This month, my goals included attending at least one live lecture, turning my assignments in on time, and becoming adept at researching and investigating stories promptly and efficiently.
The skills needed to research and investigate what public sources are and how to use them are the skills I wanted to become most adept at. I enjoyed learning more about formulating questions and creating infographics that speak to the audience. Those skills elevate my ability to deliver information to the audience in a cohesive manner that is easy for the reader to digest and understand. Creating the multimedia assets and the Discussion Board analyzing the three interviews were my favorite assignments during this class.
Regardless of your chosen beat, the ability to ask pertinent questions and establish rapport with people is imperative. When your sources feel comfortable, they are more likely to relax and give you detailed responses to your questions. It also increases the chances that you’ll learn new and interesting information from your subject. These skills not only aid in gathering factual information but also enrich storytelling.
Knowing how to create various forms of multimedia like infographics, text with audio, or video can elevate a piece and ultimately expose it to a wider audience. Creating multi-media assets well is vital because the 24-hour news cycle has driven news consumption into more visual formats.
Investigating stories thoroughly, verifying facts, staying well-informed, and understanding the parameters of my beat will give me the best chance to reach my target audience. Perfecting strong interviewing habits, becoming proficient in multimedia creation, and developing research skills are all tools that will help propel my journalism career in the future.
* This is my second class. As a prior student, the class where the Mastery Journal was created was removed from my program.
