The past two weeks have been ex-citing in the world of politics.

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have already accepted their nomi-nations for presidency, and Election Day is quickly approaching. As a result our television screens will be plagued with political advertisements telling us to vote for Romney, vote for Obama, vote for change and more.

Politicians originally created these ads for voters to see them as a friendly neigh-bor, and hoped that viewers would want to vote for them. But these days the cam-paigns seem to be taking a turn for the worst. Instead of appealing to voters, the ads seem to be increasingly brutal.

Are these ads meant to inform voters, or are they created exclusively to attack the opponent?

“As I see the election drawing nearer, I am continually shocked (though I know I shouldn’t be) with the increasing boldness of campaign ads,” said Editor in Chief of The New Political, Anna Rumer. “While

there are nuggets of truth in most ads, they have become muckraking pieces of semi-fiction.”

As a result, students such as Beau Moy-er, a freshman studying business manage-ment, have a tough time believing the messages behind the ads.

“The commercials are everywhere,” Moyer said. “It’s ridiculous. (They’re on) every commercial break, even on Pando-ra. It would be better if they focused more on advertising what they want to get out of the presidency, rather than putting down the other person.”

Rachel Lambert, a student studying informational design and publications, shares a similar view.

“I tune them out.” she said. “I don’t be-lieve what they’re saying, because they’re always taken out of context. It doesn’t tell me everything in that one commercial, and I definitely need to look into it further.”

Overall, it might be a better idea to do some research before walking into that voting booth Nov. 6.

Campaigns Lashing Out More Than EverReporter | Camille Rose Smith

Reporter | Kali Borovic

The Independent Voice of E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Students

I `n midst of covering the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Syria Tuesday, Matt Bradley,

Wall Street Journal foreign correspon-dent stationed in Cairo, found time to Skype with the students of SPJ.

Although Bradley’s undergradu-ate degree from Duke University did not include a major in journal-ism, he knew that he had his heart set on travelling. He even applied to the CIA for a chance to go abroad. Instead, he ended up at an over-seas newspaper that allowed him to venture to Cairo as a Wall Street Journal correspondent.

About ten minutes into the meet-ing, Bradley’s editor called and the Skype conversation was put on pause. Students patiently waited to see if the correspondent would re-turn to speak with them.

A few moments later, SPJ got back online with Bradley and he explained that the editing process at WSJ made it “one of the most edi-tor-heavy newspapers in the coun-try” and “that it could take hours just to get through the process.”

Bradley said he felt bad about the interruption. But Jimmy Roller, a ju-

President Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney are leading one of the most brutal campaigns to date. | Provided

Meet the current interns of The Today Show ...page 2

Scripps college’s new fresh-men take over ... page 4

Volume 5, Fall Semester, Issue 3OUSPJINC.com

SPJ meets with WSJ Cairo Correspondent

Tuesday Sept. 18, 2012

continued on page 4.

2 Volume 5Fall Semester, Issue 3

INC.

Internship ListingsOnline editorial: Women’s Health Magazine is seeking interns to contriibute to their online forum during the fall semester 10 - 20 hours a week for school credit.

News Print: Sign ups for internship interviews with The Columbus Dispatch are available in Debbie Depeel’s office, Scripps 106A. The deadline to sign up and turn in a resume, cover letter and clips is Oct. 5. Interviews will take place Oct. 17.

Magazine Writing: The Nation Institute and The Nation Magazine are currently seeking interns interested in magazine and journalism publising for three seperate sessions a year. Visit details at: http://www.nation-institute.org/internships/1000/ for more information.

T he Scripps College of Communication offers many prestigious opportunities for its students, but none are as coveted and sought after as the opportunity to intern for the Today Show.

Established more than ten years ago by OU alumnus and current Today Show host Matt Lauer, the internship is exclusively offered to Scripps stu-dents. Previously, two students each quarter were selected for the intern-ship, but with the calendar change, three students will now intern each semester. The students selected for the fall semester this year include Morgan Lentes, a senior studying broadcast journalism; and Brooke Se-lis, also a senior. The spring semester interns include Caleigh Borgeouis, a junior studying broadcast journalism, history and marketing; and Eleni Lazares.

Lentes has been interning for almost a month now and for her, it’s a dream come true. Growing up 40 minutes from Athens, OU’s renowned journalism program has always been on Lentes’s radar. She first heard about the Today Show internship as a high school senior during a visit to the university.

“We were sitting in Scripps 111 and Professor Stewart told the entire room of prospective students about the internship. I was immediately ex-cited,” she said. “The Today Show internship is really the program that first got me interested in journalism and so the thought that through this school I could someday intern there was like a dream come true. Once I chose OU and started my classes, it seemed like everyday we were being reminded about the coveted Today Show internship. So I basically made it my goal from day one to work hard and hopefully someday land the internship. I guess that worked out, somehow.”

