Interview Ease

In general, my interviews have gone very well. Most of the questions that I have asked are the same, based on whether the person I am talking to is a student-athlete or the organizer of the program. Because of the nature of the questions, the interviewees have had a lot to talk about in terms of their experiences abroad and what they have gotten from the programs. I found in general that student-athletes were more excited to talk about their trips than the organizers. However, when I spoke to organizers about what inspired them to found the organization, they were very passionate about sharing information with me. One difficulty that I have had is in talking to people with religion as their basis for going abroad to volunteer. These religious people continually emphasized the importance of God and spreading the Christian faith. While I think it's great that religion brings them together, it was hard for me to relate on that matter and continue with follow-up questions to get the answers that I was hoping for. Otherwise, the interview process has been a great success!

Interview Progress

My interviews have been going well. I would say that my only complain is that it's difficult to get anecdotes out of my subjects, since there typically isn't a "story" behind their food. While most people love food, and everyone consumes it every day, many don't think about the specific tastes they've experienced, and many don't know how to describe a meal with anything other than the words "tasty," "good" and "delicious." My biggest challenge is getting my interview subjects to open up about the sensations they experience when eating a meal. I plan to go back and re-interview many of my subjects to get that necessary information.

Interview Intervention

When i first started my article, I decided to do a trend piece in which I investigated whether studying abroad has become more of a semester-long vacation, or has stuck to its roots of providing students with a unique cultural and education opportunity. With this in mind, I went into my first interview with all of my questions related to this topic. They included questions such as, "What made you want to go abroad," "What did you hope to accomplish while you were abroad," "How did you spend your time while you were abroad," "What classes did you take abroad," "What is your major," "How was the location/language of your study abroad destination related to your major," etc. As you can see, all of these questions were slanted in a way that I hoped would elicit responses which told me that the student went abroad for enjoyment purposes. As a result, my first interview did not go very well. My interviewee was an Economics major that studied abroad at Oxford University for an entire ear. I learned that his study abroad experience was solely about getting professional internship experience to boost his resume - not for "vacation" purposes whtasoever. I should have done more research beforehand to find out some deeper background information about my interviewee. Even so, I ended up getting a lot of information about the abroad experience as a whole. It also turned out to be beneficial because most of my interviewees revealed that they, too, went abroad for purposes other than leisure and vacation. As a result, I changed the direction of my article into a how-to piece about everything you need to know about the abroad experience. Ultimately what I learned is that it is important to go into an interview with an open mind, and without the intent of soliciting preconceived notions of what you think or want the interviewee to tell you. The remaining of my interviews went much more smoothly, and I got a lot of great feedback!

Interviewing

Because I switched my topic from engaging in your college town to a profile piece on Godfrey Daniels, I'm way behind on interviewing. To date, I only have one interview completed, but I'll have two more done by the end of the week.

It turns out that Godfrey Daniels, the little local music venue down on 4th Street next to the Funhouse, is actually a non-profit organization. They've been around since 1976, and there seems to be a very rich history there.

My first interviewee, a member of Godfrey's board of directors, was extremely helpful in many ways. He's been involved with Godfrey's since the 1980s, and he was able to give me quite a bit of background. He also pointed me toward two sources--one of which has the potential of being a jackpot. John Gorka (a pretty famous folk musician) started his career at Godfrey's while he was a student at Moravian, at one point actually living in the basement of Godfrey's. I've already contacted him through his Facebook page, and he's gotten back to me. We're in the process of scheduling an interview.

This all said, I'm definitely looking into getting a tape recorder for my upcoming interviews. I know it takes more time in transcribing it, but I know it will be worth it in the long run.

Final Project

After completely abandoning my original idea about investigating how advertisers are now using social networking websites to behaviorally target their audiences, I decided to go down a road I have always enjoyed more: service piece. Two summers ago, I interned for Alloy Media & Marketing as an online marketing intern. Part of my work was blogging for them and the blogs I posted were all, essentially, service pieces. I remembered how much I enjoyed giving advice,  and I am very happy with my change in direction.

