On April 5, 2012, I woke up and eagerly got ready for my exclusive trip to the Capital Region’s very own newspaper company, the Times Union. Now, to some people, this trip sounds utterly boring and a waste of time but for an aspiring communications major, it was similar to tasting ice cream for the first time. So why did I visit a newspaper company? I had just recently been awarded the Journalism scholarship is honor of Eugene Robb, the founder of the Times Union. Following the acceptance, I received an invitation from the Associate Editor to come in for a day and experience the true environment of upbeat writing and reporting. My day was ever so liberating and worth sharing with others.
When I arrived, I stepped into a quick tour of the bottom floor from Mr. Michael Spain. I was most interested in the gargantuan printing press that took up just about three floors in height. It was such an amazing masterpiece to learn about and get to see it work in action. Shortly after, I learned about an extremely expensive project that should begin within the next few months;a brand new printing press that is currently being built in Germany. It will allow the Times Union to have more vivid pictures and a better appearance overall. The entire company is so thrilled for this operation to begin. Next I was sent on my way with Photographer Lori Van Buren to assist her on an assignment. We were required to visit Union College and photograph the Senior Senator of New York, Chuck Schumer, for his talk on increasing student loan rates. As an upcoming graduate, I seriously benefitted from the speech and took a lot walking away from it. While I sat quietly and listened, I watched Lori as she crept around the audience to capture the perfect shot of the speaker. Once we left Union, we were obligated to stop at the Russian Orthodox Church in Colonie, to experience an ‘All Day Easter’ festival. Lori scoped out the scene and ruled out what she believed was the best to shoot. There were various baked goods and gorgeous crafts, all grasped in the lens of a terrific photographer. Lori and I then made our way back to the Times Union to review all of the pictures. When Lori usually goes through the pictures she took on an assignment, she likes to pick out a vertical view, horizontal, up close and distanced view. This gives the writer the option to choose the best visual for the article. To think my day was over, I was wrong and in for one last surprise.
At three in the afternoon, everyday, the first floor editors gather in the newsroom to plan out and sketch the next day’s paper. As everyone enters the newsroom, a ‘budget’ sits at the head f the table to be picked up. The budget includes how many views each article received online, and all of the article topics for the next day, ready to be discussed. I sat along the side and vigorously listened to everyone’s comments and descriptions of the topics. As my eyes grazed the room, I noticed the following phrases stamped to the top of the each wall, “Seek the truth and report it fully.”, “Act independently.”, “Minimize harm.”, and “Be accountable.” All of which spoke deeply to me. The meeting atmosphere seemed sort of fast paced, in which it all came natural to the editors. After everyone is finished reading, they view all of the pictures that were taken during that day. Next, each person states which order they think that the front page should have, in correspondence to the stories. Once on is agreed upon, Rex Smith, the editor of the Times Union, and a partner, sketch out the newspaper on a pre laid out pad. The entire process was quite intriguing for me to witness because before then, I never would have known how the Times Union is put together everyday.
I drove away around dinner time with sore cheeks from smiling all through the day. The amount of motivation that I gained from my trip at the Times Union was incredible. Leaving there, I have a better understanding of certain jobs, and I can decided whether or not that is something that I would like to take on after college. The Times Union is the Capital Region’s newspaper, located both online and in convenience stores.
