Reporting &
Writing
For as long as I can remember, I've loved writing. When the opportunity arose to take journalism class at the high school, everyone around me encouraged me to sign up. I went for it and count it as one of the best decisions of my life thus far. I have come to appreciate reporting and writing as one of the most integral steps in preserving the integrity of journalism. That is because it is so much more than just writing. It is sifting through hours of research to find the angle of a story; and then doubling those hours sourcing and interviewing. It is stringing quotes and transitions together to craft the perfect story. It is editing, taking edits, revising and reworking the story over and over again until you have it just right; all while working to report in a timely manner that holds the eight news values close. It can be a very daunting task, but it's oh so worth it.
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Writing
This piece was one of the first times I realized the doors that would open for me as a journalist. When interviewing the U.S. Secretary of Education, I had to push through a crowd of professional journalists to get my questions in. All of them came up to me after to say they were impressed by my aptitude and passion just as a high schooler.
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This piece I did at the beginning of the 23-24 school year challenged my own political biases. I prioritized objective reporting despite my own thoughts when sitting through my district congressmen's panel. When I finished the story realized just how important political reporting is in holding the government accountable and providing transparency to readers.
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When watching two Persian students at my school experience internal struggles regarding the women's rights protests happening in their country, I knew I had to report on it. This piece ended up being added to the University of Utrecht's curriculum and showed me just how big of an impact journalism can have.
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There is a big Puertorican population at my high school. After Hurricane Fiona left devastating effects on Puerto Rico, I spoke to many students (and a teacher) about the impact the disaster left. Many still had family in Puerto Rico and saw their favorite places destroyed. After my reporting many of the students told me it had been therapeutic for them to speak about their culture and what had happened. I realized that writing stories is not just for readers, but also for the sources themselves. I also love learning from my sources! With this story, they taught me that when referring to their culture, Puertorican is one word, something I never would have known before.
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Feature writing is by far my favorite. Instead of just reporting the facts like news writing, or with a specific subject like in sports/A&E, feature writing has allowed me the space to really tell a story. This story was so much fun to write. A teacher at my school walked one of his seniors down the aisle. To see the love they had for each other and experience the joy they felt from their recall of the wedding was such an inspiration. The "wholesome" stories can leave just as big of an impact as the tougher ones.
This story was my first "big break." By big break I mean the first time I felt like a story I published could lead to real impact, the first time I felt a little nervous about the feedback I would receive. After the alleged rape of a student at a nearby high school, there was an outcry on social media from students at my school. The rape happened on school grounds, and no punishment had been given to the perpetrator. This article brought light to this situation, but also similar situations students at HHS had faced.
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The unique diversity at my high school is always something I consider when determining the angle of a story. When I was assigned a story on the football team (I know nothing about football), I noticed something. As opposed to the other predominantly white football teams in my rural Virginia area, my high school's football team represented 21 countries. The angle gave me the privilege of exploring the interaction between ethnicity, sports and community.
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Saldana scouted by Spanish Academy, trains with Alcorcon in Spain
Over 300 students try out for the varsity soccer team every year. The program trains student athletes to go on and be the next big thing. When one of the athletes was recruited and signed to play for a team in Spain, I jumped on the opportunity to write a story highlighting the sport of futbal.
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Before writing this piece I questioned whether or not opinion pieces were "true journalistic works." However, after the Uvalde shooting I wanted to use my school platform to speak up about the epidemic of school shootings in America. I challenged myself to provide calls to action and resources instead of just angry words.
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This was my first dip into review pieces. After watching the sheer number of tweets pour out on the internet after the Golden Globes, I knew I needed to review it. I am currently working to cover the rest of the film/TV awards season posting periodic reviews.
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The Man: Leech creates mural, graphics for downtown Harrisonburg
Art has always been an interest of mine, especially with a booming public arts scene like Harrisonburg's. This summer, at a journalism camp I had the opportunity to meet the man behind most of Harrisonburg City's local business' branding and a new Children's Museum mural. I loved getting to pick the brain of someone so passionate.