In addition to changing the type of piece I'm writing, I also drastically changed my topic. I will now be writing about Bethlehem's Best Eats, and looking into the top ten best restaurants on the north and south sides of Bethlehem. Personally, I love food. I love going out to restaurants and I love fine dining. I'm excited that I'll be writing something I have a passion for.

Now that I have a new and better direction for my piece, I have two main challenges:

1. How do I make this evergreen piece relevant to March 2011? How do I make it unique and stand out and how can I write a piece on the best restaurants without being repetitive? I'm sure someone's covered this topic before, so I need a new, fresh angle.
2. How do I find "expert" sources in this matter? This isn't like an "academic" topic, where I can find professors who are experts in the topic. It's more about opinion. I suppose I could ask a "food expert" but because it's so specific to this area, I'm unsure if looking for one on HelpaReporter.com will be helpful.

Overall, I'm pleased with my new direction, but I hope I can get some great advice on the challenges expressed above.

Interview oddity

Not much to say about this interview, but since the CEO of College ACB wishes to remain anonymous, I was unable to schedule a phone interview with them. Instead, I was given the option of G-Chat.

It's just interesting to see how interview subjects are now trying to enforce transparency in the journalism industry. That subject has the same interview transcript that I do.

But nonetheless, it was an incredibly insightful interview. Learned a lot about the site and its plans for the future.

Interview on a time crunch

The interview I wish I could go back to is one I held with Silagh White, administrative director of ArtsLehigh. She is heavily involved in both the Lehigh and Bethlehem communities and has worked along side Andy Po on many occasions. Because she is invested in reinvigorating South Bethlehem in a way similar to Po, White offers an important insight and opinion. I've spoken with her several times in the past about a few topics, so I knew what a good interview she can be.

Unfortunately, she was unexpectedly busy the day my interview with her rolled around. Instead of going up to her office with her as usual, she sat in the waiting room with me after walking in the building. I could strongly sense her urgency, so I stuck to structured questions I thought were most important and asked relevant follow-ups only a few times. A typical interview with White is very conversational and filled with stories and opinions. This one included the stories and opinions I needed but about a third as much content as she usually offers.

She thanked me for being conscious of her time crunch and was on her way upstairs before I could pick up my bag. I don't know exactly what I should have done differently because I got all the information I needed, but maybe there's be more if she could have talked longer. I'm considering scheduling a second time to talk with her if necessary toward the end of my interview process. 

Final Paper Progress

I have interviewed a friend of my main source and I have an interview set up with my main source for Thursday. I e-mailed three people who I found out through articles that have been written who are involved with the STEP program, and only one of them got back to me saying she would forward the e-mail to the right person for me to speak with. I hope to get some responses soon.
I feel that during my interview with my main source I can get a lot of really useful information about new sources. I plan to interview his parents, a friend of his who also went through the program, and his adopting family in Scarsdale. I will get all of those contact numbers when I see him on Thursday, and I think then I will really be able to move forward with sources.
My problem is connecting with the people in charge of the STEP program, which I am hoping will not be too hard to do once I get one person to respond. I want to bring a professional aspect to my paper, and show that my writing is reliable.
I need to brainstorm more about where to pitch this article, but so far I think Scarsdale papers and Lehigh local newspapers. I am also looking into education magazines.

On Tap profile progress

After completely abandoning my original story idea, my final article is finally coming together. I first was going to write about graduating seniors choosing to go to grad school because they were unable to find jobs. My student sources fell through, and I realized as a whole the article lacked direction and focus. Most importantly, it was boring, and my best stories are always those I am passionate about. Over spring break my friends and I went on a cruise from New York City to the Bahamas. While a week on board was enough for us, we wondered what it was like for the employees who spent months living on the ship. This is when I remembered On Tap. A acapella quartet that recently was hired to perform on Celebrity cruise lines. They set sail at the beginning of last summer and returned in January. I had heard them perform several time at Lehigh before they left, and they truly are an exceptionally talented group. I want to tell their story.

