" Mobilizing the Millennials as Socially Responsible Prosumers"

 "  Mobilizing the Millennials as Socially Responsible Prosumers"

Last November 25, 2015 at Asia Pacific College, I attended a seminar about the Media. The speakers are from a television network, GMA. There are three of them, but they shared to us different topics. The Objective of this seminar is to develop sense of social responsibility among APCians in general. And of course to create a discourse on media literacy among APCians. As I have said earlier there three speakers Ms. Edma, Ms. Jan, and Ms. Lian but I'll focus on Ms. Lian's talk.

The Objective of this seminar is to :

a. To develop sense of social responsibility among RAMpage editorial staff and APCians in general; and

b.To create a discourse on media literacy among APCians. 

She talked about on How to effectively write a story.

Ms. Lian encouraged the students to write, but first she mentioned the basic steps in writing a story. Upon listening to her I find it interesting because I already knew some of the steps but of course I should continue listening. I learned form her that in writing a story you should jot down ONLY the important ideas.

According  to my research to have a good interview and thus a good story you to do the following:

1. Do your research

Don’t rely on the subject to tell you everything in the interview. Spare everyone’s time by learning as much as you can beforehand. This will help make your questions more informed (“What was the key to winning player of the week three weeks in a row?” versus “How successful has this season been for you?”)

2. Why are you writing this, and who is it for?

In writing-speak, a goal is an angle. Have a good sense of what you want this story to ultimately accomplish. Where will it be published? Will it be a long feature or a brief? Will it run in both print and web? Who is the target audience? What impression do you want your audience to come away with having read it? What do you want them to do?

3. Location, location, location

In writing-speak, a goal is an angle. Have a good sense of what you want this story to ultimately accomplish. Where will it be published? Will it be a long feature or a brief? Will it run in both print and web? Who is the target audience? What impression do you want your audience to come away with having read it? What do you want them to do?

Pick an interview location you know will be available and relatively quiet. That said, be prepared to go with the flow. I’ve set up interviews in the Campus Center, only to arrive and find the Campus Center randomly closed for construction. Have a backup spot in mind, and don’t get worked up about it—it won’t help the interview if you curl into a stressball.

4. Photo and video

The best location for an interview may not be the best location for a photo or video shoot, and vice versa. Plus, some people get nervous around cameras. If you can avoid it, try to have your interview and any camera action take place separately. Don’t worry about requesting two slices of your subject’s time. Everyone wants publicity, and they will spend the time to get it.

5. Did you get all of that?

In addition to taking copious notes, you should audio record every interview you do, but always ask permission first, both for phone and in-person interview. I let the subject know it’s just for transcription purposes (unless I know that we may be doing a multimedia component, in which case I let them know that, as well).

6. Use your questions as a guide

It’s always good to come up with a list of questions ahead of time, but don’t stick to them rigidly. Be open to where the conversation takes you. Ask follow-up questions. Extract context. Press for additional details.

7. Don’t be afraid of tangents

It’s always good to come up with a list of questions ahead of time, but don’t stick to them rigidly. Be open to where the conversation takes you. Ask follow-up questions. Extract context. Press for additional details.

While sometimes tangents can be dangerous, especially if you’re short on time or end up getting way off track, they can sometimes lead you to places where the subject is more at ease. That can help with the rest of the interview. If you’re profiling a professor of engineering, but you happen to know he is also an avid cook, chat about that for a little while. You’ll likely stoke a passion that will open him up, and you may even find some neat metaphors for your piece.

8. Delve into their background

Whether I’m interviewing a jazz saxophonist or a geneticist, I always ask how they got interested in what they’re doing. The answer likely goes back to high school or college, sometimes earlier, and often makes for a good anecdote that may end up as your lead.

9. Avoid yes/no questions

10. Get the details

Ask questions designed to solicit open-ended, reflective or explanatory answers. “Were you guys excited to win the championship?” gets replaced with “How did it feel to hoist the trophy after you scored the winning goal?”

Years, dates, hometowns, last names—I get as much of this as I can during the interview. You don’t want to rely solely on the…

11. Follow-up

At the end of every interview, I always ask for the best way to get in touch if I have any follow-up questions, because chances are, I will. Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions or to get confirmation on spellings, dates, etc. Something that made sense during the interview may make little sense three days later.

12. Always Be Closing

The best way to close an interview is to simply ask if there is anything you didn’t cover. I’m always shocked when I get responses like, “Oh, well, I’m also founding this nonprofit” or “Well, I’m also going to Africa next week to teach English for a year.” Then the interview goes on for another 15 minutes. But that’s OK. That’s the good stuff. And since it got brought up voluntarily, they must be passionate about it.

13. Talk to others

In your interview, ask your subject whom she works closely with, respects or admires, or holds as a favorite professor. Then, go chat with them—they may not only give you additional details or fact-checks, but also supply some great supporting quotes. reference