The Closing Of Another Chapter

At the start of the semester I was the shy girl texting her best friends for support before my first lecture while I waited, with knots in my stomach, for Dr. Redman to start speaking. I am still a shy person which I doubt will ever change. But what has changed, is that I no longer have knots in my stomach, and probably never will again while waiting for a journalism lecture to start. Why? Because I fell in love with journalism. 


Journalism is challenging, interesting, heartbreaking, joyous, raw, entertaining, inclusive and specialised. This course has opened my eyes to the wider world, dropping me in the deep end where I had to swim or sink. I think I've managed to stay afloat...I hope I have anyway. 


In this course I've learnt a lot of lessons: 

• That "you are the journalist"
• Web 3.0 will probably see Skynet take over the world causing the Resistance to rise up and defeat the machines after many battles
• That to get the gist of an article you only need to read the top part, because articles are set out with the most important information at the top
• Pictures are worth more than a thousand words
• That I have a serious soft spot for the underdogs, especially if they are in some way related to issues of mental health
• Excel and I will never be friends, and my personal media use diary proved that beyond a doubt!
• My patience for radio needs to be improved
• Don't take up a "10 Day Challenge", because I really suck at keeping up to date with them
• Commercial media is full of too many people with their fingers in too many pies. Uncle Rupert, meet Clive Palmer, I have a feeling you'll be great mates 
• Public media is honest and hugely entertaining 
• When dealing with ethics it's tricking. What is ethical for me, may not be ethical for you. So we have to be easier when we judge others for their decisions
• People surprise you, especially when you post something personal and get a huge response. I was truly astounded by everyone's comments and emails. Thank you
• Sadly, good stories rarely make the front page, or the next page or the next five pages. Today all consumers are interested is blood, gore, death and destruction. It's a bit of a bitter pill to swallow
• Mother's Day shopping is hell in Ipswich!!
• Agenda setting  - almost as scary as Web 3.0
• We should strive to never lose Investigative Journalism, for it is so worthwhile and important
• I appreciate simple bibliographies so much more after the Annotated one
• And finally, to get where I want to go in life I need to get a move on! 

Dr Redman and my tutor, Ali, thank you for an amazing semester! Thank you for helping to inspire me to following my dreams, gut instinct and a good story! It's been a blast, and I hope the rest of my journo degree is just as stimulating and fantastic.