Well, it only took me about a month to get around to posting this. Blame college, finals and life. Last month I met with Channel 7’s Stephen Clark to job shadow him for the night. Afterwards I had to write about my experience for one of my journalism classes. Here’s how my visit went.
I arrived at the studio, proudly known as ‘Broadcast House,’ around 5:50 p.m. just as Stephen Clark was preparing to go on the air for the 6 o’clock newscast. I was excited, but I was trying to stay collected. The last thing I wanted to be was star-struck. But, I had grown up watching Channel 7 and some of these reporters, and to actually meet them in person was exciting and a little daunting.
Stephen Clark greeted me in the lobby shortly after he wrapped the 6 o’clock. He had been tweeting at me throughout the show, which is something he’s actually become quite well known for doing. Clark started the #backchannel about two years ago as part of his vision of trying to reconnect with his audience. Twitter was still relatively new at the time, but Clark recognized the potential the new social media tool held.
Clark has never been the type of journalist to shun new technologies or reject new, maybe even better, ways to deliver the news. During our hour or so long talk at his desk in the newsroom he said something that really resonated with me. He said that we weren’t just journalists anymore, we weren’t just there to report the news—we’re content creators, and the form in which we produce this content and the mediums through which we deliver it is constantly evolving.
I decided a while ago to brand myself as a multimedia journalist. It seemed like the logical thing to do. After all, I wasn’t just a writer. I could make videos, I could take pictures, I could manage my own blog. But I also wanted to do broadcasting and so I thought that dubbing myself a multimedia journalist made the most sense, but now, I want to start thinking of myself as a content creator.
Clark didn’t get to where he is today because he had a good news voice or because he could read a teleprompter well, albeit those qualities I’m sure helped a little. He got to where he is today because he was never afraid to push the envelope, do more than what was expected of him, or learn new technologies or take different approaches to reporting. He’s a one-man-band. He writes his own copy, shoots his own video, edits his own packages and serves as the face of one of most storied and prominent news brands in Metro Detroit. That’s no small task.
For years Clark sat in front of the camera delivering the news to an audience that was on the other side of the glass. There was a barrier between him and those watching him and he grew tired of it, admittedly saying he grew bored with his job. He wanted the news to be interactive. He wanted to talk with his audience and have them talk back. The #backchannel—essentially a streaming conversation with his viewers through tweets—was born out of boredom, out of feeling complacent. As a young journalist I’ve learned that complacency in this business is a “four letter word.” Innovation, creativity and serious hard work are what separate good journalists from great ones.
Before I left, Clark said something to me along the lines of: as long as you want it bad enough, you’ll make it in this business. I think I might make it.
Stephen Clark greeted me in the lobby shortly after he wrapped the 6 o’clock. He had been tweeting at me throughout the show, which is something he’s actually become quite well known for doing. Clark started the #backchannel about two years ago as part of his vision of trying to reconnect with his audience. Twitter was still relatively new at the time, but Clark recognized the potential the new social media tool held.
Clark has never been the type of journalist to shun new technologies or reject new, maybe even better, ways to deliver the news. During our hour or so long talk at his desk in the newsroom he said something that really resonated with me. He said that we weren’t just journalists anymore, we weren’t just there to report the news—we’re content creators, and the form in which we produce this content and the mediums through which we deliver it is constantly evolving.
I decided a while ago to brand myself as a multimedia journalist. It seemed like the logical thing to do. After all, I wasn’t just a writer. I could make videos, I could take pictures, I could manage my own blog. But I also wanted to do broadcasting and so I thought that dubbing myself a multimedia journalist made the most sense, but now, I want to start thinking of myself as a content creator.
Clark didn’t get to where he is today because he had a good news voice or because he could read a teleprompter well, albeit those qualities I’m sure helped a little. He got to where he is today because he was never afraid to push the envelope, do more than what was expected of him, or learn new technologies or take different approaches to reporting. He’s a one-man-band. He writes his own copy, shoots his own video, edits his own packages and serves as the face of one of most storied and prominent news brands in Metro Detroit. That’s no small task.
For years Clark sat in front of the camera delivering the news to an audience that was on the other side of the glass. There was a barrier between him and those watching him and he grew tired of it, admittedly saying he grew bored with his job. He wanted the news to be interactive. He wanted to talk with his audience and have them talk back. The #backchannel—essentially a streaming conversation with his viewers through tweets—was born out of boredom, out of feeling complacent. As a young journalist I’ve learned that complacency in this business is a “four letter word.” Innovation, creativity and serious hard work are what separate good journalists from great ones.
Before I left, Clark said something to me along the lines of: as long as you want it bad enough, you’ll make it in this business. I think I might make it.
