General Assignment Reporting

She talked to us about her experience as a general assignment reporter.

Photograph Source:

Pexels.com, Man using tablet.

This week in my reporting lecture, we had a guest speaker. Katrina Owens from the Lindsay based newspaper, Kawartha Lakes This Week.

She talked to us about her experience as a general assignment reporter.

Before Kawartha Lakes This Week, previously Katrina worked for the The Lakeside Leader, in Slave Lake. Coming from a small town of only 6,000 people, this newspaper is a change to her typical workday.

While in Alberta, she had slow news weeks, now in Lindsay she’s creating as many as ten stories, a day.

My three biggest take aways from this guest speaker would be her emphasis on networking, breaking out of your shell and reporting.

Katrina emphasized multiple times during the time we spent with her, networking, especially while we’re still in college, is very important.

Everyday we’re here, we’re meeting new people and talking to other people in our program, we are creating our contact list.

Contact lists are important for so many reasons, but we can utilize them in the future when we’re working on stories at the workplace.

It’s important that we make friends, that we can rely on in the future for sources.

It’s also important to keep a healthy, strong relationship with professors, to rely on them for help or guidance when needed.

It was a relief when Katrina told us she was shy her first year of college. As a shy person myself, I was happy to hear that there’s a way I can become comfortable and sure of myself.

Katrina reminded us that this is a fun career we’re pursuing, and that it’s worth it to talk to people, especially people we wouldn’t have the chance otherwise to talk to.

For example, city officials, head of police, and more.

Breaking out of your shell may seem hard, but it’s the second week of the second semester, and I’m already feeling more confident in myself and my opinions.

Katrina reinforced my already growing confidence as a journalism student.

Finally, the last important lesson I learned today was the way Katrina reports. As someone who is really into court cases and true crime, I was surprised to find out, Katrina covers court.

I didn’t realize before her visit to our class a general assignment reporter would cover court, which I would love to do.

On top of court, I think it’s so interesting she covers a multitude of different things on a day to day basis.

From crime, to sports, to community events she has written about any of the things you can think of happening in a small, close knit town like Slave Lake.

Having Katrina Owens in our lecture was eyeopening and has changed my perspective on the way I see my classes.

I now realize I am growing as a person each day, along with my confidence.

I was also told that my networking skills are also being developed and my contact list is growing and strengthening each day.

Finally, my view on journalism, and what I’m thinking about doing after college, has been expanded.

To find out more about Katrina Owens, click here and here.