NEWSY!

I'm really excited about my Newsy newsroom experience this week! The first thing that struck me as I walked into the Newsyroom was the rock band guitar controller and drum set laying next to a big screen TV sitting in front of a very comfortable looking couch. As soon as I saw the sweet set up they had, I knew I was going to like working there. But it wasn't just the video games, it was the snacks! They had free chips and candy, I was literally like a kid in a candy store (although I had to act like I wasn't interested at first, you know it's not professional to go straight for the food your first time working somewhere).

All joking aside though, I really loved working at Newsy. I was told that most 4804 students usually only pitch stories when they are there and are in and out pretty fast because they already have enough people working to produce content. But that wasn't my experience at all. As soon as I got there I was put to work. I helped some other students gather quotes and clips and write a script for a story about a new law in Afghanistan that critics claim essentially allows husbands to legally rape their wives, but that Afghani officials said follows Muslim religious law. I learned how to search the recordings of news programs and cut video clips to be used in the stories. I also learned how to pull sections of video straight of the internet. During my second shift I was able to shadow a senior convergence student working at Newsy during the editing and producing process. I learned specifically how newsy packages were put together and picked up some cool Final Cut tricks that will definitely help me in the future.

Working at Newsy was a really great experience and I enjoyed myself immensely. In fact I enjoyed myself so much that I signed up for the Newsy class next semester, Advanced Global Converged News, and switched my concentration to online journalism. I liked the environment of Newsy, the people working there, and the work being done. I cant wait to be more involved in the writing and production of stories at Newsy next semester, and to see what great experience I will gain!