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Hi, UPIUers! It’s Krista, your senior mentor, and I’m writing from Frankfurt, Germany, where I’ll be reporting until early October through a fellowship from the International Center for Journalists.
I landed a week ago and was immediately shuffled into full-time language classes. Between memorizing German verb conjugations and perfecting my order of kuchen and kaffee at cafes, I’ve been hunting high and low for stories.
Hunting for stories, you might ask? In a foreign country, where I butcher the language more than speak it?
That’s right – and I’m finding stories everywhere. In fact, visiting new places is one of the best times to sniff around for a good yarn (an American term for a compelling story) or two. While there’s nothing like knowing the local culture and sources inside and out, being in a new place means that everything is fresh. What might be taken for granted by a local could be a surprise to you.
For example, I discovered shortly before traveling here that church members are assessed a special tax by the government. The government collects the money and, according to my sources, turns it over to the church. The idea is to guarantee that state-recognized churches have enough gold in their coffers to pay clergy and hire janitors. To get on the tax list, all you have to do is be baptized into one of the churches, even if you were baptized as a baby. To get out of the tax, you must formally apply at a courthouse that you no longer wish to benefit from anything the church offers
When I asked Germans about this, they said, “Naturlich!” That’s the German word for, “Of course! Why is this even a point of conversation?”
But for an American unused to such a tax, it raises questions. What happens when a flood of people leave the Catholic church in protest over the pedophilia scandal? What about mosques? Are they allowed to collect a similar tax through the government?
Certainly, many Germans report on these issues. But as an outsider, the questions jump out and grab me.
A few questions to ask yourself when you’re in a new place, even if you’re on a school break at the beach or on vacation to another country with your family:
- What’s different here? (Example: All the homes are equipped with solar panels. Is there a city law requiring them? How do homeowners feel about this?)
- What’s the same as in your hometown? (There’s an Outback Steakhouse in the city’s downtown. When you visited last two years ago, that area was filled with restaurants serving local cuisine. What changes does that indicate?)
- What if…? (Example: Those European cathedrals are gigantic! What if a bell breaks? Who has to climb 150 meters up to fix it? Would that person make a good profile subject?)
Be curious! You’re an out-of-towner; that means you have free license to ask away. When you stop to find out how much it costs to ride the local bus, why not take an extra moment to find out whether the buses are electric? Did you just eat a delicious dinner of fresh local fish? Who caught that fish? How has his or her business changed over the past few years?
Once you get started, there’s no end to the questions you could ask. Don’t be shy. In most cases, people are proud of their regions and countries, and are pleased to speak with you. I plan to share more about my experiences as a foreign correspondent here in Germany in the coming weeks. Watch this space to find out where my curiosity takes me.
Do you plan to travel soon? What sorts of stories might you find there? Let us know below!
Amy Dalton, a junior at Young Harris College, found it extremely hard to wake up before noon on Thursday. Even still, she woke from her summer slumber for a one-day training session with UPIU staff in preparation for her student newspaper duties in the fall.
After the early-morning pitch session and lecture about Web writing, seven YHC students hit the streets to tackle their individual assignments utilizing “shoeleather” journalism. The students had five hours to do their reporting and for some this was their first reporting experience.
“I was impressed with the quick turn-around because I knew that this was the first reporting experience for one or two of them,” UPIU International Coordinator Harumi Gondo said. “4 p.m. was supposed to be their deadline, but it became a feedback sessions because they filed their stories so quickly.”
UPDATE: The students received real-time feedback via online video chat on their stories from the UPIU team. Senior mentor Tom Ramstack gave students advice on story organization and interviewing difficult sources. Dalton had problems getting information from a PR representative for her story on the Goergia “texting while driving” law.
“I tried to just keep asking the question until he answered it,” Dalton said. “And I tried to call other people that would possibly have the same information but they didn’t get back to me, so I had to call AAA, which I thought was just as good.”
Be persistent yet cordial when pursuing sources, and don’t alienate them or damage a new organization’s reputation, Ramstack advised.
“I have talked to my students about this program as a ‘crash course in (new) journalism,’” wrote YHC professor Nick Bowman in an e-mail. “I like that my students are working on a one-day turnaround for their stories from conception to final edits; this really gets them used to how things work in the ‘real world.’”
Two YHC students, freshman Ethan Burch and junior Callie Stevens, became involved with the program to learn more about online journalism and found the program informative and helpful.
