Spring Break Edition

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Spring Break Edition

internships. news. commentary.

society news..

OUSPJ returns 3/31

Travel the world, write away. Globetrotting freelancer Jason Motlagh. story

Graylyn Roose

photo

Ian Bowman-Henderson

Every week the Society of Professional Journalists brings in an industry professional to speak at our meetings. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, they stick around to answer a few questions. This week’s guest is a J-School alumn now working as a freelance foreign correspondent. He’s covered India and Afghanistan -- he is Jason Motlagh. Inc.: What’s your advice to students who you don’t have to worry about. Despite the lean

might want to get involved in freelance journalism? Jason Motlagh: I’d say know what your strengths are, and try to play to your strengths, whether it’s a language that you speak, or perhaps another educational background that you have, maybe economics or Middle Eastern studies... I would say try to develop as many skills as you can in TV, radio, and writing. Pick a destination, a place to work that is viable, where you can bank on a steady stream of news to cover, if not in the local area, in the region, where living expenses aren’t too high, where transportation is feasible. Bear in mind that it can take some time to get off the ground initially, but you can go a lot further on a smaller budget abroad. The expenses are usually a lot less so you can hold out longer. Showing up is more than half of it, and then just sort of sticking around and being persistent, and trying to break through. You make your chances greater by making a budget and having a plan and the time to let things happen. Inc.: Do you see the economy changing the face of journalism? Jason Motlagh: Newspapers are declining; a lot of the traditional media outlets are tightening their belts.... So I think that’s a compounding factor. That said, outlets are going to be looking for areas and formats where production values are less and that is marginally connected to the Internet, you know, video for the web, direct to the web stories. Of course, freelance, in most cases, living expenses are not being covered, your health care and insurance, your child’s schooling, whatever it may be, those are costs

times, it presents an opportunity for enterprising young freelancers, especially if they can work in multiple formats. Because you are providing a needed service, at a much lower price. They’re getting more bang for their buck, so it’s sort of a win-win. In those circumstances, an upstart stands a better chance of getting work from a high-profile news outlet... because he’s providing something that’s just too good to resist because it’s so cheap. I think the compensation may not be what it should be, but for someone who’s young and just trying to break into the business, it’s an opportunity. You can think of getting your foot in the door with an eye towards long-term work. Inc.: What’s the most interesting place you’ve traveled in your foreign correspondence work? Jason Motlagh: I still love working in Afghanistan. I’ve been going on and off for about three years and it just sort of gets in your system. I think you either really love it or you don’t want to return and I’m one of those people that is smitten with the place. For many levels, I think it’s like stepping into another era…Culturally there’s something very elusive about it. You get the sense that there’s a lot that you, as an outsider just don’t readily understand, that perhaps you could spend years trying to develop a better understanding, but there’s an invisible wall that you might never break through. So there’s something enticing about it, you want to know more and it’s intriguing. There’s something about it that you can never fully grasp that keeps you coming back.

just the facts. AP stylebooks. $15. t-shirts. $15.

Next OUSPJ meeting. 3/31. Ohio SPJ Awards submission deadline. 3/20.

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internships. news. commentary.

internships.. Indy rock interns. featured. IndyConcerts.com reporting

Cameron Glover

Searching for internships can be very stressful. You have to consider where the internship is being offered, how much it pays, how many academic credit hours can be earned, etc. Then you imagine your entire summer being spent in an office building away from your friends and social events. Luckily, IndyConcerts.com is offering an ongoing internship for any journalism students who are willing to attend concerts, interview bands and artists and keep the Web site updated with the latest news of the music industry in Indianapolis. It sounds too good to be true. Well, there is a little catch: It is an unpaid internship, but you can earn academic credit, and you will be immersed in the entertainment world in one of America’s most lively cities. “Indianapolis is a very active and entertaining city. It’s just a great place that offers so many opportunities once you get here,” editor Barrett Young said. IndyConcerts.com was created in 2005 by a group of young music lovers that wanted to share their affinity with others and provide an online resource that contained lists of concerts and shows along with follow up interviews with local and famous musicians that performed in and around the Indianapolis area. The Web site also allows viewers to purchase tickets to the events that they preview at various venues, such as the Murat Theatre and the Conseco Fieldhouse. “This Web site lets everyone in and around the Indianapolis area know when and where the best shows are going to take place,” Young said. “It provides them with artist and band reviews and updated news about

PHOTO: logo of ABC News on Campus

them.” One of the most recent posts was an interview with Umphrey’s McGee, a rising rock band that emerged from the Midwest and has been touring that area for several years. The IndyConcerts.com internship also provides a different type of atmosphere when in the workplace. According to the Web site, most of the active contributors to the site differ in their personal band and artist favorites, but they do consider sushi to be their favorite food. “The group that works for the site is really close. We all have a lot in common, especially a big love for live music,” Young said. He is looking forward to the spring season, which is when “concert season” gains momentum and the site gets “down to business.” To learn more about the internship or if you have questions about how to apply, contact Young at [email protected] or visit the Web site at IndyConcerts.com.

old questions. new opportunities. what.

when.

where.

how.

