Jessica Lum

I wrote a Daily Bruin obituary for a UCLA alumna named Jessica Lum some days ago. I never knew her, but from reading and seeing her work I can tell she was a fantastic and talented journalist.

She was a skilled photographer and had a way with endearing herself to sources. She reported on HIV/AIDS in Thailand and took video for the Washington Post in South Korea.

Slab City Stories was her masters thesis project while she was attending Berkeley J-school. Here's my favorite video from her online project.

Sonali's advice on networking

Here are a few tips I got from talking to my DB co-worker Sonali. She's a pro at networking and has connections with people in really high places. The assistant managing editor at the LA Times wrote her rec letter. I know.

I want to try and get my hand in the world of journalism networking, because that's the only way I'll really be able to get anywhere. Like James said, it's unfortunately not always about how qualified you are, but about who you know. Guess that's the case for any business.

• Go to journalism conventions. Talk to people and try to mention something memorable about yourself. After you finish talking, ask for their business card and write on the back of it the memorable thing you both talked about. The next day, email them and thank them for their time in talking to you. Bring up that one thing you talked about so they'll remember you. Ask for opportunities at their organization, and they may have something for you.
• Even if you only have a year of experience, apply to internships now, even the big ones. Start getting your name in their pile.
• Connect with recruiters during the internship application off-season. Ask them for critiques on your clips. Ask them questions about their internship application process and ask for advice and tips. They might remember you.
• Randomly email journalists you admire. Praise them for their work and ask for mentorship-type advice. Connect with them that way.
• Send handwritten thank you notes. They mean much more than an email written in a minute.
• Try and complete internships during the spring if possible. That way you can squeeze in more experience during the year, as opposed to waiting for the summer to roll around.
• Miscellaneous story idea tip: just walk around campus and talk to people. Don't go to the internet for all your story ideas. Walk around and observe for two hours instead.

James' feature writing advice

Here are some tips I got from Daily Bruin EIC and my former/first campus editor James on how to write killer features. (He should know, he's written some pretty damn good ones.)

• When looking for story ideas, look for weird quirks or things that deviate from the normal routine of things.
• Have a pre-interview with your source. Get the basics of the situation and write follow-up questions based off of this.
• Be upfront with your sources. Lay out to them from the very beginning what you plan to do. If you want to write an inspirational and heartbreaking story about somebody dying of cancer, tell them. If you want to write an investigative story about somebody who broke a law or acted unethically, tell them you want to get their side of the story too.
• ACCESS IS KEY. Only with large amounts of access to your source's life and thoughts can you write an accurate story that captures the wealth of details you need to paint the picture. Find details that appeal to the senses or to the memory. Interview them in their natural habitat where they're most comfortable. Go follow your source where he/she does what you're writing about. Observe. Be a fly on the wall and stay out of their way. Ask, "Could I just come along? I'll be out of the way." Act as if you aren't even there.
• During the real interview, don't look down and write stuff down on a notepad. Have a real conversation with the person. Use a recorder to take notes for you.
• Schedule the interview when your source has lots of time, on a Saturday, perhaps. Set aside at least an hour. You don't want to have your source rushed; you want him/her to work completely naturally.
• Ask other sources for different perspectives. Your source may say she's the best soccer player on the team, but others may beg to differ.
• Above all, care about the people you're talking to. They're human too. Laugh when they tell a joke. Share your own stories with them when you find a connection with them. If they don't know anything about you by the end of the interview, you've failed.

Remember, features are meant to "illuminate lives lived in our time."

Chinese hackers infiltrate NY Times computers

Shocking and a bit alarming. Nice example of in-depth investigative reporting: Chinese hacked the NY Times on several occasions. Some think it's because they wanted to protect their image abroad and steal trade secrets.

Chinese hackers infiltrate NY Times computers

Al Jazeera: Newlyweds on the Syrian frontline

Terrifying. But they had each other in the line of fire.

Newlyweds fight together on Syria frontline

I wonder what it would feel like to be them?

Dead Poets Society, why we need poetry

Ok, this isn't journalism, but I've embraced this movie like the bible to justify why words and stories are so important, more important than medicine and law.

Bienvenue!

Bienvenue to my first real blog!

I'm writing for everyone in the world, or nobody at all.

All I am is a quiet girl who fidgets anxiously when she hears the words "carpe diem" and is more desperate than anything to become a good journalist.

Hopefully people who read this blog will see that journalism is more than just reporters barging in to swipe a juicy story. I've learned it's much more than that, that the best journalists can capture the meaning of being human in nothing more than words, photos or video. In other words, why we exist.

On this blog I'll post stories that made me think or made me cry. I'll also post articles with tips I think will help me become the journalist I want to be.

Here's my first post. It is a video that, incredibly, makes me cry every time. I won't give any explanation, the reporter who made this video was so experienced that the video speaks everything for itself.