjoy writing.

I would like to continue with this beat because I learned from my sources that the way to draw the Black community here is to show that Black culture is alive and thriving in Utah. I believe that the Black experience is especially unique here because the culture shock of being in a predominantly white state can lend to some really amazing stories of surmounting obstacles and hedging out supportive communities.

ABOUT ME:

Zoe Gottlieb grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Salt Lake City four years ago to attend school at the University of Utah. As a member of the National Society of High School Scholars, the Mortar Board and Pi Eta Sigma Honors Society, and a consistent Dean’s List student, Zoe is a high academic achiever.

Zoe has been a media producer for K-UTE radio since January 2020 and has produced her own podcast, “Ute Tell All” with Blog Team Leader and co-host Joseph Moss. She is currently the Podcast Team Leader on scholarship for the radio station and worked for the Daily Utah Chronicle as an Arts writer during her final Fall term at the U. In her free time, Zoe enjoys writing short stories and sharing them with the Young Writers Society. She is self-taught on the ukulele and has been playing guitar for six years.

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