Looking back fondly

This semester has been a whirlwind and has gone by so incredibly fast — it is almost difficult to believe that we are practically at the end. Throughout the semester for Mobile and Social Journalism and Ithaca Week, I have gotten to cover art and culture in Ithaca.

At first, I was a bit stressed and anxious to step into this beat. Outside of the classroom I’m the Editor-in-Chief of The Ithacan and previously worked only in the news team. Stepping into more entertainment-based journalism was quite daunting for me, but I grew to enjoy it and have fun with less-serious and hard-hitting news stories.

This excitement for arts and culture journalism really came while I was working on my first package. I went to the Ithaca Night Bazaar at the end of September and spoke to some of the vendors that had set up shop for the evening. It was different for me getting to walk around this upbeat and lively event and talk to people about the things they were selling. While I always try to feel connected to and with my sources for any story, there was a different kind of connection with these vendors. They were getting to talk about themselves and their craft — normally I’m used to people talking about an issue they have on Ithaca College’s campus.

A picture of the book stacks at the Friends of the Library Book Sale, my favorite thing I covered. Source: Caitlin Holtzman/Ithaca Week

Something else I have found appealing about this beat is the kinds of stories that exist and the layers to them. My second story was about the Friends of the Library Book Sale and I went into it expecting to just talk about the event, the people there, and what they were looking for. However, after talking with one of the coordinators of the sale I learned that the money made is donated to different local organizations and groups that deal with literacy and reading. This is something I would not have known if I wasn’t doing a story on it and it took a story that was mainly about the kinds of books people were buying and what they were interested in and turned it into more.

Overall, this is to say that this semester was a lesson in stepping out of my comfort zone. I wanted to challenge myself this semester and not continue to cover heavier news. As I said before, I was nervous and felt unprepared for this kind of coverage but after having actually done it I can confidently say that it is an experience I was glad to have and one I will look fondly back on.