Dalton agreed. “I got involved in the program to learn more about Internet news writing, to network and hopefully add this to my résumé,” said the media communications major from Augusta, Ga.
The UPIU team will also be working with YHC journalism classes in the fall.
 [Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI]
When a photo gallery from China of a biodegradable urn burial ceremony came in it had one vague cutline for all 16 photos.
We knew our viewers would want an explanation as vivid as the gallery and so we turned to UPIU’s unique network of users and contacted several Chinese j-students.
We e-mailed them the photo gallery and captions and asked them to track down more info on the photo essay. Xixi Quan, a journalism student from Peking University in Beijing, China, agreed to tackle the assignment.
Xixi shared with us the steps she took to get the story (we edited the e-mail a bit for brevity and clarity).
“At first, I thought the guys in the photo were soldiers so I asked someone from the military. None of them knew anything about a funeral like this in the military. I was disheartened but I looked again at the e-mail Anna sent me, and keyed in on the word degradable instead of military.
I went online and found a news story. I contacted a reporter I knew and he gave me details through e-mail. ^_^”
Good job, Xixi!
Would you be interested in joining in on the fun? Sign up here for UPIU and join our team of mentored aspiring journalists.
Name: Chinki Sinha
Background: Raised in India, attended j-school there, then attended j-school in the U.S. before getting a job at a local U.S. newspaper. Now, she writes for The Indian Express based in New Delhi.
 Chinki Sinha Cross-cultural challenges: “(In the U.S.) it was difficult for me to understand the culture and its subtleties. But that I resolved by being observant and talking to people. Yet another challenge was getting used to the newspaper industry in the United States, where a lot of focus is on community and local news… In India, newspapers have regional bureaus but they are mostly national newspapers.”
Building sources, gaining trust: “People (in the U.S.) were willing to talk and town board meetings were open to the public. Public officials were available. In India, it is entirely different. Here, you cultivate sources in the departments you cover so they can tip you off.”
Back to India: “After working in the States for around two years, I decided to move back (to India) because I felt local news was not something I could latch onto for the rest of my life. I wanted to travel, write on poverty, hunger, people and social policies in our country…I am glad I got a job and my editors let me travel extensively. I have learned a lot in the process, from keeping deadlines by filing stories from a crowded shop in a rural market because they had a generator and we could plug our laptops in, to understanding how to make way through closed communities that are unwilling to talk.”
Working hard: “Given the intense competition in India among daily newspapers, a reporter is expected to beat all others when it comes to news reporting… a reporter is expected to think of innovative ways to do a story, and to file investigative reports every week.”
Breaking stereotypes: “Most U.S. journalists based in India as foreign correspondents don’t get the country and write misleading, stereotypical reports. When you decide to be a journalist, you must set aside the prejudices and be open to the society and its quirks.”
What U.S. journalists can learn from Indian journalists: “(They) can learn about cultivating sources…and how to stay on top of the news and to get a larger perspective on news.”
Accuracy and creativity: “In the U.S., we checked the names from the phone book to make sure we were spelling them correctly. Here, we are trying to focus more on such accuracy… A lot of my (Indian) friends feel that a reporter’s job is to collect information…So often, the news reports are straight copies without much imagination or creativity fused into them. I have always felt that a journalist needs to be a storyteller and for that we all must learn to write well…It is how you package it and how you tell the story that will ultimately set us apart and make us stay in the game.”
Read Chinki’s recent story, Baby Boom Town, here.
Read a story, by UPIU writer Arwa Sultanali, about journalism in India here.
I’m Anna, the UPIU intern. When I started out here this summer, Senior Mentor Krista Kapralos and International Coordinator Harumi Gondo said they wanted me to write an article on autism. “OK,” I thought, “What about autism?”
Three weeks later, I had an article titled “‘Roadmaps of Progress’ or Roadblocks to Success?” that highlights young adults with autism.
How did I go from a one-word assignment to a 1,500-word article? Read the steps below to find out.
1.) Audience: I had to narrow down the topic of autism to appeal to the primary readership of UPIU.com, which is college-aged people in their 20s.
I asked, “What do young adults want to know about autism and why should they care?”
2.) Research: I started researching autism and how it affects young adults.
I asked, “What are the most pressing issues young adults with autism are facing?”
3.) Topic: Through my research, I discovered that one of the most pressing issues young adults with autism face is their struggle to transition into adulthood.
