The Baltimore Association Of Black Journalists To Host Multimedia Bootcamp This Month

On Nov. 10, the Baltimore Association of Black Journalists will host a multimedia bootcamp for aspiring journalists and media personalities.

The event will take place at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is open to all nearby college students. There will be three 90-minute workshops—photography/videography, digital content creation, on-air presentation—and a panel discussion featuring some of local journalism’s greatest voices.

Writing is not the same across all platforms. What is written for print is most likely not what a reporter would repeat during broadcast. That is why the BABJ is hosting an interactive storytelling workshop, which is designed to help students develop their writing skills as journalists through hands-on exercises.

The photography/videography workshop is designed to teach students how to use photographs and videos to enhance their storytelling, a key component of news reporting. At the workshop, students will learn to be versatile and adapt to different mediums by using digital cameras and smartphones for photography. For the videography portion, they will learn the essentials of creating a news package, including how to record b-roll and shoot videos from various angles.

In an age when everyone has has information available at their fingertips, people sometimes fail to differentiate between what’s real and what is not. The BABJ digital workshop will show students how to identify news and utilize social media to gather reliable information. It will also instruct participants on how to use social media for audience outreach.

Being a broadcast reporter requires a specific level of energy and cadence. The last workshop is a hands-on experience, where students will be taught how to showcase their personality on the small screen, learning the best practices to have on-air presence and how to build a demo reel for applications.

The panel discussion called “Stay Ready, So You Don’t Have to Get Ready,” in which local journalists will share their expertise and experiences in the field. Emmy-award winning reporter Stephon Dingle will moderate; WJZ Executive Producer Nicole Webb-McKnight will be featured as a panelist.

Students can register for the event here.