Finding Your Story: A Podcast Series for Citizen Journalists, Media Enthusiasts and Those Alike

Senior Project Advisor

Cushman, Jeremy

Document Type

Project

Streaming Media

Publication Date

Winter 2020

Keywords

Podcast, journalism, reporting, interviews

Abstract

LINK to PODCAST by using "Link to Full Text" button.

Throughout my journalism career at Western, I’ve learned two things. The first thing is that our current society is extremely skeptical of journalism – whether the news is coming from Buzzfeed or The Washington Post. No matter the reputation, no matter the prestige, the current day political and social climates have led to the development of a collective mentality that stigmatizes news stations and publications alike. The second thing I learned is that despite the evident rise in skepticism toward journalism, there is also a rise in citizen’s journalism taking place as many are looking to share their perceptions of the truth through varying forms of media – social media, amateur watchdog news blogs, etc. As a champion of the free press, I believe it’s important to support our established media outlets. However, I also recognize the impressive impact that collaboration and networking have in journalism. So, with the help of Professor Cushman from the English department, I plan to create a short podcast series consisting of three to four episodes that teach its listeners the basics of journalism. To be specific, each episode will have a focus that will contextualize and show how to appropriately report on a story, including how to prepare for an interview, how to begin organizing/writing the story and how to navigate some ethical dilemmas that may come up in the process. In no way do I assume that my proposed podcast series will fully or properly train someone to be a journalist. What I do assume is that by the end of the series, the listeners will have a basic foundation for what is expected in journalism as well as the basic tools to begin one’s journey in the field. In this age of advanced technological use, it is impossible to impede on the masses of information being shared on a daily basis, and it is even harder to discern between real and fake news. My hope for this project is that those who take the time to learn appropriate reporting etiquette can help set an example to those who also wish to both seek and report the truth.

Department

English

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Citizen journalism; Journalism; Podcasts

Genre/Form

student projects; term papers

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

Link to Full Text

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