Gator Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists

1. Gator Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists • General Body Meeting • November 14, 2012

2. Guest Speaker: Sia Nyorkor • Masters in Journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism • Emmy award winning multimedia journalist • Worked for MTV Networks as a backpack journalist • Co-Producer/Director of 125 Franco’s BLVD, which is a half-hour documentary film about a community muralist from Harlem. • Reporter and Managing Editor for Gainesville Television Network: WNBW (NBC), WGFL (CBS), and WMYG (MY) • Currently works as a reporter for KWCH-TV in Kansas. • Member of National Association of Black Journalists

3. Q & A With Sia Q:What made you decide you wanted to become a reporter? A: I always wanted to do something journalism related. I’m curious by nature and a people person. Q: What were some things you did in college to prepare you for your career? A: I did my undergrad at Indiana University. I participated in a news show there, which was kind of like WUFT. I submitted stories for classes, and then in my free time I would submit other pieces for my reel. I joined the NABJ chapter at my school. I also did a lot of networking. I looked for alumni working in the industry and reached out to them. Q: What has been the lowest point of your career so far? A: I don’t know. Low points in your career are the things you learn from. For years I worked as a producer. I really wanted to be on camera. But by the time I started reporting, I was a better reporter because of it. I wouldn’t call it a low because I don’t look at it that way. Q: What has been a high point of your career? A: Working for MTV was a lot of fun. I got that job from an online contest. During the 2008 election they asked for people to submit a story to be a part of the choose or loose team. They picked 51 backpack journalists - one from each state, and I was the New Jersey Corespondent. They gave us cameras, backpacks, microphones and laptops. They told the winners to go out and cover the campaign from our states and every week you would turn in a story. It was one of the funnest jobs I’ve ever done. People had told me bad things about MTV, but there were a lot of pluses. However, for three months I didn’t get paid - that was a low point. Q: Many times, reporters struggle with always getting assigned the 'black' stories. Do you see this as a positive or negative and why? A: Yes and no. You can turn it into a positive. I worked in Gainesville for about 10 years. It was different and a culture shock. Sometimes I would get stories and they thought just because I was black it was okay. Sometimes that was a struggle. For me, it ended up being a plus. I encountered a lot of black people who were untrusting of the media. I would turn off the camera and tell them that if they don’t tell their story, someone else would tell it for them. I had a pretty good reputation in Gainesville for being fair and letting people tell their stories. In situations like that, you have to speak up. Your safety comes first. If you know something’s wrong, take yourself out of that situation. I’ve been blessed with nice managers that haven’t put me in too many bad situations.

4. Q: I've seen you one-man-banding it on some stories. What's that like? A: Tough. I’m not going to lie, it’s a very tough job. I realized I actually like shooting. I like going out of the camera and picking my shots. Editing actually isn’t bad. You just have to get use to carrying equipment. At first it’s a shock to your body. You just have to get use to it. Now it’s second nature to me. It feels so good when you come back from shooting and you look at what you shot. I wasn’t great at first, but I’ve learned. Also, you get more jobs that way. You make yourself more marketable. People aren’t hiring journalists who don’t shoot anymore. Any job you go to, you’ll have to multitask. I really enjoy it. Q: What are three pearls of wisdom that you'd want to pass on to students? A: Networking: You’re on the right track by joining the NABJ chapter at your school. If I would have hooked up with the NABJ kids at my school, I would’ve gotten a better job. I got my job in Gainesville from another Columbia graduate at the NABJ Convention in Tampa. She told me they were starting a new station in Gainesville and hooked me up with the person to talk to. That got the ball rolling. I’ve been active in NABJ for about nine years. You never know when someone can put your resume to the top or make a call for you. Most of the NABJ people I know are really good with helping members. Especially network within NABJ.Internships: Definitely do internships. I know it’s different at UF because you guys have the TV station. University of Florida students come out highly trained. Each year NABJ picks students to go to the convention for free and they do a daily news cast. All of my mentees have a job - some have a better job than I do. I can’t stress enough to network. It seems sometimes that you might be bothering that person, but they wouldn’t tell you to email them if they didn’t mean it. Also, intern anywhere BUT a network. When you intern at a network, you really don’t get to do a lot. You become just one out of 30 interns. Student get more opportunities in a small market. Branding Yourself: There might be times when you are in between jobs. You should have a website. You don’t even have to buy one these days. Also have a professional twitter account. I have 3 twitter accounts. One is professional, one is fun and I have a work account as well. Managers want to see that you know how to do social media. Make sure your social media is professional. Q: As far as branding yourself, do you advise students to make separate accounts? A: I do. It seems like it’s a lot of work, but it’s not. TV News Lady is my brand. News organizations would be so impressed. I think having a separate life outside of yourself is good. Q: Why did you decide to get your Masters in journalism? A: Professors told me it’s a waste of money and time. I worked for years before I decided to get my Masters. At the time I was working for public television in NY and I felt like a dinosaur because everything was digital. I didn’t know how to use Final Cut Pro. I was deciding between Northwestern and Columbia. I got into Columbia and their one year program is very intense. After I got my Masters degree, I felt like those were some of the most professional years of my life. I think it’s so crazy that professionals tell students no to get a Masters degree. There might come a time that I need to take a break. I can teach or write a book. I got a little bit more in my salary because I had a Masters degree and I ended up getting more money than my co workers. People just need to know why they are getting a Masters degree. I do think people should work for a little bit first.