I asked, “Is this an interesting topic for UPIU?”
4.) Sources: After determining that this was a good story for UPIU, I made a list of about 20 possible sources. In my list, I had government officials, school administrators, nonprofit employees, autism experts and families of autistic young adults.
I asked, “Even if I don’t use all of these sources, does this list include all possible angles of my story?”
5.) Facts: I tracked down facts and statistics from federal government reports and agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and other advocacy groups.
I asked, “where is the best information I can find to include in my story to give it depth and credibility?”
6.) Reporting: I spent a solid week on the phone and out of the office speaking with sources, compiling information and composing an outline. The outline was crucial in helping me organize all of my information into a coherent storyline. Then, I reviewed the outline with Krista and set a deadline for my article.
I asked, “What information is missing from my reporting?”
7.) Shoeleather: I didn’t sit at my desk and send e-mails for all of my information, which is often called “armchair journalism.” Instead, I spoke directly to my sources, found a newsworthy event that brought life to my story and attended it in person. This direct, traditional style of reporting is called “shoe-leather journalism.” With my notepad and pen, a digital voice recorder and a camera, I attended the Project SEARCH graduation ceremony where two autistic students had completed the program that helped them learn skills needed to get competitive jobs.
I asked, “Is this the event that is going to make my general story on autism newsworthy?”
8.) Follow-up: I followed up after the graduation ceremony in two ways. First, I interviewed a family I met at the ceremony by going to their home and getting additional information, photos and audio. Second, I interviewed many of my sources a second time, getting more information straight from the source on everything relevant to this program and event.
I asked, “Do I have all the information I need?”
9.) Write: After transcribing 10 pages of interviews with 20-plus sources and organizing pages upon pages of research, I spent about three days narrowing down my information, writing, editing and rewriting my article.
I asked, “Will others be informed and entertained by my story?”
10.) Fact-check: Krista and I thoroughly edited and fact-checked my story several times. I sent a source list to Krista that included names and titles of sources and the sources of all my facts.
I asked, “Am I being as credible and clear with my reporting and writing as I can?”
11.) Finish: I took Krista’s edits and suggestions seriously and after several draft versions, I finally finished the three-week project of researching, reporting and writing about autism.
“The country’s top judge is paid by criminals to keep them out of prison.”
 Entertainer Carol Burnett answers questions in the press room at the Superior Courthouse in Los Angeles on March 21, 1981, after she was awarded $1.6 million in her libel case against the National Enquirer. She had sued after the supermarket tabloid printed a story in 1976 implying she was drunk in a Washington restaurant. (UPI Photo/John Barr/Files) Whew, what a story! The reporter who finds this scoop has news that could be the most important revelation of the year. There could be awards and job promotions and, more importantly, the story could end a string of improper court proceedings.
But…what if it’s not true?
Any reporter who writes – and publishes – such a sentence better be absolutely certain that the claim is accurate. If it’s not, the reporter could face serious trouble: lawsuits, fines, and the end of a journalism career.
What’s more, it doesn’t matter whether the person who wrote and published the sentence is a news reporter or an opinion writer. Whether your statement was published on your personal blog or in The Wall Street Journal, if the statement is not true, it’s libelous. In fact, one Colorado man faced 18 months behind bars after he published an angry rant about his girlfriend on Craigslist.
Whether or not it’s illegal in your country, we don’t want libel on UPIU.
But how can you know for sure where to draw the line? That’s a tough call in some cases, but here’s a quick online tutorial that reviews the basics, and offers solid examples of libel. You’ll need to create a New U account, but it’s well worth the effort.
While you’re there, check out the other News U online resources.
College Media Matters, a blog written by Dan Reimhold, has just featured UPIU in its most recent post UPIU: “Building the J-Future” Atop Students Worldwide.
The post highlights a handful of UPIU writers from around the world, as well as guidelines for getting involved with UPIU and UPIU’s up-and-coming features. Learn the ins and outs of UPIU straight from the source in the article and be sure to leave a comment.
Antibiotics are so cheap and plentiful in Kenya that many people have developed a resistance to them, sparking a serious healthcare crisis.
There are lots of places to get tested for HIV/AIDS in the Nairobi area, but homosexuality is illegal in Kenya, so many people in need of tests avoid the clinics.
A Nairobi neighborhood that exploded with Somali refugees when their government collapsed in 1991 has become a commercial destination, seemingly protected from the global financial crisis.
