Coming around to social media

So I'm still not convinced social media will save the news. I fear social media is dumbing down the news into bite-sized fragments so people will know the headlines, but nothing of substance.

When Dawna Friesen was at Red River College and shared her concerns about social media and her reluctance to use it, I agreed with many of her points, though she was criticized by many of my classmates for being archaic, unwilling to change and closed-minded.

But my work placement advisor, Cathy Hanson, sent me an interview with Katie Couric, who is a great example of a big-time journalist who takes advantage of social media to the max with webcasts and Twitter and online content. She's a busy lady, but she sees an advantage to bringing news to the mediums people use in their everyday lives.

She makes some good points and I strongly recommend a view for any journalists pondering the value of social media in journalism and how they can start to use it.

My CJOB Experience

I just completed a three-week work placement at CJOB Radio.

And I learned a ton.

Most importantly, however, I feel like I really learned the benefits of working as a journalist at a news/talk radio station.

There is so many different opportunities to present a story. You can present a quick, thirty-second story almost immediately once you've got it with top-of-the-hour newscasts.

Or, since breaking news is priority, you can call in and relay what's happening to listeners as it's happening. It really is the immediate medium (as TV news is scheduled in the city and newspapers show up at the doorstep the next morning for many still (despite developments online).

But more importantly, there is lots of opportunity to present longer, investigative pieces - and receive immediate feedback and input from the people that matter the most - listeners.

With helpful guidance and feedback, I was able to put together a four-minute mini-documentary about streets on the decline and on the rise in Winnipeg, a topic that matters deeply to the residents and business owners of Selkirk Avenue who are looking to turn their street around. My documentary was aired on "Richard Cloutier Reports", where I was able to participate in a round-table discussion with some of the people looking for ways to turn Selkirk Avenue around and take calls from listeners who cared about the issue. That was powerful journalism.

I would strongly recommend my classmates apply for a placement at CJOB. I didn't just learn about radio - I learned about journalism.