Who let the Dawgs out? The staff of Palisade Paw Post excitedly packed Colorado Mesa University’s Media Day on April 8th.
This event will become an annual tradition for our class as it provides beneficial information about how to write a story, necessary equipment for multimedia projects, and the purpose of journalism.
We reached campus and mixed with journalists and yearbook staff from Grand Junction and Delta High School. Breakout sessions were led by Mass Communications professors and students. We toured Escalante Hall with wide eyes and open mouths. The editors of The Criterion, CMU’s newspaper, guided us around the set of Mav TV. Sophomore Emily Hardin reflected on the first breakout session covering podcasting and video editing. “It was super cool. I know equipment like that exists but it’s crazy that we have access to that here.”
Next, I sat in on a storytelling lecture. Instructor Danielle Moretti Martin snuck into the cramped classroom, remaining cryptic and mysterious. After immediately snatching our attention with a surprising story about meeting her NFL icon, I remained engaged throughout the entire presentation. This bled into how hooking your audience is what makes or breaks your story. “I will now implement the tips she taught us. Even in this week’s story, I was trying to be conscious of my habits,” admitted Hardin.
Discovering how a real news room operates was very interesting. Instead of writing stories on a white board, The Criterion utilizes pitches and Adobe software to organize their ideas.
KMSA is CMU’s student-led radio station. We packed into the tiny studio, in awe of the multitude of buttons, quality mics, and colorful walls adorned with music memorabilia. Sophomore Sebastian Urdaneta was given the opportunity to talk on air. “It was surprising, I was kinda embarrassed. I don’t like talking in front of people. It was a cool experience though.” Afterwards, we immersed ourselves in the radio’s CD room. I found myself drowning in the sea of titles, albums, and artists, recognizing my favorites. Exploring a college campus in depth excited me for a future of journalism and creating unique projects.
Unusually, the tour included a pit stop in the field where telescopes and chairs were set up. The solar eclipse was at its peak. The Paw Post shared protective sunglasses and observed the magical event. By the end of the day, we all still had our eyesight and everyone’s stomach hurt from laughing.
Thank you to CMU and all its mass comm. departments for teaching us more about the available routes of journalism. Ultimately, I learned how powerful student voices are and how we can diversify the Paw Post. The consensus is; we truly enjoyed Media Day! See you next year!
