Chips Quinn Scholars - Spring 2008

Reinforcing optimism

2008-05-16T15:55:00.001-04:00

Tell Romenesko to shut up. One of the big ironies in print journalism is that print journalists are frequently referring to the Romenesko blog—a blog, part of the new media—to receive news of dying or downsizing print newspapers. And while Romenesko doesn't do much more than merely relay the facts, the blog can be sobering. A former professor of mine, who is also an assistant managing editor at The Seattle Times (a newspaper Romenesko recently reported to be downsizing), said he simply stopped reading Romenesko. It was too depressing.

Yesterday's lectures on the new-medium thrusts of journalism were reinforcing. Or, at least, the lectures tempered the gloom a young reporter gets when all the veteran journalists he has worked with tell him to get out of the business and go to law school while it's still an option.

Sounding off for mutlimedia

2008-05-16T15:53:00.000-04:00

I knew I would have to learn multimedia if I wanted to continue in journalism, but I didn't realize until yesterday that I actually want to learn it. The projects that Val Hoeppner, manager for multimedia education with the Freedom Forum’s diversity programs, showed us made me want to make something even half as good. One piece from The Indianapolis Star made a point about the similarity between Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's speeches in Indiana by cutting back and forth between parts of their speeches. The candidates made similar statements and, in a few cases, even used the same words. The clip created momentum that would have been impossible to express through the written word. Until I saw that clip, I hadn’t thought about what sound could do that an article couldn't. Val told us to watch strong examples of multimedia before the training session in Nashville. I'm excited to watch good stuff and even more excited to try to make it.

Farewell shot

2008-01-30T15:14:00.000-05:00

John C. Quinn with the Spring 2008 class.

Invigorated

2008-01-29T18:35:00.000-05:00

After four days of waking up at 6 a.m. after little to no sleep, I had planned on sleeping through my flights back to Des Moines. But then I remembered Jack Marsh's advice and decided to talk to my neighbors instead... I talked to Maj. W. E. Wiezel of the Marine Corps for two hours and found out what newspapers he reads and trusts. It was one of the best plane conversations I've ever had...

Orientation was a bit overwhelming at first, but now I feel more optimistic, more energized, more confident. It was so great to meet other journalists who are so passionate about what they do, like seeing Devin taking photographs and remembering that it is also something I enjoy, or hearing Sharon talk about her love for copy editing and realizing that yes, that aspect is fun too.

I am excited to return to The Des Moines Register this week! I spent today creating a list of goals, long-term and short-term, in various categories. Here are some of my goals:

I plan to talk to one new person a day, outside of the newsroom, but unrelated to articles that I'm working on.

I plan on going out to lunch with a different co-worker from another part of the newsroom at least once a week.

I plan on building in some time for each news feature I'm working on to think about how multimedia can enhance the piece and pitching the idea to my editors.

It was almost 50 degrees in Des Moines my first day back and I couldn't have asked for a better welcome than that. Looking forward to April!

Going to make it big time now

2008-01-29T10:54:00.000-05:00

After this orientation weekend, I now feel I have the tools to be a Super Bowl-caliber journalist, while before I was just a playoff contender. I am going back to Jackson, Tenn., with a new sense of myself as a reporter and member of the newsroom. The Chips Quinn program was the boost for us all -- a steroid injection for success in journalism.

I am going to put the shy sports reporter in the closet and become more open and engaging with sources as well as with my co-workers. I'll try to be a professional eavesdropper like Jack Marsh, vice president/diversity with the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute.

The best thing about leaving this weekend is knowing that I am not in this alone. As difficult as it may seem to move to a new city where I know no one and learn a new culture, I have people in my corner with the Chips Quinn program. I will be in contact with a huge network of successful journalists as I continue to network.

Confronting my concerns

2008-01-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

The end of the journey has arrived, and the many things I have learned will help me as I shape my career as a journalist. I will never disappoint John Quinn, cofounder of the Chips Quinn program, and therefore I will never assume anything, not only at my internship but also in my life.

Thanks to Karen Catone, director of the Chips Quinn Scholars program, for giving me the opportunity to be part of this amazing experience and to all the people who made it possible for the Chipsters to be here.

