Why Not You?

Week 5 already??? Week 4 hosted the Ekka Holiday, and I spent my day downing a scrumptious Dagwood Dog and spending far too much money. I did win a small dolphin toy. 2 games for $12 = dolphin toy. Nothing like the exhibition for a bit of value for money! Anyway...

Week 5 brought another media conference guest, Frances Whiting. I really admired her optimistic attitude towards the spiraling reputation of journalists. I remember my first week of uni - 3/4 of my lecturers told me journalism was dying and not a smart place to be heading. Ahh, thanks? But Frances made a really important point, "If someone has to make it, why not you?" I will remind myself of that every time I am second guessing my chance in this industry.

Ms Whiting cemented in to our brains the importance of building a relationship between public relations and journalism. You want someone to remember you. When the journalist is being sent 100 emails a day, you want to be the one they remember.

As a journalism/communication student majoring in PR, I really appreciate how the two co-operate. I realize they are completely different types of text, but when push comes to shove, they rely on each other. It gives me hope for either career path when a journalist comes in and everything she tells can relate to PR.

Frances changed career paths at 28 years old and the reason she chose journalism was because of her love of writing in high school. My love of writing was exactly why I chose journalism to study this year. I hope I can have just as much success in my future.

Check out Frances' twitter account here

Inspirational Insider

"When you see a dead person for the first time... it's very traumatizing. After that, it becomes a part of your life."

Sounds like the words of a murderer, but it's quite the opposite. It's the words of Rwandan journalist, Robert Mukombozi. Like many journalists, Mr Mukombazi has covered countless tragic news stories. The above quote was his answer to how he keeps hold of any sanity.

Our Public Relations class had the privilege of hosting Robert Mukombazi during a media conference. I was amazed by this man's determination to stick to his ethics no matter the consequences. 

This may sound a little dramatic to anyone who is not aware of Mr Mukombazi's story. "If you pursue this story, you will be history," he was told by his government. Obviously threats did not sit well with Robert, who became more determined to uncover the truths of his government. 

I cannot begin to imagine the life of Robert Mukombazi. I wonder if, when he was completing his degree in Uganda, he thought one day he would be forced to flee his country after finding his own name on an execution list. I bet not.

I was truly touched by Robert Mukombozi's story of truth, ethics, and heart, and although I hope to never be  in half of the situations he was, I would be proud to be half the journalist he is.

Here We Go

Week 2 of uni already done and dusted. My lecturer, Tony, also taught me last semester, and I was so excited to see he is still entertaining classes as crazily as ever! To some, he may seem over the top, but he really knows how to capture an audience and make himself stand out from the crowd. If I want to go anywhere in this business, I know I will have to do the same.

Today we learnt about the very basics of a media release. It relates to an upcoming assessment, and as always, must mention the 5 W's and the H! This is, of course: who, what, when, where, why and how. If you look at any news article or information piece, each will answer all of these questions within the first paragraph. A writer must capture the attention of her audience, and this is done by giving them every important detail immediately.

The media kit assignment will be my first real taste of writing within PR terms. As a journalism student, let's see how persuasive I can get!

Hello Again!

Anybody who followed me last semester on my Jour1111 blog, welcome back. Anybody new who has stumbled upon this, welcome. If I am speaking to absolutely no-one, oh well.

I like to think I have figured out how to do blogs by now. I tried to create one on Wordpress but confused myself far too much, so I figured it took me the whole of last semester to work out how to use blogger.com, why stop now?

I'm a first year journalism/communication student, and, like Jour1111 last semester, it is part of my assessment for my Public Relations class to blog about what I learn and find interesting.

So, let's see how we go. I'll be back soon.