Skip to main content

Creating the next generation of journalists

Aaron Taylor is the television production coordinator at TROY TrojanVision News. For 18 years, he has taught young reporters how to become successful broadcast journalists. He helps students produce 15 newscasts a week and teaches them how to create in-depth news stories.

As TrojanVision’s television production coordinator, you welcome in young journalists and help prepare them for the professional world. What is it like to play a part in making student’s aspirations a reality?

It’s amazing. Yes, we do produce newscasts every day, but the purpose of that is to give the training to students to go out and succeed. I measure my success based of the success of the students that are under me. Every time one of my students gets a job working somewhere, or I tune in and I see one of my kids on television, or I’m checking out they moved to a bigger and better market; that makes me happy.

What is it like watching an unexperienced reporter flourish over college into a professional journalist? 

Justin Walker – I’ll just come right out and say it. I thought that he was a mute the first year or so I was here. I never heard him talk. He never said anything. He finally started volunteering for stuff, and then eventually one day I forced him to do weather. It opened him up. He went from a guy that I didn’t know had the capability of speech to being a reporter for the station my first job was at. I tune in every night and see stories from him. 

What is a common misconception people believe about broadcast journalism? 

They [students] come here to be famous. They come here to be on TV. They come here to be a pretty face in front of the camera, and that’s not what journalism is. You have to be a good writer. You have to have a good nose for news. You got to be able to put together stories. You have to be intelligent. The biggest misconception about this business is that writing is not important. We tell stories. It comes down to words. 

What is your biggest piece of advice for aspiring reporters?

Get experience. You’ve got to get as much experience as you can. If you can work for your student newspaper, work for your student television station, do that. Ultimately, if you want to work in journalism, you have to have experience under your belt. If you have experience, you increase your salability. 

You can watch Aaron each week on TROY TrojanVision News’ “Trojan Talk,” as well as the work his students have produced. He also hosts Troy University’s “The Week That Was.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

6 ways journalists can find story ideas

You don’t have to work in the business long to know that slow news days exist. They defiantly do, but just because your list of potential stories is slim doesn’t mean there aren’t any in your community. You just have to know where to look, who to contact and get creative.  1. Ask around This may sound like commonsense but hear me out. Your friends, family and the general public could lead you to your next big story. These people can provide you with more eyes and ears in the community and may have run across something interesting while they were out and about. Ask your loved ones for potential stories. Crowdsource on your social media pages to get the public in on the action. These people know of organizations and scenarios that have affected them, so utilize them well.  2. Be observant  Driving down the road? Look for road closures or things that appear out of the ordinary, then ask yourself “why?” Keep your eyes peeled at all times. You never know when ...

Creating TV newscasts from home

The coronavirus outbreak has flipped many people’s lives upside down. Most employees who used to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are now stuck at home, either completing work online or waiting for this pandemic to end.  Obviously, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and those in the food industry are considered “essential” workers because people need access to these things to survive. What some may not realize is that journalists are also essential workers, because the communication of newsworthy events is needed now more than ever to keep people safe. Journalists are the ones keeping the public in on the loop that is the coronavirus. They are working around the clock to report COVID-19 cases, and what political leaders are saying to their local communities to keep them safe. Journalists out in the field and in press conferences, like the one’s with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, are maintaining their distance from interview subjects and other reporters. Many are strictly staying six fe...

Coronavirus, Team Coverage & Student Journalism

News stories are important. I bet you already knew that. News articles, packages and programming provide the public with important information, but often times too much information can be overwhelming. Many stories may fall under the same umbrella and would be impossible to cover completely without a little assistance.   “Team coverage,” you’ve heard the term before. News outlets don’t just use it because it sounds flashy, it has a purpose. Team coverage is when a unit of journalists cover the same topic but in a variety of ways, because the topic at hand may be really broad and hard for news consumers to take in all at once.  In the midst of the coronavirus, many stations are using team coverage to help viewers get a full grasp of the situation. One reporter may visit a local hospital to speak with medical professionals, while another reporter meets with the city or state government to see what steps are being taken to prevent the spread of the disease. A journalist ...