Journalism Isn’t Dead
The Art of the Story Press Conference
Big-time journalists speak to share everlasting wisdom.
A critical and thought-provoking press conference was held on Tuesday, August 30th, In the Board meeting room 444 at the Walter Cronkite building. That press conference was called "The Art of the Story," In which several journalists covered how writing and producing a journalism story is a process and an art form that can sometimes be tedious, dangerous, and frustrating but rewarding in the end. They had two prominent guest speakers who are all essential figures In the journalism industry worth noting. First, they introduced us to a guest speaker who was a person named James O'Keeffe. I have heard of him and his work but have not seen him. This Individual has an extensive background in Investigative journalism as he is known for guerrilla journalism, whistleblowing, and unconventional methods In his journalism. The event's announcer told us this is why he is a controversial and prominent journalist. Afterward, she gave additional accolades to James O'Keeffe, who has gotten his house raided before for having a copy of President Biden's daughter's diary. He started the press conference by saying, "Do you all want to be journalists? And If so, what are you willing to do." He added, "Are you willing to stand on the facts you report and write on? Even perhaps go to jail for them." My eyes and ears were fixated on what he was saying as he gave the people in the room of the press conference who all wanted to be journalists very exceptional knowledge. After getting out of the way who he was, he proceeded to talk about how journalism is a slow-burning process that also requires meticulous attention to detail and resiliency. James also said, "Persistency is key; without it, you'll never break through and report a good story."
After he first spoke to us, they Introduced us to another prominent journalist named Jason Watkins. He was an event journalist and photojournalist for the white house and President Obama when he served his two terms in office. His message resonated with young journalists as I looked around the room briefly, and everyone was locked in on him speaking. One of the things that he told us was, "All of you have unique skills in your own right. Use that to your advantage In whatever field of journalism you are going into." Jason Watkins then began to speak about how we can polish our skills for journalism, saying deadlines are Important, but what's even more important is the quality you produce. If you all focus on nothing else, focus on quality and put your heart and soul into the story you are having. After that, he and James O'Keefe walked out and waited for the rest of the press conference to wrap up, where they would take questions and give pointers or advice to anyone in the room who'd like to receive wisdom on one. However, there was one more person who came to give remarks at the press conference as well her name was Sicily Shannon. She is also a journalist In Oklahoma who was a recruiter and wanted to see if students were interested In learning more about the two individuals and potential recruitment.