Journalism: A Deeper Look

When the semester started in January, I felt like I had all the time in the world. I could spend so much time with my friends, go out and have fun, finish up my degree and still have a little free time to enjoy life. Well, it definitely wasn’t enough time.

Now it’s the middle of April, and we have one week left of classes. Looking back, I’m sadden that my time here at the University of Florida is almost over. I move in a little less then one month. I’m going to start a job in corporate communications and event planning. Don’t get me wrong — I’m looking forward to using the skills I’ve honed in my new job. I’m excited about making my own money and trying my hand at the corporate world.

I guess what I’m trying to say is be aware of the time you have left. There’s so much that’s unknown, but take advantage of the great things that are going on in your life right now. Live in the moment.

Female: 1859
Male: 1490

I can see the insult coming now — “You write like a girl!” Well, I guess it’s kind of neat to see how many masculine words you use in your writing as compared to how many feminine words.

How did they determine words as masculine or feminine? Why is “the,” which I used 46 times in my story, considered masculine and “and,” which I used 43 times, considered feminine? I think it’s all a little strange to me.

Check it out for yourself at Gender Genie.

Today I job shadowed an editor of a local publishing company. As a relatively new editor — having only gotten the job five or six months prior — he already had a great insight to the ways of the editing world.

We got to talking about how relatively unappreciated editors are for their work. If you print a completely flawless piece of journalism, there’s absolutely no recognition. It’s only until you make a mistake, or misspell someone’s name or get a quote wrong that readers are outraged as they type e-mails and flood the office with phone calls. Essentially, editors want to strive for perfection, but is anyone really thanking them for their attention to detail and willingness to read copy over and over again until they can’t even stand it anymore? Not really.

So, I say to you: Be kind to your editors! Maybe even give them a pat on the back or a genuine ‘thanks’ to brighten their day. I’m sure they’ll remember next time when they sit down to edit your copy and breath a sigh of relief knowing someone out there really does appreciate them.

It’s about that time of year when soon-to-be-graduates are looking for the perfect job. Not only is it an exciting time, but it’s also a stressful time. Having trouble writing the perfect cover letter? Can’t seem to get your resume quite right? Here are a few resources to make your life that much easier.

Careerbuilder.com has a huge database of helpful cover letter and resume tips. I looked at “Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume” and “Cover Letter Dos and Don’ts.”

Resume-help.org was also a great resource. You can get tips for writing cover letters and resumes and also get help with interviews and finding a job.

Jobstar.org has a special section devoted specifically to resumes. They have resume and cover letter samples and offer expert advice on resumes.

I went and saw the movie 27 Dresses tonight with a few of my girlfriends. The movie was great and a lot funnier than I was expecting it to be, but I have to say I’m fed up. Why do movies always have a character cast as a reporter for a big newspaper or TV station who goes out, falls in love with the character opposite them, and then suddenly betrays them with an article they’ve been secretly writing on the side? I’ve seen enough of that whole plot line. Of course, it all ends up being fine in the end between the two characters — the reporter proves his or her love for the other character and they live happily ever after after a big, showy kiss — but it still promotes a stereotype about journalists using any means to get ahead in their careers, even if it means lying and hurting a person you really care about just to get the scoop.

In this particular movie, the main character has been a bridesmaid in 27 weddings and the other main character is tired of writing for the ‘Commitments’ column in the paper. He finds out about her plight, falls in love with her, begs his editor to keep the story from going to print, but it still does and the woman slaps him in the face for making her look rediculous in the paper. He has to grovel to get his way back into her heart, while his editor comes by his desk in the next scene to tell him congratulations becuase he got what he wanted — a ticket off the boring, old ‘Commitments’ column. But, at what cost?
<> <>I think it’s all a little bit much, and I’m hoping that one of these days they will stop continuing the stereotype of journalists as blood-sucking creeps who are just looking for the next story.

There’s a big difference between “Let’s eat Grandma!” and “Let’s eat, Grandma!” Do you know what it is…?

I’m a journalism student at the University of Florida, and I’m getting ready to finish up my last semester of school. As a kid, I literally could read enough. I love the power of words and how each word has its own place in the world. When I was in high school, I wrote for the school newspaper and later decided writing was what I was meant to do.

I’m currently enrolled in an Advanced Editing class, for which I have created this blog. I will be making new posts with abstracts on articles read for classwork, blogging on the whole state of affairs that is journalism, and other types of things like that. I hope you enjoy my blog!

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