Lessons from graduate school: be careful how you write

This year, I am completing my Master’s degree in convergence journalism at Mizzou this semester through May. In the next few weeks, I’ll be publishing a series of posts of some of my most interesting observations from graduate school.

One of the biggest realizations made is how many different writing styles I have learned and read throughout my education. The nature of being in journalism grad school, studying strategic communication and learning research methods to write a thesis exposes me to different writing methods each day. Let’s review three distinct types of writing:

• Writing for business: This is how creative briefs and points of view are written in the advertising industry. Business language and fancy words are acceptable, and each sentence must be clear, crisp and concise. A lot of bullet points and rationales are used here, but each individual word chosen matters.

• Writing hard news stories: News is written in the inverted pyramid style, providing the most important facts at the top and moving down from there. Hard news is very factual, with information given and quotations from reputable sources used to support or exemplify it. The story is written with language you would use conversationally; for example, I would write "he said" and not "he exclaimed" as in literature. One of my professors describes news writing with the goal of describing what has happened, what the implications are and if it could happen again. 

• Writing about research: This one baffles me the most because the writing style is full of jargon, obvious transition phrases and often in first person. For my qualitative research and mass media seminar courses, I read articles that fit this description every day. They begin with an abstract, which usually states something like “In this paper, I will review the eight ways you can accomplish these three goals in journalism. The theory I propose implies that there is a relationship between x and y, and we will look at 5 interviews showing how.” Writing is pretty much an outline with subheads, descriptions and a lot of foreshadowing. Overall, writing for research is explaining a method for research, providing your findings and analyzing the implications from your perspective.

My favorite part about reading writing for research is the amount of words that authors and researchers make up. Interactionism, operationalize, cathection…none of those are in the dictionary. The amount of times I have to switch between both reading and writing styles on a daily basis is absurd. I will write a paper on interviews as qualitative research one hour, write a news story for Missouri Business Alert the next and then review Mojo Ad's creative briefs for this semester's campaigns. 

My biggest tips for managing different reading and writing styles on a regular basis as a graduate student are getting in the zone and considering your audience. Remember what the assignment is and which type of writing is best. The mindset needed to read research is a lot different than reading a news story. Be prepared to write to your audience: whether it's undergraduate students, other master's students, adjunct professors or professors with doctoral degrees. Each will ask different questions about what they read; some want the rationale clear and specified, others want it grounded in your writing. 

I've also noticed that my email writing sometimes incorporates all three of these unintentionally.  Technically, email should be categorized as writing for business, but sometimes I'll write my emails in outline for if I have just read some research stories. But then you have to remember- emails are supposed to be brief and get the point across, not become an outlined paper! Therefore, if you're going to be a grad student, be aware that each of these writing styles requires a different mindset to comprehend and express yourself.   

A different kind of listening: being open to suggestions

One weakness many humans have is the ability to sit back and listen. We want to be heard and in control so much that we sometimes become so picky that we don’t take the time to ask others what they think—even when they’re experts. A comical area where this close-mindedness comes to life everyday that we should rethink is food preferences. You’re probably laughing, thinking, Katie- I want to eat what I want to eat. Where does listening fit in with food?

When I was younger, I ordered the same couple of meal items over and over again. Plain hamburgers, chicken pastas, the list goes on. But after studying abroad last year, I learned the value of trying new foods and asking restaurant employees to recommend something from their menus. They spend the most time around the place they serve food—and if they’re not eating it, they’re observing what everyone who comes in is ordering. Asking friends and wait staff for meal suggestions has opened me up to a whole new world of food: hummus, different ice cream flavors and even some seafood. Listening to the server recommendations provides the replenishing lesson that hired employees really are experts on their workplace—and even if we think we are smarter than them in some capacity, we’re probably not.

Asking waiters and waitresses what they recommend has gotten me to try a variety of new items throughout the years. Just yesterday, I entered Starbucks with a free drink coupon and told the barista that I wanted something fun that most people don’t order. She told me—“Order the salty caramel mocha.” On the surface, it sounds disgusting. I just started liking coffee less than a few months ago and suddenly, I want to drink it with salt and caramel? Ick. But I took a chance, tried the concoction and it was just as amazing as the barista said—like a chocolate-covered-pretzel flavored coffee. And it was amazing.

This has happened countless times in the past few years when I’m trying any new restaurant. Server suggestions have led me to the incredible inventions of the black bean hamburger, great steak sauces and a personal favorite—cotton candy ice cream and oreo cookies blended together. The variety of dishes and suggestions given showcase a server’s personality, and reflect what is both good and relatable.

