G News Group Podcast 2

Our second podcast.
There is no stand-alone clip of my own piece here, seeing yours truly got to be the anchor! :)

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G-News Group Podcast 1

In groups of five and six, we were assigned to put together a news podcast.
We had a news meeting in the practical the week before, where each of us had to propose at least two potential stories that we would cover. In the following practical we had to bring our completed stories which we then complied and played in the form of a live bulletin, with our news anchor linking the stories.
As this was in the format of a news podcast, we had the freedom to produce stories slightly longer than an ordinary radio bulletin would contain.

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Stand-alone of my Soundclip:
Local Radio Stations celebrate Local music

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This was a certainly an exercise in working on the spot.
When I walked into the prac, our tutor told me that she was not going to accept a straight read as a story as I had originally prepared; she wanted some 'meat' - or juice at the very least..
Fortunately, as luck would have it, one of Radio Grahamstown's local volunteer DJs was in the building and I had literally fifteen minutes to plan an interview and and conduct it before he left. And then completely rework and edit my story before we went into the studio. All this took under an hour, and although I have since been tempted to clean it up a bit, I believe this to be a relatively decent piece of work considering the conditions it was produced in.

Roxbury Cinema Personal Profile

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Assignment Specifications:
Along with our partner, we were required to create a personal profile on a (preferably prominent) person living in Grahamstown. No narration whatsoever was permitted - everything had to be said by the interviewee him/herself.

'Sunshine Municipality' - simulationexercise

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Assignment Specifications:

During your week 4 pracs, you will conduct a simulated interviewing exercise. Working in a group of five or six, you will research and write a lead sentence for an audio news story (Note: The lead – the first sentence of a radio news story – is the most important in a story because it should clearly signal the angle of a story as well as hook the listener). 

You will then write an investigative radio news story based on your simulated exercise (maximum 120 words).

Public Service Announcement: Garda - In association with the Library for the blind

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Assignment Specifications:

During the second week of term, students will be learn about spot production. In their practicals of this week students will produce a spot campaign, based on one of the local organizations that works with Grahamstown’s blind citizens. Each practical group will produce a single social awareness campaign with three or four spot adverts. These adverts should be completed by the end of this practical. 

House Of Joy

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Assignment specifications:
During your tour of Grahamstown, please find one place to describe in detail. Separately record ‘wild track’ and 3 ambient sounds that illustrate what the environment is like. Then construct a 30 second to 1 minute piece using narration (this can be re-recorded), ambience and wild track using Adobe Audition’s multitrack function. Submit this by 12 February, Friday 5pm.

My Personal Philosophy regarding journalistic objectivity

Grahamstown is a city marred with divisions: along language, racial, cultural, economic and geographic lines. Geographically, Grahamstown is isolated from other nearby towns. Despite having a rich cultural Xhosa and English history, the city itself still bears the scars of Apartheid, with the township seeming to be a separate entity to the main city. This physical division also marks the separation between races, languages, cultures and classes. There is a huge disparity between rich and poor as can be seen in the stark contrast between the condition of private and township schools. Even within the township itself, there is a division between the ‘coloured’ and ‘black’ communities. Furthermore, there is the clear division between Grahamstown and Rhodes University. Thanks to the university and many private schools, there is also a very large student population.

Because the city is home to such a diverse body of people, it is especially important for reporting to be as balanced as possible. However, it must be remembered that objectivity is an ideal, not an absolute goal that should be perused to the point of turning rich stories into mechanical reports. Journalists have the opportunity to inform and educate, as well as question and challenge and therefore should not sacrifice creativity in an attempt to be completely objective. Although different angles or approaches to stories is seen as a form of bias, journalists should not be afraid to take a clear stance on something they are reporting. It is impossible to be wholly objective, as our job also demands subjectivity: simply deciding who is interviewed, and what facts are included or not, is creating bias.

Important social debates, such as political and public finance issues including the water situation and the health and education systems, should be addressed. Stories can unite and inform the community, creating understanding and helping bring people from different ‘divisions’ together. Talking about relevant issues, such as the poverty in the township can encourage the community to take action and make a difference. Positive reporting, such as cultural activities, is also important and encourages people to be aware of the good going on within their community. News coverage also provides an opportunity to create a link between local government and the public.. As journalists have access to more information than the average citizen, sometimes a clear stance on an issue must be taken, such as with a story concerning municipal mismanagement and lack of service delivery.