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Music (especially Spotify) has been a big definer of Gen Z culture. Two students at my school worked together to create an album they then published on Spotify. The world of music, though popular, is often something we don't get to see the innerworkings of. This piece showed the process of creating everything from the beats to the lyrics.
Reporting
To find the right sources, I use a number of strategies:
1. Word of Mouth: I run a staff of over 80 students, many of whom run in different circles, participate in different clubs and activities and play different sports. Though word of mouth can give you a limited number of sources, it is often the most helpful when finding students specific to a topic.
To the right you will see crafted assignments (by me) based on subjects that were matched to specific interests. I found all of these sources through word of mouth. and ended up creating over 80 of these assignments for mentees. For example, when I wanted to find a student interested in computer science we went to the TSA and EV Grand Prix teacher to ask for a student who fit this interest.
2. Emailing/In-Person Meetings: If I can find contacts online, I will often call or email sources to set up an interview. If I am unable to find a contact online, I will go to in-person contacts who can provide me with sources.
Sourcing is all about relationships. When I needed to find the two artists of a local exhibition (that had virtually no digital footprint), I set up a meeting with the local Arts Council to find contact cards and set up an interview through them. See right for information I was able to find from having a conversation in person.
3. Source to Source: The best additional sources can come from the sources themselves. After every interview I ask "Who else should I talk to about this?
To the right you will see a planning doc I was able to create after my first interview with the main source. Every name the source mentioned in the interview I wrote down and compiled into a document later along with research on each subject. I should have upwards of ten sources for a piece I am in the process of writing for the American Association of School Administrators.
When I had to do my first interview, I had a panic attack. As a once shy, socially anxious teenager, I was full of nerves. How would I come up with questions on my feet? Would the person I'm talking to even be receptive to the questions? One 30 minute interview later, I was exhilarated. I began learning everything I could about the art of interviewing and perfecting my craft. At HHS Media our motto is "Every Person Has A Story. We Tell Them," and I couldn't agree more. However, whether or not you find the story can lie almost solely in the interview. Here are some strategies I use when interviewing.
Interviewing Strategies:
- Approach the interview as a conversation: Oftentimes the interviewee is more nervous than the interviewer. My goal with any interview is to immediately make the subject feel comfortable. Not only will it make the experience more enjoyable for all, but it will also garner better, more in-depth answers. I have a couple of must-dos in interviewing that make this possible.
1. Connect on some level with the interviewer: A "how was your day?" or "I love what you're doing with this." can go a long way
2. At the beginning of the interview ask "Can I record you?" and "What is your preferred name and spelling?"--Not only is this an ethical and respectful practice, it shows you prioritize getting all of their quotes and the facts right.
3. At the end of the interview ask "Is there anything else you would like to add?"--Giving the interviewer free-range to say what they would like about the topic will oftentimes garner the best answer.
- Prepare questions beforehand: The interviewee can tell when you are unprepared. I always come with ten prepared questions. These will be well researched, open-ended questions that will allow for broader answers that give me more to go off of in further questioning. See examples below.
As a senior in high school I reached out to the local Harrisonburg news outlet: The Daily News Record. I have been able to shadow and learn from the Education Writer there Ashlyn Campbell. One of the first things Ashlyn discussed with me was how to file Freedom of Information Acts (FOIAs). To be honest, I had never even really heard of a FOIA before Ashlyn. She taught me some key things:
- How to send a request
- What key terms to include to get what you need
- When to use them/determining when a FOIA may be needed in reporting
In addition to FOIAs Ashlyn showed me the basics of investigative reporting: using public records to find information, placing key terms in your google search and refining the search when needed, finding contacts of possible sources even if their contact isn't as public as a LinkedIn account per se.
I am currently working on an investigative piece regarding a city funding cut of a local arts council due to a religious groups' lobbying. I went through records from the City Council meeting in which the decision was made to cut the Arts Council funding. Additionally, I spoke to members of the Arts Council off record. This allowed me to better understand the situation and provided me with some key names to include in the FOIA.