So why did I waste your time talking about food? Because it’s one small reminder of how asking the right questions and listening from there on out is incredibly important in life. Just because we think we have an idea of what we want doesn’t mean we have to block out all of the  other forces that could somehow change that. Sometimes, there are experts right in front of your face and we blatantly ignore them out of superiority. Take advantage of others’ recommendations, don’t be afraid to ask for them and listen, and listen to what the people surrounding you say in everyday life so you don’t get lost in your own thoughts and miss what’s right in front of you. 

Convergence: Improving radio reporting

After an intense few weeks of photography, my convergence course has moved onto audio reporting and learned how to use Zoom recorders to capture interviews and natural sound. Our first assignment was to compile soundbites, but next we were challenged to put together an NPR-style story with natural soundbites and two interviews.

I've been reporting on the musical Annie held in Columbia, Mo. as a co-production between Performing Arts in Children's Education (PACE) and Columbia Entertainment Company (CEC). For my story, I interviewed Liz, the 12-year-old actress who plays Annie, and Angela, the show's director. Both interviews went well and I had a good experience putting the piece together by teaching myself to storyboard it out, decide which story I wanted to tell and cut and edit the audio sound after.

In the future, the biggest improvement I want to make is writing my questions in a manner that elicits the sources to tell stories. This will make the story more interesting, connect the dots and let me as the narrator write good transitions that build up to a good overall piece. I'll continue to put effort into storyboarding out what I want to tell, and writing good narration. Last class, the most powerful advice we received was that the end of an audio story is just as important as the lede of a print story. I will incorporate these best practices and look forward to combining audio and visual skills this next week with video reporting and learning FinalCutPro!

Seeing the world through a different lens

After completing just a few photography assignments, I'm already starting to look at moments from a different perspective after attempting to capture them on camera. Manually taking photos has really made me gain an appreciation for still moments in time. I have been challenged to find decisive moments, facial reactions and interactions--and realizing how difficult they were to capture reminded me how special they truly are. I can enjoy the physical appearance of a friend's laughter, a memorable exchange between a group of people or the details of a scene...and sometimes even wish I had a camera with me.

Because of that, photo work has taught me the importance of context in everything humans do. We are constantly curious, and expect to see see the full scope of what is happening around us. We are not satisfied with just one facet of an atmosphere and demand additional information because it is so easily accessible. Therefore, photography has affected my worldview because it reminds me to take note of context, place scenarios with accurate background information and appreciate the moments going on right in front of your face--rather than trying too hard to find moments that won't arise.

The Art of Photojournalism

This week was a learning experience in manual photography, since it was my first time using a camera where I could change the ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Prior to playing with the camera, we completed a tutorial in class as well as a series of readings from the Nikon website and from photojournalism professionals. Taking good photographs requires curiosity, patience and good timing to capture moments and emotions. Detailed pictures aren't just present to enhance a story, they contribute to the story by showing an aspect of it that the reader can't envision already. Below are some inspiring ideas that I plan to incorporate into photojournalism assignments the rest of the semester:

• Framing- Choosing which elements to include in a photo and blending them with the environment in a balanced manner requires a lot of thinking. Applying concepts like the Rule of Thirds and placing subjects strategically will enhance future photo projects. 

• Preparation- Being prepared seems like it's obvious, but rather than being prepared to just take a picture, you must be prepared to interview the source as well. I plan on having background questions ready to really obtain the context behind the story. 

• Showing interaction- Photos should show interaction not only between people, but between humans and their environment. Assuring that captured moments use angles and emotion to show that communication will add a layer of meaning to pictures.

Attributes of multi-platform reporters

As I enter the Convergence Journalism emphasis area in my coursework, readings and class lectures this first week of school have taught me the definition of multi-platform news. Converged media is shared  through a combination of text, photographs, video clips, audio, graphics, online interaction and emerging methods. Class readings emphasize that each medium complements the others, rather than telling the same story in a different way. 

Being a multi-platform reporter requires versatility. This occupation caters to individuals who are willing to learn developing platforms, innovative and ambitious to embrace new ideas and express their stories in different ways. 

A good multi-platform reporters prioritizes:

• Being purposeful and articulate.  A story published in different media vehicle must bring something new to the table and not repeat the same ideas as a text story. There should be a defined purpose for why you select one medium over another, and the outlet you choose should be where you can best articulate that piece of news or feature.

