Michael Fritz
Pacific Tribune - Staff Writer
“I pride myself as a journalist and like to know a little bit about everything,” said Jerry McCormick, Associate Producer at KNSD 7/39.
McCormick is passionate about journalism. He is a member of several different journalistic organizations, National Gay & Lesbians Association and National Association of Black Journalists, just to name a couple.
“I believe in supporting diversity, that’s why I’m apart of all these groups,” said McCormick.
McCormick said that being a member of so many clubs does cost money, but he does it because he chooses to support good journalism.
McCormick has also been teaching journalism at Southwestern College for three years and estimates that he has taught over 250 students. He says that he likes to pass on everything he knows and when he sees a student he has taught succeed, “to me that means more to me than any paycheck.”
Although he is now in broadcast journalism McCormick described print media as his first love. But now that he works in broadcast he says that he is not going back because he no longer believes that a job in print media is safe due to him being laid off from the UT with 192 other people in May of 2009.
“Driving from [SWC] to Mission Valley was one of the longest drives I’ve ever had to do,” said McCormick. “Because I had to convince myself that I wasn’t going to get laid off. But when I got to the parking lot and saw all the people that were crying, I knew.”
He was given six weeks severance after being laid off and found a job at NBC 7/39 the day after his severance ran out, July 8, 2009. McCormick said that is why he believes you should always have your resume ready.
“Once you’ve been laid off and you survived you can survive anything. Somehow I’ve always known I’m going to be okay,” said McCormick
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Wiki Links
WikiLeaks website publishes classified military documents from Iraq
This story raises a debate on boundaries of free speech. This is a website who's owners believe that all information about the war in the Middle East should be publicized. He believes that everyone has the right to know everything going on concerning the war. That is the only logical reason I can see behind this sort of information being published.
But as the article points out the information posted is classified and could endanger the lives of American soldiers and allies, as well as Iraqi civilians. It's my personal opinion that this information should not be posted on the internet, and whoever is posting it is an ignorant moronic asshole.
One thing I think is missing is who is publishing this information and how are they getting it? That's huge. Why did the reporter not delve deeper into that aspect of the story? This is classified information and it's ending up on the internet? Seriously, how? Who's leaking it? Even if it is not known who is leaking it there could have been at least one sentence. "The Pentagon does not know who is leaking the information to Wikileaks but..."
The creators of this website probably think they are doing a good service exercising their right to free speech informing people of the gruesome facts of this war. But in retrospect they're doing the American people a great disservice. There are real lives at steak and posting information like this is not helping end the war. Lives and tax dollars are being wasted due to this website.
War is hell. The American people should know this already. Everyone should know this. Posting classified information like this is not the way to prove to everyone that war is hell.
This story raises a debate on boundaries of free speech. This is a website who's owners believe that all information about the war in the Middle East should be publicized. He believes that everyone has the right to know everything going on concerning the war. That is the only logical reason I can see behind this sort of information being published.
But as the article points out the information posted is classified and could endanger the lives of American soldiers and allies, as well as Iraqi civilians. It's my personal opinion that this information should not be posted on the internet, and whoever is posting it is an ignorant moronic asshole.
One thing I think is missing is who is publishing this information and how are they getting it? That's huge. Why did the reporter not delve deeper into that aspect of the story? This is classified information and it's ending up on the internet? Seriously, how? Who's leaking it? Even if it is not known who is leaking it there could have been at least one sentence. "The Pentagon does not know who is leaking the information to Wikileaks but..."
The creators of this website probably think they are doing a good service exercising their right to free speech informing people of the gruesome facts of this war. But in retrospect they're doing the American people a great disservice. There are real lives at steak and posting information like this is not helping end the war. Lives and tax dollars are being wasted due to this website.
War is hell. The American people should know this already. Everyone should know this. Posting classified information like this is not the way to prove to everyone that war is hell.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Mosque Vandalized
Florence mosque defaced with bacon
This story is relevant and newsworthy due to the recent hysteria in our country involving the Islamic faith. Unfortunately due to the wars in the middle east and terror threats of the past all Islamics are being profiled by a portion of America's population.
It is an interesting story because of the controversy. It is against the Muslim faith to eat or even touch pork and someone went and put pieces of that forbidden thing all over their place of worship. The act is very disrespectful.
As long as cruel acts like this keep happening they should keep being reported about. Articles like this are a testimony that we are far from perfect as a society and have work to do in stamping out ignorance and promoting respect for other beliefs.
