Job shadow gives behind-the-scenes look at jobs in journalism

By STACI GOHL

WEST VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Beginning sophomore year, students are bombarded with stories about the infamous “senior project.”
These are long-term, very involved projects that students must complete in order to graduate.
And now, for my class, the Class of 2009, it’s our turn to grapple with them.
This column is part of my project.
I chose to do an extended job shadow at the Yakima Herald-Republic with Adriana Janovich, reporter and Unleashed coordinator.
To be honest, I really didn’t know what to do, so I kind of just chose something. I knew I was a decent writer, so I just went with it, and in the end I learned more than I ever thought I would.
The following is a journal of the 20 hours I logged.
• Oct. 10, 2008 — This was my first meeting with my mentor. When I arrived, she briefed me on the code of ethics from the Society of Professional Journalists and how the newspaper and her job work in general.
We talked about the First Amendment and what it means to a journalist. She showed me around the newsroom and then we set out on my first interview. I didn’t really know what to expect at all.
We pulled up to Yakima New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene in Terrace Heights and walked in.
Adriana proceeded to interview the pastor and church secretary who were both organizing an outreach program to feed the homeless and hungry in Yakima. I got my first taste of reporting. This was an easy transition into something I’d never done before.
• Oct. 18, 2008 — During this meeting, Adriana and I went to the fourth annual Wapato Tamale Festival, where she interviewed some of the vendors, coordinators and others participating in the event.
This was decidedly more fun than our previous meeting. The people were friendly and the conversation was a little more light-hearted. Once we arrived back at the newspaper, she began writing the piece for the next day’s newspaper. She had me copy the tamale recipe for the newspaper’s Web site, and we did some obituary writing as well. This was really my first view into the process of how an interview becomes a story and the craft that is present behind it.
• Oct. 23, 2008 — This interview was especially entertaining. We went to the Yakima’s Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie No. 289 to do an interview and tour the building. The people we interviewed were eager to talk to us and show us around. It showed the kind of people you might meet while working in this profession, which could really be just about anyone.
• Nov. 11, 2008 — This time I met Adriana at West Valley Church of the Nazarene. She was interviewing a pastor who was retiring from his church to go do other things. This was another in-depth look at how to properly interview someone and the kinds of questions to ask. This interview was a bit long — an hour and a half — but it was a good learning experience.
• Nov. 19, 2008 — I went to an Unleashed meeting where I got a behind-the-scenes look at the newspaper’s teen program. Herald-Republic city editor Craig Troianello talked to us about his job and what he does. I sat through the meeting just like any member of the Unleashed team would, and I got to be around some other high school kids who are interested in journalism.
• Dec. 17, 2008 — Today was another Unleashed meeting. This time, I saw a presentation on photojournalism and learned a bit more about it and how it can be done. Sara Gettys, a Herald-Republic photographer and the Unleashed photo mentor, explained the importance of multi-media in the changing times and how newspapers must stay relevant by utilizing this trend.
This was a very sobering experience because most of the media she showed us was actually very heavy and depressing. She showed us photo projects on a dying man, the mentally ill in prison, and residents of a mobile home park that was going to be developed. At the end of her presentation, everyone was quiet and no one was quick to break the blanket of silence that lay over the room.
• Dec. 29, 2008 — Closing in on the end of my project, this was one of my last meetings with Adriana. I talked with Herald-Republic photographer Kris Holland and watched him upload the pictures he just captured in the field. The top story was the weather, and he showed me photos of a man shoveling snow and kids jumping into snow piles. I also watched him choose one and pull up an archive photo for another story on a wrecking yard in the Lower Valley.
At 2:45 p.m., I sat through the daily budget meeting, where I got to see how editors choose stories for the daily paper. They talked a lot about story and photo placement.
The rest of my time was spent in front of a computer writing this column.
Overall, as far as I can tell, the whole senior project hype is just that, hype. I don’t know about other students, but I found out that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it really has been a stretch in learning, which is the purpose of the cumulative project.
Looking back, I’ve gained some experiences I would have probably never had. I’m going to get to see my writing in print. I’ve been forced to go out and talk to people I would have never dreamed of talking to. Even though I don’t really see myself with a burning passion to pursue this profession as a career, I would definitely say I’m satisfied with my project and have enjoyed the ride.

— Staci Gohl is a senior at West Valley High School. She is completing a job shadow at the Yakima Herald-Republic for her senior project.