There were often times, when I first became interested in journalism, where I would adapt a smug outlook of the world around me; walking through everyday life, watching every newscast, I’d think to myself: I am the news. I should be the one telling you to evaluate your news sources.
Now, however, this feeling has evolved into a more complex understanding of how to receive and extract information, disseminating it to a large group of people. My job depends very heavily on relevancy and timing. On the ability to find and tell stories. On the ability to rethink where I myself get my own information. It all takes a great amount of practice and observation of the world at large.
I keep myself at the pace of everything else by paying attention to what is happening around me; I read the news from a variety of outlets, I keep a skeptical view of companies claiming to be fact-checkers (i.e. PolitiFact on Twitter). What’s happening on the University of Northern Colorado campus? Let’s check the online calendar, follow undergrad social media accounts, subscribe the email newsletters, skim the flyers posted around campus. These are exceptionally important skills for me to utilize throughout my professional career, and ones I attempt to practice every time I open my phone. How can I possibly expect to be a solid reporter if I do not have these in my arsenal?
I aim to keep building these skills throughout my entire career. Besides, have you ever been on Twitter?