Summer is Ending, but Life is Beginning

A lot of crazy and amazing things happened during the last month I worked in NYC, but it all started out with something not so good. My boyfriend of two years broke up with me, mainly because our paths are going in different directions. I understand, now, why he did this. It's bittersweet but, honestly, I cannot think about settling down anytime soon. My future is way bigger than I thought it would be.

A few days after everything ended, something big started. I was at FAIR and I began researching abortion legislation coverage, which became my primary project the rest of the summer. Working on this piece made me feel, well, important. This is the type of coverage I want to do -- legislation, politics, gender issues -- and I feel so fortunate that I was able research this. I was also able to write a blog post about stay-at-home dad's. Now, I have the ability to write concisely and quickly which is so important in this industry.

Later that week at FOX, I was invited to the Good Day New York meeting where I pitched a segment. The anchors and news director ended up loving the idea, and I spent the rest of the day organizing it. I technically co-produced it! The segment aired a few days later, and I just cannot believe how fast I was able to set everything up. Of course, I was under the supervisor of an amazing segment producer, but I did all of the booking myself. I didn't know that I could do this. I had no idea that I could actually do all of this, in a week. Technically, the worst week and a half of my life knowing that the person I spent all of my college life with wasn't going to sharing in my success with me.

I realized that week, the day after the segment, that I am really so blessed. I firmly believe in God and I have never been able to see Him work in my life like this. Whenever I get really stressed out, I just can forget to prioritize my faith and now I know that I have to because He's the reason why all of this is happening. He is giving me these opportunities and I'm taking them and running -- not looking back at the frustration and self-deprecation that I've put on my shoulders this year.

Finally, everything I've worked for is paying off and I hate to say that I'm okay being single during this time. I found out from reporters that I'm going to have to travel between contracts before I can get a solid job. That scares people. It scares my family a little bit -- knowing that I might not be in the tri-state area for a while, but I have to do what is best for me.

I made life long friendships with the people I've worked with at FAIR and FOX. All of the interns and trainees were just wonderful people -- everyone that I met had a huge heart and great potential. I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you that I teared up and cried saying bye to some of my coworkers. This summer taught me not only about the industry, but about myself. I am so thankful for meeting so many amazing people and for becoming a stronger person.

Thank you, everyone, that worked with me this summer and or read this silly little blog about my experience. Now, News City Living is going ABROAD! I am off to London to study for the semester.

Sorry, I had to take a picture behind the anchor desk! 

So... Until next time, I'm Sara McCloskey!

Quick Advice About Internships

Here's some advice for people before applying to similar internships that I just had...

#1). ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS AND ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP!: Don't ask questions when people are busy, but when there's a moment and you're chilling with someone just ask them about their job and different things they're interested in. I always had 100 questions, which means I'm in the right field, but you have to feel the situation and not annoy people. If you're a journalist, you know what I mean.

#2). THE OTHER INTERNS MAY BE YOUR FUTURE CO-WORKERS: Make friends with the other interns because you will probably work with them later on in life. Get their contact info and keep in touch!

Broadcast Station Internship

1. Know if your Station is UNION SHOP: A lot of local stations do not have unions so you can touch and use the equipment, but in NYC (besides NY1) the local stations are unionized. I was still able to observe the entire process in putting together a news package, but I was not allowed to touch anything. I would say, do one internship at a non-union shop to touch the equipment and then work with a union shop to gain more experience. 
2. People will remember you, which is Good & Bad: Broadcast news is a small, small world. So, don't be a jerk. Be polite to everyone and be engaged. Be friendly to people that work at the other stations too, you never know who you will run into in the field!
3. You want to be an Anchor? Do More: No one is an anchor automatically. Learn from everyone you can. GDNY anchor Rosanna Scotto says, "The best anchors were always the best reporters."
4. Get to know your Photogs: I never thought about this before, but honestly the coolest people I met were the cameramen. Some of them have been all over the world and most of them know all of the other cameramen from other stations. They also always have your back. 
5. Dress to Impress: People at the station sometimes thought that I wasn't an intern because I dressed nicely. They'll remember that. (Also, people on the street thought I was the reporter... which was kind of awesome.. not going to lie!) 

