February 28, 2012

Live, from DC, it’s Tuesday afternoon!

I am currently writing this post from the Rayburn House Building, in the middle of a House Judiciary Committee hearing! Thought a little live-blogging might be interesting (don’t worry – I’m here for an enterprise story, my audio recorder will be taking notes for me the WHOLE time).

A little bit of scene-setting: I’m in a big, bright room with a high ceiling and presidential seal on the back wall. At the front of the room, there are two looooong raised rows of leather chairs where the committee members sit, each seat complete with a nameplate, with snake microphones and water pitchers interspersed between every few seats.  The congressmen/women face a big mahogany table where the people sit who are testifying (insert more snake microphones and pitchers here). Behind those tables are about five rows of chairs for staffers and spectators to sit, and on either side of those rows are two cafeteria-style tables where the press is supposed to sit – and here I am! I’m on the left side of the room, with my back to the wall, less than a stone’s throw away from the first row of Congressional seats.

Ooh! Here come a bunch of people in suits, the hearing’s about to start …

~

2:29 p.m. – Spotted: Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. – my congressman! Packer power!!! Totally just snapped an iPhone pic. Hope that’s kosher.

2:36 p.m. – The head of the committee (dang it, who is that – I forgot my handy dandy congressional ID book) just called the meeting to order. We’ll be listening to testimony about what they’re calling “executive overreach” on the HHS (Health and Human Services) mandate on contraception versus religious liberty.

2:37 p.m. – Lamar Smith. Found his name on the paper sitting right in front of my face. Luckily (albeit strangely), Congressional hearings are mostly scripted, so reporters are provided with full statements minutes before the hearings even start. See? I’m not slacking, I’m just using my resources wisely.

2:40 p.m. – Crap. The first guy just started speaking and I didn’t hear his name. PSST! EXCUSE ME! CAN YOU REPEAT YOUR NAME??

2:43 p.m. – Some aide just came over to pass out a sheet of paper we already got. Good, now I don’t feel like the blondest one in the room.

2:46 p.m. – Just noticed a flatscreen TV live-streaming the hearing on the wall directly across from me – can now see the nameplate of the guy who’s talking. Disregard previous comments about my hair color.

2:52 p.m. – Just signed my name on a sheet titled “Judiciary Democrats Press Sign-In Sheet”…hope I didn’t just unknowingly register for the DNC or something.

3:07 p.m. – Snapped back to reality after a brief daydream about being asked to stand up and identify myself like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde 2. And subsequently becoming best friends with a congresswoman-slash-sorority-sister from Texas. As much as I’m loving all of this politics talk, a girl can’t forget about her pop culture. Shoot, who’s talking?

3:14 p.m. – Realized this post is really different from every other one I’ve written so far — the ones where I take my time and think before I write so I can sound like and prove that I belong at a school like Northwestern. This one is probably going to clue a lot of people into how my mind really works…if you haven’t already x’d out of the page, I thank you.

3:15 p.m. – Just heard and felt big booms beneath my feet…WHAT THE…

3:15:30 p.m. – WHEW. Congressman just announced that the booms were the underground House train going back and forth from the Capitol. Collective sigh sensed throughout the room. Scenes from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close have now stopped flashing through my head.

3:22 p.m. – Committee Head announced that votes are going to take place on the House floor, so after this next testifier (testifiee? testimonial?) the committee will recess and reconvene in about an hour and a half. ACK. I’m supposed to be back at the newsroom relatively soon-ish…what to do??

3:24 p.m. – Ha ha, one of the congressman’s phone alarms just went off – my professors can never call me out again, even lawmakers do it!

3:28 p.m. - Gasp! I wonder if I’m on C-SPAN right now!

3:31 p.m. – Congressmen are recessing, said they’ll be back close to 5. Conferencing with my classmate who’s actually writing a daily story on this. Looks like we’ll be leaving as soon as he files his update.

~

Well, that was quick!

When I texted my mother that I would be going to this hearing, she advised me to “Listen closely!” Despite what it may look like from this live-blog experiment, I promise I won’t disappoint you, Mom. Plus, it’s not like I won’t hear all about this issue from every major news outlet tonight, tomorrow, and the next night, and the next night… right behind the primary results from Michigan and Arizona, of course!

