Sunday, February 21, 2016

For student job-hunters, the details matter


Cristi Hegranes, founder and CEO of Global Press, has written a terrific reminder for job-seeking students that ought to be taped up on dorm refrigerators everywhere.

"I want to help you," she writes. "But you aren't making it easy."

An Open Letter to Journalism Students Who Want Jobs

February 15, 2016
By: Cristi Hegranes Founder and CEO

Dear J-School Students,

We’ve been hearing for a long time that the market is tough for you guys.

Opportunities are few and far between. Salaries are low. Traditional jobs don’t exist like you thought they would.

Times are tough. I get it. And I want to help you.

But you aren’t making it easy.

Over the last few years Global Press Institute and our newer brands Global Press Journal and Global Press News Service have hosted more than a dozen college interns. And we’ve hired about 16 percent of them. As an organization, we are committed to providing high-quality, inspiring employment. I think the team would agree when I say this work is challenging, fun and unique in today’s industry. Our work spans two dozen countries and confronts very real questions about journalism innovation everyday.

So when we posted an entry-level newsroom coordinator position last month, we were all excited to bring in a young, talented go-getter to help coordinate our ever-growing team of international journalists and to participate in reader engagement, fact-checking and other newsroom tasks. Senior members of the team agreed: This is a job we would have killed for when we were just starting out.

Over the last four weeks we’ve received 41 applications via a variety of job posting sites and through our own organic channels.

I’m sad to report that the quality of the applications has been abhorrent....
Read the entire letter here.


Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Daily News wins Gold Circles for digital work

 
Kara Berg won first place for single spot-news photo with
      an image taken at a candle-light vigil at Ball State 
honoring protests in Ferguson, Missouri.


The Ball State Daily News has won a dozen Gold Circles for digital media, including first-place honors for news writing, in-depth news / feature writing, sports and sports commentary.

The awards by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association were chosen from among 4,232 entries from colleges, universities and high schools across the country.

Anthony Lombardi won the top national collegiate award in the news and in-depth categories for his look at meth abuse in Delaware County, where Ball State is located and a place that has led the state in meth-lab busts. Lombardi profiled a meth addict who lost everything to the drug except for the clothes on his back - and a Bible.

“Meth is my demon,” the man told Lombardi.

Former Editor-in-Chief Dakota Crawford won first place for sports commentary, and Sports Editor Robby General took a first in sports news for his look at what Ball State earned for playing Texas A&M in football - what’s known as a “guarantee game”:

“Ball State pocketed $1.2 million this weekend for playing a game in which it didn't stand a chance,” General wrote.

Elsewhere, News Editor Kara Berg won first place for single spot-news photo with an image taken at a candle-light vigil honoring protests in Ferguson, Missouri. And Emma Rogers won the top feature photo award for a picture from the “Pretty in Pink” fashion show to promote breast cancer awareness.

The 2016 awards are from work produced between Oct. 11, 2014 and Oct. 13, 2015. The Gold Circle winners for digital work were announced Feb. 4.

Full list of Gold Circle winners:
http://cspa.columbia.edu/recepient-lists/2016-awards-student-work-gold-circle-awards-collegiate-recipientshttp://cspa.columbia.edu/recepient-lists/2016-awards-student-work-gold-circle-awards-collegiate-recipients