inc.

internships. news. commentary.

Spring Break Edition

OUSPJ returns 3/31

society news..
Travel the world, write away.
Globetrotting freelancer Jason Motlagh.
story Graylyn Roose photo Ian Bowman-Henderson
Every week the Society of Professional Journalists brings in an industry professional
to speak at our meetings. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, they stick around to answer a few
questions. This week’s guest is a J-School alumn now working as a freelance foreign
correspondent. He’s covered India and Afghanistan -- he is Jason Motlagh.
Inc.: What’s your advice to students who you don’t have to worry about. Despite the lean
might want to get involved in freelance journal- times, it presents an opportunity for enterprising
ism? young freelancers, especially if they can work
Jason Motlagh: I’d say know what your in multiple formats. Because you are providing
strengths are, and try to play to your strengths, a needed service, at a much lower price. They’re
whether it’s a language that you speak, or per- getting more bang for their buck, so it’s sort of
haps another educational background that you a win-win. In those circumstances, an upstart
have, maybe economics or Middle Eastern stud- stands a better chance of getting work from a
ies... I would say try to develop as many skills as high-profile news outlet... because he’s pro-
you can in TV, radio, and writing. Pick a desti- viding something that’s just too good to resist
nation, a place to work that is viable, where you because it’s so cheap. I think the compensation
can bank on a steady stream of news to cover, if may not be what it should be, but for someone
not in the local area, in the region, where living who’s young and just trying to break into the
expenses aren’t too high, where transportation is business, it’s an opportunity. You can think of
feasible. Bear in mind that it can take some time getting your foot in the door with an eye to-
to get off the ground initially, but you can go a wards long-term work.
lot further on a smaller budget abroad. The ex- Inc.: What’s the most interesting place
penses are usually a lot less so you can hold out you’ve traveled in your foreign correspondence
longer. Showing up is more than half of it, and work?
then just sort of sticking around and being per- Jason Motlagh: I still love working in
sistent, and trying to break through. You make Afghanistan. I’ve been going on and off for
your chances greater by making a budget and about three years and it just sort of gets in your
having a plan and the time to let things happen. system. I think you either really love it or you
Inc.: Do you see the economy changing the don’t want to return and I’m one of those people
face of journalism? that is smitten with the place. For many levels,
Jason Motlagh: Newspapers are declining; I think it’s like stepping into another era…Cul-
a lot of the traditional media outlets are tighten- turally there’s something very elusive about it.
ing their belts.... So I think that’s a compounding You get the sense that there’s a lot that you, as
factor. That said, outlets are going to be looking an outsider just don’t readily understand, that
for areas and formats where production values perhaps you could spend years trying to develop
are less and that is marginally connected to the a better understanding, but there’s an invisible
Internet, you know, video for the web, direct to wall that you might never break through. So
the web stories. Of course, freelance, in most there’s something enticing about it, you want
cases, living expenses are not being covered, to know more and it’s intriguing. There’s some-
your health care and insurance, your child’s thing about it that you can never fully grasp that
schooling, whatever it may be, those are costs keeps you coming back.

just the facts. Next OUSPJ meeting. 3/31.

AP stylebooks. $15. Ohio SPJ Awards
t-shirts. $15. submission deadline. 3/20.
 inc.
internships. news. commentary.

internships..
Indy rock interns.
featured. IndyConcerts.com
reporting Cameron Glover
Searching for internships can be very stressful. You have to consider
where the internship is being offered, how much it pays, how many aca-
demic credit hours can be earned, etc. Then you imagine your entire sum-
mer being spent in an office building away from your friends and social
events. Luckily, IndyConcerts.com is offering an ongoing internship for
any journalism students who are willing to attend concerts, interview
bands and artists and keep the Web site updated with the latest news of the PHOTO: logo of ABC News on Campus
music industry in Indianapolis. It sounds too good to be true. Well, there is
a little catch: It is an unpaid internship, but you can earn academic credit, them.”
and you will be immersed in the entertainment world in one of America’s One of the most recent posts was an interview with Umphrey’s McGee,
most lively cities. a rising rock band that emerged from the Midwest and has been touring
“Indianapolis is a very active and entertaining city. It’s just a great place that area for several years. The IndyConcerts.com internship also provides
that offers so many opportunities once you get here,” editor Barrett Young a different type of atmosphere when in the workplace. According to the
said. IndyConcerts.com was created in 2005 by a group of young music Web site, most of the active contributors to the site differ in their personal
lovers that wanted to share their affinity with others and provide an online band and artist favorites, but they do consider sushi to be their favorite
resource that contained lists of concerts and shows along with follow up food.
interviews with local and famous musicians that performed in and around “The group that works for the site is really close. We all have a lot in
the Indianapolis area. The Web site also allows viewers to purchase tickets common, especially a big love for live music,”
to the events that they preview at various venues, such as the Murat The- Young said. He is looking forward to the spring season, which is when
atre and the Conseco Fieldhouse. “concert season” gains momentum and the site gets “down to business.”
“This Web site lets everyone in and around the Indianapolis area know To learn more about the internship or if you have questions about how to
when and where the best shows are going to take place,” Young said. apply, contact Young at editor@indyconcerts.com or visit the Web site at
“It provides them with artist and band reviews and updated news about IndyConcerts.com.

