In the summer of 2002, Rajiv acquired a visa to get into Iraq. At that time, Iraq was a police state, which meant as a journalist you couldn’t interview people without first getting permission from the police. On most occasions this interview had to be supervised; therefore, the public was often unwilling to talk because of the intimidation of the police. If you shared an oppostional view of the government, a knock on the door would awake you in the middle of the night and you would be taken in for an intense interrogation. In worse situations your family would also questioned. Chandrasekaren had to word his questions carefully as not to put himself or his interviewee in danger.

Before the US led invasion and War on Terrorism, journalists, especially American, could walk freely around the street of Baghdad without worrying about being kidnapped or murdered. The influx of troops made it so journalists had to be discreet. Chandrasekaren told a story about how he had to get his new armored jeeps altered to look dingy. An Iraqi that worked with him brought him to the Baghdad version of Pimp my Ride. The jeeps were sandblasted and covered in bumper stickers. The paint job was totally ruined and they put various colors on different parts of the vehicle. Carpet was installed on the dashboard (a trend popular in Iraq) and a pair of fuzzy dice was hung from the rear view mirror.  People stateside wouldn’t think of having to disguise a car just to do your job. But this is the life of a foreign correspondent in a war zone. If you don’t blend in, then you will be injured. If you don’t hold your own while traveling with soldiers, they will start to see you as a burden and be less willing to open up to you. If you don’t develop credible sources, you will get no story.

Having an interest in being a foreign correspondent, I was worried about how troops would respond to a journalist traveling with them. When the floor was opened for questions, I had the chance to ask Mr. Chandrasekaren that exact question. To my surprise, the majority of soldiers are fine with journalists. The only time you may be disliked is if you are unable to carry your own things or cannot keep pace with the soldiers. Doing those two things are the main way to win respect with the military. Tempers may flare if you write a critical article, but Rajiv said it is better to follow the “No Surprise Rule” in situations like this. This unwritten rule can be used in all categories of journalism. It basically says to clue people in ahead of time when you are publishing an article that may make them look bad. Often you are able to get more information from them when you do this because they will want you to include more of the story so they will look better. In the end though, people will understand that it is your job to report the truth. They may stay bitter for some time, but eventually it will pass.

Foreign correspondents may have one of the toughest jobs in journalism. While you can cover a story without being shot at, there is no substitute for being in the field. You are able to acquire a different perspective of what is happening. White House correspondents may report that progress is being made, but when you are actually there, there is a different definition of progress. The government’s view of improvement and the real view of improvement are typically on the other sides of the spectrum. Although it will be a challenge, I hope to travel overseas at least once and cover the news on the front lines. You never know, I may be like Rajiv Chandrasekaren and be unable to stop going back.

After a short break, a panel consisting of Chuck Todd, Liz Sidoti, and Chris Cillizza took the stage. Most of the discussion revolved around what a journalist is because there are so many citizen journalists and bloggers in this day and age. Liz Sidoti, a political correspondent for the Associated Press, said “A journalist is someone who goes out and finds issues before writing.” This definition causes a difference in bloggers and journalists since the latter has to hunt for the truth. Her advice for aspiring journalists is:
1. Develop credible sources, but know the difference between sources and friends
2. Know everybody, but know who really knows what is going on
3. Listen and read before going in
4. Report to get to the why

Chris Cillizza is the managing editor of the Post Politics website. He was rather funny and kept the panel in a light mood. He offered many pieces of advice to the WJMC students including:
1. Understand the motives of people when they tell you something
2. Its better to be the first one right, instead of the first one to report something
3. You don’t know as much as you think you do.

The only key piece of advice I took away from Chuck Todd is that what you are covering is not your friends. I had never really thought of this aspect before. As a journalist, you need to stay unbiased and report the facts, not a half truth just to make sure you don’t offend any friends you may have made out of sources (Liz’s first rule).

When the first panel of the day ended WJMC headed to the Smithsonian Museums. We only had two hours to visit the museums (ie. you had to chose one if you wanted to see the majority of it). I chose to visit the Museum of American History. Jessica and I managed to cover all three floors, but we both wished that we could of had more time to study the artifacts closer. I know most of you would like to see pictures and I promise they will be on facebook soon.

The second panel, which took place after dinner, consisted of B.J. Koubaroulis, Kevin McCarthy, and Rachel Dickson. Kevin and Rachel are both young professionals who have experienced great success in the new media journalism world. Rachel is currently working with Patch.com, which creates small town newspapers online. She stressed that we needed to make connections and keep in touch with them. Another main point she made was that your career should not be your life.

