Category: Journalism 4450

When I signed up for Journalism 4450, the Columbia Missourian's staff reporting class, I already wasn't a fan. I knew I didn't want to be a reporter. I'd been there, done that for a year at The Maneater, MU's student newspaper, and I already knew I wanted to be an editor. (Well, I'd kind of known that since high school.) Reporting really stressed me out, and I had only really enjoyed a few of the 50+ articles I'd written since coming to MU. Essentially, I signed up just to check off a box on my graduation form. Add to that everything I'd heard about the Missourian reporting semester — how stressful, time-consuming and difficult it was — and I was actually terrified when I walked into Lee Hills Hall for…

Tomorrow morning, my last (as of now) higher education administration story will be published. I've spent a lot of time this semester on what I've come to find is a hybrid of higher education and government. I've spent hours in Faculty Council and UM System Board of Curators meetings, listening to discussions about faculty and funding. I've learned to read higher education documents and the importance of translating that information into reader-friendly language. (The act of translating is still a work in progress.) I think most importantly, though, I've learned a lot about what shapes higher education decisions and the impact that these decisions have on hundreds of faculty members and thousands of students. As a student here, I'm fortunate to have had that inside look so I can better…

I was editing with Liz today when she mentioned something about a list of things to take with me after I leave this class. That's when it hit me: A week from Saturday, I'll turn in my last story as a Columbia Missourian reporter. In January, I never thought this day would come. This class is not at all what I thought it would be, as I'll write in detail about in another blog post next week. (I've already started drafting it. It'll happen.) And I'm astounded at how much I've learned this semester — and how much I've learned I still need to learn. I now have (almost) zero qualms about talking to complete strangers, which has translated to me becoming more vocal in classes and meeting-like settings. I've…

And to think I almost didn't have coffee this morning. Today was a crazy general assignment day for everyone. I was handed a life story (the Missourian's more holistic version of an obituary) the minute I came in, and I also pitched three stories, one of which I covered. I raced to Read Hall at 8:50 a.m. sans photographer to document the winner of the UM System's Thomas Jefferson Award, which recognizes an outstanding faculty member from one of the four campuses. Sans photographer, I utilized those mobile journalism skills from J2150 and alternated snapping action shots and scribbling notes on my steno pad. It was quite the experience. I furiously typed until my 10 a.m., and then for about an hour or so after that, and got ready to…

When I tell stories to my friends, they tend to be long. This is because I want to include every detail, specifying exactly how things happened and were said. (Some friends have dubbed this style the "Katie Yaeger story." No joke.) Sometimes, this influences my writing. And by sometimes, I mean a lot. I've been struggling with translating academic jargon into plain English all semester — and it's a recurring issue, as I've covered more meetings than I can count off the top of my head. I've always excelled at memorizing exact information for tests. For example, back when I actually took math and had to memorize formulas? No problem. But if I had to actually explain why those formulas worked and what they meant? I might be at a…