lacie hayeks photojournalism blog : Learning journalism during CMA 2014 in Philly

Love is the word for Philadelphia.

I have never been to a big city before, unless you count passing through.
When I heard about the 93rd Annual ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Philadelphia I was extremely interested. I love to learn, and this was a perfect opportunity to learn more about journalism and our Outlook family.

I am the editor of the Campus Life section, so naturally my focus was on anything involving the arts. However, there wasn't much about music or the arts. What I have found out about this journalism career of mine is that I would love to travel. I have always wanted to go see the world and share my experience with others by writing about it.
The seminars I was interested in wasn't just about writing. I was also curious about overseas journalism and how that could benefit me. There were three seminars that really struck me: Don't just see the world; cover it; Foreign correspondence and the student media; and Why I took my students to Bonnaroo.

The Austin Peay State University students show pictures

about their experience at Bonnaroo.

In the See the world workshop, I found out that Italy, France and Spain are some of the places available for student reporters to go overseas to study journalism. You can earn college credit, and they are open to all schools and majors, according to workshop speaker Andrew Ciofalo. He said that at least two people or more tend to go on to work as journalists abroad.
Speakers also emphasize posting photo/video projects on blogs.
Language is also very important. While studying abroad, students should take classes of the native language. This can help with interviewing natives, and to make living with the host family easier.
Although expensive (assume it could be as high as $5,000), the experience would be invaluable and would set you apart from the rest of your peers. This would be done all through ieimedia.com.

My favorite workshop

Music, fun and journalism. That is the lesson I learn from the Bonnaroo session. It's not just about the music and camping out with no shower for days; it's about covering music and all kinds of people. There are media passes for Bonnaroo, however, they are very hard to get and tricky to find.
There's also volunteer jobs, where one could spend a few hours at a tent working, then later go watch the music for free. There are comedy tents, cinema tents, and most importantly, media tents where private shows and free wifi are available.
I've learned that not only can festivals be fun but they are worth covering. To see the blogs and coverage from the people who went to Bonnaroo, go here. http://www.theallstate.org/category/bonaroo-2/

What I learned in only a few days in Philly will benefit me forever, and help me, as well as my Outlook family, grow.