I’m leaving this place knowing that the First Amendment, accuracy and ethics are the rules and rights that I should look for as a professional. I can’t wait to get to my internship to overcome all the fears I have about starting and relating with other journalists. I’m sure that I will do a great job.

Ready for battle

2008-01-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to get to my newspaper to expand my skills in the copy-editing field. My internship paper is located close to home but far enough away to discourage me from driving there whenever I get frustrated. If I get frustrated with the job, then I will have to suck it up and work out whatever problems I have. If I work everything out and not run away from my problems, then I will get better at my job and will also be able to expand my skills.

I would have been going into my internship a little nervous and scared but Bill Elsen, an adviser to reznet.org, encouraged me to have fun and not be afraid. Although simple and few, those words were all I needed for encouragement and to be able to succeed.

Curling up with a stylebook

2008-01-27T11:50:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow marks my first day at my first newspaper job, and this may seem crazy, but the thing I am most looking forward to is getting my in-house stylebook from The Arizona Republic, curling up with it during my dinner break and getting lost in the entries for at least a week.

Copy editing is both an intuitive and procedural process, but one thing that stays constant is the need for consistency. And to a copy editor, there's no replacement for a stylebook.

Coming in at a close second is being finally able to decorate my desk with pictures of my friends, family and all the great people I've met during this long weekend with the Chips Quinn Scholars program.

Determined to succeed

2008-01-27T11:49:00.000-05:00

As we prepare to eat our last meal together at the Newseum (my signature dishes of Ramen noodles and hot dogs don't even deserve to be compared to the great food we were treated to here), I know I'm going to miss the people I've met, from the awesome Freedom Forum staff (Michelle Hedenskoog, CQS program coordinator, you are a rock star) and the various esteemed speakers (Joe Grimm, recruiting and development editor for the Detroit Free Press, you are hilarious) to the funny saying and antics of my fellow Chipsters (Shawntaye Hopkins and Ashlee Clark, your selected performance from Rent on the Metro was classic).

I am walking away from this experience a more enlightened reporter with renewed determination to grow and succeed in journalism. I plan to spend the months before going to my internship this summer at the Austin American-Statesman practicing multimedia skills in hopes of doing more online journalism. I also am going to work hard at digging up story ideas and cultivating sources. Above all, I plan to keep in touch with all of the people who have had an impact on me during this trip and build stronger bonds and ties.

Final moments

2008-01-27T11:48:00.000-05:00

The weekend has come to an end. The long days and late nights are over. Man, I am going to miss them. The 18 other "Chipsters" whom I was fortunate enough to meet will travel back to their respective papers. A somber moment to say the least.

In seven hours I will be back at the daily grind of being a journalist, but the program has invigorated me. That's not say I had lost my passion, but it is a relief to know that there are other interns who share my love for knowing the truth and for the vision offered by Chips, who always preached "Care. Care. Care. Take it and show it." I plan to do that and more when I return to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Thank you for everything, and good luck to everyone in their future endeavors.

"Congress shall make no law..."

2008-01-27T11:46:00.001-05:00

I can't wait to get to my internship to finally get back to work. I miss my editors and co-workers at The Arizona Republic.

I've been working since I turned 16, and since I left home I've been working full-time to get myself through school. I am not good at not working all the time. It hurts. And despite my great vacation time, I am ready to jump back in the game.

I also can't wait to start using the tools I learned and following the advice given this weekend. Sounds corny, I know, but I feel like I grew so much this weekend.

Mostly, though, I can't wait to start getting (and requesting) friend requests on Facebook, my sad addiction, and beginning friendships that will last for a long time. (Or at least until I get to UNITY, so I can have some drinking buddies... Just kidding!)

Finally, I can't wait to get to The Arizona Republic so I can start quizzing all the veteran reporters and editors about the First Amendment, my new favorite obsession.

On Color

2008-01-27T11:46:00.000-05:00

Throughout all the presentations and panels that Chips Quinn orientation has thrown at us, one question still remains unanswered for me: What does it mean to be a minority journalist? It's a question that's unavoidable -- after all, the only reason we are here in Washington D.C., this sadistically cold January weekend is because we are both journalists and people of color.

Alums (from left) Tanika White, Rhina Guidos and Anthony Dimaano.

