The most important thing I learned...

    The most important thing I learned is that a journalist needs to have potential. No one can ever be perfect. They can maybe be close, but mistakes are part of people's nature. If a journalist has potential and the hunger to better themselves, they can make it in this business.

    When I began my internship with KGBT Action 4 News, I didn't know what to expect. The reporters work from 9:30 a.m. to almost 7 p.m. I now understand why there schedules are like this day to day. They love what they do and will not stop until they tell their audience the news.

Nadia Galindo and I on our last day working together

    The last few weeks I was able to shadow Nadia Galindo, a reporter who came from the Dallas area to report for Action 4. During my time with her, I learned so many great things. When I was on an assignment with her, she always included me in the mix. When she did an interview, she made sure I knew all the information. I was even free to ask the interviewee questions if I had any. She had me film footage and even do a stand-up for my version of the packages she worked on for the day.

I was camera woman for the day with Nadia

    When we would arrive at the Pharr borough, I would usually write VOSOTs to help Nadia with her work for the afternoon. She would always look over what I wrote and helped me with corrections or a better way to say something in particular. This helped me because in broadcast, reporters have to get their point of the story across quickly but without missing any information. When I finished that up, I began to work on my version of Nadia's package. I wrote, voiced, and edited my own work.

    Nadia would take time out of her afternoon, as she is preparing for the 5 and 6 p.m. newscast and go over how I should voice the script. She even critiqued how I edited and offered different ways to do things.

    Each day I shadowed Nadia consisted of questions on how to choose stories, picking a character to help tell that story, and to always tell the news. She lent me "Aim for the Heart" by Al Tompkins, an amazing read that tells you how to become a better journalist. I could not put this book down.

This is a MUST READ for journalists!

    Tompkins explained to me that we are here to inform the public what the news is. We want to tell them the truth and have them feel connected. I read about examples on how to tell a story and all the different angles. I read about how to ask questions, which is to always ask open ended questions. Always avoid the yes/no questions. An example of this is, "Why are you happy?" vs. "Do you feel happy?" I absorbed everything.

    One example in particular was an assignment about soldiers coming home from war. While many might have looked at it as the usual, "Soldiers arrived at the airport; families greeted them; they went home", Tompkins took the angle of waiting. He interviewed a wife and the first question he asked her was, "How do you get so good at waiting?" He didn't ask her why she was waiting. He brought out her pain of waiting for her husband's return to his family. How much she treasured him. He continued with explaining that the spouses of military personnel all have to get good at waiting.

    He also wrote as his own VO, "She carried a rose for him. Just like he would when he came home everyday." Notice how he didn't have her say that in her interview? This was because Tompkins knew the viewer would see the rose in her hands. He knew that if he would mention it, that was all the story needed.

    As I arrived the Monday after I read the book, I had so many questions for Nadia. Throughout the rest of my time at KGBT, I kept asking and talking about Tompkins and how he changed the way I look at stories now. I wanted to do more. The excitement could be seen through me! In order for that to happen, I need potential.

    Now to go back, I have worked with The Pan American for a year and a half. We are all students a the University of Texas - Pan American and are striving to make a name for ourselves.

A portrait drawn by our very own Arts & Life Editor 

    We all began with little to no experience when we all joined tPA. Before I joined the Multimedia section, I didn't know how to write a script or create a package. All I knew is that I wanted to learn. I put myself out there and worked my way to becoming a paid reporter for tPA, to the Multimedia Editor and the two internships I have under my belt. And do you know what helped me get all this? Potential.

Hear what past members of the Multimedia Section have learned with tPA

    I am no where near perfect when creating a package, I make mistakes every so often but I learn from them. I do try my hardest in making sure the same mistakes never happen again. Experience is what I want before I land my dream job and I know that my potential I have will get me there.