The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

[Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the evsent, too. You can see the master list of all the “Notes From” items here.]

On Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007, Deans Lemann, Klatell and Sreenivasan hosted a Breakfast with the Deans. About 30 students attended.

Notes by Elizbeth Rogers, TC intern in the DOS Office
(more…)

On the map below you will find location of the main talk; location of live feeds (indicated by TV screens) and the protest.

View Larger Map

[Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. You can see the master list of all the “Notes From” items here.]

On Sunday, Sept. 23, 2007, a day before the controversial talk on campus by Iranian president Ahmadinejad, two J-schoolers covered the event below.

Protests Start Early Against Ahmadinejad’s Columbia Speech
By Mohammad Al-Kassim (malkassim at gmail) and Anup Kaphle (anupkaphle at gmail)
(more…)

[Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. You can see the master list of all the “Notes From” items here.]

Below, notes from a talk by Hassan Fattah of The New York Times. Many thanks to the volunteer notes-taker Mohammad Al-Kassim. Feel free to post a comment below (free, one-timeregistration required).

NOTES FROM… A Talk by Hassan Fattah of The New York Times
Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2007
Lecture Hall, Columbia Journalism School

By Mohammad Al-Kassim, J2008

Hassan Fattah, Columbia University J-School Class of 2000, and New York Times Middle East Correspondant based in Dubai, spoke to J-School students at the Lecture Hall on Tuesday morning. A former Baghdad correspondent, he now covers the entire region except for Iraq, Israel and Palestine.
(more…)

[Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. You can see the master list of all the “Notes From” items here.]

Below, notes from a talk by Brian Ross of ABC News. Many thanks to the volunteer notes-takers. Feel free to post a comment below (free, one-timeregistration required).

NOTES FROM… A Talk by Brian Ross, ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent
Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007
Lecture Hall, Columbia Journalism School
(more…)

[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from the 2007 graduation speech by Ben Bradlee of The Washington Post. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Phil Wahba, who is a Part-Time student graduating in 2008.
Feel free to drop him note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Ben Bradlee’s Graduation Speech, Columbia Journalism School
By Phil Wahba
E-mail: pw2158[at]columbia.edu

LERNER HALL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, MAY 16, 2007: “Love your job, and work harder than the guy next to you.” With those words, former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee imparted his advice to the latest batch of Columbia University Journalism School grads setting out into the world of journalism. He is this year’s recipient of the Columbia Journalism Award, the J-school’s highest honor (a recent previous winner was David Halberstam - read his 2005 speech).

After an effusive introduction by Dean Nick Lemann at the school’s graduation ceremony, Mr. Bradlee regaled the audience of graduates and their families and friends with tales from his illustrious career, everything from having President Kennedy for a source to nearly getting deported from France while on assignment
for Newsweek magazine. As he spoke, many of the parents and students in the hall started taking photos of him, their camera flashes going off again and again from all over the room.

His talk also included cautionary tales. Recalling that he was the editor who allowed the publication of Janet Cooke’s 1981 Pulitzer-winning article about heroin addiction that turned out to be a complete fabrication, Mr. Bradlee advised the newly-minted journalists, “When you make a mistake, eat it.” And he cautioned the aspiring journalists that sometimes they won’t get to write the stories they find.

From the outset of his remarks, Mr. Bradlee, 86, made clear his optimism for the profession upon which the 250 or so grads were embarking. “I am flat-out sick of dire predictions for the future of journalism,” he told the audience. “We are the latest of the breed, not the last.” And, he said, people will always want to know
the truth.

He firmly believes that good stories will always be in demand and urged the graduates to be patient when working on a story, because the truth emerges eventually.

The gravel-voiced Mr. Bradlee ended his address by quoting his father’s advice for succeeding. “Nose down, ass up and go.”

NUGGETS OF WISDOM FROM BEN BRADLEE

• “Have a good time in your work.”
• “Find the good stories.”
• “Just go out there and live.”
• “Think for yourself and care about other people.”
• “When you make a mistake, admit it.”

[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from a recent Breakfast with the Deans. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Elizabeth McGarr, J2007. Feel free to drop him note or post a comment below (free, one-timeregistration required).

NOTES FROM… Breakfast with the Deans
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
8:15-9:15 a.m., 607B

By Elizabeth McGarr
E-mail: enm2107[at]columbia.edu

The promise of free bagels, pastries, coffee and, of course, a chance to mingle with the deans, convinced a classroom full of students to make it up to the J-School a little earlier than usual. Dean Nicholas Lemann talked about the school’s ongoing projects and improvement efforts, and Deans Klatell, Sreenivasan, and Huff joined him, along with Ernest
Sotomayor, Julie Hartenstein, and Gina Boubion from Career Services.

DEAN LEMANN’S REPORT:
- The M.A. program, in its second year, was the first new professional program introduced to the school since 1934.
- Prof. LynNell Hancock is currently heading a committee to look at how to get
M.A. and M.S. students together. In the future, on J-School
applications, applicants may be able to indicate that they would like to
complete both programs (and this would be considered in the admissions
process).
- In January, the J-School will host an Executive Leadership Program
(kind of a J-School version of what the Business School does).
- We are actively pursuing acquiring the funds to build new student work/study space.
- There is not much we can do right now to add more computer space for students, but that is something we are hoping to add if we are able to build the new student work space.
- We’re thinking about how we might change RWI in the future. Should
multimedia be a part of RWI?
- We’re in the process of acquiring a content management system (CMS)
called FatWire, which is supposed to simplify everything web-based at
the school, including ColumbiaJournalist.org. We have set a deadline to
have ColumbiaJournalist.org running before the November elections.

PROBLEMS: If you have a problem with the computers (especially the
printers!), send an immediate e-mail to trouble@jrn.columbia.edu. For
problems with e-mail, contact consultant@jrn.columbia.edu. If you notice
anything wrong in the building, including in the bathrooms, classrooms,
or student lounge, contact building@jrn.columbia.edu.

MORE CRITICAL ISSUES? Students are interested in creating a forum to hear from professors and classmates about contemporary news coverage. SPJ could certainly set something up that would be similar to book clubs. Anyone could participate. Another idea: for one day out of the
fall semester, RWI professors could rotate so students could hear from
another professor besides their own. One year, students organized a series of casual Sunday brunch gatherings to discuss the news.

POSTING ARTICLES ON THE INTERNET: Don’t forget that Columbia University
offers all students a certain amount of space on its Internet server to
post whatever they would like (i.e. articles). If ColumbiaJournalist.org
is not running or if you just want to get your work on the web, look
into this service. DON’T FORGET to notify your sources that your stories
might be published on the Internet. Be up front so you don’t have to
call them later. The info on your Columbia space is here:
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/webdev/

E-MAIL FORWARDING: Talk to Dean Sreenivasan, Andi Balla or Akisa Omulepu
if you need help with figuring out how to send mail with your Columbia
address from your gmail account.

BROADCAST EQUIPMENT: Prof. Ann Cooper is currently looking into coordinating
equipment scheduling with the broadcast faculty and students to minimize
confusion when students try to check out equipment for a class.

STAPLERS AND PAPER: SPJ is currently working on the stapler issue, and
members have also said they will look into double-sided printing
capabilities in the computer labs. In addition, they will look into more
efficient recycling methods. In the meantime though, please be careful
when you press print. Make sure you really need every page that you send
to the printer.

[10/26/2006 UPDATE FROM CLASS PRESIDENT AKISA OMULEPU: “Due to popular demand a stapler has been attached next to every computer lab printer in the J-School, and will be refilled weekly.”]

M.A. and M.S. STUDENTS: There are no new courses yet that would cater to
both M.A. and M.S. students, but so far, there is cross-enrollment. From
the M.A. students: M.S. students should feel free to talk to M.A.
students about their fields of expertise!

CLASS NOTES: There will be an investigative reporting seminar offered in
the spring for students who are not in the Stabile Program.

PREVIEW OF FALL CLASSES: Don’t forget to attend the preview of fall classes on Tuesday, November 21. It’s a good excuse to wait until Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to go home for Thanksgiving because students can meet with professors and find out more about spring classes. This can be helpful during registration because on certain occasions, professors will be able to choose which students they definitely want in their class (if there are a lot of students registered for that particular class). Don’t worry if you find this confusing. The deans have promised to give us lots of information over the next month. See http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/10/25/memo-spring-prep/

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[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from a talk in the J-school World Room by Richard Parsons, chairman and CEO of Time Warner Inc. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Elisha Sulai, J2007. Feel free to drop him note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Lunch with Richard Parsons
By Elisha Sulai
E-mail: elishasulai[at]gmail.com

WORLD ROOM, J-SCHOOL, Oct. 18, 2006: Richard Parsons, the chairman and CEO of Time Warner spoke at the Columbia Journalism School today, at a Publisher’s Roundtable, which gives students a chance to meet publishers in an intimate setting. About 15 students got to have lunch with Mr. Parsons, one of the most important executives in the media world. The session was chaired by Dean Nicholas Lemann.

Mr. Parsons praised the journalism profession. But he complained that way too often, journalists sacrifice accuracy in their attempt to get a story.

“It’s more important to get it right than first,” he said. Mr. Parsons predicted that the future of journalism would be on the Internet. “More and more of news will be in online digital form,” he said.

Mr. Parsons also said that bloggers will not overtake the “legitimate media” because bloggers are not “authenticated.” Parsons added that we’re witnessing a move towards opinion journalism, as the market for news is “segmenting.”

He also suggested that consolidation in the news gathering business is inevitable, given the fact that newsgathering costs are rising.

Parson’s sounded a warning to YouTube: Unless YouTube finds a way around its copyright issues, it will be “toast” like Napster.

-

BIO: Richard D. Parsons is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Inc., whose businesses include filmed entertainment, interactive services, television networks, cable systems and publishing. He became CEO in May 2002 and Chairman of the Board in May 2003.

Since becoming CEO, Mr. Parsons has led Time Warner’s turnaround and set the company on a solid path toward achieving sustainable growth. In the process, he has put in place the industry’s most experienced and successful management team, strengthened the company’s balance sheet and simplified its corporate structure, and carried out a disciplined approach to realigning the company’s portfolio of assets to improve returns. In its January 2005 report on America’s Best CEOs, Institutional Investor magazine named Mr. Parsons the top CEO in the entertainment industry.

Before becoming CEO, Mr. Parsons served as the company’s Co-Chief Operating Officer, overseeing its content businesses-Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Warner Music Group and Time Warner Book Group-as well as two key corporate functions: Legal and People Development.

Mr. Parsons joined Time Warner as its President in February 1995, and has been a member of the company’s Board of Directors since January 1991. As President, he oversaw the company’s filmed entertainment and music businesses, and all corporate staff functions, including financial activities, legal affairs, public affairs and administration.

Before joining Time Warner, Mr. Parsons was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dime Bancorp, Inc., one of the largest thrift institutions in the United States. Previously, he was the managing partner of the New York law firm Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler. Prior to that, he held various positions in state and federal government, as counsel for Nelson Rockefeller and as a senior White House aide under President Gerald Ford. Mr. Parsons received his undergraduate education at the University of Hawaii and his legal training at Union University’s Albany Law School.

Mr. Parsons’ civic and non-profit commitments include Co-Chairman of the Mayor’s Commission on Economic Opportunity in New York; Chairman Emeritus of the Partnership for New York City; Chairman of the Apollo Theatre Foundation and service on the boards of Howard University, the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History. He also serves on the boards of Citigroup and Estée Lauder.

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For several years now, we have used the “Notes From…” format to give people who couldn’t attend some of our events a sense of what they missed. These short reports, written by student volunteers, have been popular with students, faculty and alumni.

Just bookmark http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/09/30/reports-all-the-notes-from-reports/ to have this constantly updated list handy.

Please note that you can post your comments directly to the DOS Blog (free, one-time registration required).

[Be sure to check out audio recordings section of the main J-school site as well.]

If you would like to share your notes, write to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

Here’s the list, with the latest ones on top…

1. Sept. 23, 2007:Notes From…Early Protest of Talk by Iranian President
   By Mohamamad Al-Kassim & Anup Kaphle, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/09/23/477/
2. Aug. 21, 2007: Notes From… Talk by Hassan Fattah of the New York Times
   By Mohammad Al-Kassim, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/notes-from-talk-by-hassan-fattah-nyt-middle-east-correspondent/
3. Aug. 15, 2007: Notes From… Talk by Brian Ross, ABC News chief investigative correspondent
   By Renee Feltz, Gregory Catherine Simmons, Jaclyn Trop, J2008
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/08/31/notes-from-talk-by-brian-ross-abc-news-investigative-correspondent/
4. May 16, 2007: Notes From… Ben Bradlee’s Graduation Speech
   By Phil Wahba, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/05/16/notes-from-ben-bradlees-graduation-speech-2/
   
   You can listen to Bradlee’s speech here, along with remarks by Dana Priest of The Washington Post, another graduation speaker
5. Oct. 18, 2006: Notes From… Lunch with Richard Parsons of Time Inc
   By Elisha Sulai, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/10/28/report-notes-from-lunch-with-richard-parsons-of-time-inc/
6. Oct. 18, 2006: Notes From… Breakfast With The Deans
   By Elizabeth McGarr, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/10/28/report-notes-from-breakfast-with-the-deans/

7. Sept. 20, 2006: Notes From…Talk by Steve Newhouse of advance.net
   By Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/09/30/report-notes-from-talk-by-steve-newhouse/
8. Sept. 19, 2006: Notes From… CFR Talk by Sen. John Danforth
   By John Whitaker, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/09/30/report-notes-from-cfr-event-with-sen-danforth/
   
9. Sept. 14, 2006: Notes From… Bruce Porter’s Lecture on choosing a Master’s Project Topic
   By Sheena Tahilramani, J2007
   http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/09/14/report-notes-from-bruce-porters-lecture/
10. Sept. 6, 2006: Notes From… Talk by Kerry Burke of NY Daily News & Tabloid Wars
    By Rubina Madan & Aaron Cahall, J2007
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/09/07/report-notes-from-kerry-burke-talk/
11. Sept. 1, 2006: Notes From… Paula Span’s lecture on feature writing
    By Jennifer Redfearn, J2007
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/09/14/report-notes-from-paula-spans-lecture/
12. Aug. 24, 2006: Notes From… Meeting with Syrian Journalists
    by Deena Guzder, J2007
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/08/26/report-notes-from-syria-journalists/
13. Aug. 23, 2006: Notes From… Prof. Sig Gissler lecture on covering a beat (also audio)
    by Sheena Tahilramani and Irene Liu, J2007
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/08/25/report-notes-from-sig-gissler/
    
14. Aug. 22, 2006: Notes From… Martin Smith lecture - producer, Frontline (also audio)
    by Doree Shafrir, J2006 - written for CJRDaily.org
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/08/23/report-notes-from-martin-smith-talk/
    
15. Aug. 21, 2006: Notes From… Deborah Amos lecture - foreign correspondent, NPR (also audio)
    by Allison Bourne-Vanneck, J2007
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/08/23/report-notes-from-deborah-amos/
    
16. Aug. 18, 2006: Notes From… Meeting with Morocco and Indonesia journalists
    by Elizabeth Berry, J2007
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/08/22/report-notes-from-moroccoindonesia-journalists

17. Aug. 21, 2006: Notes From… DOS Tech Jam Session + Andrew Lih on China
    by Adam Edelman, J2007http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/08/22/report-notes-from-tech-jam-session/
    
18. Aug. 14, 2006: Notes From… Lunch with Stacey Samuel, 2006, grad on job hunting, SPJ, etc
    by Kate Grace Bacheller, J2007
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/08/17/report-notes-from-lunch-with-stacey-samuel-j2006/
19. May 17, 2006: Transcript From… Dean Nicholas Lemann’s Graduation Speech
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/05/30/transcript-dean-lemanns-2006-graduation-speech/
20. May 16, 2006: Notes From… Graduation speakers Jim Amoss and Farnaz Fassihi
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/05/18/remarks/

21. May 3, 2006: Notes From… Lunch with Seth Lipsky, publisher of New York Sun
    by Ariel Brewster, J2006
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/05/12/report-notes-from-publishers-roundtable-with-seth-lipsky-of-the-new-york-sun/

22. April 17, 2006: Notes From… Magazine writing lunch with Nicholas Lemann
    by Rebecca Castillo, J2006
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/04/18/report-notes-from-magazine-writing-lunch-event-with-dean-lemann/

23. Nov. 3, 2005: Notes From… Event with Chaitanya Kalbag, head of Reuters Asia
    by Dakin Campbell, J2006
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/11/08/offer-meet-the-head-of-reuters-asia-operations/

24. Oct. 20, 2005: Notes From… Lunch with Walter Cronkite
    by Shira Ovide, J2006
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/10/25/event-report-walter-cronkite-event/

25. Oct. 4, 2005: Notes From… Lunch with Reginald Chua, J’88, editor of Asian Wall Street Journal and deputy managing editor, The Wall Street Journal
    by Megan Chan, J2006
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/10/14/report-notes-from-spj-event-with-reginald-chua-j88/
    
26. Sept. 26, 2005: Notes From… Talk by Chris Allbritton, J’97, foreign correspondent, Time
    by Audrey Dutton, J2006
    http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/09/27/report-notes-from-chris-allbritton-talk-spj/

27. Sept. 20, 2005: Notes From… Talk by Pratap Chatterjee, editor of CorpWatch, a corporate watchdog group
    by Kathleen McGrory, J2006 http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/09/23/report-notes-from-pratap-chatterjee-spj-speaker/
    

[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from a talk in the J-school World Room by Steve Newhouse, chairman of advance.net. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, J2007. Feel free to drop him note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Talk by Steve Newhouse
By Ahmed Shihab-Eldin
E-mail: ars2157[at]columbia.edu

WORLD ROOM, J-SCHOOL, SEPT. 20, 2006: Steve Newhouse, chairman of advance.net, came to talk about the business side of journalism during a Publisher’s Roundtable discussion with students at the Columbia Journalism School on Wednesday.