Being able to get in the middle of big national news is THE coolest thing. If I don’t say it enough, I feel like I’m really doing something worthwhile here, and I love it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – my approach may be a little unorthodox sometimes, but I’m taking every chance I can while I’m here!

Posted by on February 28, 2012 in DC, Medill and tagged , , , .

2 Comments

February 16, 2012

A fist-bumpin’ good time

One of the most exciting things about journalism is getting to meet all kinds of people. It’s also one of the scariest.

Medill tries to get its students past this fear pretty much first thing – one of the first reporting assignments we get as freshman is a story that is assigned, reported, and submitted within the three-hour time constraint of class. I’ll never forget how terrified I was to have to run around campus and get the designated number of people to talk to me about some obscure event in pop culture…to top it off, the day my class had to do it, it was semi-snowing outside (thanks, Chicago). At first, I had a hard time calling people on the phone – even during my internship this summer, and even still now. It sounds dumb, but you have to really push yourself mentally to keep approaching people - there’s always a fear of rejection, of putting yourself out there and potentially looking like an idiot.  But there’s also a chance that you’ll find the perfect source, strike up an interesting conversation, learn something you didn’t know or meet someone that you never forget.

We get to meet a lot of seriously cool people through our reporting here – people who have made some important decisions for the country that affect us, our families and friends every day. Our professors-slash-editors let us pick what we cover (within reason) during the week to give us each a chance to go to what interests us while we’re here. I just happened to notice that our bureau is, oh, ya know, three blocks from the White House, and since the door was open I requested to cover an event there.

Here comes the standard caps-lock freakout, guys: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL!

I felt a knot in my stomach as we marched single-file through the front doors for pre-set (press speak for “set-up”). My feet started hurting from shifting back and forth while standing and waiting behind the rope for the press conference to start. I reeeeeeeally had to pee. But all I could think about was how excited I was — I texted almost everyone I know: “I’m texting you from inside the WHITE HOUSE!”  Thoughts running through my head: ”I wonder how tall he is in real life,” “Is that the back of his head I see through the door?” “What happens if I’m too excited and I forget to press record?!” Honestly, sometimes I feel like more of a spectator at these events — sometimes even a bit of a paparazzi (as evidenced by the almost 700 pictures I had on my SD card when I got back from seeing the First Lady).

But I wasn’t alone. Reporters, cameramen, photographers – everybody is running around testing their equipment, chatting nervously, and running through sound check 600 times an hour before we’re scheduled to start. That’s what I love about this industry – these people are all way older and way more experienced than me, but the excitement is still there for them. That’s what I want for my future career – I want to get that same adrenaline rush every time, no matter if I end up going back or reporting somewhere completely different. I want it every day. I want to always be learning, to feel like a kid in a candy store with everything I cover.

This event was the White House Science Fair – about 100 kids were presenting projects from all over the country that had won various contests sponsored by STEM (don’t know what that is? Oh, hey, I wrote about it! Read my article here!) After about 70 minutes of waiting, they started filing into the East Room and taking their seats. Then came their parents and teachers, and some important science-y people like the director of NASA and the head of the EPA, even Bill Nye the Science Guy (you may be proud to know that upon his entrance, I subconsciously started singing his theme song, and was promptly joined by a young reporter from NBC – I told you I’m not the only dork)! From the youngest kid to the most important official, there wasn’t a pair of eyes in the room that wasn’t as glazed over as mine, practically salivating over POTUS’ entrance (President of the United States – I’ve learned that in DC, acronyms are the new abbrevs :)

When his entrance was finally announced, my hands were shaking so badly that I wasn’t sure the video I took would turn out. No matter which side of the aisle you stand on, you have to admit – Obama is a seriously captivating public figure. He takes over the room when he comes in, as I’m sure all presidents do. I’m just glad all I had to do was hold a recorder and listen, because I was doing some serious breathing exercises for like the first minute and a half.

Playing paparazzi

Playing paparazzi

This movie requires Adobe Flash for playback.