There is usually a collective gasp from the audience when On Tap starts singing. I remember during my sophomore year, we paid five dollars for them to sing to my roommate in our apartment’s living room on the morning of Valentine’s Day. They sang Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” and my roommate started crying. They tend to have this effect on women. This has only made me more intimidated for my interview with them tomorrow afternoon.

The most important part of the interview will be getting at much detail as possible about their time on the ship. I want to tell a story that shares all aspects of their experience on board. The most difficult part of the interview will be getting a sense of them both as a group and as individuals. I will be interviewing all of the together, which will provide an additional challenge. I’m excited to hear their story, and think they will be good interviews/profile.

Final Project

For my final project, the biggest issue has been finding a diversity of sources. My article idea is to write a service piece on waking up in the morning and staying awake during the day and being productive. The biggest difficulty has been finding diversified sources. It is easy to find sources that are students or people with opinions, but it is more difficult to find professional sources or people who know more scientific viewpoints.

I feel like it will strengthen my article to have many different sources including someone who can provide their professional opinion. I will continue to look for sources and email as well as looking for helpareporter.com.

Final Project Development

For my final project I am doing an investigative piece on what teens and adolescents really do with their time and how much of it is spent using technological devices. I hope to explore what effect this technology use is having on the young teens. Are they becoming more social through use of social networking sites and communication applications? Or, is this large dependence and use of technology creating a habit of excessive and ineffective multitasking in some teens?

I have already interviewed a few teens from my community at home. In their interviews they told me what I had suspected, that they spend lots of time on various technologies and they couldn't imagine what their lives would be like without these technologies. Though I got great quotes and useful information from these initial interviews, I hope to go back and interview these kids again after I have talked to child education and psychology experts. I also think I need another group of sources besides kids and developmental experts, I was thinking that I could interview the children's parents about their thoughts on their kids' technology use.

Scheduling has also been a difficulty for me. The experts at Lehigh are very busy, but I hope to meet with a couple of them in the coming weeks and get their thoughts on the connections between technology and learning, specifically how teen use of TV, computer, and internet technologies are affecting their thoughts and interactions.

The piece has started off well, I have a solid idea, a few sources, and plans to meet with experts, but I know I have a lot more work ahead of me. I'm sure the experts I talk to will bring great insights to the topic and enhance the piece, I am interested to see how the shape of my piece changes after I talk to them.

Final Paper Progress

My final assignment is a sort of reported trend piece. It's about how student-athletes are traveling overseas during the summer to do community service and teach the sport that they are passionate about. I am also searching to find the deep reason for why students are doing this and what is making them able to do so, financially, time-wise and opportunity-wise.

It seems that when the assignment was first given, I was very steadfast on getting interviews lined up and following through with them immediately. While I have completed three or four interviews already, I am finding it difficult in coordinating time-wise to get other interviews in. I have two people that I am needing to interview, but we can't find a time that works because they are busy with their lives and work and I am busy with my life and work. That would be my main difficulty is scheduling.

Other than that I am making good progress in getting anecdotes and quotes from my sources. I have talked to student-athletes who have gone on these trips and also people who are in charge of running the trips. I guess the only source type that I would be missing is a more professional source that guides student-athletes on what to do over the summer or a more reputable person who could give me statistics and such. That's all for now!

Final story- Tattoos and addiction

For my final story, I am writing a trend piece on tattoos and addiction. My idea is that many college-aged or twenty-somethings are getting tattoos, but not just one or two. I know several people that fall into that age group who got their first tattoo when they turned 18 (I can't lie, I did, but I only have one..), and a few years later haven't stopped decorating thier bodies with the permanent ink. One friend of mine has two almost-sleeves (not completed..yet) as well as several tattoos on his calves and chest. He is only 22. Another girl I know has about 10 tattoos in various places on her body, the biggest being a flower that covers from her shoulder down to her elbow. She is 23. I have a few other people in mind that I would like to interview as well.

I have only interviewed one of the two of them, but I have another interview Friday. This weekend I am also going to interview someone I work with at home who used to be a tattoo artist in his old town (he's 20-something too). I would like to ask him if he has notice the trend too, and if he would see the same people coming back for his artwork or to get tattoos done.