Newshouse manages all the internet sites for Conde Nast and Advance Newspapers, including the Portland Oregonian and other major dailies. The company has long been a pioneer on the web. Newhouse said that advance.net runs 10 websites associated with newspaper groups. He is in charge of magazine companion websites and four destination sites.

Newhouse emphasized that websites are different from print forms of journalism since they are interactive and must serve the purpose of a two-way conversation with readers. He said it is hard to compare web audiences with those of print media. epicurious.com attracts 2.5 million unique users a month while Gourmet magazine has a circulation of 800,000. The two biggest sites in his stable are epicurious.com and style.com.

Newhouse said that the web is largely an advertising-driven medium. He has not concentrated on paid subscriptions or access on the web since they didn’t work. Local websites are growing at 40 percent revenue in a year. He said that magazine companion sites are meant to sell subscriptions, showcase the magazine, and take advantage of the new medium by offering real time coverage using video and photography.

When asked to offer a day in the life of Steve Newhouse, he said it was difficult to answer that but instead said that he is always thinking of how to accelerate growth. He said they already have 30-50 audience audience growth per year but he wants to cement their prescence and find out how to get really big, like Yahoo and Google.

Newhouse raised an interesting question: How do we as traditional media company bring in the wave of citizen activity? He offered the example of a football writer for the Syracuse paper who started a weblog that became widely successful. It was opinionated, and of value to the audience. Newhouse advised the students, “Those of you not doing weblogs should start trying. It will enhance your [job] applications.”

Newhouse said that there are three ways that his websites can interact with blogs. They are about to unleash a weblog tool that will allow eventually anyone (although it will be targeted at first) to have a blog on their site. This is a way of establishing a relationship with weblogs that are not on his site. When a student asked about regulating blogs, Newhouse said that the word “regulate” is an old media word. “I think you have to decide whether you want to be part of the new or the old,” he said.

Advance.net has a network of people that screen for certain things such as racism, obscenities, and harassers. But he did say that he wants to encourage conversation that would not appear normally in the letters to the editor page. Newhouse said that the web is not going to takeover great media entities that are great in their own right, such as Vanity Fair. It is very valid to look at how skills that work on the web will offer many entrepeneraul opportunties that do not require much funding.

He spoke about how successful Teen Vogue has been but said that in trying to make a website to acompany the magazine he found that readers are not interested in reading content on the site. They wanted a place to express their creativity . He said Flip.com will launch to offer fashion and beauty and allow teen girls to create their own content.

Other tips from Newhouse:

• Putting content from magazines on the web leads to lack of use. Unless it was specialized like a trade magazine, it would not create new value.
• In the case of citizen journalism, sometimes quantitiy trumps quality.
• Lots of money is not required to take advantage of what the web offers.
• Your portfolio will be enhanced by having blog-format work on , it will give you a leg up.
• A great website complimenting a great traditional media source should offer something different.
• In the newsroom of NJ.com, there are about 15 people and most of them are packaging content so that people can navigate it.
• We are very early in the game, and the most important thing is to have an audience.
• It doesn’t hurt to know HTML.
• The worst thing out there right now is the negativity climate regarding all of this.
• The more involved you get in the new media stuff, the more you will learn about issues that are facing us all.

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[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from a special event at the Council on Foreign Relations that a few of our students got to attend through one of our “Offers.” Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker John Whitaker, J2007. Feel free to drop him note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… CFR event with Sen. John Danforth
By John Whitaker
E-mail: jcw2137[at]columbia.edu

NYC, SEPT. 19, 2006: Ordained priest and former Republican Senator John Danforth has a message for America: “The use of religion to divide us may be a great strategy, but it cannot stand the light of day.”

Danforth, 70, spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations on September 19, 2006, to mark the release of his book, “Faith and Politics: How the ‘Moral Values’ Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together.”

Interviewed by Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, Danforth said the exploitation of religion for political ends has turned religion into a wedge, rather than a means of reconciliation.

The problem, in his view, is that politicians have stopped competing for the center; their efforts to energize the base have only divided the populace. He believes a renewed focus on the center, more open religious dialogue, and a commitment to keep church and state separate would help restore America’s health.

1. On religion:
“Religion is obviously a good part of the problem in the world… I think that it’s worth putting the question to people of all faiths: Do you believe that your religion calls for you to kill in the name of God? What is your view of the concept of just war?

“The purpose of religious dialogue should be to isolate extremist and violent views.”

2. On religion’s place in politics:

“At its best, religion provides a sense of humility and a sense of understanding and a sense that we are not the sole possessors of God’s truth, and therefore an ability to deal with each other… So I think religion can bring a lot to the world of politics. But when it becomes ‘My way is God’s way, and God’s way and my way or the highway’ – which is how it’s presented today – it becomes a bad thing.

“Madison recognized the divisive power of religion; we had seen this in Europe; the framers of our constitution had fought this battle in Virginia.

“There’s a lot to be said for understanding the difference between religion and politics. The church is not the state and shouldn’t become the state.

3. Today’s politicians appeal to the base, not the center

“There has been a trend in both political parties not to try to compete for the center. About a third of the electorate was up for grabs. But now they don’t talk about the center. They talk about energizing the base. The base of the Republican Party is now the Christian right. So it turns out, instead of being the ministry of reconciliation, it is now the wedge.”

Toward the end of his Senate career, during which he represented Missouri from 1976 to 1995, Danforth saw declining interest in bipartisanship: “It became a matter of positioning and taking hard edges in positions so you would have clarity in the next round of 30-second commercials… Republicans saw [their] base as being the Christian conservatives, and they saw the Christian conservatives as adding something to traditional Republicans. They would say that traditional Republicans are losers; that’s our history. They would say this has been great. But once the American people get wise to this, it’s not going to work very much longer.

“So what happened to the center? It fell silent. The time has come for the center to speak…

“I think that the answer to the present state of American politics is greater participation by a lot more people.”

Has George W. Bush’s attitude toward religion been divisive?

“I think that getting into that particular question would not further my efforts.

“What other question can I evade?” Danforth said, to the audience’s amusement.

Meacham rejoined: “The truth will set you free, father.”

4. On Religion and participation in the world:

“I think there’s a religious obligation to participate positively in the world. I think where religion gets into problems is when people think… ‘I am God’s true representative; I’ve got the ability to translate God’s will into my political agenda… So my political agenda is God’s, and yours isn’t.’

5. Recommendation for the United Nations

“There should be a direct dealing with religion, and not pretend that this really isn’t religious or there’s no religious component. I think it’s important to face up to the fact that a good part of the problem is a religious problem. It means trying to create understanding. Where are the counter voices within and without Islam?”

Ted Sorensen, the speechwriter for John F. Kennedy, rose to ask a question. He had been invited to speak at an international conference in Rome, he said, and had asked what he should speak about. “They said, ‘Tell us about the good America,’” Sorensen said. “They weren’t speaking on religious terms. But they were talking about a very different kind of America when the President of the United States said, ‘The world knows America will never start a war.’ When…church and state were separated, religion was flourishing…under our bipartisan foreign policy, which was based to a large extent on our moral authority. Now our foreign policy is based largely on our military power, not our moral power. And now we’re known around the world for torture, indefinite detention. What’s happened to this country?”

Without pausing Danforth responded: “We’re facing a threat that we’ve never faced before, and we don’t understand how to deal with it. And we haven’t really had the discussion internally to face up to it. I think the American people are fair and decent people, but I also think they’re scared. And they have every right to be scared.”

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[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from a lecture by Prof. Bruce Porter on how to choose a Master’s Project topic. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Sheena Tahilramani, J2007. Feel free to drop her note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Bruce Porter’s lecture: “How to Choose a Master’s Project”
By Sheena Tahilramani
E-mail: sat2127[at]columbia.edu

Prof. Bruce Porter, our resident Master’s Project expert (partly because he did one himself when he was a student at Columbia in the early 1960s, along with his classmater, Patrick J. Buchanan), gives annual talks on various aspects of the Master’s Project. On Wed., Sept.13, he spoke about choosing a topic. He will talk about writing one later in the semester. He gave students, in adavance, copies of his New York Times Magazine cover story on big guns, . At the end of this report, you will see a note listing some good PRINT Master’s Projects from the past that he mentioned in his lecture.

What is the Master’s Project?
It’s a rare event that you’ll be given so much time to explore a topic. The Master’s Projects are also a lasting moment of the school. You should start thinking of them as long magazine stories. Over the years, the contents of the projects have changed—from cosmic stories such as “Let’s Look at Contact Lenses” and “Can We Control the Weather?” to what was known as a ‘’live in experience'’ (i.e., immersion). You ought to learn something from your reporting, to really illuminate something for yourself. It shouldn’t be just to further a political idea or view, etc. Ideally you might want to strive for some kind of combination of the two, take a macro issue and focus on a micro part of it. It’s a story that is meant to convey something that you want to say in a powerful way. It’s something that becomes humanized—’’there are no issues, there are only people.'’

Topic vs. Story
Another thing that you should think about or see the difference in is a master’s topic and a master’s story. For example, “AIDS: Are we Doing Enough?” is a topic. “Infected and In Love” is a story. The story sets the topic in motion.

Access
Access is like gold (see 2005 sous chef story - below). You have to determine early on what sort of access you have. We already know that public officials are impossible to talk to. So, you need to develop strategies on how you’re going to do this without relying on public officials. The solution with police, education and corrections is oftentimes to skirt them (i.e., talk to the inmates). If you want to visit a prison, sign in as a friend not a journalist. You won’t be able to take in a notepad but you can arrange to have the inmate call you and then you can take notes. It is possible to petition the Department of Corrections for entrance as a journalist, but there is a lot of red tape (not recommended). The same holds true for the Department of Education. Nobody can stop you from talking with the students, parents, PTA. You may have to use the information you glean from these sources to leverage an interview with the principal. Don’t limit yourself to advocates. There are a lot of advocates and many of them are compelling and have good stories, but you have to get something from the other side. Otherwise, it’s a one-way street and not a very good story.

How to Approach a Topic
In approaching the topic, avoid becoming hysterical. Take your time choosing a topic. Avoid something that’s a community issue in your RWI class that your professor thinks might be interesting. You’ve got to be interested in this, enthusiastic about your project. A good plan when you first arrive at an idea is to ask yourself, “Is this doable?” It looks like you have a year, but you don’t. Don’t do a big topic, do some small piece of that topic. If you’re doing the issue of homeless people looking for shelters, pick one homeless person! You can’t do them all. Next piece of advice is to work steadily and slowly. Every week, do what a journalist calls ‘’gathering string.'’ You should probably tape record this project because as time passes, your scribbled notes may lose clarity. Get a decent tape recorder and do an interview a week. Transcribe it then, don’t wait! The length of this is around 5,000 words or 20 pages. The process of developing an idea is going to occupy you for about a month. You’ll run into quite a few ideas that don’t seem doable. Look at your story and see if you can come in through a side door, something different.

o o o o o

PROF. PORTER’S LIST OF THE FACULTY’S FAVORITE PRINT STORIES
Prof. Porter asked faculty members for their favorite recent projects - the list is below, with the various professors’ comments (and some input on locations by Deborah Wassertzug, Journalism Librarian).

PLEASE NOTE: All Master’s projects from 2002 to present are in the Journalism Library.
From years earlier than 2002 - just go over to Lehman Library, located in the lower
level of the School of International Affairs building (118th St & Amsterdam). Master’s projects from 1957-2001 are housed on the lower level of Lehman Library.

An index by author of Master’s projects & theses can be found online at
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/jour/masters/index.html

You can’t check out any of the bound volumes, so please be prepared to
either sit and read the project or thesis, or put money on your ID to make
photocopies of it in the library.

Please be aware that the list compiled below by faculty includes both
Master’s projects by MS students, as well as MA theses. The MA theses
from 2006 (the program’s first year) are in the Journalism Library as
well, with the volumes bound in red rather than green.

1. My favorite thesis last year was written by Moises Velasquez-Manoff, in
the MA program. Moises has a rare congenital condition called alopecia,
which has made him bald since he was a kid. That’s a traumatic thing to
happen to you when you’re twelve. Now that he’s a science writer, Moises
decided to look into the science of the condition. His research led him
into a big and fascinating area of research that goes way beyond baldness
and that affects many more of us than you’d expect.
**MA THESIS - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**

2. Jill Bauerle, “Surviving the War in Berlin,” 2006.
**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**

3. I’ve got a bunch of faves from among my advisees. Off the top of my
head, Katie Baker ‘05 on sous-chefs (**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - JOURNALISM
LIBRARY**); Mark Fass ‘04 on the legal and personal aftermath of a
famous tabloid crime case from the ’60s (**MS MASTER’S PROJECT -
JOURNALISM LIBRARY**); Kelly Niknejad ‘05 on Iranian exiles in the US
(**MA THESIS - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**); also, Greg Gilderman on why cops in Philadelphia aren’t making more progress at reducing the murder rate (it has just been finished and won’t be in the library till summer 2007; Greg is a current PT student, so you can ask him about it directly).

4. Blacks for Bush, by Arin Gencer 2006 : A sophisticated piece of
explanatory journalism about what’s behind the uptick in black Republicans
for Bush in the last election.
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**)

5. Danielle Shapiro wrote her 2006 Master’s project on American Muslims
in the Military. It won one of our prizes.
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**)

6. Many Women at Elite Colleges Set Career Path to Motherhood-2005
Master’s by Louise Story that ran in the New York Times.
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**)

7. Alice Kenny (’03) had a terrific story on autism that the NYT ran as a
cover story in the Westchester section.
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**)

8. Alan Rappeport (’02) had fine piece on breakaway Hasidic teenagers,
using one kid’s story to illustrate a larger phenom.
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - JOURNALISM LIBRARY**)

9. Kevin Hoffman (’01) had powerful piece on committed couples living with
AIDS when only one partner was infected (both gay and hetero)
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - LEHMAN LIBRARY**)

10. Olivia Barker (’98) had a wonderful piece on tension among Russians in
Brighton Beach.
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - LEHMAN LIBRARY**)

11. Chris Nuttall-Smith (’99), profile of released sex offender in New
Jersey, picked up and run as cover story in New York Magazine.
(**MS MASTER’S PROJECT - LEHMAN LIBRARY**)

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[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from an all-class lecture by Prof. Paula Span about the art of feature writing. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Jennifer Redfearn, J2007. Feel free to drop her note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Paula Span’s lecture: “The Long & Short of Feature Writing”
By Jennifer Redfearn
E-mail: jtr2113[at]columbia.edu

Paula Span is one of the best-known teachers of feature writing in the country and one of the most popular professors at the Columbia J-school, where she teaches Techniques of feature Writing, among other courses. A former NY correspondent for the Style section of the The Washington Post and staff writer for The Washington Post Magazine, she is now a contributing writer to the magazine. [See her bio.] On Friday, Sept. 1, she gave an all-class lecture for new M.S. and M.A. journalism students - and several professors - about the art of feature writing.

Listen to audio recording here:
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/students/class_lectures.asp

General Thoughts on Feature Writing
1. Feature writing at its best is transporting. It takes you out of your own existence. Away from the breakfast table. Away from the car. Away from the subway. It takes you some place you can’t go yourself.
2. Feature writing is becoming evermore respected and important.
3. It wasn’t until 1979 that a Pulitzer was given for feature writing.
4. It is the future of print and an essential part of the skills that you need as a reporter.
5. We’ve become a more visual culture. We’ve been trained to want to see things not just hear about them through a mediator.

Function of Feature Writing
1. We still convey information, but it’s a different style of story telling.
2. It fills the gap between headlines and what else people want to know.
3. The writer takes the audience to the story.
4. It can be varying lengths and media.
5. Feature writing is less concerned with what happened but why it happened- what is smelled like, what it looked like, who it happened to, why it matters that it happened.
6. Sometimes it’s even about what you think about what happened. Shhh.

Trends of Feature Writing
1. Study results of 20 newspapers by Professor Michele Weldon of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University: In 2001 the percentage of hard news on the front page was 65 % of the entire content, and in 2004 the percentage of hard news stories on the cover dropped to 50%. In 2001, 35% of stories on the cover were features stories and in 2004 features made up 50% of the stories on the cover.
2. This trend is filtering out into the entire MSM. Not just a NYT phenomenon.
3. In most cases, news magazines survive because of analyzing and contextualizing stories.
4. People (readers/audience) want to be behind the scenes and experience things directly.
5. There will always be a need for straight news stories and investigative reporting but we should prepare for more feature stories.

What Counts as a Feature
1. Length doesn’t necessarily define a feature story.
2. They have scenes that tell you what is happening in a place on a particular day.
3. Profiles of people or spotlights of organizations and communities.
4. “Not stories that break but stories that creep,” said legendary editor Eugene Roberts, who was specifically talking about trend stories.
5. Issue, disputes, controversies can be presented in a feature style.
6. Essays are features if they are reported.
7. Memoirs are features if they are reported and factual.

What Distinguishes a Feature
1. Observational, descriptive, they take you there, cinematic, reporting with your senses.
2. Good feature writing borrows fictional techniques.
3. They have scenes like a play or novel.
4. They usually have characters with dialogue. The people in the story are not just talking to you but talking to each other in a way they would do if the reporter was not there.
5. They have action—not just talking heads like Ken Burns’ documentaries.
6. They incorporate narrative.
7. They are vivid and transporting.
8. They have narrative elements that move the story forward.
9. The intent remains journalistic even if the style is different (comic, stylistic)
10. The intent is still to convey information, maybe a different kind of information, but the journalistic values apply- balance, fairness, and accuracy.

