Thursday, September 20, 2012

Kirsten's News Essay


When reading over the application my roommate said– “you wouldn’t be a journalism major if you didn’t already enjoy watching TV news how it is.” Nevertheless, what inspires me is that I would not be a journalism major if I didn’t think I had the ability to make a change in TV news. If I were given a chance to make a change, I would produce a newscast that kept up with the rapidly changing world of technology and entertainment.
I would produce a more interactive program that would appeal to a wide variety of viewers. Instead of the traditional anchor setting, there would be more of a round table discussion. This would bring depth to the piece and prevent viewers from feeling like they are simply being talked at. Depending on the segment’s topics different guests would sit in on the discussion. In order to add an inside view to the piece while also educating and informing, the guests would include someone directly effected or involved with the topic and an expert or analyst. Unlike traditional in-studio interviews, the guest would have an active presence; for example, an expert would bring visual models or perform a demonstration. Breaking news and popular headlines would be the predominant source of story inspiration; however, viewers could also comment in on what they are interested in seeing covered. A live Twitter or Facebook feed would be used during the show to add to the content of the piece and give viewers a voice. As for reporting, some stories would have an on-field reporter, but for the most part, things would happen in-studio. To gain and maintain an audience who usually gets their news in a YouTube video I would incorporate bits of raw civilian footage into the coverage of the story. The show would be produced visually casual like a talk show, but have hard and serious content with the intent of delivering news in a “business casual” style.
People generally watch the news to better understand what is going on around the world. I personally believe creating more of a connection between the audience and the media is the most effective way to educate viewers in a way they will remember. In a world where hundreds of bits of information are thrown at us through the means of technology, TV news needs a way to make their information stand out as it would in my proposed newscast.


Experience: Three years of high school journalism and computer graphic design, familiar with: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Final Cut Pro.  

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