Fox 35

I had the wonderful opportunity of shadowing Fox 35 and Good Day Orlando's Amy Kaufeldt this Monday.

Mrs. Kaufeldt, along with the rest of the Good Day crew were extremely kind and welcoming. They were willing to answer any and all questions I had.  I was extremely tired, though, so I probably didn't ask as many questions as I should have.

Looking back, I really wish I would have asked Jamie, the weather man how can wake up at 3 a.m. and still be as energetic and enthusiastic as a 10-year-old on a sugar high. He showed me at least 6 different dance moves. Usually, I have to have three shots of expresso before I encompass the amount of excitement he had.

I was extremely surprised (and kind of disappointed) to see that the station lacked a camera crew. They had one floor director and about four or five robotic cameras that automatically adjusted their position and angles. I know technological advancements are a good thing, but I can't help but think of the jobs robotic cameras have helped cut. 

It relieved me to see that most of what the anchors were saying was scripted and displayed on a TelePrompTer. One of the greatest fears I had of broadcast journalism was freezing up on air and not being able to formulate coherent sentences. 

"Uhm, there was a crime in, uh, DeLand, I think. CUT TO BREAK!" 

I feel a lot better knowing information is displayed on a screen for anchors to read. Maybe I won't stutter too badly if I do take up broadcast journalism. 

I'm going to try and intern at Fox 35 this summer. Everyone at the station seems incredibly helpful and I think it would be a fantastic place to get started in broadcast journalism. 

Introductions

Hello people of Blogger! I don't think we've met before.

Hi, my name is Katie. I'm a high school junior from Florida.

A little about myself:

I'm a self proclaimed nerd; I once wrote a story about chocolate milk and M&M's falling from the sky; I love John Green -- go nerd fighters; I tend to fall both down and up the stairs a lot; I procrastinate too often.

I guess, since I'm a high schools student, I'm obliged to talk about my plans for the future.

I will study journalism at the University of Florida (Notice how I said "I will study," rather than "I want to study." That sentence alone portrays my undying determination to become part of the Gator Nation.)

I fell in love with UF after attending their Summer Journalism Institute in 2012. Before I visited UF, I had no interest in attending the infamous, alcohol infused party school.

 After developing relationships with the college's renowned professors and remarkable students and working in the college's state of the art newsroom, I can't see myself going anywhere else.

My love for journalism didn't come as easy.

SJI 2012 was essentially my first interaction with journalism.

Even after having such a fun week at camp, I wasn't completely sold on the career. The long hours, the low pay, the vending machine diets and the current instability of the industry terrified me.

When I began writing for a local paper, though, my mindset completely changed.

The first serious story I ever wrote for my local paper was about a cancer survivor who was trying to raise awareness for her particular cancer, lymphoma.

Several people had told this lady that her cancer was unremarkable. People refused to offer her a shoulder to cry on because they felt her cancer wasn't that bad. Apparently, an unmentioned publication refused to interview her, saying lymphoma is not a notable cancer, since it isn't backed by a pink ribbon.

One of my mentor's catchphrases is, "Every person has a story."

When I wrote the article about this lady, I realized that while every one had a story, not every one has the power to tell it. Not everyone is capable of getting their message across.

I'm hoping that a career in journalism will help me give voices to the voiceless. Maybe I'll write another story about a cancer patient who was condemned for not having the "right type of cancer." Maybe I'll do a feature on a foster kid who was abused by the employees at an orphanage. Or maybe I'll help a victim of crime tell their story.

To all of those reading this, don't be shy! Introduce yourself in the comments :)