Does it mean, as The News Journal's Midstate Living editor Rhina Guidos said this morning, that we must sometimes repress anger and frustration to remain journalistically objective -- that journalistic objectivity is integral to democracy, the system through which playing fields will be leveled and injustices redressed? Does it mean, as Baltimore Sun reporter Tanika White said in the same panel, that we need to assert the unique perspective we have to make sure that editorial content and decisions more fairly portray minority issues? Or does it mean, as Anthony Dimaano, photographer for The Bulletin in Bend, Ore., said also in the same panel, that we have to turn the other cheek to the small instances of racism -- that when someone sarcastically thanks you for the egg rolls at a pan-Asian restaurant just because you are an Asian American, you laugh it off.

There is no answer. Being a minority journalist means different things for different people. Of course, it's not a question that is unique only to minority journalists. It's a question of identity and how that identity will play a role in your personal and professional life -- something universal to all human beings.

I'm a journalist. I like finding answers to questions. So one of the things I'm most looking forward to as I start my internship (I'm finally getting around to answering the prompt for this blog post here; I promise, just in case any prospective employers are reading this, that I will be more concise at work.) at The Austin American-Statesman this summer, and as I continue through what I hope will be a long career in journalism, is figuring out what the answers to those questions are.

Multimedia, here I come

2008-01-27T11:45:00.002-05:00

I can't wait to return to my job and show my editor and the content staff what I learned during these four days of orientation. I received a lot of information, which may take some time to process, but it will be well worth it.

I'm excited and anxious to become a multimedia genius because of what Joe Grimm, recruiting/development editor for the Detroit Free Press, said during his presentation "Landing a Job." He said we (the 2008 Chips Quinn Scholars) should look out for those who follow us because they will be more in tune with technology than we are. Before he said that, I hadn't taken into consideration that a 10-year-old might know more than I do about multimedia. That is a huge motivator for me to get on it and drown myself in multimedia.

Zeroing in on multimedia

2008-01-27T11:45:00.001-05:00

I can't wait to get back to my newspaper to talk to my editors and co-workers about everything I have learned here. Some people at work have not had an opportunity like this, and I am eager to share the information I've learned. For example, I would like to talk to my editor about incorporating more multimedia into my stories.

I am also eager to start multimedia training at my newspaper, which is scheduled to begin in February. The training will give me some good pointers that I can use when the Chips Quinn program reconvenes in April. Right now, I'm worried that I don't have as much information about multimedia as some of the other participants. I hope that I will catch up a little more between now and April.

Affirmation (and many thanks)

2008-01-27T11:45:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to return to work to begin to use all that I've learned in the last four days. It so happens that about two weeks ago, I was seriously considering whether I was in the right field. I even thought about talking to my editor to see whether I should continue pursuing journalism or move on to something else. My fears were rooted in insecurities with my skills and passion, and as a result, I lost confidence and became complacent.

But hearing about the career paths of many of the alums and speakers showed me that my situation is not unique. It was also comforting to hear many of my peers share the same fears, hopes and curiosities as I have. In some ways, I think the timing of this orientation and my acceptance into the Chips Quinn Scholars program was fate.

As I post my last blog and enjoy the last few hours with my new Chips Quinn family, I will leave Washington, D.C., with a new confidence, not only in myself, but in the journalism industry as well. Meeting and getting to know my Spring 2008 classmates has given me faith in the career path I have chosen. It was refreshing to hear their stories and their passion for journalism, which reminded me of why I wanted to become a journalist.

My sincere thanks go to John Quinn, everyone at the Freedom Forum and the Chips Quinn program, the speakers and coaches and to my fellow classmates. I will leave this place deeply humbled and honored.

Twisty Man

2008-01-27T11:44:00.002-05:00

Receiving Twisty Man yesterday made me realize that I, too, have to be flexible in my career. In these changing times, print journalists are often asked to take on tasks outside of writing and reporting for the newspaper. Some adapt well to change, others don't.

I plan to always be open to new ideas and challenges.

As a side note, my friend and fellow Scholar Ashlee Clark, whom I referred to in Blog No. 1, has done better with her diet, but not well. I hope she will do better with it after we return to work.