I also plan to talk to a tattoo artist. I was going to go to the place where I got my tattoo, but I found out they are closed down when I tried to go there right before break.

As far as other sources I plan to talk to, I want to get in contact with a psycologist or health official to talk about the down sides of getting tattoos. I put a request on Helpareporter.com for that. I also had a thought that I might be able to talk to an older adult who waited longer to get tattoos (like in their 30s) to get their opinion about tattooing today.

So far I am behind in the interviewing, but after this week and next, I should be almost caught up. I am still looking for possible sources, so if anyone knows someone who might be good to talk to, let me know.

Progress on Profile of Po

Progress on my final piece is going at different paces in different areas of my research. I intend to write about Andy Po, owner of Homebase Skateshop on 4th Street and impressive human being. Gathering information has been going smoothly. Dozens of articles on him and his projects within the Bethlehem community have been written and provide useful information. I also follow his shop via twitter, which has proven useful to understanding his current daily life. I have spoken to people who have worked alongside him, whether on the Skateplaza along the South Bethlehem Greenway or another project, as well as a Lehigh student who in familiar with him. I’ve also visited the Skateplaza and plan to go back. (I recommend stopping by. It’s an interesting piece of Bethlehem, if you’re interested.)

What is going in a less optimistic direction is my contact with Po, the man I plan to profile. He seems happy to help me out but is far busier than I anticipated. He prefers to meet before the shop opens, which works for me and is totally understandable. However, he is extremely involved in the community in addition to running his own small business and just can’t be as prompt with his responses as I, and probably he, would like. A few times I have suggested a meeting date to which he responds after said date has passed. I really like and usually rely heavily on other sources close to the topic, but in this case I just need a few hours from Po. I have input on how the community responds to him and how a few individuals feel about him and his efforts, but I need to know how he feels about all of those things or my piece will be quite lacking.

I’ve stopped in the shop at what always seem to be busy hours, so Friday I intend to get someone to cover for me at work and go in right at opening to catch him before customers do or he gets down to business. I would use this opportunity to solidify dates and time at which I can stop by, so I don’t take up a chunk of his business day without warning and avoid any further miscommunication.

Every girl's go-to magazines

After locating the magazine rack in Lehigh’s bookstore, I was instantly drawn to what was already familiar: Cosmopolitan. It’s bright and bold and mentions a lot of articles on the cover. I’ve never subscribed and read it only when I find it in front of me, but I inevitably feel very familiar with it. I have actually seen the issue on the rack floating around my house for a few days already. What has made me so familiar is definitely the consistency of magazines. All look nearly identical to me, and I have to flip though issues of Cosmo to figure out whether or not I’ve read it or not because I can’t tell by the cover. The stories really seem the same in every issue, and sometimes I swear the same girl is on the cover for months in a row because the issues blend together so much. But, somehow, it’s always an enjoyable read, so it will continue to grab my attention.

My initial reaction to Cosmo led me to observe the other magazines similar to it, like Glamour. All of these magazines seem to be formatted just the same and differ primarily in coloring. Cosmo is usually the boldest, and Glamour seems to have a cleaner, whiter cover. These magazines clearly make up a section that utilizes the draw of a beautiful woman on the cover to sell copies. From now on, I plan to take note of the consistency of the other magazines like Cosmo to determine whether they all get away with publishing basically the same stories monthly. I don’t expect the look to change. Fonts and coloring contributes to what keeps readers like me coming back. I just wonder how similar these magazines are aside from in appearance, because they all seem like slightly altered versions of each other upon first observation.

Fast Company

As someone who is not aggressive unless necessary, I ended up passively standing outside the mass of people surrounding the table of magazines until everyone else had chosen. Not a mistake I’ll make again.

I was left with Fast Company. This is not a magazine I’m familiar with because business is not quite my forte. But I didn’t mind because all the cover stories seemed appealing. Sure, I’d like to know the 50 most innovative companies, learn something about why time-consuming Facebook is no. 1, and discover whether Hulu or Netflix is predicted to come out on top. All relevant to me. I also liked that I recognized the man on the cover, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerbrg.