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

Marathon Coordinator

Summer 2009

Parkersburg, West Virginia

[email protected]

Cleveland Clinic

Marketing Editorial Intern

Year-round/ ongoing

Cleveland, Ohio

harrelc1 @ccf.org

Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty

Comm. Intern

3-6 months, dates flexible

Prague, Czech Republic

internships@ rferl.org

Harpo Films

Development Intern

Year-round/ ongoing

Beverly Hills, CA

stewart1@ohio. edu

Marketing Intern

ASAP

not stated, an island maybe?

ztkiesch@ gmail.com

who.

Island Heat Carribean Music Festival

why. Parkersburg News and Sentinal. Best of both worlds. low fat alternative to working at the Mayo Clinic over 28 languages are spoken at RFERL hq. the company was started by long lost “Harpo Marx” see “where”

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commentary.. Proud to be an (ignorant racist) American. Rush Limbaugh took on the world, maybe its time the world retaliated. commentary Miranda Saling

Rush Limbaugh: born on January 12, 1951 to a wealthy, conservative, politically involved family; got his first disc jockey job at a radio station part-owned by his daddy; avoided the draft by convincing a doctor to certify that he had an “inoperable pilonidal cyst” and a football-caused knee injury after one year of varsity football; attended college for 2 semesters and then dropped out; got professional help from Norm Woodruff who was openly gay and died of AIDs; recorded the Pat Sajak show to hundreds of empty seats after the crowd all left because of his anti-gay jokes and last but not least was asked to resign as an ESPN commentator after making racist comments. As shown above Limbaugh has always known how to get what he wanted, but his habit of making sure everyone knew his every thought about every topic did not begin until 1987. This is the year that the Federal Communications Commission repealed its Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine was a statute that required radio and television stations to provide equal time to both sides of political debates. With this rule lifted Limbaugh was about to have a field day with every conservative, right-wing, asinine thought that crossed his Southern, Christian head. Even on a liberal college campus, it is hard to get away from Limbaugh. He is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, which is owned by Clear Channel Communications. He can be heard on about 600 stations nationwide- that covers every major market. When asked what she thought of Mr. Limbaugh, Junior Alexa Manes said, “He’s kind of a tool… He could almost make students not want to see his point of view because he is not even tactful.” Alexa considers herself a liberal, but does not associate herself with the party. She agrees that most students are open “to at least listening to other points of view, but he is so abrasive that most just turn him off and don’t even wait to see if he had a decent point to make”. The sad part is that many Americans feel that they can relate to Limbaugh. He is often heard complaining about the wealthy elite who control

all of America: “All of these rich guys -- like the Kennedy family and Perot -- pretending to live just like we do and pretending to understand our trials and tribulations and pretending to represent us.” The funny part about Rush making fun of the “wealthy elite” is that his current contract pays him $45-million per year. I don’t know about you, Rush, but I would say $45-million a year would be considered wealthy and elite. On the topic of the current poverty line, he has been known to say: “$14,400 for a family of four? That’s not so bad.” Since he makes around $44,985,600 more than that a year I don’t think he should be deciding if those are sufficient fund. I’m sure that four person family would have something to say to Rush. Limbaugh wrote the book, The Way Things Ought To Be in 1992. In it he wrote, “I believe that strong, wholesome family values are at the very core of a productive, prosperous, and peaceful society.” After hearing about his strong moral values, you might wonder what his track record really is. Roxy Maxine McNeely, his first wife, was a sales secretary at a Kansas City radio station. After three years she was granted a divorce on incompatibility. His second wife, Michelle Sixta, was an usher at the Royals’ ball park. They divorced after about five years. Thanks to CompuServe’s dating service, he met his third wife, aerobics instructor Marta Fitzgerald. According to the Palm Beach Post, Limbaugh and Fitzgerald lived in separate houses during their marriage. Limbaugh began dating then-CNN anchor Daryn Kagan and around the same time initiated his third divorce after about ten years. After three loving marriages and his wholesome family ideal, one might think that Limbaugh respects and encourages the women’s movement. That why you should never assume. This quote, also from his book, lets it really all hang out, “Let me leave you with a thought that honestly summarizes my sentiments: I love the women’s movement, especially when I am walking behind it”. Many critiques have claimed that on his show, Limbaugh routinely pronounces “ask” and “asked” as “axe” and “axed”. He once asked an

