Students Arriel Vinson, left, and Feyi Alufohai, right, met with several alumni, including Brittany Collins. (Courtesy photo)
Three students from the IU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists attended the national joint conference of NABJ and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Aug. 3-7 in Washington, D.C.
IU NABJ members Arriel Vinson, Kennedy Coopwood and Alufohai Omoihosen attended workshops, chatted with alumni and professionals, and brought back reports on their activities.
Expectations and advice
By Arriel Vinson
Arriel Vinson tried out the virtual reality gear at the USA Today booth. (Courtesy photo)
On Wednesday, the first day of the NABJ/NAHJ joint convention, I walked into the hotel with my luggage. The image before my eyes was refreshing: black media professionals and student journalists bustling about in their business attire, with their convention passes hanging from their necks. This was the first career convention I’ve attended, and though my NABJ advisor and mentor gave me advice beforehand, I was still anxious.
My biggest priority at the convention was the career fair. I have a year left of undergrad, so I knew networking and finding internship/fellowship opportunities would be important. I went to the career fair with Feyi Alufohai twice and we tackled it together, piggy-backing on each other with questions for employers (as well as answers). This method made the career fair less daunting and easier to navigate.
Our main question was, “what should we be doing in our last year?” The sports editor from VICE, Jorge Aranguré Jr., gave us an answer that I won’t forget.
He said we need to continue building our resumes. That’s a given. But he also said we need to find those one or two things we’re good at, because when journalists call themselves a “multimedia journalist,” it can sometimes be hard for employers to place them.
Aranguré said it would be better to tell employers that we are print journalists who also have photography skills. Now, he didn’t say that a journalist shouldn’t know how to do everything, but he said being really good at a few things makes a journalist stand out.
Employers at the career fair were eager to tell us about opportunities and listen to our experience and what we wanted from a job. I left the career fair with knowledge on companies I hadn’t given much thought to before, and I also learned of opportunities that I can’t wait to apply for.
Welcome to the Green Side
By Kennedy Coopwood
The career fair was a strong draw for student attendees such as Arriel Vinson, left, and Feyi Alufohai. (Courtesy photo)
I attended a National Association of Black Journalists convention panel entitled “Crossing Jordan: Transitioning from Journalism to Public Relations,” where panelists discussed the need for journalism in public relations, the skillset needed for success in the industry and the journey ahead for media communications.
Filled with hope, I wanted to see what it takes to make it successfully in the public relations field. Being a journalism major with a specialization in public relations, I am always willing to see how other professionals see the connection between the two.
Panelist Rebecca Aguilar said it best, “Journalism and public relations are married. When you need the story to be told, you call public relations, when you need placement, you call journalism.”
Moderator Terry Allen, who has been involved with NABJ for more than 20 years and has moderated the panel for four years, came up with the idea of Crossing Jordan as reference to the Biblical times where the Israelites had to cross the Jordan River to the Promised Land. It was a journey that was meant to be endured. On transitioning to public relations Allen said, “You must learn how to cross the river but also learn how to swim in it. It’s a process.”
The panel consisted of six professionals from both the journalism sector and communications sector and also included some who have made the switch to public relations after being in journalism for years. The “green side” references the number of opportunities and higher pay that public relations offers in the workforce.
Sometimes there is a story or project that isn’t there, and you have to be open to create it. The real journey to PR is knowing your skillset and selling it. You have to be creative, innovative and collaborative. Whether in journalism or public relations, you are still telling a story so you also must be critical, able to tell the truth and have the ability to think analytically.
“Journalists view public relations as an escape from writing but you actually write even harder because you have to create the story,” Allen said.
There are many ways to transition into public relations. From media relations, strategic communications, investor relations, social media management and more, the industry provides ample ways to get your foot in the door. Whether beginning your journey, well into PR or at the finish line of your career, the most important thing to focus on is transparency, which is core for all journalism, public relations or any public service position.
“Journalists are afraid to transition to PR because they don’t think they have the skillset. Make the skills transferrable. Be hungry,” Allen said.
Students can obtain a downloadable copy of the panel presentation by emailing terryallenpr@gmail.com.