Opportunities for Feature Writing at J-School
1. Feature Writing
2. Magazine Writing
3. Narrative Writing
4. Art of the Profile
5. Literary Journalism
6. Personal and Professional Style
7. Book Seminar
8. Science Narratives
9. TV & Radio documentary
10. Photo Curriculum
[Dean Sreenivasan adds: New Media Workshop;
Prof. Solway adds: Cultural Affairs Reporting & Writing]

Downside to Feature Revolution
1. If 50% of stories on front page are bad features then there is no gain for the feature revolution. In some ways, features have to justify themselves more than a straight news story.
2. There is the risk of embroidery. There is a temptation to insert details where they don’t exist. Don’t do it.
3. There is the risk of cliché. We all to work at ways to keep our writing fresh, simple and engaging.
4. Feature writing infiltrated by blogosphere voice.

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[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]

Below, notes from a recent visit to an RWI class by Kerry Burke, J2002, a Daily News reporter and star of Bravo’s “Tabloid Wars” (see video link about his famous backpack below). Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Rubina Madan & Aaron Cahall, J2007. Feel free to drop ‘em a note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Talk by Kerry Burke, J2002
By Rubina Madan & Aaron Cahall

J-SCHOOL, SEPT. 6–Students in Sam Boyle’s RWI class had a great first speaker Wednesday: Kerry Burke, one of the stars of the Bravo series “Tabloid Wars.” Burke is a 2002 Columbia J-school grad who started his career as a co-founder of CitySearch , writing reviews of New York bars and concerts. After graduating from Columbia, he got a job at the New York Daily News as a “runner.” Every day, he is out on the streets trying to get the news however possible. He became somewhat of a celebrity this summer with the premiere of “Tabloid Wars,” a six-part series that followed the editors and reporters of the NY Daily News.

Burke’s session with Boyle’s class was particularly entertaining because our adjunct professor is Billy Gorta, a long-time friend of his who now works for his rival paper, the New York Post. Here are some tips and highlights from Burke’s visit:

How to approach people after a crime (or other breaking news):
* When you get to a scene, go into the heart of the scene immediately and work your way outward
* As you go in, make the crowd–look for people standing in a group, talking, crying or in shock. They’ve likely seen something or know someone who has.
* You need to talk to as many of the players as possible; ideally a victim, a family member, an eyewitness, a participant or perpretrator
* Get the names, ages, occupations and neighborhoods of everyone you interview.

Getting a great story:
* Get into the building; visit the incident or key apartment, but also knock on all the doors on the floor. Hit all the apartments in the area.
* Use a police source, but don’t rely on them exclusively. That’s lazy reporting. The cop details will probably be released to reporters at “The Shack” (the media offices at Police Plaza) before they’ll be available at the scene anyway. Also, they’re not necessarilythe definitive version of the truth. Eyewitnesses on the street may have seen more.
* Don’t trust people who are too eager to talk to you. They may not know anything and just want to get on TV/in print.
* Never leave the scene without a “pic of the vic” (photo of the victim) — it humanizes them and helps people relate to the story.

How to treat sources:
* Start by introducing yourself, apologize immediately (”I’m so sorry to bother you.”) You may very well be meeting them at the worst moment of their lives. But don’t forget, you still need the story.
* Tell them what you’ve heard and ask them for the real story (”I give a little, I get a little.”) Don’t outline the story for anyone, but give them some info and let them fill in the rest. (”I hear this guy was kind of a scumbag, but I think maybe he wasn’t…what do you know about him?”)
* Keep it conversational. Don’t badger them with questions or bark at them. (”So I heard a kid from the block got shot…” NOT “What’d you see?”)
* Be polite. Shake their hands and make eye contact.
* If you’re talking to someone whose loved one has died, ask them how they want their loved one to be remembered as a person.
* Always thank them at the end of an interview (”Remember, these people don’t owe you anything. And you will see them again.” Especially if it’s a good story, you may need to do a follow-up.)

People you should try talking to for more information:
* the “mayor of the streets” — the person who has lived there forever and knows everything about it
* detectives and the “white shirts” — Line officers in blue uniforms are not authorized to talk, and may not have the whole story anyway. Officers in white uniforms are lieutenants or higher, and the duty captain on the scene is completely authorized to speak to media and is usually the central point for info coming in. Detectives will arrive wearing suits and can also be useful.
* homeless people — they’re surprisingly helpful

How to avoid getting burned out in the daily grind of reporting:
* If possible, try to write a variety of different stories and try new things (”New situations keeps minds fresh.”)
* Remember that there’s different kinds of reporters. Some love being out on the street, while others would be happy covering the UN, the White House and press conferences.
* “What rejuvenates me is these people. These are gorgeous people; they’ll bring you back.”
* If you get a lot of tough stories in a row, take a break.

What’s in Kerry Burke’s famous backpack?

* a flashlight, a bottle of water, tons of notebooks, a box of pens, a disposable camera, batteries, an umbrella, a tape recorder, lots of maps (borough, subway and bus), a cell phone charger, business cards, magazines and “stake-out food”
* Kerry’s MUST-HAVE: Hagstrom’s NYC Five Borough map book, spiral-bound.

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Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year (if you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one).

Below, notes from a recent visit by three journalists from Syria. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Deena Guzder, J2007. Feel free to drop her a note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Meeting with Syrian Journalists
By Deena Guzder
E-mail: dg2190[at]columbia.edu

ROOM 601B, AUG. 24, 2006 — “I am shocked at the level of ignorance in the US about issues in Syria . . . one would expect people to know more about the Middle East given the fact [Americans] have so many resources at their disposal.”

Three Syrian journalists visiting the US participated in a forum with a group of more than 25 Columbia students and exchanged thoughts on politics, media and careers. These journalists visited Columbia’s Journalism School as part of a U.S. State Department program that brings hundreds of international journalists each year to the U.S. During the hour and a half session, the journalists had an informative, and at times heated, discussion with the students moderated by Dean Sree Sreenivasan. The group used simultaneous Arabic-English translation to communicate with the students.

The seasoned Syrian reporters repeatedly urged fledgling American journalists to be more “objective” and “unbiased” than their predecessors when covering the Arab world. “Americans seem free of the burdens that many [Syrians] have to carry,” noted Mr Huny al-Hamdan who is the editor-in-chief of the privately-owned economic magazine “Money.” He continued, “You would hope [American journalists] would know about our neck or the woods and report it in a fair and balanced fashion.”

Al-Hamdan voiced discontent specifically with Israel’s “continued occupation of parts of Syria” and the Bush Administration’s recent decision to withdraw the US ambassador from Syria, which he said were for reasons “beyond comprehension.” Ms. Razan Toumani, who works for a youth-oriented magazine, echoed these sentiments: “I am surprised by the little degree to which the media brings clarity to the issues in this country. It seems that George Bush says something and everyone in the media parrots it.” Toumani speculated that the alleged unbalance occurs because “the Jewish population in this country highly influences the media.”

Mr. Ibrahim Jabin, editor-in-chief of “Spotlight,” also expressed concern for US foreign policy but was quick to note that there is an unfortunate tendency on both sides to conflate government decisions with those of ordinary people. Jabin acknowledged people in power have perverse incentives to “create conflict” and he urged his audience to make a conscientious decision to distinguish between “what officials say is good for the people and what really is good for the people.” He encouraged Columbia students to stay away from offices and go onto the streets where they can feel the “pulse” of the people.

The tension in the room heightened when Jabin sharply criticized what he called “unconditional US support for Israel,” which drew a response from Shahar Smooha, an Israeli Part-time student and a NY reporter for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, who said that Israelis “question the logic of occupation everyday” but Syrians “are not questioning support for Hezbollah or occupying Lebanon or possible involvement in the assassination of Lebanon’s Prime Minister.” The Syrian journalists said they welcomed the question from their “neighbor countryman” but strongly refuted the allegations before adding, “Israelis should ask their government to give back the land they occupy to Syria and to give support to the refugees so we can finally find an end to this ongoing struggle and return to building our civilizations.” A possible protracted dispute over the question of Syria’s alleged involvement in the death of Lebanon’s PM was averted when Sreenivasan suggested that forum participants focus on media-related questions.

The journalists debated the potential value of launching Al Jazeera in the US and agreed that a different perspective on current events would enhance Americans understanding of the Arab world. In response to one student’s question concerning measures journalists should take to promote a lasting peace, Jabin said “I think the most important thing is to concentrate on the facts.” Jabin added that some of his colleagues decided not participate in the US tour as a form of political protest, presumably because of recent fighting in the Middle East and allegedly skewed US coverage of the events.

The latter half of the discussion focused on the media atmosphere in Syria, which the journalists said was gradually liberalizing. They emphasized the ways in which the Internet and “open sky channel” have changed the face of journalism in Syria. Jabin told his audience that, in recent years, several Syrian reporters successfully exposed government corruption. Toumani acknowledged “there are still problems in the Syria” and the free press is “a developing process that is not yet complete.” Toumani added, “I believe that journalists struggle for their rights and we’ll feel honored that we fought for them.”

When asked about the challenges of being a woman journalist in Syria, Toumani said with a half-smile, “That is the traditional American question; I knew it was coming.” Estimating that 40 percent of Syrian journalists are females, Toumani said women are not particularly disadvantaged in the job market but she acknowledged that “it can be more difficult for women because of misconceptions.” She quickly added, “Sometimes it’s better to be a woman because sources are nicer to you.”

When questioned about the imprisonment and subsequent release of a Syrian journalist, Nabil Fayad, all three participants unequivocally criticized their government’s decision to detain a journalist; however, none of them seemed to be a fan of Fayad’s reporting.

Al-Hamdan closed the forum by saying “Journalists must find the truth” and added, “Remember my words: Be objective and not biased.”

In response to a question about job/internship opportunities in their country for Columbia grads, the Syrians suggested checking out the state-run English paper, Syria Times. Students interested in learning more about working in Syria should e-mail the following journalist (referring to the Columbia meeting):
Ibrahim Jabin, editor in chief, Spotlight
E-mail: ibrahimajiabia[at]hotmail.com

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Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year (if you have one, send it in - or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one).

Below, highlights of the Sig Gissler’s talk about how to cover a beat. Many thanks to volunteer notes-takers Sheena Tahilramani and Irene Liu. Feel free to drop them a note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Prof. Sig Gissler’s lecture: “How to Cover Your Beat”
By Sheena Tahilramani, J2007; e-mail: sat2127[at]columbia.edu
and Irene Liu, J2007; e-mail: ijl2105[at]columbia.edu

Listen to audio recording here:
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/students/class_lectures.asp

[Introduction by Dean Sreenivasan]

It is my honor to introduce Sig Gissler, professor and administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes.

Sig Gissler is one of my favorite people at the J-school and one of this University’s treasures. You are all very lucky to have him as a professor - either in RWI or in sesssions like this. When I was a student here, we weren’t lucky enough to have Prof. Gissler on the faculty. But he has been a teacher and guide to me ever since his arrival here in 1994. I have picked
up tips on reporting, on editing and how to be a better professor - but I feel like I am always trying to catch up. He came to the school after a distinguished career as an editor in Milwaukee and brought with him decades of journalism experience - and a bucketful of midwestern, Scandinavian aphorisms. Those aphorisms and a unique teaching style that encourages you
all to “go there” have inspired generations of students and colleagues alike, resulting in his being named the school’s Teacher of the Year in 1998, and his winning Columbia’s highest teaching award in 2003.

[ Despite his folksiness, he has a geeky side. He was one of the first professors here to edit stories with the “tracking changes” in Word and he embraced digital photography, wireless networking and similar technologies long before most of the faculty, as has his wife, the wonderful Mary Gissler, who offers his students brownies and invaluable advice of her own.]

As administrator of the Pulitzers, he has been given stewardship of one of the journalism’s most imporant institutions and he has taken that to another level as well.

Everywhere in the world I go, his former students, friends and colleagues ask me to say hello to him and many of them say to me what I started my introduction with: You are lucky to have him.

Ladies and gents, Sig Gissler…

WHAT IS A BEAT:
It’s a topical or geographic area assigned to a reporter for regular coverage.
Examples of topical areas are education, politics and business. Examples of geographical areas are a city, county, neighborhood.

ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD REPORTER:

• Works on the three fundamentals–sources, story ideas and execution plans (the “trifecta”)
• Works rigorously on three levels — short range, medium and long — juggling a mix of ideas
• Serves as a watchdog — accountability journalism
• Shows good organization
  - Organize your sources by affiliation
  - Get contact info: mobile, work, home numbers, email
  - Have these numbers so that if you have to, you can call late at night; you can say that you are “calling in the interest of accuracy.”
  - Cultivate sources
  - Keep a running list of story ideas, compiled by topic and subject.
• Stays in touch with editor (without being a pest) “Don’t interview the city desk, interview the city.”

“BEAT NOTES”
Make the best use of your time in August. This is an opportunity to put “hay in the barn” (if you are from the midwest), or “nuts in the nest.” Use this month to find sources, issues, story ideas.
Step 1: See what has already been written
Step 2: Make some initial contacts.

ATTRIBUTION:
All you know is what you’ve been told. Attribute everything, over attribute.

HOW TO APPROACH YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD:

• Attitude and appearance: Have a positive attitude, one of “joyful entitlement”. Build sources one at a time; don’t get bogged down by the enormity of the work. At the end of a meeting/interview, always ask for additional sources. Polite persistence. Don’t be needlessly confrontational. Be a sponge. We reflect the university and our profession so it’s important to maintain a professional appearance. Men should carry a tie wherever they go because you never know when you may be assigned to cover a funeral or other somber event.

• Good start: U.S. Census, “community district needs” handbooks (books created by the 59 community boards that identify “greatest needs” of each neighborhood. Take with a grain of salt, but a good starting resource. RW1 professors have copies), website for Department of City Planning.
  
• Libraries: Libraries provide back issues of community newspapers and other great sources that can be used to learn about this history. The histories of your neighborhoods are important to investigate. Look for defining moments in the history of your community…for example, the burning of the South Bronx. 
• Community Boards: 59 districts, largely advisory bodies. Try to talk to the district manager. However, don’t despair if you are rebuffed. The community board is not the golden fleece.
• Museums in boroughs
• Local historians: Residents who serve as informal historians to the area. Can give you a sense of the history, changes in the neighborhoods over time. The burrough presidents’ offices may be able to point you to them.
• Elected officials: Know the elected officials in your area… city council members, district attorney, congressmen/women, assemblymen/women, etc.
• Police: “Destined to be a murky relationship”. “America’s only fully-armed minority group.” Start at the precinct level. Talk to a community affairs officer or youth officer. Crime statistics by precincts will give you a sense of crime patterns. If referred to the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, be persistent and you might get lucky. Cops really do like to talk.
  
• Firefighters: Firefighters can be a wonderful source. They’re considered heroes in NYC. They see a lot, they know a lot and they’re often gregarious characters. (if you are a freelancer, see
  http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/dcpi/presscred.html
• Mayor’s Management Report
• Churches, mosques, synagogues: “Havens in a heartless world.” Churches are a safe haven in the community. Be sure to talk to leaders and members. 
• Community Based Organizations: They are everywhere. Some have storefront offices, many are connected to umbrella groups.
• Schools: Try to meet the principal, PTA, Parent Coordinator (a staff liaison to parents), union reps, etc. Getting inside may be difficult due to “bunker” mentally, so you might have to report from the outside in. You might need a “passport” but you need to keep pushing.

• Hospitals: A good source on neighborhood health issues. Walk in and just wander around, better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission. 

• The Old: “Wallpaper of the human existence.” Senior citizens are the “eyes of the neighborhood.” They can provide you with a sense of history and context, they’ve witnessed the history of the community. They also have a lot of time. Can be found on the porch, in senior centers. 

• Shopping Areas: Show a good cross section of humanity and are good places to spot fashion trends among the young. Oftentimes, people are more willing to talk while shopping. 

• Community newspapers: Give a sense of what is going on it the community, issues, etc. Talk with editors and reporters; they can give you a sense of the problems and issues in the neighborhoods. An opportunity to pitch articles and get clips. 
• Parks: Look for places, like parks, where people slow down. People may be more willing to pause and talk to you. 
• Colleges: There are colleges all around the city. You may find story ideas. For example: welfare mothers trying to get an education to get out of their situations, innovative efforts to include minority kids in education.
• Sanitation workers: Rarely get interviewed, but are great sources, as are janitors, custodians, building superintendents. 
• Real estate offices: People in the real estate industry watch/are aware of trends in the area. 
• Bus depots: Drivers go up and down the street day after day, they know what’s going on. It is also a good place to catch cops coming home from work. 
• Coffee shops, bodegas and bars: Don’t forget the bars.

A LITTLE ABOUT TECHNIQUE:

• Review safety tips.
• Take a list of professors and phone numbers in case you get in a bind/trouble.
• Build up your comfort level and go with your gut.
• Don’t get complacent; it’s still a big city. The buddy system is a good option.
• Get a map.
• Don’t wait for phone calls…go there, go there and go there!
• Look up…look at the signs, second floors. We are constantly seeing things at eye level but, if you look around, there is so much more.
• Subway life is fascinating. A parallel of the world above. 
• Talk to strangers.
• Try the back door when stymied by a source. If you cannot talk to the principal, talk to the PTA.
• Get the Green Book: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/features/greenbook.shtml
• Find the “mayor” of the neighborhood or the block. Every neighborhood has a self-appointed know-it-all.
• Think of creating your own “board of directors” made up of four or five people that are connected in the community, people you can go to get quick information.
• Establish “listening posts”; find your places to go and get info.
• Never burn a source. If you say you won’t include a quote, don’t include it. If you make a commitment, keep it.
• Nurture your sources; you can learn a lot from them. Show them your “published” story. This helps future Columbia students.
• Finally, learn to treasure the indomitable spirit of New York City.

