A Day at KQED: Student Journalists Get Behind-the-Scenes Look
On Wednesday, October the 22nd, the staff of the NewsCool Chronicle were given the wonderful opportunity to tour KQED Headquarters in the MIssion District. They left school in the midmorning and took MUNI to their destination. All involved agreed it was an intriguing and eye-opening look into the world of journalism.
KQED is one of the largest public media organizations in Northern California, providing news to millions of people across the region. They specialize in television, radio, and digital content, and are dedicated to creating free and unbiased information for the American public. During their time there, the NewsCool Chronicle staff learned the importance of truth that is accessible to all, for without that fundamental condition we cannot maintain a true democracy.
The staff were given a tour of the news headquarters’ premises by Ted Goldberg, a KQED employee and father of 8th grade New Schooler Galit. Some of the highlights of this tour included the stage where KQED hosts its public events; the recording studios from where news anchors speak to the public, as well as editors mix and alter sound bites; and the large, airy, and sunlit newsroom, packed with dozens of open cubicles.
During their tour of the recording studios, the staff were able to practice recording their own sound bites, which in this case were short speeches introducing themselves. Ellie, a staff member, has stated that she “liked recording in the recording room,” going even further to claim that “it was so cool!”
The NewsCool Chronicle’s visit to KQED was also quite educational. The staff learned about ledes (short hooks at the beginning of news stories that grab the public’s attention), reporters in the field versus reporters in the office, and the process of editing and mixing sound bites. In addition, they were given the opportunity to interview one another about why they were interested in journalism, and each member proceeded to compose a one-minute news story summarizing their findings.
Several members of the staff felt that they had learned valuable lessons about journalism and the journalistic world while at KQED. “Our KQED field trip was inspiring,” shared Otis, a member of the staff. “Seeing all those recording rooms and people working opened my eyes to the amount of work people put in.”
Winston, a member of the NewsCool Chronicle founding team, was impacted above all by the interviewing exercise. “We came to understand the importance of brevity in journalism, a good life skill altogether—writing and being to the point,” he said about the experience.
The NewsCool Chronicle staff is immensely grateful for Ted Goldberg and everybody else involved in providing us with this magnificent and fascinating experience.