Independent Media Writing Internship 

1. Ask if Co-workers need help on their Research: Writers at FAIR were always working on their own individual projects. If you're interested in the same topic, ask them about it and they may let you help them their with project! 
2. More Work is Available: Working in a smaller place allows you the chance to be hands on. I was able to write 4 blog posts, a study with a co-worker, and my own piece. There is a benefit to working with a smaller group of people because you can literally do more.
3. People will remember you, which is Good & Bad (AGAIN): Indy media is really small as well. The people who you work with might have connections to other media outlets, so don't be mean. With that knowledge comes responsibility, so don't schmooze (I hate schmoozing..). Work your butt off because it's a smaller market than mainstream media and it's more specialized (people report on more specific topics). 
4.  Study the Writing Style of the Outlet: FAIR writes with a very specific tone which took me a long time to adopt. Read A LOT of the outlet's work and try to practice writing that way. I didn't realize how uncomfortable I would be writing in the tone FAIR uses, but I got used to it. 

The environment isn't funny! Well, the news coverage kind of is..

This is exciting: I am published again! (I've been working on a lot of things, but I finally got to write another blog post). Today, I came into work and one of my co-workers suggested that I research this. I love when people ask me to research, especially on broadcast news programs.

You see, I see that the media doesn't always cover really important topics thoroughly. They may brush over it and have a voice over. I mean, the President gave a big speech about the environment last week -- that doesn't happen every day, that at least deserves a soundbite after the anchor talks about it for 15 to 25 seconds. (15 - 25 seconds is the usual length of a voice over during a nightly newscast).

Below is a quick preview of my new blog post for FAIR on President Obama's speech.

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Who would have thought the future of the environment was some kind of joke? It turns out comedians actually seem to care more about climate change than the people who produce real news programs do. 

Think Progress came out with an infographic yesterday (7/1/13) showing that the Sunday chat shows didn't so much as mention President Barack Obama's June 25 speech outlining a new climate change policy at Georgetown University. But a few late-night comedy shows and the Daily Show, a fake newscast on Comedy Central, found some time to cover the news. 

But let's give the networks a fair shake, shall we? A better comparison with a fake nightly news show is a real nightly newscast. So we looked at ABC, CBS and NBC's 30-minute nightly newscasts to see how they covered the president’s speech.

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Click here to read more! 

Happy Monday!

After dodging tourists and NYC bus tours salesmen, a grin pops on my face. Every morning before I go to FAIR, just as I walk to the subway I see a newspaper man. 

I swear, he is probably the happiness man in the city and I started getting the paper from him last week.

He always has a huge smile, laughing and always talking to someone. 

He stands at the top of the stairs, handing out newspapers and wishes me a good day at work. 

"Happy Monday! Happy, happy Monday! Have a good day at work, young lady!" 

Just one nice person can really brighten your day. 

No One Deserves Hate: Discrimination on the Subway

I walked down the stairs to the subway on Friday. I was on my way to see my friend Annie for lunch in Union Square, when I saw a woman yelling.

Her hair was tousled and unkempt, her clothes and backpack dirty. She was yelling. At first I thought she was just yelling in general, about the subway or something, but then I noticed that she was following a family as they went up the stairs.

I don't know how it started, but everyone on the platform was watching, and I was still on the stairs, creeping my way down slowly. The husband walked slowly and spoke back to the woman - distracting her as his wife held their child's hand and headed up the stairs.

The family quickly left and the woman followed them - yelling - and spat in their direction. At that point I was on the platform. Everyone still watching.

