Hyperlocal News

We all are aware of national news and local news. But for some, the term “hyper local news” is unfamiliar. This relatively new idea is a format in which news stories cover very particular regions local news and then use the platform as a means of local advertisement where small businesses can buy ad space. In my research, I discovered that Tampa and St. Petersburg both have several rival networks (Bay News 9, AOL, Fox Broadcasting) competing to charter this previously unexplored territory.

Some skeptics say that one of the downsides to hyperlocal news formats is that it is not profitable and many startups have struggled and relied on volunteers and generous donations to stay afloat. One hope of this “risky initiative” (http://www.netnewscheck.com/article/11234/gannett-tests-hyperlocal-model-in-tampa) is that it will drive consumers to online platforms where more ad revenue can be made.

The St. Petersburg Times even went as far as hiring a group of college students and local residents to “serve as citizen journalists” (http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/content/wtsp-ch-10-develop-hyperlocal-websites-part-national-program/2098015) but they unfortunately never gained any traction.

While the concept is still new and networks work out the kinks, optimists still project that this type of individualized news will inevitably gain traction and become a more personalized form of news that people can rely on.

Photo Journalism

In all honesty, I am super thrilled to be doing this assignment mainly because I love taking pictures but I also love learning about people. What I am considering doing my photojournalism project on is the people of Hillsborough Community College” sort of a twist off “People of New-York” where basically I interview students and Faculty members.

I really want to create a story of how dimensional the college I attend is I mean it’s extremely diverse and I would like to capture that through pictures. It took me a lot and time of thought to come up with a photo-journalism idea I felt my audience can relate or even be vaguely interested in. So, I look forward to started this project! What idea did you come up with to do your Photo-journalism project on? Comment below I’d love to know!

Service Journalism

For my Service Journalism story, I am thinking of maybe following a non-profit organization in Tampa, FL  to see what new things they are doing for the community. One organization I have in mind is Metropolitan Ministries I have volunteered for them before and would hugely enjoy doing a story about a community event they are haVINGg.

I am still brainstorming, I want whatever I write about to be informative, entertaining, and relatable to my readers. On that

On that note, I  also would like to do a story on someone who works to improve the city of Tampa, whether that be people, places or things. Whatever I decide I pretty sure you’ll enjoy it so stick around!

Story Focus

Hillsborough Community College student Andrew Cox is crafting out his own path unique path in the fitness industry.

 

Cox shares that his passion for fitness slowly grew over the last several years by simply walking around more often to lose weight, by doing that, and several tests of trial and error, he began to enjoy the thrill of challenging himself to reach his fitness goals. For Cox, he enjoys a nice sweat breaking work-out session fresh in the morning before he has eaten, he says it makes him feels better and charges his brain for the day.

When it comes to health and fitness, Cox is a firm believer that the positive mental benefits that accompany health and fitness are the most important element, he then goes on to say, “the benefits from treating your body well are numerous and spill over into every facet of your life.” When pressed for his secret for overall health and fitness Cox spills and explains that “The secret is that the mind and body are so deeply intertwined that anything that benefits one will automatically benefit the other. And to the contrary, anything that negatively effects one will damage the other.” This NASM certified personal trainer’s holistic approach is unique, as he suggests foods such as ginger root, turmeric, chamomile, and natural foods with high antioxidant content to added to the diet, to combat inflammation. Cox very enthusiastically states that he is results based individual and the positive impacts and results he experiences from practicing fitness is the fuel that inspires his incredible health journey.

While Cox will be graduating Hillsborough Community College May 2017, obtaining further education within his field is far from done! Future Hillsborough Community College graduate Cox plans to pursue a degree in physical therapy, he would then like to write a book and create online interactive content that will benefit people. Ultimately, in the long run, Cox believes knowledge is power and wants to educate himself as much as he can about the mind and body, to in turn help others and himself maximize their overall health.

 

 

Interview Preparation

Hello readers! If you have been keeping up with  the rest of my blogs, I am sure you are aware of my previous posts regarding my interview. Well in this post I will talk about my preparation leading up to the interview.

I believe the first thing you should do when preparing for an interview is research and that is what I did. Researching about your potential interviewee is a great way to formulate questions that would benefit the interview as well as the  audience.

I selected an HCC student to interview, because I felt it would be a hugely relate able point with my target audience. Some challenges I faced with my interview was coming up with good questions, being this was my first interview I was nervous about whether or not I was doing the process correctly. Also another challenge was unpreparedness, luckily I learned a lot from this whole process I can apply in the future in similar situations. What are some challenges you faced while interviewing? Let me know in the comments below!