Kevin McCarthy (my favorite ) was the most humorous speaker we have had so far. He is a Mason alum and rose to become a film critic by being annoying (his words, not mine) at his internship. Persistence was the key to him getting where he is today.  We shared the same view that you should always ask because the worst thing someone can say is no. Much like Dickson, he believed that we should always work at making lasting connections. His advice was focused more on internships. He mainly said that we should make ourselves known at our internships. If we walk through the office all day with our head down and not talking to anyone, nobody will remember us. Instead, we should talk to major people around the office and ask for more responsibilities.

All of the speakers at the night panel shared the view that facebook, twitter, and other social media sites can be extremely useful when branding yourself as a journalist. A warning was made though to be smart and cautious about the things you put on each of these sites. Rather than half naked pictures from spring break, put yourself (in a good light) and your work out there. B.J. Koubaroulis made the great comment that while we should take advantage of social media sites, don’t let it flood you. There is a limit to how many times you should update your twitter and post on facebook.

Overall, Tuesday was a very successful and informing day. I can’t wait to let you all know what happened today.

xoxo,
Katie

(First Amendment on the front of the Newseum)

I’m sure by now you’re wondering what exactly the Newseum is. They describe themselves as an “interactive museum of news with behind-the-scenes views of how and why news is made.” This is a total understatement. With seven floors, you’re thrown into the history of journalism. I started on the bottom floor, which has information about the Berlin Wall, sports photography, and the FBI. It was amazing to see such a large section of the Berlin Wall in front of you and be able to compare the east and west side of the wall. I have TONS of pictures of the Berlin Wall on my facebook if you want to look at those

Another floor was devoted to all the Pulitzer Prize winning photographs. There is a wall that wraps around showing all the pictures at once in order of the year they won. Further down they have blown up pictures of certain photographs and a paragraph or two from the photographer talking about it.

The Newseum has a section about 9/11 and how the media covered it. They have a running video interviewing journalists who were at the World Trade Centers before and after the terrorist attacks. One of my favorite parts of the 9/11 exhibition was the wall displaying all the front pages from September 12, 2001. I hadn’t realized how many countries around the world covered it.

(September 12, 2001 front pages)

I looked a lot more, and I honestly can’t remember it all. Tomorrow we’re leaving at 8 for the National Press Club. Apparently it used to be the country club for all the journalists back in the day.

Well I’m off to take a shower then go to bed, so I’ll update again for everyone tomorrow.

xoxo,
Katie

After what seemed like hours going up and down on the elevator, I got my wireless internet set up and met my faculty adviser. Her name is Amy Poe and she seems to be nice I’ve met a few other people while waiting in line for various things, but none of my roommates have arrived yet.

Speaking of rooms, its set up differently than I expected. I was freaking out about living with three other people I didn’t know, but it turns out that we have our own rooms and we just share a bathroom. I suppose you would call that apartment style dorms.

My room

I’m not really sure what to do with my time until dinner at 6:30. My adviser said we could explore the campus, but I have a feeling that I’d get lost if I did that. I guess I’ll just wait a little longer to see if anyone from my room shows up. Check back soon. Already missing all of you!!

xoxo,
Katie

xoxo,
Katie

ps- GO ENGLAND!

We pulled out of the driveway around 5:15 and within 30 minutes, I was fast asleep. In case you haven’t heard before, I can sleep just about anywhere. Put me in a car for more than 30 minutes, and you’ll be left talking to yourself. I woke up once or twice to Papaw complaining about other drivers on the road, but that is such a common occurance, I’ve learned to sleep through it. I forgot to mention my other skill is waking up as soon as we stop somewhere. This morning, that location happened to be Anderson, South Carolina’s Cracker Barrel. Unknown to me, they are open at 6:30 am and other people are eating there.

I didn’t even have time to look around the store before a tiny, white haired Irish woman popped up and started yelling about how today was a new day and to follow her to our table. I had woken up about three minutes before, so I was still yawning. This elderly woman whipped around and with a smile on her face, she yelled, “No yawning allowed! Today is a new day!” Well aren’t people in South Carolina just peachy? There isn’t much to say about the food because most people have been there, so you can use your imagination. With a full stomach, I to sleep in the backseat once more.

I’m somewhere in North Carolina right now, but where I’m not entirely sure. I know we’re past Charlotte though

xoxo,
Katie

I’ve spent most of my day off of work doing laundry and packing. Its hard to find things that are professional but won’t be extremely hot during the summer. I’ve got most of my stuff packed besides things I’ll need on a daily basis before I go (shampoo, toothbrush, etc).

Well the dryer buzzer just went off and I’ve got to run to the store to grab a few last minute things. Check back soon

xoxo,
Katie