You can already tell that she was targeting them, trying to make her presence and feelings known. Just think, you and your family are traveling and someone comes and is very aggressive to you? What do you think would cause such a thing? In this case, it was clear discrimination.

What I didn't tell you, is that the family was Muslim. At least, that's what the angry woman thought. The wife was wearing a light blue hijab and the woman aggressively commented on it. The woman also said something along the lines of "people like you shouldn't be in this country."

Recently at FAIR, I have been looking at how Islam is portrayed in the media. I am not a specialist on religious studies or media, but in a class last semester I learned how the media over time has picked specific groups to, in lack of a better words, "call the bad guys" or consider "the other," meaning that they are not accepted. Media does this by portraying a group as unfavorable which prolongs discrimination. This happened with newspapers in the 1800's - 1900's that promoted lynchings and slavery. People fought against discrimination by creating their own newspapers, like The Liberator, in order to have an alternative voice.

We, the media, have such a great power; we shape society's ideas and ideologies, we inform and educate, and overall send a strong message.

Right now, commentators say intolerant things about practitioners of this religion, and all the while push ignorance and fear onto the public. "Our" message, is a message of hate.

On Friday, though, I saw this hate embody itself in a woman confronting a family on the subway.

I keep playing this scene in my head, and I wanted to jump into action on the platform.

One idea I had went like this: I would confront the angry woman and explain everything to her. The media is lying to you! This family didn't cause 9/11, it was extremists that many believe do not honor Allah. I would tell her that she is perpetuating hate that we are trying to overcome. We live in America and this country belongs to this family as much as it belongs to you and me. 

Probably not the best idea. It is very difficult to try to convince someone that what they are doing is wrong in a peaceful manner. One way to stop this hate is through education, but I am not particularly good at this. It's difficult for me to articulate ideas when under pressure.

I also hate to say this, but Michelle pointed it out last night when I told her about this situation. When traveling alone in NYC, my main priority should be to keep myself safe. Confronting this woman, who was very aggressive, would question my safety.

The second way I could have handled this is more realistic. I imagined myself going onto the side of the stairs that the family was on, and block the wife and child from the woman yelling at them. At the top of the stairs, ask them if they were alright and see if they needed anything. Then, I would head down, and the angry woman would probably recognize me and start yelling. I would tell her, "No one deserves hate, no one deserves to be discriminated against." Yes. That sounds very heroic - like a movie or advertisement, but I believe that statement is true.

But, no. I didn't do a thing. No one did anything, they just watched, shocked at what was happening and then everything just ended. People quietly discussed how weird that was and started talking about the musician sitting on the platform, as if nothing happened.

I saw them at the top of the stairs and watched. They were alright. Upset, but alright. And then they just walked away.

All I could think about was that family; what I should have done. Regret lingered with me all weekend. I knew that it only takes one person to get a group of bystanders to act, but I didn't have the courage at that moment. Now, I think the only way I can change this type of hate is by making sure my work does not promote it.

First Piece Published!

It's official: A piece I wrote for FAIR Blog that was published today. I worked on it most of this week, and here is a preview of it! (the first two paragraphs)

While media are  paying scant attention to the Bradley Manning trial this week, another court-martial this week deserves more coverage as well.

In a courtroom base near Tacoma, Washington, Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales will plead guilty today to killing 16 civilians–most of them women and children–in an Afghan village on March 11, 2012. Bales will give his first account of the attack under oath as part of the hearing, in order to avoid the death penalty (New York Times, 6/05/13). The incident remains one of the most shocking slaughters of civilians in the Afghan War.  The massacre received some media attention at the time, though much of that discussion was about the problems it would pose for the U.S. war there.  

Want to read the rest? Of course you do. Here's link to the complete blog post on the FAIR Blog.

a FAIR rainy day

Usually when I work on long essays for my politics classes, I zip between Pinterest and Facebook to take a breather from reading and writing. Today, I worked so much and couldn't stop. I stayed a little late because I wanted to finish writing! Okay, well let me tell you about what happened this morning before I was writing and being productive.

