11.18.11. The Broadcast Media classes combined today for a visit from Channel 12 News Reporter Mr. Jason Newton. Mr. Newton spoke about his life, career, and how to be successful in whatever field you choose.
Mr. Newton shared stories about the challenges and rewards of his job, and the importance of teamwork especially in high-pressure, tight deadline situations. One of the hardest things about his job is having to talk to families where tragedies have occurred, especially if they involve children. The best thing about what he does is being able to inform the public of things that help. A recent co-sleeping tragic story was hard to do, but an important one to share because the information could prevent other similar tragedies.
Mr. Newton gave the Messmer reporters several good tips to improve their interviewing and reporting skills. He emphasized the importance of open-ended questions, research, language, and surprise. He said he tries to keep the audience interested by engaging their emotions and senses through powerful pictures, sounds, and "sound bites" from those directly involved in the story.
Mr. Newton answered the many questions the students had about his career, and spoke about the effect of technology and social media on the field of journalism. He invited the classes to Channel 12 for a tour, and the students said they were now going to follow him on Twitter.
The students are grateful for the time Mr. Newton took to come to Messmer and connect what they are doing in school to the real world of Broadcast Journalism.
