June 13: I got to travel to Bloomington with a crew to report on the Lauren Spierer case. WISH has been streaming the daily press conferences online. I got to sit in on the press conference and really had a difficult time hiding my emotions once Lauren’s mother began talking. I do wear my heart on my sleeve and show my feelings too easily. As a reporter, I will have to be able to put my feelings aside. I think that will be my biggest challenge in this field. I want to keep my compassionate side so it is important to figure out where to draw the line. Too often, reporters forget that they are dealing with human beings. I never want to get to the point where I am neglecting the pain and hurt that other people are going through even if it means more breakthrough news.
June 14: I followed my first female reporter. We were investigating these decorative ceramic pots that have been causing numerous injuries since they have an open flame. It was another story where we kept facing some dead ends. It was helpful to see how she took the reigns and was able to get a good package pulled together.
June 15: I was at the assignment desk which meant answering/making phone calls. Because I was stuck at the station all day I got to work on my package and it is really coming along! Editing is my weakness, but I know how important it is to be very versatile and able to do everything which is why I am forcing myself to really get more comfortable putting together a package.
June 16: Today I went out with a reporter on two different stories. It is always interesting to see how different everyone is when covering stories. I am learning that many of the reporters have very hard personalities. They cuss, have strong opinions, and don't care about what people think. I think it comes with the profession. They have seen and experienced so much in the field and think that the only way to survive is to separate themselves completely. Acting friendly to someone's face and then talking bad behind their back is fairly normal from what I can tell. People don't care about relationships. I, however, am a very relational person. It has been interesting because I have found that many of the workers really just want to know someone cares. I do care about getting to know them... I love asking questions about their families, how they got where they are, etc. I find that once I start asking questions, they are very eager and willing to share. They put up these walls to protect themselves, but deep down they are just looking for a place to fit in and for someone to genuinely care about them as individuals.
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