So I think the story contains mostly watchdog elements because it's addressing a serious offence done by one person or group of people to intentionally mock another.
This story is relevant and newsworthy due to the recent hysteria in our country involving the Islamic faith. Unfortunately due to the wars in the middle east and terror threats of the past all Islamics are being profiled by a portion of America's population.
It is an interesting story because of the controversy. It is against the Muslim faith to eat or even touch pork and someone went and put pieces of that forbidden thing all over their place of worship. The act is very disrespectful.
As long as cruel acts like this keep happening they should keep being reported about. Articles like this are a testimony that we are far from perfect as a society and have work to do in stamping out ignorance and promoting respect for other beliefs.
So I think the story contains mostly watchdog elements because it's addressing a serious offence done by one person or group of people to intentionally mock another.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Greg Dawson's Path Through The News Media
Michael Fritz
Pacific Tribune
"Great story telling is about detail, and it's about the little things," said Greg Dawson, 48, vice president of news at KNSD.
Dawson was never sure about what he wanted to do as a career until he took a communications class at Cal State East Bay, then called Hayward. His professor spoke about a project that a cable company in Columbus, Ohio was working on. They were working on interactive cable that you could pause and rewind and even record. Dawson said he thought the idea was really cool and that was what drew him into a career in communications.
He decided to transfer to the University of Southern California because he felt it was a better school for his interests. It was there that he received a bachelors degree in broadcast in 1985. Now he is vice president of news at KNSD.
Dawson started his career as a part time writer at KBCS in Los Angeles. Due to contract issues he decided to pack up and find another job in the bay area. He got a job at Medford, Ore. as a producer. Previously the news anchors had produced their own shows, so he was the first producer to be hired there. He said moving from the 2nd largest media market to the 152nd was a culture shock for him.
"What you realize when you leave [LA] is that rest of the country hates LA and thinks that the television there is terrible," said Dawdson.
Dawson said that he went from a market that thought big to a smaller one that focused locally.
"So seeing the contrast between the two was so valuable for where they were because they're both different dynamics. I didn't even learn that until I left Medford," said Dawson.
He spent a year in Medford and then went on to do newscasts at Tuscon for eight months. The news director who hired him there later got a job in San Diego and hired him there to do a sports show called "Sports Wrap." He worked his way up the latter there and reach his current position.
Dawson said he does not have any regrets with his career.
"I've been really lucky, lived in good places to live. Oregon, Arizona, I've loved everywhere I've lived. . ." said Dawson, ". . .I'm the kind of person to always look at 'what did I learn from it.' So even if it was not the greatest experience, I got a lot out of it."
Dawson said that being a news director was never something that he set out to be from the start, the opportunity just came up and he took it.
"I was at an opportunity in my life where I was like, 'might as well try it, got nothing to loose'," said Dawson. "My predecessor had left our station to go on and take over another station up in the bay area and the general manager at the time offered me the job."
Dawson has won fourteen emmy awards for his work at KNSD. But he says that he should not be the one getting all of the credit. It is based off of the effort of everyone who works under him.
"My job is to make sure other people can do their jobs. When we do something good it's not because of me it's because of everybody else, but I get credit," said Dawson.
Dawson says that even though he's not a writer anymore he can still be creative with his work.
"My job these days is outwardly pretty boring. . ." said Dawson. "Now I get to be creative in 'how do we do this project' or 'how do we grow our ratings' or 'how do we make this show better'"
Dawson says that one of his biggest challenges is having to let employees go as the media adjusts to changes.
"That's really hard to go through. Going through layoffs where I had to tell people who worked hard that they didn't have a job anymore," said Dawdson.
"I think we've gone through the worst of it and things are getting better," said Dawson. "But it's [the news media industry] still really competitive and I think the key is you have to really want to do it. It has to be a calling and if it is you'll figure out the right path and you'll make it. We need people with the passion and the desire to do it. The public needs it. Because really we're here to serve the public."
Pacific Tribune
"Great story telling is about detail, and it's about the little things," said Greg Dawson, 48, vice president of news at KNSD.
Dawson was never sure about what he wanted to do as a career until he took a communications class at Cal State East Bay, then called Hayward. His professor spoke about a project that a cable company in Columbus, Ohio was working on. They were working on interactive cable that you could pause and rewind and even record. Dawson said he thought the idea was really cool and that was what drew him into a career in communications.