However, I do not find the cover particularly eye-catching, and the front and back cover have a feel to them I really don’t like to touch.

First, I flipped through the unfamiliar magazine just to get a feel for it. The ads are boring. I also quickly noticed that I recognize a majority of people or products featured. When I started reading more closely, I learned that the big recognizable pictures and catchy headlines didn’t always represent the articles’ main messages, which were usually more boring than I might have guessed. I like this tactic because it sparked my interest in articles I would probably overlook or ignore otherwise.

For a business magazine, I enjoyed Fast Company more than expected, but I don’t plan to sit down with another issue if I have options any time soon. I have certainly read far more drab business magazines that include almost only information I don’t understand or have no interest in whatsoever. Articles in Fast Company covered everything from the business side of Facebook, fashion, food, entertainment and technology. While I’m likely to read about all these topics from other sources, I usually only gain the social or entertaining perspective. I was able to read about things I’m interested in but not what I consider most interesting about them. I’m just not a business kind of person, but I could see this magazine enjoyed by those who are as a quick, light read.

Favorite Journalist/Author: Both

Mitch Albom is a favorite of mine, but I will begin with my general affinity for journalists turned authors. This was discovered accidentally in several instances when I learned about the author only after reading the book. May be just coincidence among these authors, but it is the writing style that grabs my interest before even becoming absorbed in the book. Admittedly, I have not read more than one piece of work by most of these writers, but I feel like the trend is strong enough to stand by. Whether it is the style with which these authors write, the topics they choose to explore or my now conscious interest dictating my inclination toward journalists turned authors, I plan to begin seeking out books by such authors.

My most recent reads of this sort were for a non-journalism class. John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge wrote The Right Nation, and Hanna Rosin wrote God’s Harvard. Both books are political, and all authors are also jourmalists. While Micklethwait and Wooldridge maintain a nearly completely objective standpoint and Rosin lets her opinions seep into her writing, research and interviewing techniques are very evident in both books. I enjoyed identifying this and the credibility and purpose it lent to both pieces of literature. Also, Christopher Hitchens is a writer for Vanity Fair among other sources to which I believe he usually contributes columns, as well as the author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. My progress in reading this keeps getting interrupted but I continue to go back to it. His experience as a journalist shows through in the book’s arguments and evidence. All three of the afore mentioned books make points I agree with and others I don’t, but I enjoy reading all of them because of how they are presented and all the information that comes with them. I credit this to a journalistic background.

Finally, also a journalist and author, Mitch Albom is a long-time favorite of mine. I first took an interest in Tuesdays with Morrie because I’m interested in anything my dad suggests. Then, my interest grew when I took the liberty to learn why he wrote this book, as well as his others. I find Albom’s choice of story intriguing and sometimes inspiring. His style of writing is different than the other journalist turned authors I mentioned and enjoyable for different reasons. His books are easy to read multiple times and provoke thought with each read. The combination of his story choice and writing style is something I respect and will continue coming back to as he continues to put out books. Not to mention, his journalistic ethical slip up created further intrigue about who Mitch Albom is, and I think some of that comes out in his stories.

Anonymity: a gift and a curse

For my final project, I'm dealing with college gossip websites like College ACB and what anonymity online means for the future.

My biggest roadblock? My sources want to take a cue from that website and remain anonymous themselves. Yikes.

The new CEO of College ACB wishes to remain anonymous (I even had to interview "him" on GChat through GMail). My student sources also wish to remain nameless due to the sensitive nature of the topic. While the nature of the CEO's wish can be overcome (Higher Ed and even UPenn's student newspaper both had to interview under the same circumstances - it's a universal thing now), I'm having a great deal of trouble finding students who are willing to discuss the website under their own name - not being referred to as "undergraduate student A" or "undergraduate student B."

Does anyone have any suggestions or know anyone who would be willing to speak on the record about College ACB? Been asking around with social media, but so far, no luck!