The application process for the internship is fairly straightforward. An email is sent out to Scripps students informing them when the application process begins. Then students send in their resume and cover letter in order to be considered. The selection committee then narrows down the number of applicants for interviews from which the interns are selected. The internship lasts an enitre semester.

“My tasks change from day to day, some days I’m the coffee girl, other days I’m an assistant to a certain producer,” Lente said. “In addition to these positions, I’ve also been known to be the ‘hey could you run and get this’ girl, along with other jobs.”

The hardest part of the internship is twofold for Lentes. The first dif-ficulty is long hours, as some days last from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and cause sleep deprivation. She also said interns sometimes dealt with a lack of appreciation.

“Many times the job of an intern is a thankless one,” Lentes said. “This is not to say I’m asking for a parade every time I bring someone the tape they asked for, but sometimes we as interns really push ourselves to get a task done right and get it done fast and sometimes it goes unnoticed or

unappreciated. But, the vast majority of the time, people are very gra-cious and appreciative of the work I do.”

Overall, Lentes appreciates the opportunity to live in Manhattan. “You truly have not lived until you’ve visited the Big Apple,” she said. Experiencing New York is the not only an eye opening experience

Lentes’s has faced. Having worked for only the student-run organization WOUB in Athens and the local NBC affiliate in Huntington, West Vir-ginia, Lentes is discovering her passion for national news. She has dis-covered covering stories of national importance fascinate her. Lentes also said she enjoying the people that surround her. Yet, it’s not just running into Matt Lauer or Al Roker every day that makes her job worthwhile; it’s interacting with people in general at the show.

“One of the major reasons I got into journalism was because of my pas-sion for people,” she said. “I love meeting new people and journalism is truly one of the best ways to do that. So in being exposed to a new group of people through this internship. I have grown as a person because every new person you meet offers one the opportunity to learn something.”

When she returns from her internship, Lentes will be complete her last semester at OU before graduating in the spring. She will continue work-ing for WOUB and the Student Financial Aid Office. After graduating, Lentes would like to get a job right out of school reporting at a local Televison station, possibly WSAZ, the local NBC affiliate in West Vir-ginia where she first interned. In the long run, Lentes has many dreams in mind, including being the Press Secretary of the United States or host-ing The Today Show or Meet the Press. If that doesn’t work out, Lentes says she would love to live on the East Coast in a big city, working as a political correspondent for a major news network or possibly a sports announcer.

“I’m keeping my options open,” she said. “Whatever makes me happy -- that’s what I’ll do!”

After working towards her dream internship for the last four years, Lentes has gained credible knowledge and is willing to share it with fel-low journalists interested in the Today Show position.

“My biggest advice for anyone interested in applying for the Today Show internship is to believe in themselves,” Lentes said. “Please believe me when I say that I never thought in a million years I would be lucky enough to land this internship. But then here I am, four years since I first heard about this internship and now I’m living it. Have faith in your abili-ties and trust that they will see you through the application process. Don’t ever let the fear of failing keep you from trying anything you really want in life. So if you want the Today Show internship, go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? You don’t get it. And in that case, you’re no worse off than if you didn’t even apply.”

Reporter | Erin Davoran

The Internship of a Lifetime

Q&ASpotlight

INC. 3Volume 5Fall Semester, Issue 3

Jacob Betzner is a junior studying journalism at the E.W. Scripps School.

Why do you want to be a journal-ist?Growing up my parents always had the news on and listened to the radio and I realized that I could do that to. I started taking some journalism classes and loved it.

What clubs or organizations are you involved in?I am the treasurer for SPJ and I write for ACRN, Back-drop and Essay Magazine. I’m also a Scripps school ambassador.

What is your favorite thing about Scripps? The professors, they have a lot of experience and have a lot of knowledge and are willing to get to know you.

What made you want to go to Leipzig?I wanted to go because my entire ancestry is Ger-man and I’ve always wanted to go to Germany. The trip being based on journalism was a big factor to go. I was excited to get going and learn about their culture.

What was your big moment of culture shock?Everybody was a lot more friendly; they weren’t always on their phones and their were complete strangers that wanted to have conversations.

What was the most memorable experience on the trip?We got to work with a radio station and I got to do a sports story about the Euro Cup and get out to talk to soccer players.

How do you think this trip built you as a journalist?It made me better prepared to deal with people of different backgrounds and helped me get out of my comfort zone.

Women take the Lead:A New World

- Interview conducted by Holly Moody

Reporter | Kali Borovic

Marissa Mayer, recently ap-pointed CEO of Yahoo! at the ripe age of 37, graduated

from Stanford, earned two degrees with honors and was previously employed at Google, according to Forbes.com. Yet, some are second-guessing her place at Yahoo! because of her gender and the fact that she announced that she was pregnant during her acceptance speech.

