The News Never Stops...so my work doesn't either

It has been five weeks since I began work as a TV reporter for YNN (Your News Now, the 24-hour cable news network for Central New York). In those five weeks, I have had the opportunity to cover a variety of stories, some light and fluffy, others interesting and political, and others sad, violent, or gruesome. One thing I've learned since I've started is that's what reporting is all about. You never know what your story's going to be, and you have to be ready to adapt and cover any sort of piece that comes your way.

The fact of the matter is the news never stops. It is a revolving door of random happenstances and as a news reporter, I must be ready to cover whatever comes my way...

I work in Corning, NY, a small city about 20 minutes west of Elmira and an hour west of Binghamton. It's not the most exciting place to cover news stories, but it allows me -- as a new reporter -- to learn, make mistakes, and get creative with what I do. There are some days I really have to think about what I'm covering, or what I'm going to cover, and how I will make it interesting and informative to the viewer. There are other days where the stories speak for themselves, and putting it together is simple.

But every once in a while, a completely crazy story will come along, and those are the most exciting, nerve-wracking, and educational. Last Sunday night, on Father's Day, a murder took place in Bath, NY (just 20 minutes away). My co-worker received a call from our news station at 3:30am to come into work and cover. I normally don't go into work on Mondays until 2pm, but I also received a call and was in the office by 11:15am. It was a 12-hour day for me, and a 15-hour day for my co-worker.

Needless to say, it's not everyday a murder happens in such a small town, so when it does, it's a huge deal. In this case, police say Bryan Ashline, 23, stabbed his ex-girlfriend, Trieste Clayton, 25, and their 3-month-old son, Xavier Ashline, to death. A double homicide...my fourth week on the job and there I was covering a double homicide. It was horrifying for multiple reasons:

• I had never covered anything like this in my college reporting days.
• I still don't have much knowledge of the local legal/judicial terms, which meant I didn't know the jargon being thrown around.
• I was 10-feet away from an alleged murderer who still had blood underneath his fingernails.
• I had to interview close friends and loved ones of those who were murdered and couldn't stop crying, along with angry people cursing, screaming, and wishing the worst on Ashline.

That day was a real shock into the world of news. I had to be able to go with the flow and deal with emotionally fired-up people. I also had to sensitively cover a gruesome, violent story and be sure to use the appropriate words so I wouldn't get in trouble journalistically.

But besides that, I also learned that where the news is, so I am. It didn't matter that I wasn't supposed to come to work until 2pm. I got the call from my assignment editor while I was driving to the gym, and I simply had to turn around, change my clothes, and go to work instead. As a news reporter, the news owns me. My work revolves around it. I will move my schedule around however necessary to be where I need to be when I need to be there. The news never stops, so my work doesn't either.

**Fun fact: In the midst of writing this blog post, I received a call about an interview I was trying to set up. After making a few more calls and trying to plan ahead for a feature story I'm working on, I made plans to go into work 3 hours early this Wednesday. That's just the way it is.

Are 20-30 Days of Mandatory Time Off from Work a Possibility?

On my first day at my first "real" job reporting, I sat through an online "webinar" orientation which informed me of my rights, responsibilities, and perks as an employee of a Time Warner Cable news operation. One of those perks, of course, was time off. And no matter how I excited I am to have gotten hired, to be working at my job, and to thoroughly enjoy it, vacation time was a huge concern for me. No matter where it is I'm working, I want to know I'll be able to take time off for a religious holiday or Thanksgiving. I am guilty of already thinking of time off from work before even starting it, and at first I felt guilty. But after watching this video, I realized I shouldn't have.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

(via @CBSNews)

It is only natural to want and even NEED time away from the office. I was unaware of the possible legislation that would mandate time off, but now that I am, I'm all for it! This is not because I'm a lazy Gen-Y'er who wants to party with my girlfriends on a beach or who expects a romantic getaway with my boyfriend every once in a while. This is because Americans are some of the hardest working people in the world. If the French, Germans, and Italians are on par with us in terms of success, productivity, and stability, we, too, should have 20-30 mandatory vacations days no matter what your job is.

What do you think?

KTLA Reporter Gets Parking Ticket on Live TV

(via @huffingtonpost)

The Difference Between a TV Reporter and Print Journalists? THE BEAUTY OF VIDEO

In the midst of training for my new job as a Video Journalist (TV reporter) at YNN-Syracuse in the Corning, NY bureau, my friends asked me, "Why do you need to train?" It became clear to me how unclear it is to others exactly what my job entails. This is why I feel as a journalist -- one who informs and communicates to the public -- it is my duty to explain what separates the role of a TV reporter from a print journalist: VIDEO.

As a journalist, writing is an essential skill. Before I was hired, I took a 90-minute writing test. From that, my bosses determined I had already acquired this skill set. But they didn't expect me to start working immediately to produce multiple news stories 5 days a week. Their mentalities were as follows:

"As long as you can write, great. We'll teach you the rest."

And teach me, they have been. During my time interning with YNN and studying at Syracuse University, I've learned to use multiple cameras and operate various video editing programs. But that doesn't mean I know how to use every kind of camera and every kind of editing program that exists.