old questions. new opportunities.

who. what. when. where. how. why.
The Parkersburg Parkersburg News
News and Marathon Summer Parkersburg, asmith@news-
Coordinator 2009 West Virginia andsentinel.com and Sentinal. Best
Sentinel of both worlds.
Cleveland Marketing Year-round/ low fat alternative
Cleveland, harrelc1
Clinic Editorial Intern ongoing to working at the
Ohio @ccf.org Mayo Clinic
Radio Free 3-6 months, Prague, internships@ over 28 languages
Europe/ Radio Comm. Intern Czech Republic rferl.org are spoken at
dates flexible
Liberty RFERL hq.
Development the company was
Harpo Films Year-round/ Beverly Hills, stewart1@ohio.
Intern started by long lost
ongoing CA edu “Harpo Marx”
Island Heat not stated, an
Carribean Marketing ASAP ztkiesch@ see “where”
Intern island maybe? gmail.com
Music Festival
 inc.
internships. news. commentary.
commentary..
Proud to be an (ignorant racist) American.
Rush Limbaugh took on the world, maybe its time the world retaliated.
commentary Miranda Saling
Rush Limbaugh: born on January 12, 1951
to a wealthy, conservative, politically involved
family; got his first disc jockey job at a radio sta-
tion part-owned by his daddy; avoided the draft
by convincing a doctor to certify that he had an
“inoperable pilonidal cyst” and a football-caused
knee injury after one year of varsity football; at-
tended college for 2 semesters and then dropped
out; got professional help from Norm Woodruff
who was openly gay and died of AIDs; recorded
the Pat Sajak show to hundreds of empty seats
after the crowd all left because of his anti-gay
jokes and last but not least was asked to resign
as an ESPN commentator after making racist
comments.
As shown above Limbaugh has always known
how to get what he wanted, but his habit of mak-
ing sure everyone knew his every thought about
every topic did not begin until 1987. This is the
year that the Federal Communications Commis-
sion repealed its Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness
Doctrine was a statute that required radio and
television stations to provide equal time to both
sides of political debates. With this rule lifted
Limbaugh was about to have a field day with
every conservative, right-wing, asinine thought
that crossed his Southern, Christian head.
Even on a liberal college campus, it is hard
to get away from Limbaugh. He is syndicated
by Premiere Radio Networks, which is owned
by Clear Channel Communications. He can be
heard on about 600 stations nationwide- that
covers every major market.
When asked what she thought of Mr. Lim-
baugh, Junior Alexa Manes said, “He’s kind
of a tool… He could almost make students not
want to see his point of view because he is not
even tactful.” Alexa considers herself a liberal,
but does not associate herself with the party.
She agrees that most students are open “to at
least listening to other points of view, but he
is so abrasive that most just turn him off and
don’t even wait to see if he had a decent point
to make”.
The sad part is that many Americans feel that
they can relate to Limbaugh. He is often heard
complaining about the wealthy elite who control
all of America: “All of these rich guys -- like the African American caller to “take that bone out
Kennedy family and Perot -- pretending to live of your nose and call me back”. He has been
just like we do and pretending to understand our known to regularly call light-skinned African-
trials and tribulations and pretending to repre- Americans such as Halle Berry and Barack
sent us.” The funny part about Rush making fun Obama “Halfrican-Americans”.
of the “wealthy elite” is that his current contract Most of the hard facts and quotes in this arti-
pays him $45-million per year. I don’t know cle came from On the Issues and NNDB, which
about you, Rush, but I would say $45-million is an intelligence aggregator that tracks the
a year would be considered wealthy and elite. activities of people we have determined to be
On the topic of the current poverty line, he has noteworthy, both living and dead. They have ap-
been known to say: “$14,400 for a family of parently decided Rush Limbaugh is one of those
four? That’s not so bad.” Since he makes around people. No matter how far he goes and no mat-
$44,985,600 more than that a year I don’t think ter how many people he pisses off… Limbaugh
he should be deciding if those are sufficient will forever be a staple in American media. He
fund. I’m sure that four person family would will always get the public interested in current
have something to say to Rush. events be it through agreeing with his view or
Limbaugh wrote the book, The Way Things wanting to argue to the death.
Ought To Be in 1992. In it he wrote, “I believe
that strong, wholesome family values are at
the very core of a productive, prosperous, and
peaceful society.” After hearing about his strong
moral values, you might wonder what his track
record really is. Roxy Maxine McNeely, his first
wife, was a sales secretary at a Kansas City ra-
dio station. After three years she was granted
a divorce on incompatibility. His second wife,
Michelle Sixta, was an usher at the Royals’
ball park. They divorced after about five years.
Thanks to CompuServe’s dating service, he met
his third wife, aerobics instructor Marta Fitzger-
ald. According to the Palm Beach Post, Lim-
baugh and Fitzgerald lived in separate houses
