Thursday, January 2, 2014

Intercom Feature: USC Graduates Share Their Journalism School Experience With Journalism Class


It is eight A.M.  A group of journalism students shuffle hurriedly into class.  Some slouch down in their chairs looking sluggish, like they hadn’t slept a wink the night before.  Some are buzzing on their morning coffee, busily clicking through various Internet sites. 
The room is bare and sterile-looking with white walls and a shiny, white tile floor.   The students take out their notebooks and stare attentively toward the front of the room.  A tall, unfamiliar character in a blue suit stands up and introduces himself to the class as “Buddy”.
Howard S. Price Jr., or “Buddy” as he is commonly referred to, is a graduate of the school of journalism at The University of South Carolina.  Buddy graduated from the j-school with a degree in advertising/public relations.  At USC he learned a wide range of skills that helped him become a successful journalist.  
            “The classes I took allowed me to get a feel for all types of journalism,” Price said in an oral presentation to Karen Flower’s Journalism 202 class.  “When I graduated I had skills in writing, public speaking and marketing with a general understanding of the media.”
            He not only gained these skills from what he learned from classes, but also by networking and getting involved in workshops throughout his college career.  During his presentation Price stressed the importance of networking, because it presents opportunities to meet individuals working in the journalism field. 
Price advised students to begin networking by getting involved in an association like the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). 
“Organizations like these give students a chance to network by meeting alumni who graduated from the school of journalism,” Price said.
Other than networking he also advised students to take a Web design course as part of their curriculum.  He says the media world has changed since he first began working as a journalist, and is now focused on Web content instead of hard copies.
“We used to rely on the news media to get information out, but newspapers are struggling,” Price said.  “Now there are fewer reporters writing for print news and more writing for the Web.”
 From a public relations standpoint this has changed the way PR representatives interact with reporters. 
“It has made it harder to establish relationships with news reporters,” Price said.  “They are now looking more at Twitter than press releases to get information for their stories.”
He says students should have experience working with Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and Web design, because information must now be communicated through all of these channels to reach the public and the media.
During his presentation Price discussed another skill he believes all PR students should learn: crisis management.  Through his professional experiences he has learned in a time of crisis it is best to be prepared, be honest and be brief when dealing with the media.
“It is important to build trust with the audience you are communicating with,” Price said.  “Be accessible and stick to the facts.”
The second alumni who spoke to Flower’s class was Jen Barclay.  In her presentation Barclay said the two most important skills she learned from the j-school were writing and editing.
These skills helped her get a job freelancing for several print publications straight out of college.  The experience made her realize she wanted a more permanent position with a more structured working environment.
“Writing on my own time led to many sleepless nights trying to catch up on my work, so I decided to look for a nine-to-five job,” said Barclay.
She landed a job working for the Girl Scouts as marketing and fund development director in late 2005.  Although she loved working with the Girl Scouts she left the organization in 2007 to take a job in the newspaper business.
She was offered the job by one of her mentors from USC.  He was a professor who taught one of her journalism classes.  They had kept in touch after she graduated and he knew she would be perfect for the job.
Like Buddy Price, Barclay stressed the importance of networking because of the opportunities it has opened for her.  Because she kept in touch with her mentor he was familiar with her personality along with her journalistic skills and when the position opened he knew she would be perfect for the job.
Barclay also advised students to take Web design courses and attend workshops that teach programs like Adobe and Flash.  As the member services coordinator for the South Carolina Press Association she uses these programs daily when updating the company’s websites.
“I had to learn most of the software myself by watching tutorials online,” Barclay said.
As a print journalism major she did not think she would need skills in Web design as well as knowledge of broadcast journalism.  She regrets not taking any broadcast journalism classes in college because she works closely with broadcast media now. 
“Get to know the broadcast journalism students,” Barclay said. “If I did I would have a much better understanding of how broadcast media works.”
Megan Herring, a 2009 graduate of the j-school, was the last to speak to the journalism class.  Herring pursued internships throughout her college career to help prepare herself for the work force.
During her four years at USC she worked for Conservation Voters of South Carolina and S & S Communications where she held multiple leadership positions.
In her presentation to Flower’s students she stressed the importance of pursuing multiple internships because individuals with extra work experience stand out to potential employers.
“If you can’t find a paid internship, volunteer,” Herring said.  “Work for a company for five hours a week and slowly move up to a paid internship with more hours a week.”
Herring explained how to prepare to interview for an internship.  She advised the students to dress appropriately and come prepared.
“Always wear a suit to an interview and bring a portfolio of any work you have done,” Herring said.  “If it is your first internship bring samples of work from your classes that show your writing ability.
When interviewing for her current job, she brought a portfolio of the work she had done for her prior internships.  She used the same style and type font for each page of her portfolio to make it look neat and presentable.
“One thing my boss told me he liked about me when I applied was I branded myself,” Herring said.  “I had a portfolio with my name and logo on it.”
Based on her experiences her best advice to current students is they must be aggressive in order to get what they want.  She says even if they are not the most qualified for the position, if they show the employer they want it bad enough they will most likely get the job.
The economic climate has changed significantly since Buddy Price graduated in 1975.  The alumni advised students to do whatever it takes to stand out to an employer because of how competitive the job market is now.
“In this economy there is no room to mess around and say ‘I want time off,’ because there is another person behind you who wants the job and is willing to work for it,” Herring said. 

SIDEBAR
Howard S. Price Jr. graduated from The University of South Carolina in 1975.  He majored in Advertising/Public Relations.  Since graduation Price has worked for First National Bank of South Carolina in the Master Charge Marketing Department until 1976.  He then worked for Fort Jackson Federal Credit Union as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for eight years.  After that Price was the Director of Community Relations for Richland County School District One until 1995.  He now works for School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties as the Director of Community Services.  He currently handles all marketing, internal and external communications, employee morale initiatives, media relations, crisis management and community involvement for the school district.   
Jen Barclay is a 2005 graduate of USC where she studied print journalism and political science.  After graduation Barclay took a job freelancing for PC magazine and several SEC sports publications.  She then worked for the Girl Scouts as Marketing and Fund Development Director.  Currently she handles all communications, marketing, fundraising, events and member services for the South Carolina Press Association.  She is also responsible for all seven of the SCPA’s Web sites and social networking accounts which she updates daily.
Megan Herring graduated from The University of South Carolina in 2009 with a major in public relations and a minor in political science.  She held various jobs throughout college, her first being the director’s assistant for the Carolina Journalism Institute where she helped students with journalism design, photography and writing assignments.  She also worked for Scholastic Press as the Undergraduate Assistant for the S.C. Scholastic Press Association and Southern Interscholastic Press Association.  During that time she also worked for Conservation Voters of South Carolina where she was Assistant to Director of Development and the Governmental Relations Coordinator.  She currently holds two jobs.  She is the Public Relations Assistant for S & S Communications and the Assistant to Director of Public Affairs for the South Carolina Budget and Control Board.

            

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