Those are just a few of the stories students from Nairobi’s United States International University submitted to UPIU over the past week. With an insider’s view of a development dollar darling, the students found real stories that often slip beneath the radar of professional foreign correspondents who visit the area.
 USIU j-students chat with UPIU Senior Mentor Krista Kapralos When the students gathered to chat via video with UPIU Senior Mentor Krista Kapralos this week, they discussed when it’s okay to use anonymous sources (Zawadi Birya’s story about HIV/AIDS testing is one of the few exceptions), why it’s not a good idea to pull quotes from other news organizations (There’s no guarantee that the other news organization got it right), and how to write a positive story without sounding like a public relations flack (be sure to cover all sides of an issue).
Check out all the stories:
Mogadishu University thrives despite violence, by Abdi Latif Dahir
Eastleigh: From a refugee ghetto to a shopping district, by Suleiman Abdullahi
Kenyans struggle with antibiotic resistance, by Muthoki Mumo
Homosexuals struggle to access healthcare services in Kenya, by Zawadi Birya
Development: A process of social change, by Rhoda Okello
Victims of development, by Abigail Arunga
Sharing a two-bedroom apartment with five other people. Taking a six-hour bus ride home for the holidays because you can’t afford a car (or a parking space, for that matter.) Typing up crime briefs and local swimming pool schedules.
Is this why you endured four years of journalism school?
If you’re a recent college grad who just wants to get a little experience, you might be in the wrong place. Sure, New York City and Washington, DC sound like dream locales for those of us who grew up reading about New York’s newspaper wars and watching “All the President’s Men,” but prime beats in those cities are hard to come by.
Don’t overlook smaller news organizations, says Mike Kilian, managing editor of the Observer-Dispatch newspaper in Utica, NY.
“Smaller newspapers are where you’re going to meet the cops and argue with the mayor who barely finished high school,” Mike says. “It’s where you’ll be bored to tears at some lunch function yet you’ll come back to the office with some great tips for future stories. And it’s where you can learn to sharpen your questions and your writing and win awards and get a heck of a lot of satisfaction.”
Utica is a small city in New York State’s heartland. It was once a luxe getaway destination for New York City’s mob bosses (the paper won a Pulitzer in 1959 for its mafia coverage) and has evolved to become home to thousands of refugees and immigrants from around the world. The city struggles with poverty and crime, but is also home to people who know how to transform abandoned blocks into warm neighborhoods.
There might not be much nightlife in Utica, but there are more stories than an eager reporter could dream of tackling. Mike has hired more than his share of new grads – they make up about half of all the reporters he’s hired, he says. He looks for young journalists who have a handle on time management and accuracy. Most of all, Mike says he looks for grads who can “see” a story.
“Far too often, a young journalist is pressing up against a deadline with a notebook full of quotes, but with little understanding of what the point of the story really is,” Mike says.
Whether you’re working for a tiny daily in Alaska or the New York Times, young journalists should determine one or two questions a story should answer BEFORE reporting and writing the story.
“If a county were hiring a new public health director, such a key question could be, ‘How will this person address the most pressing needs in the county?’” Mike says. “And that will force the reporter to both keep the story real by focusing on specific healthcare issues, and to keep the interview with the new person focused so that you don’t wind up with ‘I’m happy to be here’ lame quotes.”
Critical thinking is the real key to solid journalism, Mike says.
“Journalists are not stenographers, passively taking down details of what’s occurring,” he says. “Instead, they’re asking the ‘Why’ questions and trying to put events into a useful context for readers.”
When job-hunting, look for news organizations that value basic journalism skills. Find editors who, like Mike, encourage new reporters to focus most on reporting and writing. Social media is critical to the news industry, but real reporting and interviewing skills are the bedrock of journalism.
“Information is more critical to our society than ever, particularly because it moves rapidly through the world, nation or a single community,” Mike says. “Yet 10,000 Tweets don’t necessarily add up to accuracy. The people who do know how to conduct interviews, read documents and follow story leads will likely be more valuable than ever.”
Even in a fast-paced, social media world, Mike says, “there’s always enough time to get the story right, so don’t cut corners in your reporting.”
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Waitressing tables by day at a Greek restaurant in Virginia, I submitted my application for the UPIU internship posted on journalismjobs.com (a hot job/internship search site). Several days later, Harumi Gondo e-mailed me back with one line: “Please check the first and last paragraph of your cover letter.”