There is a bus stop right in front of the apartment I'm staying in, and I missed my bus by 10 seconds. It's okay though, because another bus arrived a minute later. I hopped on the bus with my little yellow Metrocard. "Hi, how are you today?" I said to the bus driver, just about to put my Metrocard into the little slot so I can pay my fair. The bus driver put his hand over the slot, saying, "I'm sorry, this isn't the city bus." I was shocked. "Oh, oh I'm sorry," and I scurried out of the bus. The people who got off of the bus chuckled at me. I was so embarrassed, not the best way to start off my city adventure.

Luckily, the correct bus came by a few minutes later. Except there was so much traffic that the usual seven minute commute to the subway took twenty minutes. I was panicking. I can't be late on the first day! What would they think of me? What a foolish intern!  So, when the bus finally reached my stop, I ran off into the subway. Subways are really enjoyable for me. There are so many opportunities to people watch. I didn't see anyone of particular interest today, but if anyone is I will inform you.

Well, I got to FAIR. All safe and sound. Each intern gets their own desk, which is very exciting. To think; my own desk! That isn't all. Who would think that my job at FAIR was going to be to read articles and write about mainstream news coverage? These kinds of studies should be mandatory for all media based degrees because in one day I probably read fifty articles. Consuming media is so important because everyone should stay informed about the world. Something I noticed is that working with a smaller organization also allows interns to dive right into projects. I stayed a little late today to finish writing a short piece that will hopefully be edited this week on the coverage of an event this weekend. One day one I already wrote something.

After a wonderful day consuming vast amounts of media, I went outside to catch my subway in the rain. Yes. It started raining and I didn't read the weather report. Yes. I do go to school in Ithaca and usually look up the weather report, but forgot. So, when there wasn't a spot on the bus for me I walked  back to the apartment. It wasn't bad, it was sprinkling. I couldn't help but look at all of the people with their umbrellas, the tourists running around and people hiding under the scaffolding just to avoid a little rain. It was funny, the way everyone looked at me when I was walking, because I didn't really care about the rain. I had a better than fair first day, and a little drizzle wasn't going to get me down.

Off to Work in Less than 11 Hours!

Tomorrow, at 10 a.m. I start my first internship! Well, my first of two internships. Tomorrow I start at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and on Thursday I will be at FOX 5/WNYW. Just so all of you know, I am working six days a week, 50 hours a week for 10 weeks this summer. Needless to say, my friends and boyfriend are not super happy that I cannot hang out, but they are very excited for me! You see, I always overwork myself so this will be a piece of cake. Working Saturdays may not sound fun, but I am already so excited.

Here I am outside of FOX 5/WNYW.
Michelle couldn't resist taking a photo or two.

Today, my step-mom, Michelle, and I travelled the subways together. That might sound silly to the everyday New Yorker, but it's been a while. In high school, I studied at CAP21 for a summer and spent six weeks commuting to and from the city. I knew the subways like the back of my hand and walked through the stations without hesitation, all the while singing musical theatre songs with my friends.

Needless to say, I lost all of this intuition for navigating through the underbelly of NYC when I started to go to school in Ithaca. So, Michelle and I ventured through the streets and subways on Memorial Day. Finding FAIR was easy because it is right near the subway I took to CAP21. Fox, well. I couldn't miss it once I was on the 67th.

When we came back to our neighborhood, Michelle and I bought groceries. It terrified me how fast paced even the cashiers are!  Before I could even process that it was finished, she checked me out. In under a minute! Cooking my dinner took significantly longer, mainly because I made chicken salad which will also be my lunch for most of the week. It took about 30 minutes to make it. Here is a link to the recipe! 

Well, I should go to bed. It is a big day tomorrow. First internship. First night in the city (for a really long time). It's only the beginning.