African American caller to “take that bone out of your nose and call me back”. He has been known to regularly call light-skinned AfricanAmericans such as Halle Berry and Barack Obama “Halfrican-Americans”. Most of the hard facts and quotes in this article came from On the Issues and NNDB, which is an intelligence aggregator that tracks the activities of people we have determined to be noteworthy, both living and dead. They have apparently decided Rush Limbaugh is one of those people. No matter how far he goes and no matter how many people he pisses off… Limbaugh will forever be a staple in American media. He will always get the public interested in current events be it through agreeing with his view or wanting to argue to the death.

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special report.. how to: prepare for an interview.

learn to wow interviewers and score a great internship. reporting

Cameron Glover

So, you’re sitting in a business office and you’re being interviewed for an internship that you have been dreaming about for months. You have successfully made it through the basic questions, such as where are you from? Why do you want to work here? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Just when the smile on your face is starting to make your cheeks hurt, the interviewer throws out a curve ball: How long would it take to move Mt. Fuji? You would be surprised how quickly that smile disappears. How would you move Mt. Fuji is a studentrecommended book written by William Poundstone that offers different techniques on how to succeed in an interview. Poundstone highlights important parts of the interview process, such as traditional questions, creative answers and confidence. He also stresses the significance of being prepared. There are many steps that you can and should take before entering an interview. Before you even apply for an internship, it is imperative to research the company and its executive members. That way, you can be ready for any questions concerning its policies and history, and it would be a great time to name-drop to show how much you know. Being educated about the place you are applying at is a considerable way to show your interest about the position. Another crucial factor in the interview process is your appearance. First impressions really do mean everything; especially in an interview. What you wear and how you present yourself during an interview are forms of visual communication that can be the deciding factor of whether you get the position. Try to follow these three rules when deciding what to wear for an interview: One: An interview is not the time to prove how much of an individual that you are. Avoid patterns and bright colors and try to clean up the best that you can. Remove all facial piercings and cover up any tattoos. Two: You can never be overdressed. Considering that it is 2009, I would assume that most

office buildings have proper air conditioning systems. Wear layers and if you start to feel warm, then you can always shed a layer. Three: Wear something that allows the interviewer to remember you and not what you wore. Dress conservative and be confident in what you’re wearing, even if you think you look ridiculous. If you are doing a phone interview, there are other tips that can help you with that. The interviewer obviously can’t see you so you will have to be more animated over the phone to let your character be noticed. Other little tricks include standing up and smiling during the interview. You should also try to use a landline as opposed to your trusty cell phone that you have had since high school that you just dropped in the snow the other day while walking to class. At the end of an interview, have a few questions prepared for the interviewer. This is a perfect time to ask a professional anything about the area and career that you’re pursuing. There are several resources available to help you through the interview process. “Answering 6 common interview questions” is an article posted on CNN.com (http://www.cnn. com/2005/US/Careers/12/09/six.questions/ index.html) that goes through the traditional interview questions that you will encounter in practically any job interview. CNN.com has a partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which is another great site to go to that not only provides information about interview preparation but has a wide variety of resources that can be used to find jobs and manage your professional character. The Ohio University Career Services is located in Baker 533 and has a Mock Interview program for students to practice before going in to the real thing. To sign up, contact them over the phone at (740) 593-2909 or by email at [email protected]. After you have done the research, picked out an outfit and practiced answering some questions, you know you will be well prepared when the interviewer asks, “How long would it take to move Mt. Fugi?”

direct from HQ. National Shield Law: Help to protect the rights of journalists across America by contacting congress members.

‘09 National Convention and Centennial Celebration: registration now open at SPJ.org/convention.

new on the blog. The deadline has been extended for the Ohio SPJ Awards. The new postmark deadline for entering this year’s competition is March 20, 2009.

inc. identified: Managing Editor

Copy Editor

Ian Bowman-Henderson

Graylyn Roose

Contributing Writer Cameron Glover

Contributing Writer Graylyn Roose