5. Q: What are some things that you did to improve your writing. A: I would rewrite things and I would write them as fast as I could. You only have a minute or two to write something and you have to write it quickly. There is no system or formula. I would break things down into who did what, when, where and how. If you can get those things down, then you can write a lead. Once you get those basics out of the way, the story comes together so easily. I would take things and write them over. Once I interviewed for a job in Philadelphia and they made me take a writing test. I did terrible and didn’t get the job. You need to be able to write and say things in 30 seconds. That writing test was a low. Q: With a one-man-band, how would you get creative in your camera shots during your stand up? A: It’s tough. I’ve learned that when you’re by yourself you just have to put the camera down and get back in front of it. Sometimes I will shoot my stand up twice. I’ll put the camera down and do it. Then I’ll run to the camera and zoom in. Later, I lay the closer shot on top of the wider shot. You just have to get creative. They always say don’t do the walk to nowhere. DON’T WALK, JUST STAND THERE! Q: Do you still use Final Cut Pro? A: I personally have Final Cut. At my station we have something called Grass Valley. Students can get a discount on Final Cut Express. It’s a good program to have on your personal computer so you can update your reel. Q: People find it hard to trust the media. Have you ever come face to face with corruption in the media, like twisting perception? A: People were especially untrusting in Gainesville. People don’t know what journalism is. It is tough to build trust. It is very hard in black and brown communities. The people that lived in the not so nice areas were just as untrusting. People are untrusting of journalists period. When I say off the record, it means off the record. If you don’t stick with that, that person can tell someone and it can ruin a reporters reputation. Q: Have you seen your co workers break a rule like that? A: Yes, but those kind of people don’t last long. You’re going to mess with the wrong person and it’s going to come back to bite you. You don’t want to make headlines for the wrong reason. Don’t get so into the story that you start thinking unethically. Tweet me: @TVNewsLady I do resume critiques, reel critiques. Also, keep up with NABJ. NABJ is going to send an application out for student journalists for the convention. You guys need to go! That’s where you’ll get your first job - especially students at the University of Florida because they know you are all experienced. I encourage you all to reach out to me. I want to see all of you at the NABJ in Orlando.

6. Treasurer Update Current Balance: $659.77 Latest Concession Numbers: $164.07 Please turn in dues ($15) and T-Shirt money ($10) as soon as possible. If you paid for your T-Shirt already pick it up in the Knight Division. Fundraising The last day for concessions is this Saturday’s game. Nacuya, Peta-Gay and Shaneece will be volunteering. For those of you who were interested in volunteering, there will be plenty more opportunities. We plan on doing concession stand for basketball games. We will release the dates for members to volunteer shortly.

7. The benefits of being a paid member of UF NABJ • Contributing content to Zion and Zion Buzz. • The ability to add the organization to your resume. • Receive sponsorship for the convention. • Purchase a t-shirt. • The chance to run for an E-Board position at the end of the year.

8. We will be implementing a point system in the Spring to keep track of the involvement of each member.

9. Zion Committees • Release Party was a success. Check out photos on Facebook. • Make sure you all like Zion Magazine on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zionmagazine?fref=ts • New link for the magazine:http://issuu.com/zionmagazine/docs/zionmagnovember • December and January will be one issue - a Holiday Issue. • DEADLINES: Monday Nov. 19 for articles/photos. Monday Nov. 26 for video and design.

10. Thanks for coming! Our next meeting will be Nov. 28 in the Aha Lounge at 6:30 p.m.