Q&A:

• Q:Do you recommend tape recorders?
  A: Tape recorders can be useful, especially if a confrontational interview/story, but one of the problems is transcribing the tape. It is a tool and you should use it depending on the circumstances. 
• Q: How should we deal with translation?
  A: Maybe try to find a young person that can translate or help you communicate with a subject. Beyond that, you have to try to deal with it. 
• Q: Is there anyone that you we should not talk to on our beat?
  A: As a class or kind of person, everyone is fair game. 
• Q: What if you’re interviewing and the person becomes uncomfortable with a certain topic or wants to take something off the record?
  A: You can go on and off the record…people have a right to wall-off portions of the conversation that they don’t want published. 
• Q: How do you deal with a source that provides you with great information but wants to remain anonymous?
  You need to set some ground rules at the beginning of the interview. If you do this, the source knows that what he/she says is fair game. If you leave the situation very murky then it can be much more of a contentious situation. Clarity, clarity, clarity! 
• Q: Offering and accepting things from sources?
  In a professional setting, you don’t want to be accepting things from sources. But don’t worry about accepting a cup of coffee.

SOME GISSLERISMS:

• “Keep an open mind, but don’t let your brain fall out.” 
• “Taking information off the Internet is like taking food off the street. Be careful.” 
• “Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug.”
  

On Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2006, Martin Smith, a distinguished producer at Frontline on PBS, spoke to the class in a session moderated by Prof. June Cross.

You can listen to an audio recording:
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/students/class_lectures.asp

Here is a report, by Doree Shafrir, J2006, of CJRDaily.org:
http://www.cjrdaily.org/behind_the_news/for_frontline_producer_katr.php

Excerpt:

His November 2005 report for Frontline on Hurricane Katrina was unlike anything he’s ever worked on, Smith told an audience of new students at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism Tuesday evening.

That film, The Storm, tells the story of the government’s missteps in the days leading up to and directly after Katrina. “I was affected more by Katrina than Iraq, by the vastness of the devastation,” he said.

The film’s unsparing scenes of mothers crying out for food for their children, looting, police brutality and other bits of mayhem in the days following the storm do indeed make for powerful television.

Read the entire report.

Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year (if you have one, send it in - or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one).

Below, highlights of the opening day lecture by Deborah Amos, NPR foreign correspondent. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Allison Bourne-Vanneck, J2007. Feel free to drop her a note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Deborah Amos Opening Day Lecture
By Allison Bourne-Vanneck, J2007
E-mail: apb2119[at]columbia.edu

LECTURE HALL, Aug. 21, 2006–More than 220 students, faculty and staff gathered for the J-school’s official opening day lecture on Monday morning. The speaker was Deborah Amos (see her bio), a star foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, who had just returned from an eight-week reporting trip to Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Dean Nicholas Lemann, who introduced her, said that for many people like him who are “chained to the ground” in New York, she was living their “fantasy life” - that of a foreign correspondent. He said, “It’s a strange but wonderful way to live and one of the most profound services a journalist can provide to the rest of the world.”

Speaking from prepared remarks, she gave a thoughtful, funny, inspirational talk and answered several questions from students.

You can listen to the entire talk at http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/students/class_lectures.asp.

Here are some of the highlights:

• It’s goals, not roles, that matter in journalism.
  Her goals:
  Be a good journalist; accurately report the news; get as close to reality as possible.

• On covering war:
  Cover a war in your career
  - It will teach you about humanity.
  - You will see the best and worst in people, including your colleagues.

  Don’t cover too many wars
  - Know when it’s time to go home.
  - War is an addictive beat that can dry you up and make you cynical if your not careful.

• On foreign reporting:
  - Learn a foreign language if you can.
  - You are dependent on translators, and you really can’t get it all
  - It’s tempting to rely on English speakers, but you are limiting yourself to a particular class of people.

• On being a war correspondent:
  - Immersion is key to understanding the country.
  - You can move up in your career covering a war.
  - Best way to break into covering a war is to pick yourself up and go there.

• On the Middle East:
  - It’s what happens to civilians that’s important.
  - We need to concentrate on what happens in those communities
  - Hezbollah was an outcome of the Israeli invasion in 1982, and there will be an outcome of this one again, perhaps people more radical than Hezbollah.

• On journalism school:
  If you learn only one thing, learn how to write a clear sentence.

• On breaking into the radio industry:
  - It’s difficult, but not impossible.
  - Local stations over the years have developed large news departments
  Certain stations, such as WNYC, WBUR, as well as those in Portland, Seattle, etc, are great places to work and from their newsrooms you can pitch stories to NPR.

She is now concertrating on covering Islam. She said, “I have come to believe there is no clash of civilizations; there is a clash within a civilization… After all this time it’s the thing that I take the most satisfaction in learning a little bit more about.”

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Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year (if you have one, send it in - or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one).

Below, tips from a technology discussion with Andrew Lih, former J-school professor, visiting from China. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Adam Edelman, J2007. Feel free to drop him a note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Tech Jam Session with Andrew Lih
By Adam Edelman, J2007
E-mail: abe2109[at]columbia.edu

ROOM 601B, Aug. 21, 2006–Andrew Lih, a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism professor from 1995 to 2002, returned to the school Monday afternoon to participate in a technology discussion.

Lih, who currently works out of Beijing, led journalism students through a network (no pun intended) of explanations of different programs and websites including wikis, Skype, Flickr.com and Writely.com. Lih also talked about press and technology freedoms in China. It was all part of a lunch-time Tech Jam Session organized by the Dean of Students Office.

Lih (and his teaching partner during those Columbia years, Dean Sree Sreenivasan) examined the benefits of using a wide range new technologies, while cautioning students to be aware of the dangers of blindly following every new service or gizmo.

Students in attendance learned about Skype, a free internet telephone service. Like many other services, Skype offers free computer-to-computer calling (including video conferencing) anywhere in the world, but with much better sound quality. Skype also offers free computer-to-land/cellphones in the US or Canada till the end of 2006, as well as some of the cheapest international calling rates.

Skype, said Lih, is particularly useful to journalists because it is a free alternative to cell and land phones and can be used for interviews. Skype also offers reasonably priced services such as voicemail and call recording, a function that would serve as a digital call recorder in itself for reporters. Sreenivasan highlighted another useful feature: conference calls, which allow you to connect up to 10 Skype or regular phone calls. One way to use this is when you have to talk to a source who doesn’t speak your language. You can conference in a friend who can translate for you.

Some out-of-town students have been wondering what to do with their out-of-town cellphone numbers. All their friends and family outside Columbia already have their out-of-town numbers, so getting a NYC number is not always practical. With so many people using cellphones and national calling plans, having an out-of-town number isn’t usually a problem. But for some of the kind of people you might encounter on your beat - nonprofits organizations, small-business owners, etc - calling a long-distance number will not be attractive and yet another barrier in getting callbacks. You can, of course, get a landline, and let people call you there. Another alternative is to get what’s called a SkpeIn number. You get a local number (usually 718) and use the free call forwarding feature to have calls go to your out-of-town cell. The cost of a SkypeIn number is about $40 a year. More information about Skype is available at Skype.com.

However, after researching the topic and receiving the same piece of advice from several professors, this reporter did decide to switch his Milwaukee-area cell phone number to a New York City number. It was free and easy and the new number will provide easier telephone
access to sources who refuse to or cannot call long distance. While the Skype alternative is as attractive, switching your cell phone number does not require any computer know-how and some Apple users have reported that the free Skype call-forwarding service has given
them problems. Several service carriers, including Sprint and Nextel, will switch your number for free. Notifying friends, family, and past contacts of your new number can be as easy as
sending out a brief mass email or text message.

Lih also encouraged students to use wikis, websites that allow users to edit subject matter collaboratively (Wikipedia, is essentially, a giant wiki that allows millions of users to collaborate). There are several wiki sites, including Writely.com, a website that allows users to view and edit one other’s documents securely (it requires a free invitation from a current user; Sreenivasan can give you one - just ask) and JotSpot.com.

There are plans for a master document that will provide names and contacts of students across all RWIs covering each of the neighborhoods in the city, ensuring better coordination and sharing of sources. It is likely to be wiki based.

Lih also touched upon the usefulness of Flickr.com as a way to share photographs. Watch for information about a J-school “Flickr pool” (a way for you to send in photos you take with your cameras and cellphones).

Throughout the session, students peppered Lih with questions about press freedoms in China. Lih touched upon the changing state of media censorship in China, explaining that dissent is beginning to increasingly appear online in the form of digital photos and movies. Internet filters, he explained, are effective against text, but are not very effective against these media. Lih predicted that, because of these creative forms of circumvention, censorship of the press in the long run will be less effective in China.

Lih is currently working on a book about Wikipedia. His blog can be
viewed at http://www.andrewlih.com and he can be reached at andrew[at]andrewlih.com. He will be happy to answer questions about any of the topics above and more.

o o o o o

Update:
Feedback to Writely:
- I signed up for Writely after the technology session on Monday (it didn’t require an invitation after all) and have used it every day since. It’s great! Thanks for the tip.

Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year (if you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one).

Below, tips from an August visit by seven journalists - two from Indonesia and five from Morocco. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Elizabeth Berry, J2007. Feel free to drop her a note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).

Notes From… Meeting with Morocco/Indonesia Journalists
By Elizabeth Berry
E-mail: ecb2123[at]columbia.edu

ROOM 601B, AUG. 18, 2006 — “Why would anyone want to go into journalism in this country?”

After spending 20 days crisscrossing the United States, a group of five Moroccan journalists were still puzzled as to why anyone would want to participate in a news media they viewed as toothless and myopic.

These journalists, in addition to a pair from Indonesia, visited Columbia’s Journalism School as part of a U.S. State Department program that brings hundreds of international journalists each year to the U.S. They participated
in a forum with a group of more than 25 Columbia journalism students. During the hour-long session (the Moroccans had to run to a Blue Man Group
performance and the Indonesians were going to “Mama Mia”), the journalists had a spirited discussion with the students moderated by Dean Sreenivasan (who gave some historical background on Columbia, various current crises in American journalism and more).

One Indonesian journalist expressed concern that his country’s news media has been going in the direction of character assassination and such, and he was adamant that the media should be independent of the business interests that foster sensationalism.

The Moroccans (speaking through a French interpreter) said that in the time that they had been in the U.S., they had noticed that there was almost no coverage of international news beyond the wars in Lebanon and Iraq. One said, “I feel isolated; as if we were on an island.” He noted that in Morocco, he could watch channels from all over the world, whereas here it seemed like we were limited to American networks. At the same time, the Moroccans acknowledged that it was only a recent development that they could write negatively about
the royal family.

Columbia students explained aspects of how the American media works from their respective points of view. One factor cited for lack of in-depth foreign news: the fact that the country is geographically isolated from other countries, and therefore has less interest in the rest of the world. Another factor: the emphasis on local news over regional or world news. But they also mentioned that with large immigrant communities comes a plethora of perspectives—one student mentioned Spanish language media as providing a very different take on the news versus English language reports.

In the course of the discussion, Columbia students attempted to help the visitors understand why they wanted to become journalists here. Among them:
While the American news media may be embattled, it is worth fighting for.

In response to a question about job/internship opportunities in their countries for Columbia grads, the Moroccans said there are plenty of opporunities for French speakers. The Indonesians also indicated that there are internships available for US-trained journalists, even for those who only spoke English.

Students interested in pursuing such opportunities should e-mail the following gentlemen (referring to the Columbia meeting):

Morocco: Mohammed Rida Braim: editor, Maghreb Arab Press, Rabat
E-mail: braim30[at]yahoo.fr

Indonesia: Benny Butar-Butar, National Editor, ANTARA News Agency, Jakarta
E-mail: benny_butarbutar[at]yahoo.com

-30-

Here’s the launch of our “Notes From…” series for the new academic year. Short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who
didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year (if you
have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one)

Below, tips from this week’s lunch with recent graduate Stacey Samuel. Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker Kate Grace Bacheller, J2007.

Notes From… Lunch with Stacey Samuel
By Kate Grace Bacheller
E-mail: kgb2106[at]columbia.edu

ROOM 601B, AUG. 14, 2006 — With years of producing experience, 2006 Columbia Journalism School graduate Stacey Samuel has successfully made the transition from behind the camera to in front of it. Moving from New York to Gainesville, Florida, in just a few days, Samuel graciously made time for incoming Columbia Journalism students on Tuesday afternoon to share her experiences as a student and job hunter. Deans of Students Sree Sreenivasan and Melanie Huff moderated the session, which was attended by more than 40 students (including more 15 print students who don’t even start school for three more days).

Even though a part-time student while attending Columbia, Samuel was an active participant in a variety of extracurricular activities including SPJ, and encouraged all of the incoming students to do the same. As the SPJ’s events director, Samuel said she was able to meet with students in a way that broadened her network.

After graduating in May 2006, the job hunt was on. As others mailed out resumes, clips, or reels, Samuel took an alternative route to landing her job—I-95 to Florida.

Equipped with copies of her reel and resume in addition to thorough research on a variety of Florida markets, Samuel joined a friend on a road trip with the intent of hand-delivering her reel to local news stations throughout the state. It was in Gainesville that Samuel’s efforts paid off.

Although all positions had been filled and roughly 100 reels cluttered the news director’s desk, Samuel was given a personal tour of the station and a few days later offered a position created specifically for her by the news director and the station’s executive producer.

Samuel advised students to focus on the work at hand and leave concerns regarding the job hunt for after graduation, explaining students should consider the time directly following graduation as an extension of the school year to organize clips and reels (students get about six weeks of access to the building and equipment after graduating to work on their resumes, portfolios, websites and resume reels.). Those without experience in the field they hope to enter were encouraged to seek internships.

Contact information for Stacey Samuel was made available to students along with a warning from Samuel that she’ll be incredibly busy for some time but will make every effort to respond to emails.

Stacey Samuel: sss2128[at]columbia.edu or ssamuel20[at]hotmail.com

-30-

Online Chat with Vice Dean David Klatell, July 27, 2006

Hosted by David Klatell, Vice Dean, with Evan Cornog, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Elizabeth Fishman, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs; Assistant Dean of Students Melanie Huff.

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. Read other transcripts here: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/category/transcripts/

Melanie Huff: Hi, all - Welcome to the Big Picture Chat
Elizabeth Fishman: Hi, I’m Elizabeth Fishman, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. Delighted to join this chat today.
Evan Cornog: Hello, I’m Evan Cornog, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and andministrator of the MA program.
David Klatell: Hi, this is David Klatell welcoming everyone to our chat.
Melanie Huff: What questions do you have for us today?

HOT FIELDS
Jon Krill: Are there any areas in the field currently considered to be hot?
Claude: Yes. Is “new media” hot or is too early to tell or….?
Elizabeth Fishman: To the degree that you, as a journalist, can be versatile, and able to work in many mediums (online, in print, with some video) that seems to be where the field is heading.
David Klatell: The world of New Media has recvered nicely from the boom and bust of several years ago, as manymore mainstream news organizations have realized the neccessity of convergent newsrooms. So I say, “hot.”

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Claude: I have read in several places that the art of investigative journalism is being squeezed out due to pecuniary issues that are taken to the extreme. Is the field giving way to sound bites, blurbs and the like? or will publications such as The Economist, Vanity Fair, etc., continue to be robust?
Evan Cornog: Investigative and other long-form journalism is under attack financially, but there are new venues emerging, too. The school is deepending its commitment to investigative journlaism this year with the inauguration of the Stabile Center, so we think it has a bright future, in whatever form.
Claude: New venues such as?
Evan Cornog: Online, mostly, but also book publishing is getting more important than ever for investigative journalism.
Claude: book publishing — as in the extended research pieces that turn into dissertation like products? How difficult would online work be to break into as a magazine concentrator/Stabile investigative journalist?
Evan Cornog: Book-length works aren’t necessarily academic–they’re often journalistic (see our faculty’s works, for example).
Evan Cornog: And online right now is probably the easiest place to break in, whether at an independent online place or the online section of an old-media firm.

Akisa: Will non-Stabile students have access to investigative journalism classes as well?
David Klatell: the answer is that all students will have the opportunity to take investigative reporting, a wonderful elective called “Investigative Tools” and another, “Computer-assisted Reporting.”

ROLE OF J-SCHOOLS
Peter O’Dowd: so what are your feelings on the long-held belief that J-schools are redundant or a “waste of time,” by working journalists who say real world experience is the only way to go. Obviously, I take issue with that statement (since I am more than excited to start in August) but I’d like to hear what you as deans think about that.
David Klatell: Peter, there are two great advantages of a school such as this: 1) the intense, personal atention you and your work will receive (this rearely happens in the newsroom any more) and 2) the ability to work on a wide range of subject areas atthe same time, rather than be slotted and tracked by an editor whose needs are narrow.

HOW BEST TO USE TIME AT SCHOOL
Aaron Cahall: General question, wanted to hear everyone’s opinion–I’m sure there’s many answers: how can I best use my time at the school, as fast as I’m sure it’ll go?
Elizabeth Fishman: The best advice we can give, is to focus on your studies, realizing that the pace can be quite intense and, looking ahead to the spring semester, when you’ll have a great deal more choice in your classes, think hard about what you can study here that you wouldn’t learn as a working journalist.
And, of course, if you have any questions along the way, all of the deans and professors are available to help.

JOBS & CAREER SERVICES
[also see the Career Services chat transcript: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/10/sotomayor-chat-1/ ]

Akisa: What’s the rough estimate of broadcast students getting on-camera reporter work?
David Klatell: Akisa, you may be surprised to learn that only a minority of our students seek on-camera jobs in the U.S., in part because of the necessity to startone’s career in a series of small markets and in part because many students want to become producers and eventually, the boss.