And even though I didn’t get one of the famous fist-bumps from the In-Chief, the experience of reporting news coming from THE ultimate source was one I will never forget.

I get a lot of opportunities to meet inspiring people – in DC, as a journalist, and as a curious person in general. If being a “pseudo-reporter” has taught me anything, its that you should never be afraid to ask questions, and never be afraid to get information directly from the source. I’m a student, by definition I’m in school to ask and be answered – but even after I get the diploma, there will still be plenty of chances for me to learn.

I don’t think the butterflies will ever go away – and I’m okay with it.

Posted by on February 16, 2012 in DC, Medill and tagged , , , , , , .

Leave a Comment

January 29, 2012

State of the newsroom

I really need to post more often. If my fingers don’t cramp up or fall off before I’m done typing this, I’ll be shocked.

Whew…okay here goes…

Disclaimer: THIS WAS LITERALLY THE CRAZIEST WEEK EVER.

A mother with her two young kids at the 39th annual March for Life, held on the National Mall.

Over the weekend a couple of us committed to cover the annual March for Life on Monday — little did we know how big the event would be! I couldn’t even tell you how many people there were on the Mall (gotta improve my crowd count skills), almost all with some kind of sign, banner, button, sandwich board – you name it! I ran around the rally before the march, taking pictures and talking to kids my age about why they were there, trying to catch at least bits and pieces of what the people were staying on stage. About 45 minutes in, it started to drizzle, then rain…and for anyone who’s ever been on the Mall in the rain, it is not a pretty thing. Add my business-casual dress & boots into the equation and you had one slushy situation. But so worth it – I got some sweet pictures and wrote an interesting, albeit basic, rundown for the site (check it out here). An outside blogger/avid march-goer even commented and linked to it later in the week!

Tuesday was the day we had all been waiting for – State of the Union! All 16 of us had assignments to cover the speech in some way, shape or form. Two kids actually went to the House Press Gallery and live-Tweeted (my roommate being one of them – he made waves in the newsroom by tweeting “snooze updates” of policymakers who dozed off during the speech!). Other assignments included live-blogging the address from the bureau, covering viewing parties (one was at a bar!), interviewing Senators about who they were sitting with… I had planned to cover a viewing event being held by the White House, but when confirmation for that fell through my classmate and I came up with a different idea. We were responsible for watching the live-streamed versions of the speech on both the White House and the GOP websites; each organization was streaming the speech next to PowerPoint-style slides with facts, stats and graphics defending their side’s take on the President’s remarks. Our final story focused on social media, and how it played a role in this year’s speech (check it out here). We had all arrived at the newsroom at 11 that morning, and I think I finally left around 11:45 p.m. – long day, but so much fun!

Michelle Obama eats lunch with students at Parklawn Elementary School as part of an event on school lunch nutrition.

Wednesday was more of a star-sighting than an assignment for me: I. Saw. Michelle. Obama. Forget politics for a second, this woman is GORGEOUS. Another reporter and I covered one of the first lady’s speaking engagements at an elementary school in Alexandria, Va. about school nutrition, along with the Secretary of Agriculture – a handsome man, but I only had eyes for Michelle. Oh, and Rachael Ray was there, casually….needless to say, I WAS MAJORLY GEEKING OUT. Observe the caps-lock? Yeah, that’s pretty much how I felt that entire day. I was in charge of photography for the event, which was an experience in itself — I’ve heard photographers are competitive, but I didn’t really believe it until then. But no way in you-know-what was I going to let anybody get in my way of playing paparazzi. I pushed and shoved and held my own (nicely, I promise) and actually got some pretty cool pictures! Check out my piece on the event here.

Whew. That was a lot. Oh, wait, not done yet…

I also got the opportunity to go with one of my classmates in place of our professor to an event for the National Press Club – the inauguration of this year’s president. Quite an event! We got all gussied up (wow, did I really just say that? It HAS been a long week…) and schmoozed with some Club members. And ate free steak – always a big deal for a college kid.

Wow, I’m getting pretty good at condensing – seriously people, this post could have taken you hours to read. You can thank my professors here in D.C. for giving me “the look” whenever I get too wordy!

