Mara Schiavocampo Talks to Journalists-to-Be
Andy Kotch
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News
Mara Schiavocampo, a digital correspondent for NBC news and guest commentator for NPR, was involved in a teleconference last Thursday for students at various colleges interested in journalism as a profession. Schiavocampo has made a name for herself by following a very unorthodox career path. Instead of working with a single agency or organization, she has played the field, contributing to such news outlets as NBC News, ABC News, Yahoo!, Ebony Magazine, CBS Newspath, and National Public Radio.
Schiavocampo's methods are new and original, which has drawn a lot of attention in the journalism community. Other reports have begun to emulate her style, contributing where they can and always keeping on the move. When asked if she thought the methods were the future of reporting, she commented that the industry is always evolving and changing. Her methods are simply one branch of that evolution. It will likely become a more widespread practice, but the industry as a whole is unlikely to shift in that direction.
Having had a very productive career, Schiavocampo was quick to dole out advice to young journalists fresh out of school. "All of my schooling was theoretical," she said, implying that field experience was more important than journalistic schooling. One of her most important tips was to treat the first several years out of school "as if you were still in school". You should always be learning, and trying to absorb as much information as you can.
Some of her other tips detailed what to do when you are already in the industry. "Be a big media consumer", Schiavocampo said. She stressed the importance of not limiting yourself to just print media, or blogs, or radio, or televised news. She advocated the importance of each style of reporting and the impact it could have on any new writer's skills. Other tips included working extremely hard for any agency that picks you up ("Don't make them regret it") and always keeping up to date on news everywhere, all around the world.
One of the more surprising suggestions was to join a club, union, or organization. "Joining the National Association of Black Journalists was one of the best decisions I made," Schiavocampo told the attendees of the teleconference. She pointed out that joining an organization whose goals you believe in could really help further your career and reach your goals as an aware member of the journalism community.
The teleconference ended with a period reserved for questions from the students who phoned in, but no questions were actually presented. Schiavocampo thanked everyone for their attendance and encouraged everyone in their desired field.
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams frequently runs pieces from Schiavocampo, check MSNBC.com for more details.
Schiavocampo's methods are new and original, which has drawn a lot of attention in the journalism community. Other reports have begun to emulate her style, contributing where they can and always keeping on the move. When asked if she thought the methods were the future of reporting, she commented that the industry is always evolving and changing. Her methods are simply one branch of that evolution. It will likely become a more widespread practice, but the industry as a whole is unlikely to shift in that direction.
Having had a very productive career, Schiavocampo was quick to dole out advice to young journalists fresh out of school. "All of my schooling was theoretical," she said, implying that field experience was more important than journalistic schooling. One of her most important tips was to treat the first several years out of school "as if you were still in school". You should always be learning, and trying to absorb as much information as you can.
Some of her other tips detailed what to do when you are already in the industry. "Be a big media consumer", Schiavocampo said. She stressed the importance of not limiting yourself to just print media, or blogs, or radio, or televised news. She advocated the importance of each style of reporting and the impact it could have on any new writer's skills. Other tips included working extremely hard for any agency that picks you up ("Don't make them regret it") and always keeping up to date on news everywhere, all around the world.
One of the more surprising suggestions was to join a club, union, or organization. "Joining the National Association of Black Journalists was one of the best decisions I made," Schiavocampo told the attendees of the teleconference. She pointed out that joining an organization whose goals you believe in could really help further your career and reach your goals as an aware member of the journalism community.
The teleconference ended with a period reserved for questions from the students who phoned in, but no questions were actually presented. Schiavocampo thanked everyone for their attendance and encouraged everyone in their desired field.
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams frequently runs pieces from Schiavocampo, check MSNBC.com for more details.
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