C. Francis O’Leary is the Daily Emerald’s opinion editor and a member of the Emerald ethics board. They are one of the Citizen Journalism Workshop Series planners.
Whether people realize it or not, we are all journalists. We all observe what happens around us as we move through our daily lives, synthesize the information into stories about how the world works and pass that knowledge along to our friends, peers and families. Most of the time, that process of gathering and sharing information is relatively unremarkable; but time and time again over the past years, we’ve witnessed that the first journalist on the scene of a major historical event is simply the whoever pulls out their phone and records events as they unfold.
One notable example was two years ago, when Darnella Frazier, then-17, recorded Minneapolis police officers murder George Floyd. The video she captured led to an uprising against racial injustice that spread throughout the globe. As I covered that uprising for the Daily Emerald, I saw dozens of people assume the role of citizen journalist, documenting protests, attending city council and school board meetings and explaining the uprising to other community members. The surge of people filling information gaps in their communities showed the power everyday people have to hold powerful systems accountable when they engage with the news.
Not everyone will end up in a situation like Frazier did, but anyone could. Further, everyone can benefit from knowing how news is made and become more equipped to engage in their local news ecosystem. To that end, the Daily Emerald has partnered with the University of Oregon chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and Ethos Magazine to prepare a free workshop series that will teach the basics of journalism to anyone interested in attending.
The series, called the Citizen Journalism Workshop Series, will consist of five, 90 minute workshops throughout spring term. Each workshop will add another layer to attendees’ understanding of how to report the news. Topics will include identifying stories, how to interview a source, self-editing, multimedia reporting and more. Sessions will be taught by student journalists from the Emerald, Ethos and NABJ, as well as a guest lecture from journalism professor Lori Shontz, who has covered everything from the Olympic Games to the Umpqua Community College shooting.
By the end of the fourth workshop, participants will have learned the basic steps it takes to make a news story. The series will conclude with an optional resume building workshop for anyone who would like to use their newfound skills to apply to one of UO’s many publications.
Our hope in designing this series is two-fold. First, we believe journalism, like democracy, ought to be open and inclusive to all. One shouldn’t have to go through four years in the SOJC to have their voice heard, nor should someone have to work at a newspaper full time to gather and share information on their community. Second, we hope some people who had never thought of themselves as journalists previously will fall in love with reporting and join the Emerald team. We know diversity is our strength, and the more backgrounds and viewpoints we include in our team, the stronger our news coverage will be.
