On Nov. 10, the Baltimore Association of Black Journalists will be hosting a multimedia bootcamp for aspiring journalists and media personalities, according to its official site.

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The BABJ Bootcamp will take place at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is open to all nearby college students looking to network and develop their media skills. The all-day event will host four 90-minute workshops – photography/videography, digital content creation, and on-air presentation and will later be followed by a panel discussion of some of local journalism’s greatest voices.

Writing is not the same across all platforms. What is written for print is most likely not what a reporter would repeat during broadcast. That is why the BABJ is hosting an interactive storytelling workshop, which is designed to help students develop and cater their writing skills as journalists through hands-on exercises.

The photography/videography workshop is designed to teach students how to use photographs and videos to enhance their storytelling, a key component of news reporting. At the workshop, students will learn to be versatile and adapt to different mediums by using both digital cameras and smartphones for photography and, for the videography portion, they will be taught the essentials of creating a news package including how to record b-roll, shoot videos from various angles, and more.

In this day and age, everybody has information available to them at the tap of their fingers. This has proven to be both negative and positive as, sometimes, people fail to differentiate between what’s real and what is not. The BABJ digital workshop will show students how to identify news and utilize social media to gather reliable information. It will also instruct participants on how to use social media for audience outreach. 

Being a broadcast reporter requires a specific level of energy and cadence. The last workshop is a hands-on experience, where students will be taught how to showcase their personality on the small screen, learning the best practices to have on-air presence and how to build a demo reel for applications. 

Following the workshops, attendees will have the opportunity to view a panel discussion called “Stay Ready, So You Don’t Have to Get Ready,” in which local journalists will share their expertise and experiences in the field. Emmy-award winning reporter Stephon Dingle is scheduled to moderate the discussion and WJZ Executive Producer Nicole Webb-McKnight will be featured as a panelist.  

Other journalists that are slated to make an appearance are Randall Newsome of WMAR-TV and Jenyne Donaldsom of WBAL-TV. 
Students can register for the event by visiting the Baltimore Association of Black Journalist website. 

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