He decided to transfer to the University of Southern California because he felt it was a better school for his interests. It was there that he received a bachelors degree in broadcast in 1985. Now he is vice president of news at KNSD.
Dawson started his career as a part time writer at KBCS in Los Angeles. Due to contract issues he decided to pack up and find another job in the bay area. He got a job at Medford, Ore. as a producer. Previously the news anchors had produced their own shows, so he was the first producer to be hired there. He said moving from the 2nd largest media market to the 152nd was a culture shock for him.
"What you realize when you leave [LA] is that rest of the country hates LA and thinks that the television there is terrible," said Dawdson.
Dawson said that he went from a market that thought big to a smaller one that focused locally.
"So seeing the contrast between the two was so valuable for where they were because they're both different dynamics. I didn't even learn that until I left Medford," said Dawson.
He spent a year in Medford and then went on to do newscasts at Tuscon for eight months. The news director who hired him there later got a job in San Diego and hired him there to do a sports show called "Sports Wrap." He worked his way up the latter there and reach his current position.
Dawson said he does not have any regrets with his career.
"I've been really lucky, lived in good places to live. Oregon, Arizona, I've loved everywhere I've lived. . ." said Dawson, ". . .I'm the kind of person to always look at 'what did I learn from it.' So even if it was not the greatest experience, I got a lot out of it."
Dawson said that being a news director was never something that he set out to be from the start, the opportunity just came up and he took it.
"I was at an opportunity in my life where I was like, 'might as well try it, got nothing to loose'," said Dawson. "My predecessor had left our station to go on and take over another station up in the bay area and the general manager at the time offered me the job."
Dawson has won fourteen emmy awards for his work at KNSD. But he says that he should not be the one getting all of the credit. It is based off of the effort of everyone who works under him.
"My job is to make sure other people can do their jobs. When we do something good it's not because of me it's because of everybody else, but I get credit," said Dawson.
Dawson says that even though he's not a writer anymore he can still be creative with his work.
"My job these days is outwardly pretty boring. . ." said Dawson. "Now I get to be creative in 'how do we do this project' or 'how do we grow our ratings' or 'how do we make this show better'"
Dawson says that one of his biggest challenges is having to let employees go as the media adjusts to changes.
"That's really hard to go through. Going through layoffs where I had to tell people who worked hard that they didn't have a job anymore," said Dawdson.
"I think we've gone through the worst of it and things are getting better," said Dawson. "But it's [the news media industry] still really competitive and I think the key is you have to really want to do it. It has to be a calling and if it is you'll figure out the right path and you'll make it. We need people with the passion and the desire to do it. The public needs it. Because really we're here to serve the public."
Friday, October 8, 2010
Amber Alert
Amber Alert issued for two boys
Amber Alert stories are always important. Their important for the community because they raise awareness. People in the same community will be watching the news and will see these faces. If they see the children or the suspected kidnappers or they van they may recognize them from the news and call police.
So these stories help bring children back to their homes and break kidnappers to justice. They also bring hope to the parents of these children that they're kids can be found. Because the more people in the community that knows their faces the more likely they can be found.
This is a nationwide alert though, not just local. Which is also important for situations where the kidnappers could be anywhere. Which in this case, I guess there's no way of knowing. Which is why it's national news, these guys could be anywhere.
I don't really know how many kidnappings happen in the US. But I wonder if news stations would be able to fit them all in their budget. They probably have to choose between the biggest ones, like this, the guys could be anywhere. Because they don't want to choose the ones where the kid could have just wandered across the street.
Amber Alert stories are always important. Their important for the community because they raise awareness. People in the same community will be watching the news and will see these faces. If they see the children or the suspected kidnappers or they van they may recognize them from the news and call police.
So these stories help bring children back to their homes and break kidnappers to justice. They also bring hope to the parents of these children that they're kids can be found. Because the more people in the community that knows their faces the more likely they can be found.
This is a nationwide alert though, not just local. Which is also important for situations where the kidnappers could be anywhere. Which in this case, I guess there's no way of knowing. Which is why it's national news, these guys could be anywhere.
I don't really know how many kidnappings happen in the US. But I wonder if news stations would be able to fit them all in their budget. They probably have to choose between the biggest ones, like this, the guys could be anywhere. Because they don't want to choose the ones where the kid could have just wandered across the street.
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