You see, a video journalist in a small town must "one-man band," which means not only must I know how to write, but I also have to record video of myself, my interviewees, and other things that pertain to the story, then come back to the station, write the story, voice the story, and edit all those little video pieces together...MYSELF. I don't have a camera crew, nor do I have a video editor. Everything that airs on the evening news is something I've put together completely on my own.*

I have to make sure the people I interview speak clearly and well. I have to look put together and appropriate to appear onscreen myself. But most importantly, I have to get the shot. When something happens, I have to be there, and I have to get it on video; otherwise it's useless. If I miss an event, or the audio on my camera isn't working, or my video is blurry, too dark, or too bright, it's a complete waste. What airs on TV not only has to be newsworthy, but it also has to look good.

So far this week, I've spent two days learning how to operate a camera. I've learned all over again how to frame interview shots correctly, how to light them, how to prepare the camera for shooting both inside and outside. Re-learning all the techniques I learned in class two years ago -- and then some -- is proving to me how crucial the video is. After all, a picture is worth 1,000 words, right?

So, friends, that is why I'm in training. That is why I'm not immediately covering and producing stories on my own yet. It's a process, a learning curve. I probably won't be covering stories on my own until later next week, and I'm okay with that. I understand that in my business, the picture is as important as the story. It's all about the video, and I'm just doing my best to capture it the right way.

*NOTE: This is not to say that every station and every reporter operates this way. Reporters with seniority may always get photographers to go out and shoot video for them. In larger stations in larger cities, many reporters do get help, but when you're in your first, second, and maybe even third job, you're generally on your own.

Wearing the Worst Outfits on the BEST Stories

I somehow have a knack for dressing cute on the days we go out on the most interactive stories. Last time, I wore a dress when Joleene and I went Spring skiing. Friday, I wore a skirt and canvas flats when Karen and I went to a farm.

A new report had come out the day before that the National Milk Producers Federation was pushing the FDA to use the word "milk" for dairy products only. This includes milk that comes from animals, but not from soybeans, almonds, or any other plants.

So we talked to a local farmer, Mark Tucker, in Skaneateles, who told us he agreed that the wording should be changed. He felt the drinks that came from plants should be called either "imitation milk" or "juice." Unlike milk from animals, soy milk and almond milk don't have as many nutrients or as much protein, according to Tucker.

However, the owner of Natur-Tyme, a health food store that Karen visited the day before to shoot some interviews, believed the whole thing was nonsense. She said it was over-the-top and a little excessive to change to which products the word "milk" applies. She pointed out that in Webster's Dictionary, the definition of "milk" applies to the juices that come from plants as well.

It was an interesting story and did I mention AWESOME because we went to a farm! I played with cows and kittens and learned a lot of fun facts, like:

1. A baby cow can stand up and walk after only 30 minutes of being born.

2. A baby cow is a calf, but a young cow is a heffer.

3. Farm cats are smaller than normal cats because they're so active.

Friday was my last day interning at YNN. But keep posted for more news, updates, and videos! I will be uploading my last few packages this week, and I will begin working for YNN within the month! Stay tuned!

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

In a journal entry dated 4-28-10:

Another eminent domain story was upon Kat and I. Instead of heading to Auburn, we drove to the Village of Cayuga, but we quickly learned this was a much different story from what was happening in Auburn.

The NY Dept. of Conservation (DEC) has been pushing the village to construct a waste water treatment plant that would replace its current lagoon system and further protect Cayuga Lake. The DEC carefully studied the village and came up with three potential sites for the plant. They ultimately picked the one least likely to contain archaeological remnants or have environmental issues...and that land was on the 18-acre property of Jeffrey and Kim Walker.

Kat and I attended tonight's public hearing, at which the village board decided to start on paperwork that would go toward declaring eminent domain on the property. But the village still had high hopes of negotiating with the Walkers and working out some sort of deal.

Jeffrey Walker was late to the meeting, but when he finally arrived, we got a chance to talk with him about what was going on with his land. Surprisingly he was very amenable and willing to let the village use close to 3 acres of his land for the waste water plant. He said he understood why eminent domain would be considered in terms of public service projects and was okay with that. The mayor stressed that eminent domain would be a last ditch effort.

The main reason the village board decided to start on eminent domain paperwork is because they are on a strict deadline.

Initially, they were not planning on coming to any sort of agreement or vote about the eminent domain issue, but as reporters, Kat and I were glad they did. It made for a more interesting and informative story. We also learned it ain't over til it's over since it took the board three times to open and close the meeting until they finally made a decision about what to do.

Nothing Like a Little Spring Cleaning

On Friday, I knew I'd be going out on a story with Karen because Joleene was out for vacation. As we sat in the morning news meeting and I overheard one of the reporters say this week was "one of the slowest" he could remember "in a long time," I realized we wouldn't be covering any significant piece of hard new.

But it was a fun day regardless because Karen and I went to Strawberry Farms in Clay for the major community garage sales the development holds every year. Many families and homes held garage sales, and as usual, hundreds of people stopped by the neighborhood for some bargain hunting.

Vendors told us people starting coming to their houses at 5:30am and continued throughout the day to scope out clothes, furniture, books, and toys. People parked a mile outside Strawberry Farms just to get in. Ice cream trucks were parked down the street to make the most of the heat and craziness.

We put an economic spin on our story, asking shoppers and buyers whether or not they think the economic recession is over, why they thought people were coming to the garage sales this year, and if there were more or less people attending than in years prior. As it turns out, there were mixed opinions on whether or not the recession was ending, but some did think there were more at the sales than usual since the cheaper, the better!

It wound up being a quick, easy story to turn, which allowed for a lot of girly bonding back at the station between all the reporters and made the day really enjoyable!