ePortfolioKira Maddox

Currently, I am pursuing a degree in journalism with a minor in sociology and perhaps English. I want to be able to one day write for a higher purpose, and to help citizens learn what is going on in their government and in their world. I’m not quite ready to say I want to pursue investigative journalism, but the idea has definitely crossed my mind on a few occasions. I have been told I have a talent for writing, and I have a deep respect for those who have mastered the English language. I have also thought about going into the novel world as a reviewer, but again this has just been a fleeting thought.

While this may seem like simple goal, I need to learn how to be a good journalist. I need to know about the ethical values I will be expected to uphold, while also getting the public the information they need to know. I need to learn how to uphold the truth, while also being objective and fair. I need to learn the rules of verification and how to remain accurate in my stories. I need to learn how to uphold media justice and keep the citizens in power. For the future of media, I need to learn how to manage and use each form of media — online, print and broadcast. Media is all about convergence, and as a future journalist, I need to learn how to adapt to changing technologies and how to sufficiently use the ones already at my disposal.

I feel that in order to achieve this I need to have a broad view of the world. I need to be exposed to as many public issues and viewpoints as possible so that when I have to think of news stories to talk about, I know how to cover the entire issue at hand. I would like to be able to leave the country in some way in order to be exposed to different cultures, and to observe the effects of globalization first hand. This again will tie into my desire to have an expanded outlook and perspective. In order to be a good journalist, I need to have an open mind and to not be stifled by ethnocentric biases or cultural norms.