In closing: Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press and the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

That, for those who don't know, is the First Amendment as recited first at Chips Quinn 2008 orientation by my dear friend and fellow Scholar, Chris Vongsarath.

(Photo by Devin Wagner, Spring 2008).

What kind of Scholar will I be?

2008-01-27T11:44:00.001-05:00

I cannot wait to start my internship this summer (although it won't begin until nearly six months after this orientation) and take with me the skills I have learned here in D.C. I have been nervous about entering The Spokesman-Review's newsroom, where I am expected to produce a front-page story every day, on deadline. I have been writing features at my current internship and am given one or more weeks to complete the story.

I am excited to get back into hard news, which I hope will then lead to my real dream: news features. After the panels with Chips Quinn alums who have been out in the real world, my passion for news has been reinvigorated. I get nervous that maybe I can't cut it. But participating in this orientation, and hearing my fellow Chipsters' similar fears, has increased my confidence.

I can't wait to take the advice and tips I've learned from journalism professionals, my career coach Mary Ann Hogan, and especially the encouragement from CQS program co-founder John Quinn back with me to L.A. It will be best if I can practice everything I have learned right away, rather than wait for my summer internship to begin. I hope the stories I turn in for classes during my last semester at USC and to The Daily Breeze will demonstrate just how amazing this program has been for me. I can't wait to see what kind of Chips Quinn Scholar I will become.

Peace out, Chipsters

2008-01-27T11:44:00.000-05:00

Although I'm looking forward to going back to work to apply everything I've learned this weekend, I'm not looking forward to leaving my Chipster family.

My deepest gratitude goes to the Quinn family and all the other people who made this opportunity possible.

To my fellow Spring 2008 Chipsters, I enjoyed our late-night "bonding" sessions and Broadway musical re-enactments in the subways of D.C. I sincerely wish our class the best at this exciting/scary/often-awkward time in our careers and lives. Thanks for the good times.

Scholars David Shieh (left) and Rickeena Richards.

As mushy as it sounds, I really have grown to love you crazy people who share the same crazy dream I do. It makes me feel a little less crazy.

From Apple Bottom Jeans and boots with the furs (with the furs!), I enjoyed our times together and feel blessed to have shared this time together. I look forward to reuniting in Nashville, keeping in touch with everyone and seeing where our journeys take us. I think we will do the Chips Quinn legacy proud, changing lives, winning Pulitzers and, if we're truly lucky, making appearances on Oprah.

Journalism then and now

2008-01-27T11:43:00.000-05:00

Used to being busy, I almost went insane after graduating last December, but this also means I had a lot of free time to think about the world I'm getting into and why I want to go in that direction.

My idea of journalism when I settled on this field does not fit the job description I'll be assuming. Back then, inspired by movies such as Oliver Stone's "Salvador," I thought I would travel the world with a notepad, telling the stories of those who can't. I can still do that today, but I will also be carrying more than 10 pounds of equipment: laptop, camera, lenses, video and voice recorders. And who says I'll be working for a newspaper? I could end up working for a TV network or Web site.

In a way I feel cheated. I bought the whole romantic story of journalism to later realize I won't get too far if I don't learn HTML and Final Cut Pro. But I know I still want to do this and my decision was affirmed once more this weekend. As long as there are people whose voices are unheard, I will be needed, no matter how I tell their stories.

So I can't wait to start my internship tomorrow because it will officially mean I'm moving to the next step in my career. It's a moment I've spent the last four years preparing for.

Adversaries to allies

2008-01-27T11:41:00.001-05:00

I've met people at orientation I hope I will know for the rest of my life. I've met a few colleagues I hope I will work with during my career. I've learned that through it all, I will have a support system to keep me grounded and be there to listen when I'm having a hard time.

My iPod ran out of juice on the plane ride here, but in many ways I'm glad for it. It has allowed me to interact with people, peers, as I've never been able to do before.

Last summer, when I was an intern in Hartford, we spent two weeks at Temple University with copy-editing deity Ed Trayes. I viewed the people in my class as adversaries. It was the wrong point of view, one that hindered how I grew there and my relationships with those people. I was determined that I wouldn't let it happen again.

It didn't happen again. We're all in this together, working toward the same goal no matter if we're trying to get the same positions or not. And that end — the education of the public — binds us and makes us the best network for us.

