Final Project

The Rising Cost of College

How does the rising cost of college affect a student’s decision to attend a college?

Over the past 30 years, the cost of college has risen exponentially. In 1980, the tuition for a four-year public school was only a little over $2,000 per year, while today a four-year public institution costs an average of $16,000 a year. Tuition for private colleges and universities is over double the cost of a public institution.

However, tuition is only a part of the problem. On top of outrageous tuition costs, students often have to pay for room and board, meal plans, and text books, as well as other expenses including travel and personal items. Over a period of four years, these costs really start to add up.

In recent years these costs have become an important factor in making a college decision. Most students aren’t able to simply pay for college with money they have stored away; they rely on student loans  or must work multiple jobs on top of their studies to offset the cost. These loans, however, are difficult to get and leave a student in debt. This fear of student debt, and unfortunately for many college kids, leaving them to make the tough decision to forgo on the school of their dreams.

“When I was searching for colleges in my senior year of high school I was faced with a decision that would change my life forever” said Ethel McGinn, junior a math education major at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. “Should I go to Worcester State University in which I would pay virtually pennies and dimes, but not be happy with my educational experience?  Or should I bite the bullet and go to Assumption College in which even after a hefty merit scholarship I would be in a significant amount of debt, but I would be in a nationally ranked Education program?”

Laurel Banach, a junior pre-med major at the University of Massachusetts, shared a similar experience.

“I’ve personally been hit with the issue of college price when making my decision to come to UMass Amherst” said Banach. “I was initially accepted early to Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but due to the lack of financial aid from the school, I was unable to attend. I couldn’t even find the loans to make it through the first year of school alone.”

McGinn, like many college students, works multiple jobs to help offset the cost of her college education, so she could attend the school she wanted.

“At the age of 17 that answer came down to my work ethic,” said McGinn.  “I knew that I wanted to graduate from an accredited college in which I would constantly be challenged with the curriculum.  So I chose Assumption College, but I didn’t choose the debt.  Instead of just taking out loans now, having fun at school, and not worrying about the future debt from interest rates, I took the proactive approach and am working 2 jobs.”

Infographic: College Costs

Video: Student Reactions to the Rising Cost of College

Photo Gallery: Contributing Costs of College

Class Notes: Jobs, Resumes, and Self Marketing

CLICK HERE to check out the Society of Professional Journalists’ “14 Things to do Before You Graduate”

Take Advantage of Your Surroundings

• Before jobs come internships and before internships comes on-campus experience; school paper, school websites, school magazine, school radio station, school TV.
• Many internships look for some previous experience. If you submit a resume with nothing compared to your competitor who has done all of the above … he or she wins.
• How do I get started? Knock on the door, say hello and be open to new things. Send an email. Make a phone call. Network. Do it all. Now is the time.

Think Outside-the-Box

• Freelance for outside publications or radio stations … you don’t need a previous internship, you need some clips (on-campus) or something substantial to show you can perform the task.
• Treat your classmates and peers as competitors … always try to be better off in your career and your experience then others you know. Always try to be the hardest worker you know.
• What can you do, that others haven’t? What will someone say “wow” about?
• Network at functions, meetings, cold call people, ask power position individuals for advice.

Apprehensions

• I’m nervous, I never wrote or did anything like this before. So what! That’s what college is for … test it out, see if you like it.
• How much is enough? Do I get involved with everything? It depends on your major and career goals. Everyone is different. Assess your goals and do what you think is necessary. Talk to a professor/advisor.
• I work, I commute, I take a full course load, how am I supposed to do more? Sacrifice is an important characteristic. Understand that need to work hard now to reap the benefits of landing a job later. Remember that there is always someone out there working harder.

Landing the Internship

• Prepare: Update your resume, edit your resume, let someone look it over, put it on plain white paper, do not be fancy. Write a cover letter specific to that internship, be to the point, not long-winded and overly creative.
• Target: Where do you want to apply? Proximity … to your home or your campus housing, where you  live. But if you want to move, then open the search wider.
• None of them are guaranteed, so don’t take chances by applying to only a few.
• Apply: Four-month lead time … don’t wait until May for a summer internship. The beginning of the semester is a good rule of thumb.
• Interview: If you get called in, that’s a good thing. You need to look presentable, speak clearly, do not show any signs of nervousness and come prepared with understanding the company you might intern at shortly.

