Archive of ‘Advanced Media Writing’ category

Video news assignment

Lofts ends fall semester with huge success

This past Wednesday, November 29th, the Lofts Community Council put on yet another successful event. This event is their third of the semester and, like the others, drew a nice crowd. Roughly 30 people showed up to the open-mic night. There were light refreshments consisting of hot chocolate and cookies that could be decorated. The show was comprised of around ten performers, with talents ranging from singing and dancing to spoken word and poetry reading.

The Community Council puts a great deal of thought into planning and executing their monthly events. When asked what the creative process was like for the council, here’s what George, the public relations chair, had to say: “When we’re creating programs we spitball a few ideas during our meeting on Monday. Once we have a general idea, we go from there and people begin to chime in on how we can entice more people to come and how we’re going to meet the requirements we have to meet so that they’ll show up.” Those that attended the open mic could clearly see that the Community Council took the time and put in the effort for the holiday event.

The Community Council has been working hard this semester since being elected this past September. One of their big goals has been to make sure that the residents feel heard and to make life in the Lofts as enjoyable as possible. So far, they’ve done a good job of following up with the necessary people to get things fixed like the learning center computers and printer and the elevators. They have inspired residents to provide questions, comments, and concerns by providing a candy jar guess game at the front desk. Residents have the opportunity to win a jar of candy by guessing on slip of paper that is submitted via suggestion box. This suggestion box has proved very successful, with the box becoming full within 24 hours. They also have monthly Town Hall meetings. These are public forums where people can come and speak directly to the Community Council and any professional housing staff that may be there.

Residents have noticed the difference between this year’s community council and last year’s. The feedback has been great, and the Lofts Community Council has even more in store for next semester.

News-feature writing assignment

Boxing Hunger: a night to raise awareness

By Angela Robinson

Boxing Hunger is an annual, fall semester event that takes place Georgi State University (GSU) each November. GSU’s University Housing department sponsors the activity that aims to spread awareness about homelessness and hunger during National Homelessness & Hunger Week. The program is very immersive and allows participation in different simulations, programs, and activities throughout the event.

This year, Boxing Hunger is held November 15, from 5pm until 10pm in the Commons Meeting Room in the University Commons dorm. The University Housing staff asks that participant bring donation items like non-perishables, toiletries, gently worn clothing and anything else they think will be useful. These items are exchanged for prizes to enhance the Boxing Hunger experience throughout the night.

One student spoke about how the experience opened her eyes and inspired her to make a change. “Before Boxing Hunger, I was not as aware of the magnitude of homelessness in Atlanta. It’s easy to become caught up in your own life and not notice the people constantly living outdoors around you.”

“After going to this event, I was aware of the struggles that homeless people go through that can also prohibit them from becoming housed. The experience made me want to do as much as I can, whether it’s giving them my leftovers to donating my old clothes,” she continued.

Typically, a lot of students can relate to this mindset. Being in college can be like being in a bubble, even in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

Other topics discussed at Boxing Hunger are poverty, food deserts and the struggles of government assistance. These are elements that most people don’t realize are related to homelessness.

“I was already aware of some of the facts surrounding homelessness around the city. The real shock came when learning about food deserts. I learned about how hard it is for poorer neighborhoods to obtain and afford healthier foods. It also can often be hard for lower-income families to stay on top of their benefits due to transportation costs, time conflictions with work and childcare, and even loss of benefits due to changes in regulations and requirements,” said another student.

These two accounts are representative of students who experience Boxing Hunger. Those who attend the event tend to return every year.

To participate in this educational, enriching event click on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/boxinghunger17

Copywriting exercise

Learning About Money

When he goes shopping for video games, Connor Jackson is careful to find the best deal. His mom says he’s always been good at finding bargains.

While her son has developed his money smarts himself, Lydia Jackson wonders why this isn’t a skill being taught in schools.

“I would think it’s more important to learn how to manage money than it is to do algebra,” she says.  She’s not alone. When polled, 87 percent of Americans say that financial literacy should be taught in schools.

But the reality is that only 17 U.S. states require students to take a personal finance course. Only 20 states require a course in economics, but that course may or may not include information about personal finance.

Aidan Ferguson is a personal finance teacher in Roanoke, Virginia, one of the states that emphasizes financial literacy. He has been teaching the required financial-literacy course at Thomas Jefferson High School for eight years.  He enjoys his work and sees its importance every day.

“I’ll have a student come up to me a year later and say ‘Thanks, Mr. Ferguson. The lesson you taught on college costs has been coming in handy as I apply to schools,’” said Ferguson.

