18
Field Reporting
By emily pelland
Teaches More than Technical Skills
To begin, it is an honor to have traveled on two inaugural trips by the School of Global Journalism at Morgan State University–Selma, Ala., and Cuba. I transferred in the Fall 2014 after a year of working with a background in photojournalism. I specifically searched for a multimedia journalism program and felt that as a white female, it was my responsibility to learn about the black experience in my home city. These tours allowed me grow as a journalist and as a member of a society that continues to oppress people of color.
Selma and Cuba were completely separate journalistic experiences. In Selma, I combined multimedia journalism and virtual reality (VR) with Dr. Joel Beeson of West Virginia University. I was a student protégé of VR, if you will. We drove all over Selma and to Marion, Alabama to capture 360-degree images and then interview subjects found or by us or by the team. Since this was a completely new experience for us, we faced the challenge of working somewhat blindly about what we needed and how we would use material. We also faced the challenge of conveying stories honestly without manipulating content with the technology.
Prof. Fredric Kendrick, videographer Derrick Cheston and student Emily Pelland chat with communications students from the University of Havana. (Photo by DeWayne Wickham)
SGJC students Synclaire Cruel and Emily Pelland take notes at a panel at the University of Havana about news coverage in Cuba and the evolving relationship between the island nation and the U.S. (Photo by Jackie Jones)