Journalism Internship FAQ (Credit CubReporters.org for this info)

• “The best internships are paid.” … Not true. Some of the best internships are with media outlets that attract many applicants but don’t offer compensation. But these opportunities can be the gateway to jobs because “experience” itself is prized by employers.
• “It’s better to intern for a big name media company than a small one.” … Employers look for the most qualified candidates to fill job openings. You might get to do a lot more substantive work for a small newspaper than a large national paper. Prospective employers are more likely to be impressed by the responsibilities you had than the name of the company you interned for.
• “I’m graduating this spring, so I should be looking for a job, not an internship.” … Of course you should be looking for a full-time job. But consider doing an internship as a back-up plan. With the current state of the media and the economy, good entry-level positions might be difficult to come by. An internship certainly beats unemployment. And sometimes media companies hire interns who do a good job.

Internship done, Graduation done– Now What?

• Time to get a job … apply for everything and anything. With this job market, there are no guarantees.
• Use your connections and networks from four years of college.
• See if the place you interned at is hiring.
• How many jobs should I apply for? As much as it takes. 250-300 is not too much by the way.

I Can’t Get Anything– Now What?

• Continue to stay active in the craft… free-lance for things nationwide if you’re up for it.
• For broadcast students, remember that PA jobs or low level part-time jobs are good to start with … you can work your way up fast, so don’t turn them down.
• Use Hofstra and its alumni network.
• Consider going to graduate school.
• If you want something bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to get a job. Do not let the market dictate your future, only you can affect the outcome of your life and career.

How Do I Market Myself?

• You have a resume, cover letter, clips and ambition, but it’s not enough.
• Create a Twitter feed that you can list on your resume, Facebook if you want, but not necessary. Show the employer you know social media … everyone uses it.
• Open a LinkedIn account.
• Create a digital portfolio.

Class Notes: Assessing Multimedia

Assessing Multimedia Potential

• Can the story be broken down into several topical chunks?

-Multimedia journalists work with stories that are deep and complex

-The stories involved several people on a number of topical concepts

-Generally when you see this, it makes for a good multimedia package

-It flows smoothly when many facets of the story can be told effectively in several different formats

• Does the story describe the process?

-Infographics, videos, and image galleries can all be great ways to show how a process unfolded or events occurred

-Interactive diagrams and narrative animations can take you where photos cannot

-Videos can effectively document processes as they occur in a linear form

-Photo galleries can offer more segmented and focused approaches by capturing single steps in a process

• Is the story laden with figures or statistical information?

-Data visualizations present complex relationships in multidimensional data

-Most common data visualizations are maps that establish a qualitative understanding

-Visual patterns applied to maps tell stories that can be quickly comprehended at a glance

• Is there an emotional narrative to be told?

-Video shows action and events as they unfold

-Video is often the best medium for taking the user to a location central to the story or introducing a person important to the story

-Photos can also help show emotion, but doesn’t always present a linear pattern

• Are there dramatic visual moments that can be captured in photographs?

-Videos are best for capturing movement, but photos are best for capturing individual moments

-Still images, in a gallery or on their own, with audio in a linear format, can engage users with dramatic events

-Images can also introduce audience to a person who is central to the story

• Does the story contain strong historical references?

-Interactive timelines add fantastic context to a story

-We know how to build infographics, use charts, bars, graphs

-They’re not always necessary, but are very complimentary when used correctly

• Things to keep in mind while assessing multimedia potential:

-Even if a story is capable of having various forms of multimedia, you need to assess your budget, your time, and your deadline

-Ask yourself or your editor what is feasible

-Do you have freelancers?

-Are you generating proper traffic or page views to warrant this effort?

-Does the audience care? What’s the user’s feedback?

• Use these questions to determine the multimedia potential for a story:

-What are the three most important points of the story?

-What are three reasons the reader should care?

-Check the types of story forms that apply to your story, and give a short, one-sentence description

 

In-class assignment:

A) Multimedia List:

• Photos
• Videos
• Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Vine, Storify, Facebook, etc.)
• Infographics

B) Ways to tell the Story:

•  Photos– right after the win: (player celebrations), Trophy Ceremony, crowd’s reaction, locker room celebrations, photos from restaurants/bars/private homes around the community
• Videos–interview the fans throughout the game/right after win, film the Trophy Ceremony and locker room celebrations, interviews with players/coaches/owners/managers, (if won at the Coliseum) interview workers on their preparation for the game and what it was like working during it, interview players from the last Stanley Cup win.
• Social Media: Use social media to document the entire series/game, allows you to give quick breaking news stories/updates.
• Infographics: Compare the statistics from last Stanley Cup win with this one, give player profiles, show how the team got to the Stanley Cup Finals, timeline of historic events/happenings in the series

C) List of Story Assignments:

• Breaking News Story about the win: interview players and coaches
• Story on Fan Reactions; maybe speak to someone who witnessed the last Stanley Cup win for the Islanders, and what the win means to them
• Story on how the Stanley Cup Win affects the community: What did it do for businesses in the area? Does it affect the move to Brooklyn?
• Story outlining the history of the win: Why did it take so long? What has happened to the players from the last Stanley Cup win? What were the factors that made this team a Stanley Cup winning team?
• Reactions from Chicago: How did Blackhawks feel about the loss? What was the atmosphere like in Chicago? How does this affect their franchise?