• Creativity. Multi-platform journalists are creative and willing to learn & try new things. They can think of new, innovative ways to portray information and have concept and strategy behind what they do. 

• Ability to keep the conversation going. As more platforms arise, it is a journalist's responsibility to produce talk value in his or her pieces and continue the conversation after the story is published. Participatory journalism is active in today's society and a good reporter knows how to enter and facilitate such conversation around the news.

• Being a good writer. Traditional text stories are not the only medium that require good writing skills. Radio and audio require copy text, videos need scripts and websites need well-written descriptions too. Regardless of the platform, clear and concise writing skills are valuable. I respect and agree with the quote below from Simon Dumenco, and believe it applies to all platforms- not just blogs. 

Quoted in Inside Reporting: A Practical Guide to the Craft of Journalism by Tim Harrower (McGraw Hill, 2007)

Not done yet, Chicago

If you would have asked me at the beginning of this summer if I would move back to Chicago after graduation, I would have smiled & said no. Why did I limit it out so quickly? The idea of living in Chicago seemed like the "easy" thing to do, rather than where I truly wanted to be. (Side note: We live in an economy where you go for the job before the location, and the fact that I even considered this is pretty ridiculous. What a Millennial mindset). It's the simple routine for a North Shore young adult- go to high school, receive a good college education, find a job in downtown Chicago, get an apartment there with some high school/college friends and take the Metra back to your parents' house when you need free food or a car. Pretty straightforward, right?

Over the past few years, I started to fall in love with some U.S. cities I have visited and considered them places to move after graduation. The opportunities I've had to travel throughout college pointed out how other people live and feel compatible in the cities they reside in. Cities like Boulder, DC, Kansas City, Boston, San Diego and New York all have very different feels and I made a conscious effort to observe how people find comfort there. I could envision myself living and working in some of them, but thought of others as livable, but a place I'd rather keep as a vacation spot. Particularly, I fell in love with San Diego for its west coast feel, diverse culture, medium-sized town feel and proximity to Mexico.

When you travel or vacation somewhere, you spend a lot of time becoming acquainted with the area and trying all the best-of-the-bests. Studying abroad in Buenos Aires taught me the true meaning of this. My roommates and I bought travel books and made efforts to hit every attraction and restaurant we could. We would choose a burrow of town and explore it in and out--its art museums, parks, churches, food--and create an impression from there. I applied this travel mindset to every city I went to and explored the streets of them as well. After my parents decided to transition to Milwaukee, Chicago really became out of the picture for next summer's job search. But, working a wonderful internship this summer in Chicago right on Wacker & State Street has changed my mind.

As I sat on the Metra train commuting from the suburbs to the city everyday for ~80 minutes, I pondered about my last few summers in Argentina and at Project Mexico. I can tell you every cross street, where to eat, where the places to be are and what I like about each section of town. And while I can do that with the North suburbs of Chicago,  I definitely cannot do that with the city. And that is not okay.

I'm familiar with the tourist areas from showing friends around, and could easily navigate Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park, Sheridan Avenue, Navy Pier or Evanston. But the fact that I couldn't tell you which bars to go to in Lincoln Park or Lakeview, where to eat in Wicker Park or what's in Lincoln Square is pathetic. Being "from the suburbs" is not a valid excuse. So having a lot of good friends working downtown--we made it our goal to see as many areas of the city as we could and just EXPLORE. Any unfamiliar territory was game--for happy hour, dinner or even just roaming around.

Our attempts at reaching this goal have been pretty successful. Driving down Lake Shore Drive puts a smile to my face. I've killed the River North area, went through most of the Loop, gone through Grant Park, the strip by North Avenue Beach and gone out in Lincoln Park. But the feeling sparked me that there was so much more to see. I wasn't done yet.

So stay open-minded about where to live and don't feel like you're settling if you're staying where you're grew up. There are still places to see--in both the city and the suburbs--and just because it was routine when you were younger doesn't mean there's not more to life there.

Check out some photos of some of the Chicago adventures this summer!

The river view from a window in my office

The guacamole woman at a beautiful rooftop restaurant in River North

Anna and I at Oak Street Beach downtown

What a view from a beach!

The view of Montrose Beach from a friend's apartment

The lobby of the Palmer House

And this is more touristy- but got to go on a boat cruise at work & see the skyline! 

Special edition: You can even have fun in the suburbs!

Meredith and I rode our bikes to the Botanic Gardens where I hadn't been since middle school- so nice!

Helen and Dean gambling at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines!

 And Greek festivals, of course!