Synopsis
In digital journalism this semester, I learned how multifaceted journalism truly is. From growing an online presence to understanding how to utilize data in my writing, this semester showed me that journalism is constantly evolving and expanding to fit into our digital world. Over the past couple of months, I have strengthened my writing and interview skills to develop and publish my evergreen story, an opportunity that was equally challenging and exciting. I was able to regularly utilize Canva and Adobe, allowing me to grow in the digital creative space. I also learned valuable skills related to data journalism, techniques when incorporating multimedia elements into a story, and the basics of journalism ethics.
Developing the Story
Working on an evergreen story this semester allowed me to implement many journalistic and ethical guidelines throughout the news gathering and writing processes. I made sure to always remain professional and ethical when communicating with potential sources. I maintained professionalism through clear and kind communication, stating the purpose of my interview and always asking to record beforehand. During the interview process, I was always prepared with questions, but I also strengthened my ability to ask follow-up questions on the spot, allowing the interview to feel more conversational and relaxed. Throughout the development of my story, I remained ethical by ensuring that all sources were properly accredited.
Developing my story came with its own set of challenges, which taught me several valuable lessons. Working on this story was a reminder of how important time management is in journalism and in life. After my initial contact with potential sources, I struggled to stay on top of following up with sources that I did not hear back from. I believe that if I were more persistent in obtaining sources, I would have been more successful in securing interviews. Another challenge I faced when developing my story was narrowing down what I wanted to focus on. My topic, third spaces, is incredibly vast and multi-layered. There were many possible avenues to explore, and at first, I was overwhelmed when researching existing coverage.
Despite having some challenges, working on my story did allow for many opportunities and areas of growth. I became more confident in reaching out to sources and conducting interviews, a skill I believe will greatly help me in the future. I was able to talk with San Diego community members, learning the ways they implement community and conversation into their daily lives and work. My story also allowed me to strengthen my Canva skills as I made an infographic for the first time, another skill I believe to be beneficial. Being able to publish an evergreen story on my portfolio also felt like a great opportunity for me, as it showed my dedication to a topic and how I was able to bring a story to fruition.
Digital Media Experience
Throughout the semester, I have gained a deeper understanding of the core principles of digital journalism. When I first heard of digital journalism, I had a very narrow perception of it in my mind. I thought our learning would be limited to social media and journalism that was simply published online. This course has taught me that journalism can be interpreted in many ways. Learning about techniques in reference to web scraping, data collection, and website building has been exciting because it exceeded what I imagined I would be learning in this course.
When we first began using data and Google Sheets in class, I was nervous because I've never been very good with numbers. I was surprised to learn how easy Google Sheets are to navigate and found it really interesting how journalists can find and implement their own data into stories. I always assumed that data in journalistic stories were found by researchers or other organizations, and never considered that journalists could conduct their own research backed by data.
I have enjoyed learning about digital journalism and expanding my knowledge and experience this semester. Building a portfolio has been a goal of mine for some time, so I have enjoyed building this page into something I am proud of. Working on my evergreen story this semester has been exciting, as I was able to write about a topic I am passionate about and talk with members of my community. I am excited to present my findings to class and am eager to learn about their stories as well.