Class Notes: Social Media

Video Introduction

Social Media Revolution

Social Media 2013: Statistics and Trends

Using Social Media in Journalism

• Collaborative Reporting
• Journalists as Community Managers
• The Social Beat
• Th Social Network as the New Editor
• A Social Newsroom and the Personal Brand
• A Mobile Social Experience

The Advantages of Twitter:

• It’s real-time nature allows organizations to deliver information to their followers instantly, without relying on newspapers to pick up their stories.
• The number of loyal consumers following a brand on Twitter rose by six percent from last year.
• Twitter allows you to find followers interested in your content, instantly creating an interested audience.

Social Media Newsroom Policies

–Things for employers to consider, according to Poynter.org….

• Have a policy in place and refine in periodically, involving staff in the process.
• Make sure guidelines are clear so that employees know how social media fits into their daily workflow. Does everyone at the organization need to spend a lot of time on social media channels, or are those tasks re-delegated to a specific group of employees?
• Allow room for journalists to have an authentic personality on social media. According to one journalist, “Remember that part of the reason you hired these people is their personal brand in the first place.”

–Things for journalists to consider, according to Poynter.org….

• Have a conversation about social media with employers even before you get the job, particularly if you have developed a following on platforms like Twitter. Find out what future employers expect when it comes to balancing working on the organization accounts and sending updates through your personal accounts while on the clock
• Have a personality, but don’t be obnoxious. It’s not all about you.
• Don’t spend all of your time broadcasting. Remember that social media is also about listening.  The more time you spend listening on social media, the stronger your judgment becomes.

Tumblr

• Long form social media
• Clear platform for video, audio, text, photos
• Shorter than a blog, longer than a twitter feed
• Tagging system allows for good SEO
• Use Tumblr as a primary account, then link to Twitter and Facebook

Pinterest

• Still finding the benefit of this
• Hottest social media tool right now
• Bring awareness to your product
• Communicate via repins
• Be careful of privacy issues with images

Google +

• Helps get your product/work higher in Google search parameters
• Not as common as Twitter/Facebook, but it’s good to be aware of
• Difference maker…. Google Hangouts
• Very simple posting platforms for all types of multimedia

The Rest….

• Instagram
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Flickr
• Storify

MAIN MESSAGE: Have a presence on social media. Journalism is moving towards social media; be sure you understand how to use all platforms or you might get left behind….

Class Notes: Hyper-local News Coverage

All news outlets should aim to cover the basics because are filled with good stories that people care about:

• Education
• Crime, fire, disaster
• Government and politics
• Sports
• Business
• Lifestyle

Being Effective with Hyper-local

• Reporting for everyone. All elements must be covered. Not just sports, not just crime, not just politics, but ALL of it.
• What if the stats don’t show everyone cares? So be it. Know that the proper balance in journalism is covering everything and being fair with story budgets (i.e. even if you don’t think high school volleyball won’t get many page views, the coaches, parents, athletes, and school officials appreciate the coverage, and sometimes that means more than anything).
• Consistency with reporting…. it’s one LARGE beat. It’s pounding the pavement and being a presence in the community you’re covering. It’s being the journalistic face of the coverage area.
• Man on the street: Everyone has something to say. Get them to say it. Reaction pieces are some of the most powerful pieces in a community. We all want to know what our neighbors think and feel.
• User help, crowdsourcing and generating content from your audience is extremely important when trying to hit a wide variety of demographics within the community.
• Sometimes you just don’t know about a story until you ask people for their input. That communication and level of transparency, is invaluable at times.
• Relate large and small events with national exposure to the local level. (How did Hurricane Sandy affect everyone in your community? Did anyone from the community run in the NYC Marathon? Is anyone in your community originally from Boston or a big Red Sox fan? Does anyone in your community know anyone at Sandy Hook Elementary?)