When considering women’s rights in the past, people have come far - especial-ly in the corporate world. However, in instances such as Mayer’s, the opinions of the public seem to reflect a different view.

The backlash for Mayer’s appointed position fall into one of three varieties, according to Forbes.com: first, people say that she only got the job because Yahoo! needed the publicity; secondly, people believe that she will fail at her job simply because she will have a child to look after; and thirdly, because Mayer claims that she will go right back to work after having her child, and many believe that is untrue.

Yet, these questions don’t only arise when considering women in the corpo-rate world, but the communication field as well.

“[Women are] obviously making a presence and through organizations like AWC there are groups banding together to hope that there still are strong woman in the communications field,” said Olivia Ohlin, a senior studying magazine jour-nalism and president of The Association of Woman in Communications.

One issue that students such as Ohlin

found most appalling is that some think Mayer will fail just because of her child.

“She obviously knows what she’s get-ting herself into as far as her job position goes,” Ohlin said. “She knows what kind of responsibilities she bears and I feel like she’s just as capable as any man to uphold her job.”

Yet the question still remains: was it the right time and place for Mayer to announce such a personal accomplish-ment? This question is a little trickier for students to answer.

“I think that a woman should have the right to announce something like that anytime she wants,” said Lindsey Zim-merman, a freshman studying broadcast journalism and Spanish. “It’s a joyous occasion and if she wants to say it then, then more power to her.”

However, Ohlin believes Mayor could have been a more tactful with the an-nouncement.

“I feel like maybe announcing her pregnancy would… maybe not dis-tract from, but it’s almost like a second announcement. It’s a separate kind of thing… I mean obviously they’ll affect each other, but I also think it would cause a stir or an, ‘oh, really?’ kind of reaction,” said Ohlin.

Despite the backlash against Mayer, Zimmerman is also hopeful for women leading in the future.

“I think woman are making progress and there’s still [some progress] to be made,” she said. “As of now women are in a really good place, and there’s no where to go but up from here.”

Marrisa Mayer’s position as CEO at Yahoo! was seen as very controversial. | Provided

4 Volume 5Fall Semester, Issue 3INC.

Meet

Speaker the

Russ Buettner - New York Times reporter on the metro desk specializing in investigative and computer-assisted reporting.

SPJ this Tuesday!

A Journalist’s Toolbelt

Slowly but surely, journalism is shying away from pen and paper and is turning to the touch screens. As technol-ogy quickly continues to evolve, journalists have the task

of staying up-to-date with the latest applications on their smart-phones and tablets. These apps not only assist in writing stories but they also provide information from a variety of news vendors to keep journalists constantly aware of what is happening throughout the country.

Professor Hans Meyer has many applications installed on his iPad to give him instant access to news. Some of his favorites in-clude Flipboard, The Atavist, and Zite – which all allow users to create their own magazine with news topics of their interest. He likes these applications because they put all of the information together in one place and create a personal magazine.

Meyer has personally experienced the transformation of print journalism to the online content structure. His goal is to teach his students how to present information to their audiences in different forms of multimedia.

“I want students to start thinking about how can I present the information that I’m gathering differently,” Meyer said. “I wish newspapers were creating these apps or even magazines but in-stead they’re farming their content out to other people who are doing it.”

Although some publications have not mastered the art of pre-senting their content in an application form, allowing other com-panies to do it for them is a step in the right direction for the jour-nalists who use the apps.

First year Ph.D. student and research assistant, Pamela Walck, has been in the industry for several years. While reporting for twelve years at the Savannah Morning Years, Walck, like Meyer, has seen a work force with and without advanced technology.

She says that the best app for journalist is the AP Stylebook, which actually does have a mobile app for smartphones and tab-lets.

“I think that a lot of times no matter how many times you have covered something or you think you know something, just to have the ability to double check and verify that it is indeed correct,” Walck said. “I think the more that editors have to fiddle with the copy, the more likely it is that they’re going to change stuff.”

However Walck is still a believer in the “old fashion reporting” and thinks that today’s journalists now have to find a balance be-tween using these tools and still making a sincere connection with the story at hand.

“At the end of the day, all of the technological gadgets in the world don’t make up for just the person-to-person, shoe-leather journalism that frankly kind of gets thrown out the window,” Walck said. “If you’re not having meaningful contact with sources then you’re not having meaningful conversation and you’re not getting to the root of some of the bigger issues that might be at play in the story.”

Sarah Grothjan is a senior journalism major who uses many news publication apps on her smartphone. Some that she says she uses constantly are The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Fi-nancial Times and The New York Times.

“I just have everything on my phone publication-wise just be-cause I can do a quick look and check my phone in the morning and not have to use the Internet,” Grothjan said.