For your viewing pleasure, I’ll leave you with a glimpse of my weekend’s activities. If you didn’t already think I was a total dweeb, you’re in for it now – check out what my roommates and I spent 2 hours making for the Medill on the Hill crew’s weekly soiree…

Off to prepare for week 5! Don’t forget to watch the Florida primary results this week, people! (I’ve now resorted to making plugs for all kinds of journalism… :)

Posted by on January 29, 2012 in DC, Medill and tagged , , , , , , .

1 Comment

January 28, 2012

A cultured crew

Our nation’s capital is filled with museums – American History, Air and Space, Madame Tussaud’s famous wax museum, International Spy Museum…lots of interactive and interesting exhibits. During our first four weeks in D.C., my three roommates and I have played tourist just as much as we’ve reported. We’ve visited many of these national treasures…so much so that one of my roomies had pretty much had his fill by the time we got to the National Gallery of Art…

 

 

(My apologies to any of the security guards on duty that day – there has probably never been that much giggling in the museum before!)

More to come on my action-packed week!

Posted by on January 28, 2012 in DC and tagged , , , , , .

Leave a Comment

January 24, 2012

Poll: 2012 State of the Union

This week, we at Medill On the Hill will be covering President Obama’s State of the Union, both from inside the Capitol and out.

Posted by on January 24, 2012 in DC, Medill and tagged , , , .

Leave a Comment

January 18, 2012

Tales of a (not-so) closet news nerd: Take two

With all the stories and blog posts and tweets and tumblr’s (tumbles? tumbls?) I’ve done for class this week, I’m on the brink of a SOCIAL MEDIA OVERLOAD!!!

…but I’m not going to lie, I love it!

Hard to believe it’s almost the end of week three here – time goes by so fast when there’s a lot to do. I’m continuing to learn a lot about writing, politics, and even myself. I had no idea that I could write so fast – turns out deadlines are, in fact, my friend – and that I’m surprisingly adept at picking up jargon (so much so that its started to invade my stories…shwoops).

As 15 of the 20 total people I know in this city, my fellow reporters are also quickly becoming some of my best sources of information and my greatest allies. In addition to being some of the funniest people I now know (who else has sing-a-longs from behind their computer screens at 9 p.m.?), my classmates are some of the brightest people I’ve ever worked with. I had anticipated this program being pretty cutthroat – coming from Medill, not an unrealistic expectation – but thus far I have been pleasantly surprised. Two of my first couple stories were collaborations, as was my first day as web producer; high-fiving when we nail a great interview or find the perfect source is common here at the Bureau. I could go on, but you get the picture: these people are awesome.

Anyways, enough gush – after all, in addition to being a lot of fun, the atmosphere in the newsroom is just as intense filled with 20-something college kids as I’ve seen it before in a professional setting.

I love this guy's face! (Running a bit low on photos this week, can you tell?)

Since my last post and first assignment, I’ve been able to report and write three other stories. The first (second overall) was one of the most interesting pieces I’ve ever read, much less reported – the “Doomsday Clock.” A group called The Bulletin of the AtomicScientists has maintained this metaphorical clock since 1947, moving the minute hand closer to or further from midnight (symbolizing some sort of apocalyptic catastrophe for planet earth) based on events in foreign relations and the environment. I won’t tell you what time it’s at in hopes that you’ll go read my story… My next story was a serious geekout: I got to go to the Supreme Court to cover oral arguments over the Family and Medical Leave Act. After taking about ten deep breaths and checking that my dress wasn’t hiked up or anything, I actually really enjoyed following the questioning and figuring out what the real issue was. I’m convinced I must have stood out like a sore thumb (literally – I was wearing a bright blue dress, black sweater, and I was the only blonde in sight), but I guess it served me well – I got eye contact and a little smile from Justice Sonia Sotomayor! (Ten more deep breaths…)

I just submitted my most recent story about an hour ago – coverage of a conference on the State of the Internet, specifically ‘cloud’ technology. If anybody has tried to go on Wikipedia today (don’t lie, you probably have), you may have noticed that, well, you can’t. A bunch of websites, including the popular online encyclopedia, have blacked out for 24 hours to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and another anti-piracy bill in debate by Congress right now. It was really fun for me to connect the topic of my event to this unusual event – definitely read up if you haven’t already heard all about it.