Carve Your Space and Make it count

• Assess the competition– Does anyone else cover what you cover?
• How can you do it better and different?
• Assess your digital game: what elements can you use to make your stories more effective?
• Is this worth your time? Can you create a brand? Can you get sources? Can you get story ideas? Will the stories one day flow in and this be something concrete and tangible?
• Start small, and grow big. Educational stories about positive things in school buildings are good, but parents want to know about test scores and state testing standards. Profiles on politicians are good, but tax payers want to know why their streets aren’t plowed during snowstorms when they pay their taxes? ALWAYS go to the next level for the better story that affects more people.

How Does Business Overlap?

• More than any other media platforms and format, hyper local journalism has a connection with how the business staff or side of things work.
• Because journalists are out in the field and talking to business workers and owners, they have a first hand opportunity to talk about advertisements to share their platform, possibly for money, possibly for barter agreements with signs in windows, or possible content.
• You’ll need to finance your project your, so having these people on your side will be key.

 

HYPER-LOCAL  IN-CLASS CASE STUDY 

Compare three forms of local media, list five things you like, five you dislike, and five things that remain consistent between the platforms:

• Newsday
• One Patch Site Close to your home or Hofstra
• Local Hometown Newspaper

 

Newsday

Five things I like:

1. Lots of pictures and video
2. The website is broken down into different categories based on stories
3. Major headlines at the top of the page
4. Very simple layout
5. Times listed next to that

Five things I dislike:

1. Advertisements are mixed in with the stories
2. Not really interactive
3. Social media is not integrated into the site (no live feeds)
4. Very plain
5. “Alerts,” you can’t click on them for more information

East Meadow Patch

Five things I like:

1. Easy to navigate
2. Headlines at the top of the main page
3. Lists local events
4. Shows comments and likes (interactive)
5. Advertisements on the side (not getting in the way of the stories)

Five things I dislike:

1. Lots of blank, white space
2. Organized at the top of the page, but unorganized as you scroll down (stories all mixed together)
3. More blog like as opposed to being a news site
4. Mentions social media, but no social media feeds
5. Important stories mixed in with random articles

Community Advocate (local paper)

Five things I like:

1. Covers the “hyper-local”
2. Multi-town news site, but can be broken down my town
3. Interactive
4. Content on the main page orgainzed
5. Photos and videos

Five things I dislike:

1. Being a regional site, it can be busy with all the stories from different stories.
2. Advertisements mixed in with content
3. Local stories, not many relevant stories
4. The appearance seems slightly unprofessional-
5. Large open spaces

Constants Between the Platforms

1. Organized in similar manners
2. Don’t utilize empty space
3. All incorporate photos and video
4. Headlines are all hyper-local
5. All have “filler” stories

MAIN MESSAGE: Be able to incorporate national stories with your local news stories.

 

Assignment #5: Crowdsourcing

Hurricane Sandy: One Year Later

Reactions to the storm’s destruction and the effect it is still has today.

One year ago this week, New Jersey and New York were hit by Hurricane Sandy. At the very end of Hurricane Season, many were not expecting the storm to have the effect that it did. Sandy was brushed off by many, but made a point when it destroyed the homes of many living along the New Jersey and New York coastlines.

Just as any other natural disaster, Sandy has left lasting effects on the areas it hit. The New Jersey and New York shore communities are still cleaning up from the damage and trying to make the most of whatever remains.

As the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy passes, many are reminded of the storm and reflect on their experience and what they witnessed others suffer through.

“Hurricane Sandy was a storm that definitely hit us harder than we all imagined. I remember laughing to myself saying this is never going to be a big deal. However, it was,” said Stephanie Weiss, a junior music major from Levittown, N.Y. “My house lost power for twelve days and it was grueling. It was extremely cold with no heat and no nearby stores or restaurants were open to provide warmth or food or anything.”

Weiss, a student at Hofstra, came to campus to seek shelter during the storm, but traveled back home to help her family as they dealt with Sandy.

“We had trouble finding places to charge our accessories and I remember sitting in my car, wasting gas and battery and just cranking my heat and charging my cell phone just for it to charge. Our fence broke in multiple parts during the storm. Our neighbors Garage completely fell and totaled their 1960s valuable car that was in their driveway.”

Christina Russo, a junior, also from Levittown, describes an experience very similar to Weiss’.

“Luckily I live on campus, so when Sandy hit, I only sat in the dark for about an hour. Unfortunately for my family, though, they live fifteen minutes away, and they were without power for over a week; no hot water, no heat, no lights.”

Sophie Strawser, a junior creative writing major, attends Hofstra as an out-of-state student. She comes from Lancaster, Pa., and was able to provide an outside perspective on the storm.

“I was proud of the actions that Hofstra took to make sure their area and students were safe,” said Strawser. “Having never experienced a hurricane this bad, my family was very nervous having me on an island while they were inland. I believe Hofstra students were a bit sheltered to how bad the storm was, and overall I wish opportunities to reach out and help would have been more available for Hofstra students.”