Grothjan sees no disadvantages to using these mobile apps as long as, of course, the smartphone has a long battery life.

“It think it’s really easy for just on the run,” Grothjan said. “No one usually forgets their phone because it’s the first thing you grab.”

Reporter | Taylor Petras

nior and SPJ board member, was leading the meeting and described it as “kind of cool” that students got to see into the everyday life of a professional journalist.

After the break, Bradley continued to speak to students about his time in Cairo. He de-scribed his time in Cairo as “gratifying” and recommends not only foreign corresponding, but also travelling, to anyone who is even the least bit interested.

Bahi Shoukry, a graduate student originally from Cairo, is studying communication man-agement in Liepzig, Germany. Shoukry at-tended the meeting and agreed with Bradley’s advice.

“I like the idea of meeting him… and also getting in contact with a journalist abroad to give students insight,” Shoukry said.

Bradley supported his advice by saying that it’s not easy to work your way up from smaller news organizations like it was in the past.

“You could work your way up twenty years ago, but that past doesn’t really exist anymore,” Bradley said.

When asked what last words he wanted to leave the students with, Bradley said, “If you want to go into foreign corresponding, just go! If you spend too much time thinking about how you’re going to go, you’ll never actually go.”

Correspondent continued...

A past SPJ meeting in Scripps 111. | Daniel Rader

PRSSA Meet-ing @ 6 p.m. in Scripps 111.

Reporter | Camille Rose Smith

5Volume 5Fall Semester, Issue 3

INC.

ScrippsCalendar Mon. Fri. Thurs. Weds. Tues.

A New Look for JFreshman Newsroom

ScrippsTip

SPJ meeting @ 5 p.m. in Scripps 111.

Sign up for an interview time and apply to the internship at The Columbus Dispatch before it’s to late!

RTDNA meeting @ 7 p.m. at the RTV building in room 375.

Freshmen scrambled to get their things and hurry out of class, trying to think of ideas while walking out of Bentley Hall. Pro-

fessor and JSchool Director, Dr. Stewart, had just announced the application deadline for the JFresh-man Newsroom - an exclusive opportunity to work with the director in a smaller class and fine tune reporting skills. This year, Peter Shaplen, a television producer in

LA and Sally Ann Cruikshank, a Graduate student, will be leading the class. “I wasn’t part of it last year, but I do know we’re

taking a new approach this year,” Cruikshank said. “We really want to reevaluate the format of a basic news show and determine how a show could at-tract a younger audience. With the exception of good journalistic values and ethics, we really want to throw the rulebook out and start fresh.”Students were instructed about consider the future

of media, and write a one page essay to describe, in detail, how they would transform television news in order to make it more appealing to a younger au-dience. In order to earn one of the 20 spots within the class the application needed to be creative and original.

Sept. 11, the applicants were buzzing in the lec-ture hall. The accepted applicants were announced, via email the night before. Jaelynn Grisso, a freshman who applied for the

program, learned that she was among the 20 fresh-men that began their morning with a congratula-tions waiting in their email inboxes.Grisso said that the number one thing she is ex-

cited for is the “experience. Both Peter and Sally Ann are highly qualified and seem very willing to work with you.” Cruikshank and Shaplen said that the process of

selecting the class was difficult. Shaplen claimed that the process was “horrible” and “gut wrench-ing.” “It was difficult,” Cruikshank said. “The Scripps

freshmen are so bright and so dedicated to journal-ism. All of the applications are great.”The final de-cisions were made based on the student’s essays.” Shaplen seemed to agree. “The students who really listened wrote some

spectacular, creative thoughts,” she said. “The ones that took the question and made it their own answer” were the ones that, ultimately, were ad-mitted to the program.”

Go online and vote for one of the top six colleges to host a live taping of Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb’s show! Though they won’t be visitng Ohio University, the sassy pair could still be making a stop at a university nearby, Ohio State Univer-sity.

Speaker, Emily Rued, NYT mul-timedia reporter @ 10:30 a.m. in Scripps 107.

This year’s freshmen were selected last week for the JFreshman newsroom. | Provided

Editor in Chief Lindsay Friedman Copy Chief Laura GarottiDesign Chief Lindsay FriedmanContributing Editor Jimmy Roller

PR Chief Heather WilsonWeb Designer Holly Moody INC

Staff Reporters Kali Borovic, Kayla Hanley, Talyor Petras, Camille Smith, Erin Davoran, Elizabeth Harris Photography Daniel RaderEditor in Chief

Copy Chief Laura GarottiDesign Chief Lindsay Friedman

Lindsay FriedmanContributing EditorJimmy Riller

PR Chief Heather WilsonWeb Designer Holly Moody

INCStaff

INC OUSPJ_INC@

The Independent Voice of E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Students

ouspjinc@gmail.com