Reporting on the health and science beat has been much less limiting than I had expected – plus, as a confessed women’s magazine addict, most of the topics are things I’ve at least heard about before. In addition, topics in my beat tend to relate to other beats more often than not: Doomsday had implications for businesses, the Supreme Court trip clued me in to a bit of politics…perhaps health reporting is a possible future avenue? Who knows…that’s part of the excitement of this program, and journalism in general, at least for me: I’m always learning. Before last Tuesday, I could never have told you about the Clock or SOPA, much less little tidbits of info like what FMLA stood for. I guess if nothing else, I’ll get really good at Trivial Pursuit with a job in this industry.

In other news, I have officially become addicted to “The West Wing,” cooking, felt-tip markers and Republican presidential debates. And clearly, judging by the length of this post I need to start writing entries more often! Check back later this weekend – maybe I’ll be able to give you some sort of look at our special field trip for our seminar tomorrow…

Have a great weekend — and read up!
What time is it?

It’s fun to argue the F-M-L-A

Head – and everything else – in the clouds

Posted by on January 18, 2012 in DC, Medill and tagged , , , , .

4 Comments

January 10, 2012

Week one? Check!

I definitely should have written earlier than this…

Wow. I have so much to say, but almost literally no energy left to tell it. Things have been going nonstop ever since we started last Tuesday – it has been a crazy week, to say the least.

"The Bureau," our newsroom and home for the next ten weeks.

I guess I’ll start with the basics…My roommates and I have a 15-minute walk to our building, which is located four blocks from the White House and about 4 blocks off of the National Mall. The Medill offices take up one suite on the seventh floor of this building; the “bureau,” as we’ve begun to call it, consists mainly of a big newsroom (as seen on the left), with a conference room at the back, which will house our bi-weekly news meetings and our seminars. Our professors/editors, IT specialists, and office managers each have their own offices & stations, and there are a few editing rooms in the back. A pretty cool place, and definitely buzzing more now that we’ve gotten started!

We had orientation alllll week last week: Tuesday through Thursday was 9-5 how to do this, how to do that, ranging from editorial procedures to how to use the paper shredder. I HAVE to mention Tuesday afternoon, which was probably the biggest geek-out moment of my life: we went to Capitol Hill for an official “reporter’s tour,” aaaand… da-da-da-daaaaa!

Too legit to quit!

Official congressional press passes! All 16 of us were like kids in a candy shop, proudly displaying our new gear, comparing who had a goofier picture, and racing to tweet about the occasion first (yes, believe it or not, I have finally found a group of people who tweet just as much as me, if not more…hard to believe, I know.)

We finished out the week with our first 3-hour seminar on Friday morning, National Security & Civil Liberties. Our guest speaker was a former employee at the Department of Homeland Security (not sure if I should mention his name…) and he spoke to us on the basics of security, starting with the 4th Amendment. The speaker made what could have been a very somber and serious discussion very lively and interesting – he engaged us in various ways, digging to see whether or not any of us had attempted to smuggle Cuban cigars into the country, and scaring us a bit by showing us the various scanning techniques now used by the TSA. The best part was this guy’s bow tie – our group’s new version of the Santorum Sweater-vest!

The Washington Monument at night - great photog practice.

The weekend was full of tourism – from the Smithsonian American History Museum to Madame Tussaud’s to a nighttime tour of the Mall’s monuments. A great weekend for it – around 60 degrees every day! – and perfect opportunities to try out my new toy, a Canon Rebel t3i.

Week 2 started off well today – reported, wrote, and posted my first story for the quarter! SHAMELESS PLUG FOR MY WORK: Check it out here!

Hoping this week keeps me busy – but not too busy to post again!

Oh, and of course, I couldn’t make it through the weekend without getting some business done from my office…

Business, as usual.

Posted by on January 10, 2012 in DC, Medill and tagged , , , , .