Srabani Roy: Related to a previous question, how much help does career services provide for jobs outside of traditional media areas (e.g., non-profit, advocacy, international organizations, etc.)?
Claude: or think tanks even?
Melanie Huff: Career Services posts all the job notices it receives and is open to helping students look for positions outside of journalism. However the primary focus is on journalism jobs.
Claude: Fair enough.

Shradhha Sharma: Is it true that to work in New York you first have to leave it after graduation, gather a lot of experience and only then can you return to a good job in New York?
Elizabeth Fishman: In answer to Sharma’s question: there is no rule to this as so much depends on timing. That said, there are often good opportunities, with a lot of responsibilty, available in smaller media markets.
Shradhha Sharma: This is in connection with my first question….how good is the New York market for Columbia graduates? Especially international students?
Melanie Huff: Shradhha: It can be difficult for international students to get work after graduation because of visa issues. However, some companies are receptive.

BECOMING A FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
Erica Shen: Jobs with what sort of publication will give us the most opportunity to work as a foreign correspondent?
Elizabeth Fishman: Erica: the easiest way to break into foreign reporting is often to begin as a stringer overseas. But, once you’re here, I encourage you to talk with our career services office, and also Josh Friedman, who runs our Int’l program and has worked for many years overseas.
Melanie Huff: It is difficult to work as a writer at a magazine right after graduation. However, it is possible to work as editors and in other positions that involve some writing and that will lead to more writing opportunities.

M.A. PROGRAM
[also see the M.A. Program chat transcript:
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/27/transcript-chat-about-ma-program-with-dean-cornog/]
Guest6844: What is the feed-back on the MA program so far? Are the first graduates getting hired faster than the MS students from 2006?
Evan Cornog: We’ve been having good success placing MA grads in a tough market, and getting them jobs in the areas of their specialization. And we just had one MA student sell her thesis to Harper’s. So signs are good.

FALL COURSES
Claude: When are we notified about our ballots?
Melanie Huff: Claude: We will notifying you in the next week or so about your class schedule.

CONVERGENCE
Guest6861: Hi this is Abby Gruen, part-timer. I feel like the Internet has made choosing a concentration of newspapers vs. magazines vs. new media to be out-of -date. Any thoughts on convergence since content is king?
Elizabeth Fishman: Abby, there is no question that the industry is changing rapidly, and that many previously distinct areas of journalism are now more similar. But, there are still important differences in the magazine world versus the daily news world of newspapers.

Shradhha Sharma: How has this convergence of media affected the job industry in print journalism? Has it actually reduced the number of jobs available resulting in a lot of lay offs as one keeps reading about?
David Klatell: Convergent newsrooms are hiring multimedia journalists in droves, even as they may be reducing employees in other areas. It behooves everyone to be able to handle journalism in several media platforms; every major newspaper is now using using audio and video on its site, for example.

CAREER CHANGERS
Jon Krill: Will my previous career in advertising (writer) hurt or help in any way?
Evan Cornog: Jon: since advertising teaches you to be concise on on-message, it should help.

David Klatell: Approximately 30% of the entering M.S. class is composed of career-changers. We love’em.

Allison Bourne-Vanneck: I think having a change in career is a huge asset in journalism!
David Klatell: Allison, you are absolutely correct - real ife experience gives great context to one’s stories and reactions to issues.
Jon Krill: Thanks Dean Klatell–it’s good to be loved.
Guest7116: Akisa, Allison and Jon: I’m another one — switching over from a Ph.D. program in history — I’ll have to learn to be concise on message.

Akisa: Same question for me as well. How can I tie in my math teacher background as a pending journalist?
Evan Cornog: Akisa: You’ll be in great demand, since innumeracy is a huge problem in journalism–one we are trying to work on here. Science and business journalism are obvious places to use math skills, but really any realm can use the insights that quantitative skills can bring.
Akisa: I honestly had trepidation when I heard the median age at the info session
Guest6708: what’s the median age?
Elizabeth Fishman: The median age is 28.5
Claude: The median age is the same as in many business schools.

SKILLS COURSES
Shradhha Sharma: Given the kind of skills classes available for students to take up, can a student with print media concentration break easily into the areas like broadcast, magazine or even new media?
Melanie Huff: Yes, graduates do move between fields. Melanie Huff: The diploma only says MS, the concentration is an internal designation only.

SPECIALIZATIONS
David Fusaro: In addition to the being able to work in different media, is it best to hone our skills in one or two specific subject areas or to develop as broad a base as possible?
Evan Cornog: We think our prime goal should be to teach you how to report, and how to write in the medium you want to specialize in, but also develop awareness of multi-platform possibilites.
Evan Cornog: The forms in which journalism is done are constantly changing, but the fundamental thinking-skills are pretty invariable.
Elizabeth Fishman: I know this first-hand, as my background is in television news.

FREELANCING WHILE AT SCHOOL
Steven Elwell: Do professors at the J-school encourage or in any way help students sell stories they’ve written for classes throughout the year?
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: Two part question: 1) How difficult is it to freelance in broadcast televison during our year & 2) How can broadcast students free lance for print media in the spring?
David Klatell: Steven, professors take pride in assisting their best students. We are rigorous about quality, however, and the faculty is pretty choosy about the stories they help place. It’s better this way for everyone involved.
Elizabeth Fishman: Allison, as to part 2 of your question, if you would like to write freelance pieces for print media in the spring, and you can find a gig, that is much more doable.
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: Thank you so much! I’m excited about broadcast, but I would love to free-lance in print! :_)

DIFFERENT WRITING STYLES
Guest6844: Is the “writing for television” class very different than writing for magazines or RW1? How? Should there be a writing for the Internet as well?
David Klatell: 6844, there are substantial differences in writing and reporting styles in various media, and students are given the opportunity to take courses in several. You should take a look at our student pi=ublication “The ColumbiaJournalist.org” which features all kinds of student writing. Also look at “NYC24″ which is produced by the New Media Workshop every year.
in writing and reporting styles in various media, and students are given the opportunity to take courses in several. You should take a look at our student pi=ublication “The ColumbiaJournalist.org” which features all kinds of student writing. Also look at “NYC24″ which is produced by the New Media Workshop every year.

INTERNSHIPS
Shradhha Sharma: On an average, how many students go in for the spring internships every year?
Melanie Huff: Last year 26 students did for-credit internships of no more than 12 hours a week. However, some students do internships that aren’t for credit, too.

WHERE GRADS GO
Guest6708: I would guess that not all graduates go to traditional media outlets…what are some other common areas students work in?
Elizabeth Fishman: Our graduates work in a wide range of places — a good deal work in traditional media jobs as well as online, some work in advocacy groups, public affairs offices in governemental agencies - really, a very broad range.
Guest6708: ok…would you say the Career Services office is helpful in those other areas as well.

NARRATIVE JOURNALISM
Erica Shen: I come from a literary journalism background, how receptive are the mainstream newspapers towards that type of narrative journalism?
Evan Cornog: Erica: Depends on the paper. But with the breaking news function being more and more a function of broadcast and the web, newspapers are becoming more magazine-like, and therefore open to the sort of writing you are interested in.

David Fusaro: What is the best strategy for pitching our print pieces and to develop contacts at local news sources so the ideas we pitch are more likely to be noticed?
Evan Cornog: David: Working hard, getting scoops, being relentless in pitching, and being flexible all help.
David Fusaro: Thanks, Dean Cornog. Forza azzuri.
Evan Cornog: Grazie.

RWI
Aaron Cahall: How familiar are various sources in our beats with Columbia students…that many students coming through every year, do we run the risk of being, for some people, the next Columbia student in their experience?
David Klatell: Aaron, it’s a good question, because believe itor not, 200 Columbia students seem to overwhelm and annoy more than eight million residents. The trick is to pick a beat or neighborhood that has not previously been swamped (your RWI instructor will help with this selection process.) The good news is that most residents (if not neighborhood officialdom) are deeply grateful that any journalist is willing to spend the time to really get to know them and their issues - the major media never show up unless there’s a crisis. Ordinary folks in this city, like those elsewhere, appreciate having their story told - or at least respectfully listened to.

CLIPS, CLIPS, CLIPS
Srabani Roy: For someone with a limited journalism background what’s the best way, while in school, to gather clips, especially since after graudation everyone (in traditional media outlets anyway) want to see clips, clips and more clips?
Elizabeth Fishman: For pieces you write while being a student, we have several outlets from which you can generate clips. There is also Bronx Beat, which is a print newspaper produced by students in the spring. This, too, is a way to gather clips.
Sree Sreenivasan adds: Most employers consider our J-school online clips - ColumbiaJournalist.org, NYC24, etc. - to be the equivalent of printed clips.

Guest6844: Hi it’s Abby again [continuing PT student], I have been surprised how many clips I have gotten while at Columbia by pitching anyone I could think of as often as I could. Having pitches rejected out of hand can be embarassing and uncomfortable, but hey, you’re in school, it gives you a little more leeway.

HOUSING
Jon Krill: Are we able to stay on (housing-wise) to take additional classes next summer?
Melanie Huff: Housing ends when you graduate. However, there is some summer housing available on campus, but you would have to move.

COLUMBIA NEWS SERVICE
Steven Elwell: Do magazine students get a chance to put features up on CNS?
Melanie Huff: Students in courses outside of CNS can pitch stories to Prof. Porter for inclusion in this feature service for out of town editors looking for pieces with a nationwide appeal and long shelf life.
Steven Elwell: I see what you mean. Thanks.

THE FUTURE
Peter O’Dowd: big picture, what have you heard from alumni who have attended Columbia in terms of what the program has done for their lives and their careers years down the road?
David Klatell: Peter, the big difference may or may not show up in the first year after school. There is no question, however, that a high percentage of our grads advance faster and to higher levels of news organizatins than do people who have not been exposed to our rigorous combination of skills and a certain seriousness of purpose.
Peter O’Dowd: great, thanks

ALUMNI NETWORKING
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: How strong is the networking among alumni from Columbia J-School, in the US and overseas
Evan Cornog: Allison: the networking is very strong, and our alumni office has made this a priority.
Allison Bourne-Vanneck: Thanks!

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Shradhha Sharma: Dean Klatell, how easy/difficult is it for international students to do RW1 considering that they are new to the place and all. Also, do the city residents easily connect with the international students or is that one area in which int’ls need to focus more than the other students?
David Klatell: Shraddha, since morethan 40% of the residents of New York City were born in another country, international students may actually enjoy an advantage. Don’t forget, too, that the vast majority of American students have never heard of or been to the neighborhoods they’ll be covering, either.
Shradhha Sharma: Thanks Dean Klatell, although the prospect of reporting in a completely alien environment seems daunting and exciting at the same time.

Jon Krill: I’ve heard, from a U. level teacher and practising journalist, that a Columbia degree is the gold standard if you ever want to teach.
Melanie Huff: Good Point

BROADCAST
David Fusaro: In addition to the writing clips, is there much attention/guidance given to the development of broadcast reels
Elizabeth Fishman: David, yes, for broadcast students, the Spring is a time to polish your broadcast reel.You and your classmates are the first students to have use of our fantastic new Arledge Broadcast facility for the full year and this allows you to work in a professional-grade facility.

Guest8948: …and kind of along the same lines, wondering how aspiring PHOTOjournalists fare… Do the courses offered provide opportunity to put together a portfolio?
David Klatell: Dear 8948, the photo classes concentrate on photojournalism essays and students can produce portfolios, but this is not primarily a school of photography, so the extent of the portfolio may be less than youwould want (though it’s in part a function of how much time and work you can devote to it). Remember, too, that the photojournalism classes, like all our classes, have a significant journalism element and cover breaking news as well as produce work for The Bronx Beat newspaper, Columbia News Service, etc.
Guest8948: that makes sense - thanks!

Akisa: I noticed the Nightly News is only online. Is there a possibility to have it on Public Access TV?
Elizabeth Fishman: Akisa, we are exploring ways in which we might disseminate Nightly News to a broader audience…
Elizabeth Fishman: There is nothing in-place yet, but now that we are working with an all-digital facility, there may be opportunities down the line — and, ideally for this spring’s Nightly News. Can’t promise it , but we are exploring.

ONE-YEAR vs TWO-YEAR PROGRAMS
Srabani Roy: What’s the thinking behind an intense one-year program vs. a two-year program (only one of the programs I’d applied to was for two years). I can hazard a guess, but would be interested in what the deans have to say — pros/cons of one year vs. two years (besides the finanical of course!)
Evan Cornog: Srabani: We opted for two one-year programs, so those who want to spend a second year and develop great expertise in a particular subject-area can do so.

Srabani Roy: Has the school considered having an international concentration for M.A. students?
Evan Cornog: Srabani: We include that in our politics concentration, although other majors (such as business) can have an international focus, depending on the thesis topic chosen and outside courses selected.

- - -

Jon Krill: Thanks, all. This has been wunnerful & I feel better already.

David Klatell: Good night and good luck!
Elizabeth Fishman: Bye, everyone. We look forward to meeting you all.
Evan Cornog: Bye.

Online Chat with Career Services, July 10, 2006

Hosted by Ernest R. Sotomayor, Director of Career Services, with Dean of Students Sree Sreenivasan and Assistant Dean of Students Melanie Huff.

Ernest Sotomayor, who joined the J-school in Jan. 2005, was a long-time editor at Newsday and served as president of UNITY: Journalists of Color, the most influential organization of minority journalists in the the U.S. A widely respected veteran newspaper professional, his insights and extensive contacts provide Columbia students with an important advantage in their job hunts. He heads a three-person Career Services office. You will hear more from his other colleagues when school starts.

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. Read other transcripts here: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/category/transcripts/

Sree Sreenivasan: Good afternoon (good morning, good night, etc). It’s 1:03 pm, Columbia time. If I or Mr. Sotomayor use “…” at the end of one of our messages, that means there’s more to come. If we put a period, we are done, and ready for you…

Sree Sreenivasan: This is the fifth such session and we are very excited to have Mr. Ernest Sotomayor join us. He will address various Career Services related questions.

Ernest Sotomayor : Welcome to all of you, , on behalf of me and our Deputy Director of Career Services, Julie Hartenstein. Many thanks for your participation.

Some opening thoughts: Your time at Columbia will be enormously fulfilling and is intended to prepare you to launch your career, and for those who have some experience, to accelerate your newsroom abilities, whether in print or broadcasting or online media. While much has been written about the transformation of the news media companies, be assured that there are many opportunties still available for those who will seek them, wherever they are. Among the most important points to make here is that employers will be seeking to hire people who can demonstrate outstanding abilities as a reporter first and foremost, as well as a good writer. The best way to do that is to be published, through freelancing, internships, parttime jobs, on Journalism School’s “The Columbia Journalist” website, etc. At the same time, DO NOT jeopardize your academic work for an internship or a freelance assignment. The faculty here and our program is known worldwide because it’s the best at preparing you for a life in journalism, and you should not miss out on any of it.

Before you arrive, go to the Career Services website, at http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/ and view the various pages of self-help guides, listings, and features that are always available to you. View the resume guides online and sharpen that starting now, and once you’ve arrived and settled in, Career Services can continue assisting you in preparing for the journalism workplace.

Sree Sreenivasan: We will take your questions now, one at a time, please.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Q: Claire Levenson: How hard is it for students whose first language is not English to find a job in American newspapers / magazines ?

Ernest Sotomayor: That will depend on your proficiency in English. We have had a number of people who can get jobs if they can master the language. Your writing ability will be the most important part of the qualification, but your reporting ability will be very important, also. And, your ability to master spoken English will be important. For most students who are accepted to Columbia, this is not a problem.

The other critical issue to remember is this: you cannot work in the U.S. without proper work authorization, which means the visa you are on must allow you to be employed. Be certain to check with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the University’s international students’ office to be sure you are eligible. Nearly all foreign students, following graduation, will be able to apply for Optional Practical Training permits, which allow you to work in the U.S. for up to 12 months in pretty much any kind of job.

INTERNSHIPS
Q: Rubina Madan: How common is it for recent Columbia graduates to have internships the summer after graduation? Is this something the school encourages?

Ernest Sotomayor : Yes, we encourage students to take internships. We hope that everyone can get a fulltime job, but that won’t happen with everyone, and an internship will sometimes turn into FT job. But even if it ends after summer, you still gain very valuable experience that can be leveraged into your next job. (More here: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/internships.asp)

Q: Paul Leonard: Are summer internships usually paid or unpaid?

Ernest Sotomayor : Both, though typically, most are paid during summer months. Nearly every newspaper internship is paid. Some magazine internships are paid, and some are unpaid. Some TV networks during the summer months will pay but not all. Local stations that hire interns often do not pay, and local stations and networks that do not usually require that unpaid interns be currently enrolled in school so that they can receive academic credit for the internship. That makes our students ineligible for those types of internships because once they graduate, they can no longer get academic credit for any internship. But there are a few highly competitive post-graduate paid fellowship positions available every year, and our graduates will begin applying for apply for paid positions in television. There are a several post graduate internships in radio, both paid and unpaid.

Q: Paul Leonard: Any advice for a new journalist who wants to be competitive for summer internships, but will not have a mountain of clips in October?

Ernest Sotomayor: Clips will be very important, so work as much as possible to get published. Most employers won’t put lots of stock in your class assignments, but that doesn’t mean they are not of value. It’s important training and if you have nothing else, then you can submit them with your resume packages at the end of the year when you apply for jobs. What will be key is also to look broadly for internships, and to look in many different markets. The wider your search, the most opportunities you make available.

POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS
Q; Aaron Cahall: Maybe this is too general, but–what have you found newspaper employers place the most value on from a potential candidate from J-school; master’s project? Teacher evaluations? Other?

Ernest Sotomayor : Reporting ability, above all else. If you can’t report, it’s not important how well you can write. Your master’s project is important in helping you learn the craft, and can also be important as a recruiting tool (some will be interested in reading it as part of your application package) but your published clips remain the currency in which most recruiters trade.

