Challenges with in-depth reporting

My experience with my first real in-depth reporting class is one of mixed feelings. I cannot deny the fact that I have learned a great deal about journalism in general because of this class. Furthermore, the class gave me a glimpse into the “real world”–basically preparing me for the workforce. This class was the most challenging class I’ve ever taken in my four years of undergraduate education. It was not because the writing was particularly hard, but rather because of the demand on my time out of the classroom. This is where I came to see how journalists really work–whenever there’s a source that needs to be interviewed, you go and that’s it. More specific to this class, we were instructed to cover immigrant communities in Miami and how they relate to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Here’s were some problems arose. My community was the Venezuelan community in Miami. After much research and countless interviews, I came to see that the Venezuelan community does not fit into many of the UN MDGs. Although the community has many events, people, etc. that are newsworthy, it was difficult to tie them back to those goals. Nevertheless, I know that many of the things I’ve learned this semester in CNJ 445 will stay with me for the rest of my life.