Just last week I was covering a ballet on campus for the Mirror newspaper. What I didn’t know was that by covering this event I would gain valuable insight into what I’ve learned as a JMC major at UNC.
At the conclusion of the show I promptly tracked down sources to interview. In the middle of my third audience member interview I spotted Paul Elwood, the composer of the all original score, and Monte Black, the writer, choreographer and director of the ballet, chatting together in the aisle.
I briskly walked over to talk to them, eager for the chance to snag the insiders quotes I knew I needed to make my piece compelling. After a few minutes of chatting I had reputable quotes from the master minds behind the all-original production.
Leaving the theatre I found myself face-to-face with the lead ballet dancer. Without hesitating I pulled out my pen and notepad (old-schooling it) and asked her for a few questions.
I left the premiere of that ballet with a content feeling, knowing I would be able to write this article in a cinch. It wasn’t until later, as I was walking home, that I realized the ease with which I was able to approach the influential people whose quotes would add the valuable depth to my writing.
I was shocked. And proud. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so thoroughly confident in my interviewing skills. This, I would say, is the most significant thing I learned in my capstone journalism class at UNC.
I learned as a journalist it is my job to be assertive and fearless no matter who I talk to or interview; it is my responsibility to do my readers justice with valuable informants and sources no matter what the topic is; and it is my privilege to be the gatekeeper of information and have the opportunity to meet all kinds people from entirely different spectrums of life.
I discovered myself as a journalist. I am confident in my ideas, my skills and, most importantly, in my ability to write.
I know there are still many things for me to learn and that I am still growing in my knowledge of this field. The thing is, I am ready to embrace what I don’t know and face controversies along the way.
As I begin my career after college I only wish that I had had the opportunity to experience a real newsroom and possibly better know what to expect in the interview process.
But hey! I’m a journalist. Flying by the seat of my pants is what I do best! Right?!