He also noted that money is a topic that many students like. They are very engaged and stay interested in the material throughout the entire semester. “There’s never a problem with students not doing their homework – when homework is comparison shopping for fast food items,” he said.

The Commonwealth of Virginia mandates that students take a semester-long financial-literacy course before they graduate. Ferguson believes this is changing lives for the better and that his students will become better consumers as a result.  He wishes more states would adopt this policy.

As for Connor Jackson, who lives in a state without a financial literacy requirement, he’s left to learn from his parents and his own experience. “I would take a course like this if my school had it … and I’d probably get an A,” he said.

 

 

A day in the life at CNN

Lobby area in the CNN center

Walking into CNN, I felt a sense of excitement. I felt ready and eager to begin my career. Even though I won’t be going into news, I still liked being in a professional environment with such accomplished people.

When we started the tour, Monte Plott, tour guide and Digital News Editor at CNN, told us the history of the CNN building and mentioned that it used to be the world’s only indoor amusement park.

The first place we visited was the newsroom. There were tons of, with people researching national and international stories for the next headlines to report. Here, Plott said that they produce 40-to-50 stories a day.

From there the tour became more in-depth. We visited the control room, where we could see everything on-air at that moment. Plott said the control room functions as the brain center for programming, ensuring that the news anchors stay on-script. We saw this process live with Wolf Blitzer.

Overall, the tour was great and informative and I felt lucky to be able to learn so much from a seasoned journalist. When asked if he had any sage words for us, Plott said, “The only thing we (journalists) have going for us is credibility. If we lose that — if get things wrong, doesn’t matter why or how we got them wrong, just that we screwed up — then we’re out of business.”

 

Professional biography

Angela Robinson is a senior at Georgia State University (GSU) studying journalism with a concentration in public relations and minor in marketing. Her goal is to work in communications at a public relations or marketing firm with a focus on lifestyle brands.

 

Robinson is a native of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Long Island. She attended Indian Springs School in Birmingham, Alabama.

In high school, Robinson sang in the choir, was a member of the Key Club, served as proctor in her dorm and played on the softball team.

Her original career choice was to become a doctor. She had plans to become a pediatric endocrinologist. Later, she realized her passion was in journalism and marketing.

After becoming a journalism major, Robinson is gaining as much college experience as possible. She spent a semester working for the Black Student Alliance and Dominion City GSU supporting public relations and marketing.

She also is a Residence Hall Association representative.

Robinson interned at Georgia Equality, an LGBT+ organization, from May-August 2017. Her first endeavor was creating event materials for the organization’s yearly gala, Evening for Equality. She worked on group power mapping, as well as editing press releases and writing media advisories.  Angela also put together “festival bins” – comprised of literature and prizes – that would be taken to Pride events and festivals across the state. During her time there, Robinson learned how to work in a close-knit team in a nonprofit environment.

Upon graduating, Robinson wants to go to work in her field right away.  

Lead Writing

It seems Hurricane Irma had everyone in a panic Wednesday afternoon.

With all the frenzy and traffic, it’s no wonder Marcella Adams and Dwight Adams (no relation) were involved in an accident. On September 6, 2017, around 3 p.m., the two parties were involved in a T-formation accident near Ansley Mall. Marcella Adams appeared to have the right of way, while Dwight Adams admitted to running a red light. “I just wasn’t paying attention. I guess I ran a red light,” he said. Mr. Adams was charged with running a red light, failure to yield and reckless driving.

Group Eclipse Lead

Rare sight captivates GSU

Unity and amazement filled the atmosphere Monday, August 21 as thousands of Georgia State University (GSU) students and faculty gathered to witness the solar eclipse. The last solar eclipse that could be seen from the United States happened on February 26, 1979. Across campus, eyes turned toward the sky to get a glimpse of a rare, stunning phenomenon. For those who didn’t bring protective glasses, GSU had a limited supply available. Even then, there were plenty of people happy to share. The next eclipse that we’ll be able to see will be on October 14, 2023. 

Elevator Speech

Hi, my name is Angela Robinson and I am currently a senior at Georgia State University. My major is Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. I have interned at Georgia Equality, an LGBT+, nondiscrimination organization and during my time there I performed many duties, including writing media advisories, editing press releases and doing group power mapping. I’m looking for an internship that will allow me to put into practice the PR and marketing skills that I have been learning throughout my college career. Do you have any advice on how someone with my experience may fit into your firm?