Q, Guest3513: How well is Columbia’s program known both nationally and internationally in terms of recruiters seeking out j-school graduates? Do many graduates go on to international placements after school or does this depend on your master’s project, clips, etc? And related to the freelancing issue, does the school help in finding or teaching us about how to go about finding freelance opportunities?

Ernest Sotomayor: Many factors are involved in getting employed overseas, including your desire to work abroad. The school is well known internationally, because we have grads on just about every continent in many companies. Your ability as a reporter, once again, will be the most important factor. Experience is very important in landing staff jobs at companies that have international reporters. The media companies abroad – local companies — vary greatly in terms of their policies, but understand that there are immigration issues also involved in getting hired in some countries. UK is hard to break into, for instance, if you don’t have a UK visa, but easy if you have a European passport.

As for freelancing: last school year we did four sessions designed to help you learn how to freelance stories, including how to pitch stories, write cover letters, what editors want from you, etc. We’ll be doing more. (Additional materials on freelancing. Career Services is rebuilding this site, so watch for updates in coming weeks. http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/freelance.asp)

BROADCAST QUESTIONS
Q; Matt Kozar: Mr. Sotomayor, when do broadcast concentrators begin sending out their tapes, and is the internet the best source for finding such job openings?

Ernest Sotomayor : Generally, broadcast students do not send out tapes until just before they graduate or just after because most often, unless they have worked in TV before coming here, they don’t have enough work to put in a resume reel. The internet is just one source for finding the listings, but the listings we put up at the school is another, and referrals, networking with people who come into the school can be another important way. (Job listings: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/JobNews.asp and internship listings: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/internships-recent05-06.asp)

Stefani Barber: Would having our work made available at columbiajournalist.org help our prospects upon graduation?

Ernest Sotomayor : Yes. You want to demonstrate your abilities to employers any way you can, and getting your work published or streamed on to the site gives your material you can later use in your reels, too. But remember that even as a broadcast concentrator, stories that are in print can be very important in showing your work as a reporter/writer. (See student work at The Columbia Journalist: http://www.columbiajournalist.org/ )

ROLE OF PROFESSORS
Q: Caroline: Do professors ever play a role in helping to find students jobs, perhaps at news organizations where they work or have worked earlier in their careers?

Ernest Sotomayor : Yes, some professors are proactive about helping. It’s always a good idea to ask them about connections, and network with the vast number of journalists who will visit the school over the course of the year. The professors indeed know lots of people and can point you toward people who will be willing to review our work, at the least.

Q, Guest3513: Can you give an idea of the percentage of students who get full-time jobs after graduating vs. internships? And what types of placements do students typically get — i.e., do most students go onto jobs in media outlets, or other types of organizations as well?

Ernest Sotomayor : Last year, about 40 percent of the students at graduation had either a job or had enrolled in another fulltime degree program, and this year that figure was about 52 percent at graduation time, so we did better. Most of those students — about 3/4 of them — went into internships or fellowships and the rest who got jobs had fulltime jobs. Nearly all were in media companies, ranging from broadcasting to newspapers and magazines to pure online companies. A handful went to non-newsroom jobs.

NEWCOMERS TO JOURNALISM
Q: Neha Singh: For someone who’s never been in the profession before (and therefore has no clips, etc. from the get go) what can we do to prepare for the job search early on?

Ernest Sotomayor : Get clips – period. What you’ll need to do is try freelancing now as much as possible. That means finding any outlet that will publish your works, whether it means weekly papers or magazines, local community papers. You can build up the clip portfolio as you go.

ALUMNI
Q, Guest3595: Are current j-school students encouraged to network with alumni, and are there many opportunities during the school year to do so?

Ernest Sotomayor : We greatly encourage networking with alumni. Alumni can be very helpful in guiding you about life at a particular media company, and in giving you tips about people and the jobs for which you’ll be applying. We will have several alumni gatherings at the school every year, along with the big alumni weekend where we have alumni visit. We also will have a mentor program. And, later, if you want the names of people at a particular company or a geographic location, we can help you find people that way, too. (More on the J-School Alumni Association: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/alumni/associations/association/)

Q, Guest3513: How accessible is Career Services to alumni? Post graduation?

Ernest Sotomayor : We are 12-month operation, and continue to assist after you leave, but understand that we focus the majority of our efforts on our current students.

MENTOR PROGRAM
Q: Guest3765: Can you explain more about the mentor program…what is that exactly?

Ernest Sotomayor : Mentor program is run by the Alumni Association and you signup after school begins. Students are matched with a mentore who is supposed to communicate with you on over phone and sometimes in person. They can guide you about job searches, where to look, tips on types of companies, the type of medium you pursue, etc. (More on mentoring, but it will be updated soon: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/alumni/associations/association/mentor/)

Q: Aaron Cahall: Quick two-parter: for those not graduating with jobs, is there an average time after commencement most get hired on by—either f-t, or internship? Also, how big a factor was previous experience as far as time to get a job by or after graduation? Clips and experience have to be important, as you’ve said.

Ernest Sotomayor : No average time that I can give. Some students had jobs in April and at least one in March, prior to graduation. I just had a meeting with a student prior to this chat from class of 2005 who was a standout but is still looking. Your experience prior to school will be important and give you an upper hand, but while in school you will have opportunities by doing freelancing, internships, class assignments like in Columbia News Service or Bronx Beat.

Q: Guest4635: Is it possible to change ones specialization, say, to Investigative journalism?
Dean Melanie Huff: Your concentrations are an internal designation only. Out in the world, you may apply for jobs that interest you. We have plenty of students who take jobs in areas other than those that were their official concentrations while enrolled.

SCHEDULE & TIMING
Q: Guest3513: The program is short and intense to say the least! When do students typically start their job search? When would you encourage us to start?

Ernest Sotomayor : For students seeking internships for the summer, the search begins in the fall, like in October. The deadlines for many internships for summer fall in end of October, through November and early December and some as late as January. For FT jobs, students typically begin searching about the time they complete their master’s projects, which is about spring break. Some begin much earlier, and some wait until after graduation and realize they’d better get on the stick. Seriously, it’s wise to begin in early spring. (See this page for examples of when some company deadlines are set: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/internships.asp)

OTHER PATHS AFTER J-SCHOOL
Q, Guest4635: What about continuing with another program after the MS. What would you recommend?

Ernest Sotomayor : At the J-school, of course, we offer the Master of Arts program which we launched last September and which you can read lots about on the website. In the M.A. Class of 2007, we have about eight students who are returning from the M.S. Class of 2006 Some students go to law, School of International Public Affairs, some to medical school, and a variety of others. The vast majority go into journalism positions, however. I don’t have a recommendation, however, since that would depend so much on personal factors. (More on our MA program: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/admissions/apply/ma-program/index.asp)

NETWORKING
Q, Guest3385: Do you recommend joining Journalism-related associations?

Ernest Sotomayor : Always. Good way to network, find out about more job listings, meet people who might be able to help, and provide professional development later. Some have good programs that cater to students that let you interact with seasoned professionals. (Links to many organizations: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/networking.asp)

SALARY ISSUES
Q: Guest3513: Perhaps it’s too far down the road right now, but I have no idea about this at all and haven’t checked out any industry standards, etc., but what are typical starting salaries for starting reporters? Is there an average range?

Ernest Sotomayor : Very wide range, depending on the size of the market or the medium. A reporter at small papers in a rural setting might be paid starting salary of $25,000 while someone at a big newspaper as a longterm intern might get as much as 45 or 50K. Magazines in a place like NY might pay around 30K to 35K beginning salary. (Some salary guide info: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/salary.asp)

CLIPS
Q: Rubina Madan: When submitting clips, is it OK to include print outs from Web sites rather than copies from the physical
newspapers/magazines? Or are most employers still looking for traditional clip files?

Ernest Sotomayor : Printouts of the websites are OK, but be sure you’ve got the media company ID somewhere on the page. If you send a link, be very certain that the link will remain available. I’ve gotten resumes with links to stories that were behind firewalls, required registration or where the link expired. I can tell you I NEVER registered to any newspaper site to
view someone’s clips.

Sree Sreenivasan: I am also a big fan of building a personal homepage with your clips. Those of you who do New Media Skills in the Fall or Spring will learn to do that. And we will have other opportunities as well. One URL to check out about this is http://www.sree.net/tips/websites.html

RESUMES/COVER LETTERS
Q, Guest3385: Is your office available to critique resumes/cover letters?

Ernest Sotomayor : Absolutely. We meet individually with students and in group sessions to discuss resumes and cover letters. We try to meet as many students as we can to help you with those two items and also post samples on our website. (See our guides here: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/resources/guide.asp)

Q: Aaron Cahall: Spinning off that–is there the opportunity to have someone at CS look at my resume/clip package and give me an idea of where I should be looking for jobs as far as market size, etc. I was asking about job search help by looking at resumes and clips?

Ernest Sotomayor : We can help guide you to employers based on your clips and resume/experience, yes.

Ernest Sotomayor : A few closing thoughts: Try to find places that will publish you work as you go through school here. That will be very important in getting employers to take interest. They want to know what you can do, and it means freelancing, getting an internship — usually your second semester, not your first. And stay abreast of the process for applying, the deadlines set by the media companies. You’ll not get an internship if you don’t apply or don’t apply on time. Last of all, think broadly about where to look for employment. The smaller your search, the fewer opportunities you’ll find. And, please refer to Career Services website: http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/careers/ for more.

Sree Sreenivasan: My final thought on this topic - start becoming familiar with the US media by reading sites like Poynter.org/romenesko, TVNewswer.com and MediaBistro.com EVERY day…

Our next chat is Wednesday at 10 am Columbia time…
All international students are cordially invited - rest of you, too!

-30-

Below is a transcript of the two July 7 chats. About 45 students participated in at least part of the first hour and then about 18 participated in at least parts of the second hour later that day.

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. We have also combined both sessions into one transcript.

sree sreenivasan:Good afternoon, everyone (or good evening, good night,
goodmorning, etc). It.s 1:03 p.m. in New York. Dean Sreenivasan here in 705. Dean
Huff is on vacation, but is joining us from a secret location…
sree sreenivasan:If I put a … at the end of my note, that means I have more
coming. If I end with a period, I am done.
Melanie Huff:Hi All!
sree sreenivasan:We are ready to begin…
sree sreenivasan:Before we take your questions, some housekeeping based on questions we have already fielded…
sree sreenivasan:1. If you write to dos@jrn.columbia.edu, please include your
name, concentration and a phone number.
2. The best way to find people in the university is to call
the main number: 212-854-1754. That’s the year Columbia was founded. The operators can connect you with any faculty member or office in the university.
3. Sorry some of you are still having tech troubles with the
fall 2005 evaluations. best advice is to try a diff. browser or computer and to
log on after midnight or before 6 am Eastern time.
sree sreenivasan:Now, we are ready for questions. One at a time, please.

SCHEDULING
Guest8980:When does RWIs meet in the classroom, should we worry about any
sections overlapping with our preferred electives?
Melanie Huff:No, the electives are all scheduled so that they will not conflict with RWI.

LAW
Coleman Cowan:Is the Friday Journalism, the Law and Society class taught in
three separate sections or do Blasi, Lewis, and Abrams tag team onteaching one
section throughout the semester? If there are threeseparate sections, is there
a way we can indicate an adjunctprofessor preference?
Melanie Huff:Sorry about the confusion. It is one class taught by all three of these professors…
Melanie Huff:The primary professor is Vincent Blasi.

JUDITH CRIST
Gabrielle:Has the deadline passed to apply for Judith Christ’s class?
Melanie Huff:No, you have until Monday, at 10 a.m.

MASTER’S PROJECTS
Guest8365:Can non-Broadcast concentrators chose a Broadcast Master’s Project?
Melanie Huff:No. Unless you have extensive TV or radio experience.

Ken Millstone:Even with the (frustrating) evaluation system, I dont feel like
I have a lot to go on in choosing an MP advisor. How easy/common is it to
change advisors later on?
Melanie Huff:For MP advisers, the best system is the new system for whic h
there are no problems….
Melanie Huff:You can try to make changes during add/drop too.

Guest8365:Can I do both a spring Documentary Workshop and a TV Master’s Project?
Melanie Huff:You cannot do both the documentary workshop and a TV project.

Guest8365:Past the add/drop period, you cannot change MP advisers?
Melanie Huff:It is very difficult to change after add/drop, but it is not
impossible.

Michael Dang:Are there any examples of print MPs available to take a look at?
Journalism Librarian, Deborah Wasserzug, who blogs at sent in this answer:

Print Master’s projects for the most recent 5 years are available to read at the Journalism Library (2006 projects should be available by early August). TV projects and radio projects may also be borrowed overnight from the library. Some radio projects also may be heard online, at
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/radio/masters/index.asp.
You can see the new media projects at http://columbiajournalist.org/masters_projects/2005/index.asp?course=masters_projects.
MA Theses for the 2006 class are also available to read at the Journalism
Library (again, should be available by early August).

Guest8946:how important is it to specify a master’s project topic at this
stage? If we don’t specify a topic, does that make us less likely to get our
choice of instructor for the master’s project?
Melanie Huff:It is not important that you have a topic in mind at this
stage…
Melanie Huff:It does not make you more or less likely to get your top choice
for your adviser.

Guest374:Should our master’s project topics be stories we’ve seen reported and
want to research further or unreported stories we should find and want to
break?
Melanie Huff:You and your adviser will discuss the merits of different ideas.

Guest2592:Master’s project: can we choose a broad topic and get the advisor’s
help in narrowing it down?
Melanie Huff:Yes, it is the adviser’s job to help you refine and narrow your
topic.

Yasmina Hatem:when will we know our schedules and assigned advisors?
Melanie Huff:You will be given instructions on how to access your schedule
online in a few weeks…
Melanie Huff:It will probably be a few weeks after that for the MP adviser
name.

BROADCAST MAJORS
Rebecca Kaufman:If we are in broadcast so taking a skills class is extra, is
it better to sign up for it now and drop it later if it seems like too much?
Melanie Huff:Broadcast students take Television News Writing as their skills
class…
Melanie Huff:To take an additional skills class, you will need to apply during
the add/drop period.

Guest8365:What classes are required for a Broadcast concentration SPRING
semester?
Melanie Huff:All that you have to take in the spring as a broadcast student…
Melanie Huff:is a broadcast workshop.

Yasmina Hatem:when can broadcast students choose skills class? They never
appeared on my ballot
Melanie Huff:Broadcast students are automatically registered for Television
News Writing as their skills class….
Melanie Huff:If they want to take an additional skills class, they can try to
add one during add/drop.

Rebecca Kaufman: what should broadcast students who begin two weeks early expect
to be doing those two weeks?
Melanie Huff:The broadcast students will be doing training on AVID, ProTools
and broadcast reporting basics.

Guest9197:when assigning us our rwI professors do you try and match their
concentration with ours?
Melanie Huff:Broadcast students will get put into broadcast RWI classes….
Melanie Huff:For the rest, we are trying to get you into the classes you
requested on the ballots.

Guest8365:Apparent in all broadcast evaluations was the dissatisfaction with
studio/recording/editing equipment. What kind of attention/updates have been
made towards the technical equipment?
Melanie Huff:All the television equipment is brand new as of January 2006….
Melanie Huff:We are working on the radio systems now.

Guest1487:broadcast students are supposed to meet 9 am august 7 — where are
we meeting?
Melanie HUFF: Lecture Hall.

Gabrielle:And for broadcast majors, will it be necessary to edit on our
personal computers, say through Final Cut express and programs similar to this,
or will we have the opp to do all our editing in the broadcast lab?
Melanie Huff:You will meet in the Lecture Hall.
Melanie Huff:You have to work with AVID here at the school…
Melanie Huff:You will br able to do some personal editing using Final Cut on
your computer…
Melanie Huff:but work for class will be done at school.

OUTSIDE WORK
Guest9197:I’m a bit confused regarding outside work. On the one hand i was
told that the curriculum would take up the majority of our time, but i also
recently received an email about internship opportunities…should we be
looking for internships and work to help offset the cost?
Melanie Huff:Most students find that they do not have the time to do an
internship…
Melanie Huff:However, some students are able to find ones that will fit in
their schedules…
Melanie Huff:They rarely are paid so should not be seen as money makers…
Melanie Huff:Those that do internships generally do them only in the spring
term.

AUGUST CLASSES
Guest8980:What is RW1 like from orientation until the “staggered schedule”
begins in September?
sree sreenivasan:Lots of work on basic reporting, structure, writing + getting
you upto speed on covering NYC + lots of speakers and panels.

RWI BEAT SYSTEM
Guest9197:how is it decided who covers what parts of NYC or does it rotate?
sree sreenivasan:In RWI, we work on a neighborhood “beat” system…
sree sreenivasan:Each RWI prof has a different way of assigning beats and
neighborhoods…
sree sreenivasan:Some allow you to pick, others assign them directly, some
have a lottery system…
sree sreenivasan:You will be spending a lot of time in your beat, getting to
know the locals…
sree sreenivasan:That’s when you will have that “I am glad I read the Power
Broker” moment!

Neha Singh:Does Dean Sreenivasan’s earlier comment about students being sent
to more neighborhoods mean that new neighborhoods are being added to the usual
beats in the Bronx?
sree sreenivasan:Depending on your prof, you could be in any of the boroughs,
though every few do Staten Island because of the distance…
sree sreenivasan:It’s best to familiarize yourself with Brooklyn, Queens and
the Bronx as much as possible…
sree sreenivasan:Only a few parts of Manhattan are ever covered…
sree sreenivasan:We try to stay out of, say, the Upper East Side and Upper
West Side, which are not nearly as interesting as, say, the Lower East Side….
sree sreenivasan:So the short answer is to do as much reading as possible…
sree sreenivasan:Here are some local resources for you to know about…
sree sreenivasan:GothamGazette.com, Gothamist.com, Curbed.com…
sree sreenivasan:Be sure to read ColumbiaJournalist.org in detail…
sree sreenivasan:That’s the site on which we publish the best RWI articles in
the fall (and other articles throughout the year)…
sree sreenivasan:It’s a great way to learn about what gets covered in the
school and to see good work.