Scientific progress goes "boink"?

2008-01-27T07:45:00.000-05:00

The title of this blog comes from an old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Calvin is stressed and overwhelmed by his schoolwork and decided to clone himself so that he would have more time to play while his clone did all his work. He builds a cloning machine out of a cardboard box and when he presses the start button, the machine makes the sound “boink” and Calvin is perplexed about that. As it turns out, Calvin’s clone is more like him than he expected and realizes that he is doing all the work. His clone rebels and it all ends in a fight with the clone disappearing with a “poof.”

Last night something similar happened to me. No, I did not make a copy of myself and fight it to the death; I encountered some problems with technology. I got back to my room and started to import my audio onto my computer, but I couldn’t find my interview with CQS program co-founder John Quinn. I started to get a little irate and my blood pressure went a little bonkers. I then had a little fight with myself. Nothing disappeared with a little “poof,” although I wish I had vanished.

The important lesson to learn here is: There will always be some sort of problem you will encounter with the new technology and gadgets that we are using today. But I took the advice of Val Hoeppner, manager of multimedia education at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, and slowed down. I decided to give the audio slide show a rest last night and go out to dinner with some of the Chips Quinn Scholars. I think this was better than shutting myself up in my room in order to rush a project that I might not be proud to call my own.

My a-ha moment

2008-01-27T07:40:00.001-05:00

I was very touched today when Chips Quinn alums were given the Chips-Loie Hug Award. That was when everything made sense to me. Seeing those Chipsters who were once in my shoes come back three, six or even 15 years later and still feel at home made me realize, as CQS program co-founder John C. Quinn said, that I am now part of the family, like it or not.

A motivating speaker

2008-01-27T07:33:00.000-05:00

The third day of the program covered a lot of essential information that I'm sure we'll all need in the future. I enjoyed the panel on how to find new story ideas, because I have often struggled with doing this at past internships. My favorite speaker was Jamesetta Walker, assistant features editor for The Virginian-Pilot. Walker gave a lot of practical information and was open to answering any questions we had about entering and surviving this field. All of the sessions showed me that there is still much for me to learn. However, they made me more motivated to learn and to expand my knowledge and skills. After all, the speakers were once in my shoes a few short years ago, and they have quickly developed into more polished reporters.

Ana Cubias (left) listens as Jamesetta Walker talks about First Five Graphs.

Alas, today is the last day of orientation, and we will depart for our respective corners of the country. These four days have been truly wonderful, and sharing that experience with this diverse group of people has been amazing. We connected in ways I would never have expected in the short time we spent together and have built friendships that will carry on as we venture into our careers.

Gaining confidence

2008-01-27T07:27:00.000-05:00

Today I feel confident about my ability to be flexible, adapt and learn new things. I know that although I will make mistakes, I will learn from them and move on. I trust my fellow Scholars and the Chips Quinn family and I know that I can depend on them for help.

Jack Marsh (Photo by Devin Wagner, Spring 2008).

We have met and will meet numerous people through our reporting and journalism careers, and sometimes we build sources and keep contacts, but often the encounters we have with people are fleeting. It's a bit strange--but comforting, no doubt--to know that I have met a group of people that I will know for the rest of my life.
After today, I feel more comfortable networking with people. It was a bit scary to hear yesteday from Jack Marsh, vice president/diversity programs for the Freedom Forum, that everyone in journalism is separated by two degrees. I think this weekend has really helped me work on those skills.

"A precious protector"

2008-01-27T07:23:00.000-05:00

Day three included a documentary film on the role the First Amendment had on the Civil Rights Movement.

As a perfect example of the First Amendment in action, it gave power to the powerless, hope to the hopeless and the basic freedoms that are supposed to not only come with being American, but with being human as well.

I have always felt directly connected to the movement because, if not for it, I would not be who, what and where I am today.

Freedom for an oppressed people is like air to the suffocating. It is the First Amendment that gave us a chance to breathe after a long suffocation of our basic human rights. It is the First Amendment that gave us a shot at being whole, at being humans with control over our fates.

It’s a precious protector, and I cannot imagine an existence without it.

So thanks a lot, United States Constitution.