during their marriage. Limbaugh began dating
then-CNN anchor Daryn Kagan and around the
same time initiated his third divorce after about
ten years. After three loving marriages and his
wholesome family ideal, one might think that
Limbaugh respects and encourages the women’s
movement. That why you should never assume.
This quote, also from his book, lets it really all
hang out, “Let me leave you with a thought that
honestly summarizes my sentiments: I love
the women’s movement, especially when I am
walking behind it”.
Many critiques have claimed that on his show,
Limbaugh routinely pronounces “ask” and
“asked” as “axe” and “axed”. He once asked an
 inc.
internships. news. commentary.
special report..
how to: prepare for an interview.
learn to wow interviewers and score a great internship.
reporting Cameron Glover
So, you’re sitting in a business office and
you’re being interviewed for an internship that
you have been dreaming about for months. You
have successfully made it through the basic
questions, such as where are you from? Why do
you want to work here? What are your strengths
and weaknesses?
Just when the smile on your face is starting to
make your cheeks hurt, the interviewer throws
out a curve ball: How long would it take to
move Mt. Fuji?
You would be surprised how quickly that
smile disappears.
How would you move Mt. Fuji is a student-
recommended book written by William Pound-
stone that offers different techniques on how to
succeed in an interview. Poundstone highlights
important parts of the interview process, such
as traditional questions, creative answers and
confidence. He also stresses the significance of
being prepared.
There are many steps that you can and should
take before entering an interview. Before you
even apply for an internship, it is imperative to
research the company and its executive mem-
bers. That way, you can be ready for any ques-
tions concerning its policies and history, and
it would be a great time to name-drop to show
how much you know. Being educated about the
place you are applying at is a considerable way
to show your interest about the position.
Another crucial factor in the interview pro-
cess is your appearance. First impressions really
do mean everything; especially in an interview.
What you wear and how you present yourself
during an interview are forms of visual com-
munication that can be the deciding factor of
whether you get the position.
Try to follow these three rules when deciding
what to wear for an interview:
One: An interview is not the time to prove
how much of an individual that you are. Avoid
patterns and bright colors and try to clean up the
best that you can. Remove all facial piercings
and cover up any tattoos.
Two: You can never be overdressed. Consid-
ering that it is 2009, I would assume that most
direct from HQ.
National Shield Law:
office buildings have proper air conditioning
Help to protect the rights of
systems. Wear layers and if you start to feel journalists across America by
warm, then you can always shed a layer. contacting congress members.
Three: Wear something that allows the in-
terviewer to remember you and not what you ‘09 National Convention and
wore. Dress conservative and be confident in Centennial Celebration:
what you’re wearing, even if you think you look
ridiculous.
registration now open at
If you are doing a phone interview, there are SPJ.org/convention.
other tips that can help you with that. The inter-
viewer obviously can’t see you so you will have
to be more animated over the phone to let your
character be noticed. Other little tricks include
standing up and smiling during the interview.
You should also try to use a landline as opposed
to your trusty cell phone that you have had since
high school that you just dropped in the snow
new on the blog.
the other day while walking to class.
At the end of an interview, have a few ques- The deadline has been
tions prepared for the interviewer. This is a per-
fect time to ask a professional anything about
extended for the Ohio SPJ
the area and career that you’re pursuing. Awards. The new postmark
There are several resources available to help deadline for entering this
you through the interview process. “Answer- year’s competition is March
ing 6 common interview questions” is an ar-
ticle posted on CNN.com (http://www.cnn. 20, 2009.
com/2005/US/Careers/12/09/six.questions/
index.html) that goes through the traditional
interview questions that you will encounter in
practically any job interview.
CNN.com has a partnership with CareerBuild-
er.com, which is another great site to go to that
not only provides information about interview
inc. identified:
preparation but has a wide variety of resources Managing Editor Ian Bowman-Henderson
that can be used to find jobs and manage your
professional character.
The Ohio University Career Services is lo-
cated in Baker 533 and has a Mock Interview Copy Editor Graylyn Roose
program for students to practice before going in
to the real thing. To sign up, contact them over
the phone at (740) 593-2909 or by email at ca-
reer.services@ohio.edu.
Contributing Writer Cameron Glover
After you have done the research, picked out
an outfit and practiced answering some ques-
tions, you know you will be well prepared when Contributing Writer Graylyn Roose
the interviewer asks, “How long would it take to
move Mt. Fugi?”