MIAMI – Journalism, and the media business, is constantly evolving. Every year Miami-Dade County Public Schools addresses these changes at a student social media forum.
On May 2, student journalists from across the district were invited to the MDCPS School Board Auditorium to meet with, and learn from, experienced journalists from every field of journalism.
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With opening remarks from Chief Communications Officer Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the panel of five journalists was composed of The New Tropic’s Lance Dixon, CBS Miami’s Marybel Rodriguez, Patch.com’s Paul Scicchitano, WLPG’s Carlos Suarez, and MDCPS Community Outreach Director Natalia Zea.
The forum began with a panel discussison, each journalists giving a two-minute summary of their experience before each speaker gave their thoughts mainly on the impact social media has on news, and the way it’s spread.
“Social media has changed the way we report. We are all storytellers,” said Gonzalez-Diego. The rise of social media offers the average person to be a reporter, and share their local news. Often times, journalists in the field are looking for stories, and sources in their Twitter, and Facebook feeds, and building their stories from the inklings they find.
“A good part of the heavy-lifting is on social media,” said Suarez, who drew from his experience from reporting on the Parkland shooting. He was able to access the story, and identify victims quicker due to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas students who were using their social media to alert the community of the situation.
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“You are more connected. You are more aware,” Carvalho praised the rising generation. He also encouraged the students in the room to register to vote, and voice their opinions to keep free press, and free thinking alive in the country.
Journalists are more important than ever, the Superintendent and the panelists agreed.
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“Journalists are the curators of America’s dream,” said Carvalho in respect to protecting journalists, and journalism in order to protect the democratic system.
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The panelists also spoke about what it means to “hit the ground running,” and immerse themselves in journalism. They advised students to go after their internships, to learn and cover stories that they are passionate about, and to not be discouraged.
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“I was brave, and I was a go-getter,” said Zea, reflecting on how her tenacity helped her get the jobs she wanted, and cover the stories she was interested in.
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“You do yourself a favor by knowing a range of things,” said Dixon on the importance of being alert, and paying attention to the happenings of one’s community, and the world.
“Once you get into news, you have to be well-rounded,” added Rodriguez, who got her start on the program Sabado Gigante as a “spokesmodel” before working as a weekday reporter, and weekend anchor for CBS Miami.
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Speaking on the basis of their diverse backgrounds, the panelists agreed that versatility is also a key factor not only for working in journalism, but in any field.
“Try to do as many things as you can,” said Scicchitano. Suarez added to the conversation, explaining journalists don’t need degrees in journalistic fields to do well in the field. He gave the example of how a journalist with a business major can offer a distinct perspective on a story, or how a journalist with a political science major—he used himself for this example—can go into greater details about the politics of a story.
Their final remarks encouraged journalists to feel their story, and asked the students to not allow themselves to become too desensitized, or detached for the sake of objectivity.
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“If you don’t care about the people you’re interviewing, you shouldn’t be in this business,” said Zea.
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“You are human,” said Rodriguez.