Guest1487:for the beats…are you in pairs or by yourself?
Melanie Huff: For the most part, you are by yourself. However, it does
depend on the RWI prof.
Guest8365:Even for broadcast RWI, when we’re out with equipment?
Melanie Huff:Good question ….
Melanie Huff:In the broadcast classes, you will be sent out in teams for
broadcast stories.

Guest9543:How responsive are local officials to the Columbia students on their
beats? Is there any feeling that we are not “real” journalists bbecause we are
not getting paid or with a traditional media outlet?
sreenivasan:RESPONSIVENESS: Yes, it’s an issue… But we are working to spread
out strudents to more neighborhoods…
sree sreenivasan:So one thing you can do for yourself is to try to get a
neighborhood off the popular track…
sree sreenivasan:The fewer the reporters there (including Columbia ones)…
sree sreenivasan:the better your chances for getting access.

Guest9197:are the beats limited to nyc? or do they extend to the greater metro
area i.e. NJ long island westchester etc.?
sree sreenivasan:It’s almost always the five boroughs, but on occasion, a
prof. will allow a NEARBY location like you describe…
sree sreenivasan:Remember, you might have to travel to the beat and come back
to school more than once in a day…
sree sreenivasan:So LI, Westchester, etc., are tough.

Andrew Goldberg:Would you be able to tell me approximately what percentage of
time FT students spend in class at the j-school vs. in the field reporting and
at home writing? I’m currently living in midtown east and trying to decide
whether it makes more sense to move closer to Columbia.
sree sreenivasan:Tough to say… Depends on your prof, the beat, etc…
sree sreenivasan:But it’s safe to say that at least 30-40 percent of your time
is outside the school, on the beat, talking to people, going through public
records, etc, Hope that helps.
Andrew Goldberg:thanks!
sree sreenivasan:Best to be as close as possible to a #1 train… But not
mandatory, of course. Spend time on Hopstop.com or PublicRoutes.com to learn more about
distances in the city.

ELECTIVES
Guest9543:As for the electives, I’m interested in a lot of the RWIIs. How does
the spring schedule allow for another chance to take these electives?
Melanie Huff:In the spring semester, we offer electives and some seminars are
many of these same topics….
Melanie Huff:In the spring, you must take one elective…
Melanie Huff:and one seminar…..
Melanie Huff:so you get to take several things of interest.

Guest8980:The RWIIs are 10 weeks, do they begin right away after orientation?
Melanie Huff:The RWIIs begin the week of September 11 and run for 10 weeks.

Gabrielle:To piggyback off an earlier question, on average, how many electives
will we have the opportunity to take this year and will many of the very same
ones be offered in the spring?
Melanie Huff:Non-broadcast students will take two electives…
Melanie Huff:Most of the fall ones are offered again in the spring….
Melanie Huff:Those that aren’t are usually offered as more intenstive, seminar
versions….
Melanie Huff:Everybody most take one seminar to graduated.

Jessica Troiano:If we want to sign up for one elective, should we list a third
choice? Or will 2 be sufficient?
Melanie Huff:Jessica, you should rank all six…
Melanie Huff:you aren’t signing up for a class, but rather ranking them in
order of interest…
Melanie Huff:we cannot promise anyuone will get their first, second or third
choice.

SKILLS
Sree Sreenivasan: See the current Skills schedule:
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/06/courses-falls-skills-schedule-available/
Guest8946:How many skills courses is it typical to take in the fall? Is there
any way for us to tell whether / which of the skills courses overlap in their 5
weeks?
Melanie Huff:Most students take only one skills class in the fall unless they
are required to take more (Stabile)…
Sree sreenivasan: This 2006 Fall Skills Schedule is tentative for now, but
should give you and idea of the timings.
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2006/07/06/courses-falls-skills-schedule-available/

Jason Del Rey:How often do recruiters visit the J-school?
Melanie Huff:Ernest Sotomayor, director of career services….
Melanie Huff:is hosting a chat like this on Monday at 1 p.m. for these
questions.

Cissy Rebich:About the skills classes: Are they 5 weeks long? In particular,
radio skills this fall.
Melanie Huff:All skills classes run for 5 weeks.

Guest2807:I’m pitching my master’s project to a cable show, so far I’m a print
major. Can I take writing for television (for broadcast students)?
Melanie Huff:After add/drop, the only way to change is if there is a serious
problem we need to address.
Melanie Huff:There is a section of Writing for Television for PT broadcast
folks that may be undersubscribed…
Melanie Huff:If so, you can try to add it during add/drop.

Jessica Troiano:Can we choose when we take the skills class? Radio has four
sessions and I think I’d like one of the later ones.
Melanie Huff:For the most part, we just place folks….
Huff:However, for PT students, we will try to get you into the section you
want if we are able to give you that class…
Melanie Huff:Please note in the notes section…
Melanie Huff:of the ballot that you would like a later session.

MISSING CLASSES
Kate Brannen:Will it be alright to be out of the city labor day weekend?
Melanie Huff:Many students will have assignments that weekend….

Guest1487:last chat you said students couldn’t miss classes for holidays —
what about religious holidays
Melanie Huff:Students may miss classes for religious holidays…
Melanie Huff:You must inform your professor in advance…
Melanie Huff:and work with him/her to find a way to make up the work.

TUITION
Gabrielle:When will we start receiving tuition bills and etc?
sree sreenivasan:A transcript will be posted this weekend of this and the 6 pm
chat.
Guest9197:shhh dont remind them about tuition
Melanie Huff:You will get your first bill via e-mail on July 25.
Gabrielle:ha ha sorry - just had to doublecheck

Neha Singh:Another question on tuition if we’ve got a moment: What are the
payment options for tuition? Can we pay by credit card?
Robert MacDonald:You need to contact Student Financial Planning. If you need
the numbers please e-mail me. Yes you can use a credit card but there are extra
fees.

STABILE
Christopher Twarowski:Quick question: Is Investigative Techiques required for
Stabile students in the fall or in the spring?
Melanie Huff:Stabile students take Investigative Techniques in the spring…
Melanie Huff:The class is open for everyone else in the fall.

TRAVEL EXPENSES
Guest8365:When a class involves a field trip (specifically out of state), what
kind of personal expenses are expected?
sree sreenivasan:There are very few field trips out of NYC…
sree sreenivasan:Some classes, in the past, have gone to DC, Albany, Israel,
India, etc, but they are very few such trips and the expense situation is
explained up front.

COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY
Guest1487:do most students use computers or notebooks in class?
Melanie Huff:Students use both…

Guest8365:Are assignment turned in through email or hard copy? Are there
printers/computers available in the J-school for such use?
Melanie Huff:However, students are not allowed to be doing their email or IMs
during class.
sree sreenivasan: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/category/discounts
sree sreenivasan:That’s the link for discounts…
sree sreenivasan:Next?

Melanie Huff:Some professors ask that student submit hard copy…
Melanie Huff:and yes there are printers in the building…
Melanie Huff:However, alot of professors ask that you submit work via
e-mail…
Melanie Huff:Please note that it can be hard to get to a J-School printer
during crunch times…
Melanie Huff:so it is a good idea to buy a printer.
Guest8365:Good to know–thanks

COLUMBIAJOURNALIST.ORG
Cissy Rebich:What’s happening with the student work website? Prof Bearak sent
my story to them in May and it hasn’t appeared because someone quit. Is the
person who posts the stories going to be replaced soon?
Melanie Huff:We are down several tech staff….
Melanie Huff:but we have hired a tech dean who will be staffing up shortly.

NEW MEDIA
Andrew Goldberg:I’m going to be concentrating in print, but I’d really like to
take the Issues in Online News elective. Can I put that down as my first choice
or do I have to wait till the Add/Drop period to try to pick it up?
Melanie Huff:There is no room in this class at the moment…
Melanie Huff:for anyone but new media students…
Melanie Huff:but you may try to add it during add/drop.
sree sreenivasan:For those who want new media without concentrating in it, the
NM Skills class is a great way to go.
sree sreenivasan:Basic skills is open to everyone. Can’t you just take that?

Guest4288:As an NM, is it possible to take photo skills in the Fall?
Melanie Huff:If you are a FT, NM student, you will automatically be enrolled
in advanced new media skills for the fall….
Melanie Huff:If you want to also do photo skills, you can try to add it during
add/drop.
Guest4288:great

CONCENTRATIONS
Guest2818:if you take a workshop out of your concentration does that
automatically change your concentration..
Melanie Huff:Yes, if you take a workshop outside of your concentration, it
changes your concentration to that of the workshop…
Melanie Huff:please note that concentrations do not appear on your diploma…
Melanie Huff:or transcript. They are internal designations only.

HEALTHCARE
Guest5314:Not an academic question, sorry: Is the Columbia Health Insurance a
mandatory requirement, or can I bring another insurance?
Melanie Huff:FT students are automaically enrolled in CU health insurance….
Melanie Huff:However, you can go to their website, and request a waiver to use
your own insurance…
You will have to prove that it is as comprehensive as CU’s…
All students have to pay the health services fee.

Andrew Goldberg:When does the health coverage start?
Melanie Huff:For FT students, it starts on August 1

Mark Wellborn:I’m wondering what steps we have to take to confirm that we’re
enrolled - I checked on the Chickering website on Monday, and they didn’t have
a record for me.
Melanie Huff:You have to check with the Health Services folks directly.

Cissy Rebich:Do PT Broadcast students ever take more than one skills class?
I’m interested in both radio & TV. Will there be time to take both skills
classes?
Melanie Huff:Most PT folks take more than one skills class while enrolled…
Melanie Huff:PT broadcast students also get to take the radio class for free.
Cissy Rebich:Free sounds good to me, thanks.

PART-TIME PROGRAM
Guest2855:so sree how are the critical issues classes different?
sree sreenivasan:Here’s how…
sree sreenivasan:In the Fall, we have two Critical Issues classes. One only
for PTers and another mainly for FTers, but one that PTers can ask for it.
sree sreenivasan:The PT one is at night, the other is Fridays at 12:30…
sree sreenivasan:The PT only one is smaller, while the other has 200+ students
in it.

David Cohn:How flexible is the add/drop period for PTs that are figuring out
their work schedule?
Melanie Huff:However, this is generally not done…
Melanie Huff:since you need six points for the student loans.
Melanie Huff:All add/drop requests….
Melanie Huff:are handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Guest2855:is there a new investiagive skills class? tell us more is it too
late fore PT’ers
Melanie Huff:The investigative skills class is for those who were accepted to
the School as Stabile fellows.

Guest2807:Is it possible to audit a class if it is outside of your
concentration?
Melanie Huff:You may audit any class with the professor’s permission….
Melanie Huff:You don’t pay for it, you do no work, and it does not appear on
your transcript.
sree sreenivasan: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/08/12/audting-procedurefor-auditing-classes/

MISC.
Cissy Rebich:Have you ever staffed the radio & TV labs with students paid to
help out with the technology? Would the school consider it?
Melanie Huff:Intersting idea Cissy…
Melanie Huff:We will mention it. Not sure any of our folks have the time,
though.
Cissy Rebich:In law school, we had a computer lab staffers who covered most of
the hours the lab was open. Just thinking.

Melanie Huff:Remember, if you submit a ballot and then change your mind about
some element of it, you may submit another one. I will use the one with the
most recent date stamp (before the deadline of course)

sree sreenivasan:Any thing else? We are happy to stay, but don’t want to force
anyone so late on a beautiful Friday afternoon in NYC.
sree sreenivasan:Do send us feedback about this and let us know if you’d like
to see more of ‘em throughout the year.

sree sreenivasan:Ok, anything else, folks? A transcript of this and the
earlier session will go out this weekend.
sree sreenivasan:Please be sure to read the DOS Blog, where it will be posted
first.

-30-

Below is a transcript of June 28, 2006, online chat aimed at incoming full-time M.S. students. About 40 students participated in at least parts of the hour-long session. Information about the the next sessions have been sent out via e-mail:

Friday, July 7.

SESSION I: 1-2 pm, NY time - aimed at incoming full-time MS students, but
all are welcome.

SESSION II: 6-7 pm, NY time - aimed at continuing PT MS students, but all
are welcome.

[In July, we will be doing similar sessions for other cohorts, including MA
students and international students, as well as one hosted by the Career
Services office.]

In order to be as useful as possible, the transcript has been lightly edited for style, grammar, punctuation and clarity, and to put similar topics together. Added to the end are answers to some questions we have received via e-mail.

sree sreenivasan: Good afternoon, everyone (or good evening, good night, good
morning, etc)… It’s 1:03 in New York. Dean Sreenivasan here in 705. Dean Huff is on vacation, but is joining us from a secret location. I am also joined in person in my office by
incoming student Bartram Nason, a professional cellist from Atlanta who
happened to be in town. Be sure to have your FCG (Fall Curriculum Guide) handy…
sree sreenivasan: If I put a … at the end of my note, that means I
have more coming. If I end with a period, I am done.

EVALUATIONS:
sree sreenivasan: So, let’s get started. First question, please.
Teal Anderson: i’ve had a difficult time ranking my selections for both RWI and
my masters project…the student evaluations haven’t seemed to be all that
in-depth?
sree sreenivasan: The Fall evaluationsaren’t as in-depth as they are
for the Spring because they were on a different system. Now they are
all anonymous, which should make for more candor and more in-depth
responses…
sree sreenivasan: As you know, we switched to a new system this spring. It took
several years to make that happen.

BROADCAST & NEW MEDIA CURRICULUM:
Brett Elliott: Hello Deans: according the guide, it looks like for incoming
broadcast concentrators, our first term curriculum pretty much already set
aside from the potential addition of a skills class. is this correct?
Adam Edelman: If I may add, it seems that way for New Media also (for first
semester at least)
sree sreenivasan: Brett, Adam: Yes, you are essentially correct….
sree sreenivasan: You will have plenty of choices in the Spring.

MASTER’S PROJECTS:
Lionel Laurent: My question is: can the masters project be in any format? Or
are we restricted by our choice of concentration?
sree sreenivasan: Good question…
sree sreenivasan: Most of the MPs are done in print (and that’s the default for
everyone). Broadcast majors can request and compete to do a video or radio MP.
NM students can compete to do a NM project.
sree sreenivasan: We will explain the “compete” part when you get here.

Bartram Nason: Can you give us an example of a NM project completed in the
past?
sree sreenivasan: http://www.rezoned2006.com - a great project this spring - and the only one with a domain name that’s easy to remember! Here are the rest:
http://columbiajournalist.org/masters_projects/2005/index.asp?course=masters_projects.

Rubina Madan:do most students do the bulk of their work on the master’s
project over winter break? should we plan to stay in NYC during that time?
sree sreenivasan: You are expected to finish all principal reporting
AND turn in a first draft by the end of winter “break”… so that means you
will be doing a lot of work during the so-called break, which ends the Monday after Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 15, 2007). Most people do leave town between Christmas and New Year, and return to start working on their MPs by Jan 2/3ish.

Bartram Nason:for master’s projects, if collaborating (for NM or broadcast)
when do we need to have a group together?
sree sreenivasan:Radio and print projects are solo. NM and video are two and three,
respectively. We will help you get a group together in the Fall.

Aggelos Petropoulos:Does that go for the Stabile Broadcast projects as well,
or is it possible to do something indipendently?
Melanie Huff:All broadcast students, including Stabile, must work in teams for
TV and NM projects.

SKILLS:
Brett Elliott: Do the Skills classes occur throughout the term, or all at
the same time?
Melanie Huff: The Skills classes run for several five week sessions throughout
the term. See the schedule >>>here< <<.

Rubina Madan:will the Skills professors be the same ones who taught the
courses last year?
Melanie Huff:Some of the skills professors will be the same and some will not.

Teri Berg:I noticed on the student evaluations of the new media skills classes that there were lots of negative comments about instructors and course organization, etc. Knowing that my learning style is best when I get more than just verbal stuff, I'm concerned about how much these courses will be improved.
Melanie Huff:The New Media Skills classes are being completely overhauled for this
Fall.
sree sreenivasan: All the Skills professors are aware of their reviews and are working on any problems raised last Fall.

HOLIDAYS & MISSING CLASSES:
Chris Brouwer: hi deans -- this is not an ideal academics question, but there's
a chance I might have to miss a few days of classes before Thanksgiving. Would
this be possible at that point in the semester?
Melanie Huff: Hi All - Dean Huff here. No, it is not possible to take
off a few days before. Classes scheduled for that Wednesday night will
be held...
sree sreenivasan: A quick note: the j-school has the fewest holidays of any
school on campus (and the shortest master's program, too).

INTERNSHIPS:
Melanie Huff:For the most part, internships are done in the spring only. In
rare instances, we will approve someone to do an internship in the fall...
Melanie Huff:We only do this after getting feedback from your RWI professor
about your performance and whether you can handle the extra work.
Melanie Huff:For internship questions, please contact Ernest Sotomayor at
es2387@columbia.edu

ACADEMIC CALENDAR:
Teal Anderson: is there an academic calendar for the j-school available? last i
looked, there was only one available online from last year
Rubina Madan: Teal, I think the 2006-2007 is online now
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/admissions/programs/courses/calendar/

STABILE/INVESTIGATIVE:
Irene Jay Liu: I had two questions about the Stabiile major:
When will the new Stabile professor be announced? And will we have the
opportunity to choose who we want to work with (between the Stabile professor
and Professor Barrett), or will we be automatically assigned to one or the
other? Also, do we have the option to take the Investigative Techniques course
in the fall (it is listed on our ballot) if we want to take another elective in
the spring?
Melanie Huff: We will be giving out the name of the
professor in charge of the program as soon as the University paperwork is
complete. Students will be automatically assigned to either this professor or
Prof. Barrett for the MP. In the fall semester, you take the elective you
ballot for. In the spring, you must take the investigative workshop and
elective.