Final Article Progress

Unlike Ally, unfortunately, I'm making very little progress with my research. I wanted to write a how-to piece about ways college students can make the most of their home away from home--the city or town their college is in. Because this idea was inspired by the relatively poor relationship between Lehigh and Bethlehem, I wanted to focus on local schools in urban settings such as Lehigh, Moravian, and Lafayette. I started with a list of a handful of people that I really wanted to include in my article, and contacted all of them, thinking that following those interviews, I would branch out to students, local businesses, and residents to hear their opinions.

I hit the road block right away. Out of the six offices and individuals I e-mailed and then called, I only heard back from one. We scheduled an interview (finally thinking I was getting somewhere!), and I was stood up. I e-mailed him asking to reschedule, and I haven't heard anything yet.

At this point, I'm thinking it's time to go back to the drawing board. I'm worried that if I start from scratch I'll fall behind, but I also don't want to risk the same thing by clinging to my original idea.

Current Status of Feature Article

So far I've made good progress on my feature article. The trend I am investigating is studying abroad, and whether it has become a semester-long vacation for college students rather than an academic opportunity. I have interviewed students of all different types: boys, girls, students from Lehigh as well as students from other schools, students who studied abroad in various countries, students who went abroad for a summer, for a semester, and for a year, and students who went abroad for different reasons (internship experience, cultural exploration, language acquisition, enjoyment). I have also consulted with the study abroad office, study abroad offices from other schools and college counselors, all who have given me great feedback about trends and statistics of students going abroad nowadays. I began my article thinking I would come to a general consensus at the end about students nowadays studying abroad for pleasure, as opposed to educational reasons. As I researched however, I ended up not being able to generalize this at all. From the students, parents, and counselors I talked to, I gathered a wide range of reasons, aside from enjoyment, about why students were increasingly traveling abroad. Therefore I'm changing the direction of my article ever so slightly to make the focus more general, so that it encompasses all of the reasons why students are going abroad today (I am no longer focusing on just the enjoyment aspect). Overall I am happy with the progress of my article!

Spring!

"529 News Spring Looks" was the title that caught my eye. It was written in bright yellow text, which screamed spring even more, so I picked it up. The magazine with this catchy headline was none other than the March 2011 People Style Watch. Although I skim People magazine when I am at home, I was sort of surprised that this was the first magazine that grabbed my attention.


As much as I tried to look at the other magazines sitting on the rack with the People Style Watch, the others looked dull. I could not relate to the headlines on other magazines, and didn't have any interest in reading about anything Charlie Sheen related. And let's face it, who doesn't want spring to get here a little faster?!

On the cover alone, topics of great bargains for under $100 or under $10 caught my eye. Even though most of the story headlines on the cover of the magazine are evergreen stories, there is something really refreshing to read about the newest fashion trends that we will see in the spring.

So while this magazine isn't something I have never purchased before, it trumped all of the magazines that focused on diets, Justin Bieber and country gardening.

Look at me

I saw two really good reasons to pick up the 2011 swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. Just kidding, I’m being crass, but seriously it is a hard magazine to miss this time of the year. While all other magazines are running the same old “Get flat abs,” Secrets to a slim stomach” and “Tighten that tummy,” Sports Illustrated is blowing them away in sales by staying simple. The cover features that year’s selected model, suggestively posed in a teeny tiny bikini. The cover is bright, colorful, the rest of the text is small and black besides the magazines name which is well hidden behind the models face and flowing hair. So much so that you almost forget it reads “Sports Illustrated.” Sports? Really? Because this looks more like an issue of Cosmopolitan or Shape than an issue of one of the manliest magazines on the market.

It really is a genius concept, and as much as my inner feminist cringes at the air brushed photos of nearly nude women, the journalist in me gets excited. In today’s dying print industry, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is one of the best, if not the best selling, issue of any magazine. Each year about a million copies are sold. Since its debut in 1964 the swimsuit editions alone have grossed over $1 billion dollars, according to CNBC.

It’s not just the magazine that does well this time of the year but also the models, the swimsuits, accessories and photographers involved. Being features in the swimsuit edition is a fast way to boost anyone’s career. Not only because sex sells but because of the quality of the photographs taken in exotic locations. So sure, while its easy to turn up my nose at the overtly objectifying concept, I gotta say, it works.