William McCurry. Communication: Broadcast and Digital Journalism

My love for journalism dates to 2020. It was during everyone's distrust in traditional news, and it was also during the time where everyone’s fear of misinformation and disinformation was peaking. I realized that if we don't have an institution we trust in, who is everyone supposed to listen to. This was especially true during a worldwide pandemic. People had to choose who to listen to. There was a distinct line in the sand on how to discuss the pandemic. It wasn’t just no-named social media accounts choosing sides. There were large traditional news outlets that were choosing sides as well as very influential figures in pop culture demonizing the other side for missteps or inaccuracies. While I agree with fact checking and getting true information to people, it wasn’t coming from a good place. They wanted to prove the other side wrong instead of the main purpose. Procuring facts and presenting that to the public to inform them about the state of the world.

From that point on, I wanted to be a journalist. I wanted to make a change. I know it sounds silly, but if I could make a small impact in making news trustworthy again, my choice in career would be the right one. Now that I am four years into making that decision, I can say now that I don’t regret it. Do I also have other interests? Yes, but I can’t say I would take my life in another direction.

There are multiple aspects of broadcast journalism I enjoy. The number one is editing and writing. You can give one hundred journalists the same footage and the same interviews, and the PKG will be different. They may choose to use different shots. They may choose different soundbites from the interview. How they chose to use the soundbites could be different. Maybe they decide to switch from reporter track to soundbites in rapid succession, or they may choose to let a soundbite just go because how informative or engaging it is. There are endless options on how to edit a story.

Writing the story is just as enticing. You can choose to interject yourself into the story as much as you want. Maybe you want the soundbites to tell the story while you add in parts to transition from soundbite to soundbite. Maybe you want to write a standup while you are at the event you’re covering. That is another aspect I enjoy.

The spontaneity of news. Every day you go to work; you are doing something new. You are not stuck behind a desk or going into a job you hate because it pays well. You get to meet new people, see new things, and have new experiences. That sounds incredible. There is never a dull moment, and if there is, you could actually work. What I mean is putting in the effort to make something seemingly uninteresting into a story that keeps a viewer’s attention.

The question of my favorite project is so difficult because I have two, and they came in the same semester. The first one was creating a commercial for an on-campus department or organization. It was very fun choosing shots and directing individuals. It became more fun when they started getting into it. They were suggesting shots and ways to make what they do as interesting as possible. One part I have not discussed a lot is preproduction. For this project it was deciding how the commercial would flow. That vision coming together while editing was so fulfilling.

The second project I enjoyed was the last project for Advanced TV Production. We had to put together a newscast of stories we previously did for assignments. Everyone involved taking their roles and working together was great. There were some very stressful times when we couldn’t get things to work, but we got passed that and put together a great show. There were some mistakes, but that was always doomed to happen. What was not was the bonding that transpired. There were a lot of fun times with us goofing around, listening to music, and learning a lot about each other. That is a time I will never forget.

I didn’t realize that a lot of the articles I enjoy are long-form, multimedia stories. Being able to replicate that with my own twist sounds like something that is very much up my alley. Obviously, there is going to be much more writing that I have been accustomed to throughout my previous classes in my department, but I look forward to the collaborative projects that will allow me and others to explore the other aspects of multimedia journalism like the photography and videography.

I am currently exploring two different career paths. One path is immediately working for a news station right out of college to get started as soon as possible. It would allow me quickly to get more experience while bettering my skills as a journalist. That seems like the safest path I could possibly take as I have networked with different entities, and that would take me on as an employee.

The other path is going to graduate school to get my MBA. I am pursuing this to be more rounded when entering the job market and have the expertise to possibly carve out my own niche in journalism by starting my own business. I feel that individuals who couldn’t receive the same education as myself and others only need a chance to be about to do some very creative work. That is the backbone of my business of teaching laymen on how to use production equipment, so they could produce their own content. The other half a news outlet producing a daily newscast while taking advantage of social media that traditional news outlets have left open.

Email me at wdm253@msstate.edu with any questions