Leave a Comment

January 1, 2012

DC: Diggin’ the Capitol

Cheers to starting off the new year in a new city!

I arrived in DC today around mid-afternoon. Coming out of Wisconsin’s fresh layer of snow, I was happy to walk around in 60-degree weather. One of my three roommates met me at our temporary apartment – check out the view! I could not be more excited to see what this beautiful city has in store for us.

A view from our DC apartment building - hey there, Mr. Washington!

Here’s the super-basic scoop on the program:

Classes are Monday through Thursday – two seminars (one journalism and one poli sci) as well as two days per week reporting as a mobile journalist from Capitol Hill, various press conferences, and all that jazz. My 15 classmates and I (all Medill undergrads) will each receive a press pass that will grant us certain accesses afforded to members of the mainstream press. We will report using tools like Twitter and Tumblr (a newbie, for me at least), and we’ll write stories to file for the web.

I have completed all of Medill’s required intro-style courses. I’ve declared my concentration, and now I’m in sort of a preparation stage. This DC program, my journalism residency, a potential study abroad opportunity…a bunch of those “real life” experiences that parents and teachers allude to basically your whole life until (I assume) you graduate and actually enter that “real world.”

A journalism professor gave my class some very simple but powerful advice at the end of my freshman year: “always try.” This program especially will afford me opportunities that I’ve probably never dreamed of; friends and family alike remind me constantly that I must must must take advantage of every chance that comes my way, TRY everything. So, because I love lists, here’s one to start off the year (in no particular order)…

Five things I expect this experience will lead me to try:

5) Dressin’ to the nines

For the next two and a half months, I will be living like a real and true adult. I’ll be sharing an apartment with friends, not wearing tights as pants, and getting up early to shower AND eat before class. I swapped my glitter-covered phone case for a more tame color choice. I’ve begun reading the news and keeping up on a regular basis. I’ll be forced to removing the words “like” and “um” from my vocabulary, and substitute “yes ma’am/yes sir” instead of “yeah.” You have no idea how much adult contemporary music I downloaded for this trip. I’m not necessarily trying to change anything about myself or suppress the kid inside that still enjoys grilled cheese & jersey shore reruns (new season starts January 5th!)…I justify it as simply indulging in what a kid always wants to do – grow up.

4) Politics & government

I won’t lie: I just learned what the word “caucus” meant probably about three days ago. I have no definite political affiliation, and – for now, at least – I kind of like it that way. This is the first time I’ve known the names of each potential presidential candidate prior to the primaries. I’m not going into this program as a political expert, and I’m sure I won’t come out as one; I’m going as a student reporter, emphasis on the student part. I expect that as long as I keep up with the news and really pay attention in class and on assignment, I’ll come out with a much better grasp on how our country operates.

3) Non-broadcast journalism (actual writing!)

Did I mention that I recently declared a concentration in broadcast? As far as I know, becoming a reporter is not the path I’m headed down. But, I’m glad that I’m taking this chance and trying it out – who knows, I could end up loving it, or something else I try along the way.

2) Professionalism & networking

Yesterday, I printed up my own business cards for the first time. I’ve been having regular daydreams about asking questions at press conferences & primary parties. One of my best friends is practically a “schmoozing” expert, and he taught me that I should always send out preliminary emails AND follow up (sometimes multiple times). I plan to never be afraid to approach even the most important person in the room & show ‘em what I’ve got!

1) Extreme competition

Coming from a school like Northwestern, I already know what it’s like to compete with some of the most brilliant minds of my generation — now I’ll have to factor in some of the most brilliant, innovative, and experienced minds in the business. This means I’ll have to bare all of my teeth, prepare all weapons in my arsenal (a joke I should probably stash in my pocket until I get back to Wisconsin), buck up and go for it. I only have ten weeks to take full advantage of this experience, and I intend to take away everything I possibly can.

…And blogging! This is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I hope I’m able to update and keep it interesting. Hopefully that shouldn’t be too hard with news all around.

Happy New Year to all.

Posted by on January 1, 2012 in DC, Medill and tagged , , , , .

4 Comments