While the storm wreaked havoc and created complete chaos, both Weiss and Russo agreed that some good did come from the storm.

“What is actually beautiful about disasters like this, is the way friends and family come together to pull through it,” said Russo. “My family and I were very lucky to not have suffered any damage to our house or cars as so many others did, and we are very grateful for that.”

“However, I definitely didn’t suffer the worst. Although a week and a half without power was awful, many people closer to the water lost everything,” said Weiss. “Although I am about 15 minutes away from Jones Beach, I truly am grateful for making it out as lucky as I did. However, I would never wish this on anyone, you really realize how lucky you are to be living with warmth and electricity everyday.”

In Class Assignment: Storify– Boston Red Sox 2013 World Series Champions

After a tough year for Boston, the team that gave the city hope brought home baseball’s biggest prize.

CLICK HERE to view the story

Assignment #4: Infographics (Part 2)

In the midst of the 2013 World Series, the Boston Red Sox hope to win at home: Fenway Park. Fenway Park has been a major part of both the history of the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball. Its history spans more than a century and has set many MLB records throughout the years. Not only is Fenway the oldest ballpark, but it’s considered the most beloved. This infographic outlines a brief history of Fenway Park and some of the interesting facts that make it the unique place that it is.

Assignment #4: Infographics (Part 1)

Caffeine is the world’s most popular drug; used everyday around the world to help people stay awake. The substance has been used since the early humans walked the earth, and has become a major part of daily life. This infographic explains exactly what caffeine is, where it can be found, and some of the effects it has on the human body.

Class Notes: Managing News as Conversation

News as a Conversation

• Benefits of Social Media

– Facebook and Twitter = open audience for user engagement

– Allows reporters/editors to cover beats better

• Future for brighter news convos

– Technology is getting better

– News rooms are accepting more responsibility

– Audience who comments expects more from each other in these mediums

• The Comment Box

– Users will post what’s on their mind….some are intelligent, many are not. But 50,000 comments a month is better than just 50 letters to the editor. It’s more voices, more input

• Being Social = More Sources

– What’s better, 10 sources or 100?

– What’s better, 5 comments or 500?

– Assimilating news content to media conversations via engagement tools/methods increases site traffic and story awareness

• Benefits

– Provides transparency on reporting side

– Enables an immediate feedback loop

– Spreads awareness of stories through word-of-mouth marketing

– Spreads awareness of media branding (Patch)

– Story ideas and community awareness

• What editors/reporters must be doing?

– Soliciting content and participation

– Utilizing the tools your company offers

– Moderating comments/blogs/submissions

– Staffing events for marketing and editorial to build a brand in the community, a face to the company

• How to make news participatory?

– iReport – CNN – let people submit content from the scene

– Patch/Newsday/News 12: Let people upload photos/videos, comment on stories, add events to calendar, add announcements/updates, rate and review businesses

– I.E. Hurricane Sandy

• Things to be careful with:

– Do not engage in battle with users, simply moderate and answer questions in a professional and objective manner

– Do not have friends and family post items

– Do not delete comments you disagree with, only ones that are offensive

– Be careful with who you friend on Facebook or Twitter….think about the ethics of it first

Facebook for News

• žIt’s not just a place to check up on old flames and to see what the kid down the hall in your dorm is up to … it can be very beneficial for journalists
• žRefer to Facebook + Journalists page for best practices notes: Facebook + Journalists
  

Twitter for News

• Quick and effective way to receive and report information
• Ability to generate story ideas and stay on a beat
• Ability to speak with sources: Tweets and Direct Messages
• Ability to market your product/info for free
• Hashtags are important, posting times are important ….there is a correct method in using the medium.

Examples of Crowdsourcing

• CLICK LINK to view examples of crowd-sourced news websites
• CLICK LINK to watch video about crowdsourcing from UNC professor
• CLICK LINK žto reading about crowdsourcing Tolstoy
• CLICK LINK žto read about crowdsourcing the Boston Bombing

Crowdsourcing Takeaways

• žRemote way of obtaining sources for a story
• žBe leery about the sources and don’t always base your stories off these “random” sources
• žThink of ways to incorporate social into your daily reporting
• žBe active on social with your audience so the crowd can actually be sourced as opposed to quiet and not saying anything at all

MAIN MESSAGE: Relaying news in the form of a conversation keeps readers and viewers more engaged. Keeping the public engaged in a news conversation not only brings awareness to the news story, but also helps the news site/reporter gain followers.