BUYING A COMPUTER:
Adam Edelman:Hey Deans, I bought my current laptop 4 years ago, upon entering
undergrad studies. But now, of course, it is outdated, do you recommend buying
a new laptop now (for this year?) or will that not make any sense considernig I
might have to upgrade upon entering the workforce? (And what kind -mac/pc-
would you recommend for the J-School)?
sree sreenivasan:You will need to be able, at a minimum to do e-mail, word processing and web surfing from home, so that's what you definitely need. For more advanced stuff, you might want to wait and see what you really need before spending the money.
Bartram Nason: Apple offers student discounts, as do a number of other computer manufacturers.
sree sreenivasan:Here is the DOS blog on academic discounts:
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/12/07/faq-what-computer-discounts-can-i-get-through-columbia/
Also see CUIT info on sales:
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/sales/. Separately, see some of the software, including anti-virus protection that Columbia gives you access to: http://www.columbia.edu/acis/software/.

CLASS WORKLOAD:
Aggelos Petropoulos: Is it possible to enroll in language or other courses beyond the 19 credits?
Melanie Huff:Any full-time student who takes more than 19 points gets charged a per point tuition rate for each additional point. Also, it can be difficult to find language classes that don’t conflict with our schedule. That said, some students do take a language class in lieu of an elective in the second semester. But that’s on a case by case basis.

Charlene Dy: What will the time commitment be like per week outside of classroom hours?
sree sreenivasan: You will see that only a small percentage of your time commitment will be in formal class sessions. You will spend hours and hours street reporting, computer research, doing interviews and traveling around the cityThat’s why it’s very hard to do internships or outside work, especially in the Fall.

BROADCAST STUDENTS
Don Duncan: Beyond the core bumper RWI, master’s project, crit issues in j and
journalism, the law and society, from where can broadcasters select extra
classes?
Melanie Huff: Broadcast students can try to take an additional skills class.
However, everything else is covered by the classes you listed. There isn’t time
for anything else.

Don Duncan:are broaedcasters expected to choose between TV and radio at any
point during RW?
Melanie Huff:No, Brodcast students don’t have to make a choice of radio vs. TV
in RWI. The choices you make will be in the spring ballot for radio or TV
classes. And for doing a radio or TV MP.

Brett Elliott: So if we would like to do a TV masters project, we should make sure that our advisor has that medium listed? (there seem to be only a couple).
Melanie Huff: Yes, that’s correct.

Brett Elliott:are broadcasters given priority for coumbia nightly news?
Melanie Huff:Only broadcast students can take Nightly News.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:
Don Duncan: for international students, is there any way they can sit in on
journalism, law and society class?
Melanie Huff: No, because it meets at the same time as the NY as a Foreign
Country class.

Chris Brouwer:Is it possible for international students to have the NY as a
Foreign Country Class waived? (I’ve lived in New York for several years)
Melanie Huff: Aynone who has lived in NY or the US for several years can request a waiver
for the international class. You may do so during Add/Drop.

COLUMBIA NEWS SERVICE:
Adam Edelman:Do print concentrators have preference for getting into CNS?
Melanie Huff:Newspaper concentration students are given preference for CNS.

0 0 0 0 0

SOME QUESTIONS THAT CAME IN VIA E-MAIL:
Q: In looking through the ballot, I just saw that my concentration has been listed as “Newspaper” while I enrolled for “Magazine”. I hope to get into electives that are, I think, geared more towards magazine writing and would like to know if being listed as “Newspaper” will make this more difficult. How can I correct my concentration?
A: For fall classes, newspaper and magazine students are the same, so
you may simply complete the print ballot. We will get your concentration corrected before second semester balloting begins.

Q: I am having trouble viewing other semester’s evaluations for professors.
A: There are two systems. One is Fall 2003-Fall 2005; in it are buttons to switch semesters. The other system only contains Spring 2006 and has no buttons for semester switches.

Q: Please consider this a formal request to switch my concentration from magazine to new media. hat I’m wondering is: If the change goes through, will my ballot —
filed for Print — be invalidated, and will I be assigned a random schedule?
A: For now, please complete a print ballot. Should we be able to take
you off of the wait list, we will contact you about those ballot questions. Same goes for print to broadcast switches.

Q: Can we take more than one skills class if it fits in our
schedule?
A: Yes, you can take more than one skills class, if it fits and if we have space. Additional skills classes may be sought during Add/Drop.

Q: When will we hear about what classes we got?
A: You will be notifed in late July about how to find your fall schedule online.

Q: I have been impressed by the New Media master’s projects I have seen, but the student evaluations have been less encouraging. A couple mentioned the need for more
training, particularly in Flash, and more faculty/faculty assistance.
A: This Spring, we had the best crop of NM MPs and the students really pushed the envelope in ways we didn’t anticipate (which is overall a good thing). As a result of the feedback, we are revising the NM MP process, incorporating more training in Flash and other skill sets and building in more adjunct assistance. We have even higher hopes for the quality of the 2007 projects.

Questions? dos@jrn.columbia.edu

Many thanks to Ariel Brewster, J2006, for sharing these notes from the recent lunch with Seth Lipsky of The New York Sun.

Notes From A Publisher’s Roundtable with Seth Lipsky of The New York Sun

By Ariel Brewster, J2006
aeb2133[at]columbia.edu

New York Sun publisher Seth Lipsky came to talk about the management side of journalism during a Publisher’s Roundtable discussion with students at the Columbia Journalism School on Wednesday, May 3, 2006.

Lipsky founded the New York Sun four years ago, and was the editor of The Forward for 10 years. Lipsky started his career as a stringer for Time Magazine when he was a student at Harvard, and was offered a position there after graduation, but turned it down to go work for the Anniston Star in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. He was then drafted and spent two years in the Army, working first for the Army Digest and then for Stars and Stripes as a combat reporter in Vietnam. He then worked for the Wall Street Journal, launching both their Europe and Asia editions.

The New York Sun was launched in April 2002 with a circulation of 20,000. Ads are growing at a rate of 58% a year, but the paper is still losing about $1 million a month, Lipsky said. (The NY Post loses about $20-70 million a year, he said.) Lipsky said that his 21 investors don’t care that they’re losing money — they “just want a good newspaper for this town.” But, he said,
“our goal is profitable publication of a newspaper and we are working our way toward it.”

The Sun was originally sold for 25 cents at the newsstand, but advertisers thought that was “chintzy,” so the paper upped the price to 50 cents, and it may increase to $1 sometime in the near future, Lipsky said.

The Sun’s website has 580,000 unique visitors per month and 4 million page views per month. The site is now free, but Lipsky predicted that they may start charging for archives and some material (with something similar to TimesSelect).

Lipsky described himself as a Democrat with some Reaganite politics. When asked about the cultural and political ideals with which he founded the New York Sun, Lipsky listed his and his paper’s beliefs: pro-labor, a limited but honest government, strong foreign policy, constitutionality, and low taxes, among others.

Lipsky talked about the entrepreneurial element of his personality. Despite what his investors may think, he joked, he considers himself a decent businessman (He once even tried to get an ad salesman position at the WSJ, but was turned down). He compared the newspaper business to high-low poker and referred to spreadsheets as “just the dipstick.” You’re either all guilty or all innocent when it comes to decisions and divisions of news coverage and editorial content, Lipsky said.

Students asked Lipsky how he knows when the time is right to start up a new paper. Lipsky answered that he looks for a story big enough to start that paper; in Asia it was capitalism and communism, in Europe it was the climactic years of the Cold War, and in New York with The Forward in 1991 it was, he said, a “moment” in Jewish identity after the anti-Semitic riots in Crown Heights.

With the Sun, Lipsky thought the NY Times was becoming too national, giving national advertisers preference and relegating local stories to the Metro section. So Lipsky saw an opening the market and they launched the Sun with the slogan, “New York on Page One.” But the Times editors quickly countered by moving one B1 story onto A1 with an easy (and at no cost) click of the mouse. So the Sun built up its Washington efforts and started doing more national and international stories. Lipsky thinks that lots of people who love the NY Times still want another paper, and focus groups confirm this. (Dean Lemann then pointed out that one of Lipsky’s business partners used to run SmarterTimes.com, a daily critique of the Times, that now redirects to NYSun.com).

Lipsky also said that he thinks there’s nothing wrong with a paper having a few “pet issues.” At the Sun, the include the Columbia Middle East professor controversy, the debate over eminent domain and allegations of corruption at the United Nations. Lipsky pointed out that in the 1800s the New York Tribune organized, armed, and sent New Yorkers to settle in Kansas during the slavery issue, and he sees nothing wrong with that. That was an era of ascendant newspapers, and he’s worried that now we’re in an era of descendant newspapers. We shouldn’t be worried about Chinese walls. In fact, Lipsky said that he always asks reporters what their politics are, but has never rejected a job applicant because of their politics. He likes candidates to have politics, and to be excited about issues. Lipsky observed that his staff is, in fact, “fairly diverse.”

Both Lipsky’s most recent papers have had good arts coverage and culture sections, he noted, which he attributes to the people he’s hired to run those parts of the paper. Lipsky himself paints every day, and has an interest in the arts (though he admits he knows nothing about sports).

When the group asked about the merits of working at a small, economically imperiled organization versus working at a more established place, Lipsky advised students to work at a smaller paper where you can get more bylines and do more. You can have enormous impact even with a small circulation, he said. Instead of inching up the career ladder at a big organization, he recommended going somewhere else and then “circling back in later.”

To close, Lipsky offered his best advice for younger journalists starting out: Learn grammar, he said, because it’s the foundation of all logic, and second, eschew careerism and go for the story.

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- Columbia Journalism School main website -

Many thanks to Rebecca Castillo, J2006, for sharing these notes from the recent lunch with Dean Lemann. Unlike other sessions where students talk to deans about administrative matters, graduation, etc., the purpose of this event was to hear Nicholas Lemann, one of the country’s best magazine writers, talk about the art of magazine writing.

“Everything you wanted to know about magazine writing but were afraid to ask” - notes from lunch with Dean Nicholas Lemann
Monday, April 17, 2006

By Rebecca Castillo, J2006
rc73@columbia.edu

The following are some of the highlights from Dean Lemann’s lunch event.

Dean Lemann began by prefacing that he would to prefer speaking about editorial aspects of magazine writing and would save the business aspects until the end.

• When getting started with a subject, ask your subject for a list of other people you should interview about them and then go out and interview them. Word will get back to your subject that you are following up on this and prove you are serious about your reporting. But don’t get hostile with your questioning in the beginning, get more information about your subject by listening.
• Our culture with the assistance of TV has helped people have a conception that being interviewed is an honor. There are not many times in peoples’ lives where someone wants to just listen to their stories.
• When writing about a well-known subject, make sure you do your homework. Read what is available about them and any writing that they have done, including dissertations and academic writings.
• If the person (your subject) is no longer alive, look for their archival history. If the person is well known then go to their peers and contemporaries. Use social history to find out if they left a paper trail.
• When approaching your subject about interviewing them, be honest and upfront at first approach. Make it clear how many times you will be visiting them and for how long. Lay it all out and don’t take an answer at that time, tell them to think it over and when you come back, if they are not sure or say no, move on to the next potential subject. There will always be another individual who can fill that role unless that person is unique in their role, such as Secretary of State, (there is only one person in that role). Always have others in mind who can be interviewed.
• Do not engage in debate or controversal confrontation unless you believe the reaction will make it to paper. If it will not cause your subject to add to your story don’t engage in it.
• Try not to write about characters who won’t let you use their real names. Some may argue with him on this point but he thinks if the name is not real, then what else is made up in the story? He recognizes that there are times that it is necessary to use a pseudo name - your subject may be engaging in something unlawful - but always attempt to get your subjects to let you write about it truthfully, without anonymity.

Dean Lemann’s final point of advice was about getting published after graduation: It is better to work at a small weekly or an alternative magazine than sitting in your apartment writing query letters to the popular magazines. By doing this, you will continuously be writing and getting published as opposed to getting published maybe twice a year. You will have to pay your dues but you will move up on the ladder.
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To see a multimedia report on the Nov. 2 Columbia Journalism Dialogues event, “The Changing Media Landscape, 2005″ (sponsored by the Hearst Foundation and featuring four journalism veterans and the founder of craigslist), see this Poynter column: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=32&aid=92918.

Many thanks to volunteer note-taker Dakin Campbell, J2006, for sharing these with us. If you attend a journalism event for which you’d like to write some notes, please send them to Dean Sreenivasan.

NOTES FROM… A Conversation with Chaitanya Kalbag
Reuters, Managing Editor, Head of Editorial Operations, Asia
Presented by South Asian Journalists Association, NY Chapter
Thursday, November 3, 2005, 6-7.30 pm
Reuters Building, 3 Times Square, 22nd Floor

Notes by Daikin Campbell, dmc2128 [at] columbia.edu

See photos from the event by Preston Merchant: http://www.digitalrailroad.net/pmerchant/gpgs.aspx?pgid=615913&e=0&p=0

NOV. 5, 2005: The head of editorial operations in Asia for Reuters captivated a crowd of nearly 40 journalism professionals and students from Columbia University Thursday evening in an intimate conversation that touched on prospering Asian markets, technology advancements, Reuters Asia and an upbeat analysis of journalism. The event, held at Reuters US headquarters in Times Square, was sponsored by SAJA, the South Asian Journalists Association.

Chaitanya Kalbag discussed the enormous potential in Asia, including two of the world’s largest growth markets, India and China. He said technology has continued to develop in Korea, Japan, and China, and at Reuters, where the markets of consumer television, news content on mobile phones, podcasting and citizen journalism are expanding.

With further developments in technology, Kalbag said Reuters will continue to concentrate on financial product and news that adheres to the company’s standards of accuracy, speed and freedom from bias. Those standards are often challenged in Asia where the world’s major news events and overarching economic picture continue
to unfold, he said.

Complexity of stories only places a higher demand on professional journalists trained in schools and Reuters graduate programs, Kalbag said. There is demand in Reuters for journalists with language skills in Mandarin, Thai, Korean, and Japanese, and
opportunities for those who speak English in Singapore, Hong Kong,
the Philippines, India, Australia and elsewhere.

In spite of the cyclical nature of journalism and current naysayers, Kalbag finished by saying that as long as there is a need to tell a story in an objective and truthful way, journalists will serve an important function. He invited journalism students to consider
Reuters in their career plans, and offered to accept clip packages.

o o o o o

CHAITANYA KALBAG BIO
Managing Editor, Head of Editorial Operations, Asia
Chaitanya Kalbag joined Reuters in 1983 as a correspondent in New Delhi, India. He moved to Manila in 1987 and in 1988 became a Chief Sub-editor on the Hong Kong economic desk. In 1991 he moved to Tokyo and in 1993 he was appointed Editor, News Production, Japan. His next post as Editor, News Production Asia was based in Hong Kong. There he was responsible for the quality of all text news output from Asia including output from all editing desks.

In 1997 he became Bureau Chief, India where he was responsible for all text, television and pictures coverage from India, Nepal and Bhutan. He then became Managing Director, Reuters India Limited and Manager South Asia, based in Mumbai. In this role he was the senior Reuters company official for all eight South Asian countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

He took on his current role in July 2000 and heads all text, television and pictures news operations in Asia. He is also responsible for the recruitment, safety and security, and career development of nearly 600 journalists in 33 bureaus in 22 countries stretching from Afghanistan to New Zealand. Prior to joining Reuters, he worked in Bombay for a small Indian newspaper, then went on to edit and produce Transindia, a monthly newsmagazine for Indians living in the United States. He moved to New Delhi in 1978, and held senior writing positions at two magazinesNew Delhi and India Today. He won the Rajika Kripalani Young Journalist Award in 1977, the Sanskriti Award for Journalism for 1982, and the India Today-PUCL Human Rights Reporting Award in 1983. He was included in An Anthology of Bombay Poetry, 1977.

Notes from Walter Cronkite Event on Oct. 20
Notes by Shira Ovide, J2006 - so2171

NYC, THURSDAY, OCT. 20–Former “CBS Evening News” anchor Walter Cronkite and Andy Rooney of “60 Minutes” held a free-ranging discussion Thursday about their
careers, bloggers, news satire programs like the “Daily Show” and other media topics.

Cronkite spoke at a ceremony honoring his Lifetime Achievement Award from the Freedom Broadcasting Foundation, which runs the government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The legendary newsman, 88, still possesses his trademark sonorous voice, though he walks with difficulty and had trouble hearing some questions
from the audience (”I’m a little hard of hearing,” Cronkite quipped. “That’s not true; I’m as deaf as a post.”)

In the discussion with surprise guest Rooney, Cronkite said he believes blogs are often “the worse kind of slander” and worries that they are considered legitimate journalism. He also criticized the U.S.A. Patriot Act passed in the wake of 9/11. He said the law allows the Department of Justice to pursue people who are perceived as unpatriotic.

Rooney was the comedian of the afternoon, joking that he doesn’t understand why the advertising industry tries so hard to appeal to young people: “You don’t have any money; you don’t have any brains,” he told the audience comprised mostly of journalism
students from Columbia, Brooklyn College and elsewhere.

At one point, Cronkite sounded an off note about women anchors on network television. He said he thinks women on television talk too quickly and in too high a register, but said they can be coached to deliver the news in a more viewer-friendly way.

Capping the event at the Museum of Television and Radio, Cronkite said he had no regrets about his career, which ranged from World War II to the Reagan adminstration. “I think it worked out pretty well,” he said of his life in news.

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