Peter Schroeder (G ‘10) Twitter: @peteschroeder   “Sometimes you can feel more like a referee or a marriage counselor than a reporter, but one of the perks of the job is getting to hear the best arguments from all sides in an attempt to nail down the truth.” MPS Journalism Ambassador Peter Schroeder graduated from the program in Summer 2010 and currently works as a Staff Writer at The Hill. His specialty is covering financial issues and politics. Peter worked in DC journalism prior to starting the program and shared with us how the program rounded out his journalism skill set.MPS Journalism: Tell us how your degree from the Journalism program has impacted and/or changed your career.Peter Schroeder: I was already working in the journalism field when I began Georgetown’s MPS Journalism program, but had not received any formal training in the field. The years I spent at Georgetown allowed me to not only cover those gaps in my understanding, but also gave me the chance to try out a range of different storytelling techniques and mediums that my day job would not allow. Furthermore, taking classes at Georgetown gave me the chance to interact on a regular basis with faculty who spend their days working in the journalism industry, gaining invaluable insight and professional contacts along the way.”MPS JO: Why did you pick Georgetown’s Journalism program? How did you hear about us?PS: I heard about the program just as it was starting from a friend, and was immediately interested. Getting the chance to further my academic training at a place like Georgetown, with its great history, was an obvious plus. At the same time, it was exciting to be joining a program that was just getting its feet under it, before things became too calcified and rigid. The combination of historic achievement coupled with that start-up appeal made for an enticing combination.MPS JO: Who is your favorite working journalist?PS: It’s impossible to pick just one, because the field is so wide and varied and is getting more so every day. There are scores of hard-working, very smart people cranking out quality work. But there are particular names I’ll always make an effort to read when they produce something. Michael Lewis, Robert Draper and Matt Bai consistently crank out excellent long-form pieces on complex issues that are as illuminating as they are entertaining.MPS JO: How did you balance your work, life and school responsibilities while in the program?PS: It can definitely be a challenge juggling everything, especially when studying journalism. The biggest obstacle is that most classwork in a journalism class involves doing journalism, which can’t be achieved during late-night cramming sessions. Fortunately, I had an understanding editor and an understanding wife who knew that sometimes I had to take some time out of my day to line up an interview with a key source for a school project.MPS JO: What one interview for a piece you’ve done has changed your perspective on a topic/issue/etc.?PS: It’s hard to nail down a particular interview, not because it hasn’t happened, but because it happens so often. One of the great things about this job is that you get to talk to lots of people who know issues inside and out and listen to them make their case. You’ll often find yourself in the middle of a heated debate and hear about an issue from two or more sides. Sometimes you can feel more like a referee or a marriage counselor than a reporter, but one of the perks of the job is getting to hear the best arguments from all sides in an attempt to nail down the truth.MPS JO: What one piece of advice would you give current students?PS: Be open to everything. Taking classes in the program offers a top-notch opportunity to try out a wide variety of approaches to journalism. I took an audio/photography production class and a video production class, despite the fact that I was working in print journalism and had every intention of staying in the written field. These days, it never hurts to have a baseline of skill in a wide range of approaches. Beyond that, take advantage of the faculty and the advice they have to offer. Since they are all working journalists, they have the direct experience you are trying to achieve, so listen up.
View Separately

Peter Schroeder (G ‘10)

Twitter: @peteschroeder

 

“Sometimes you can feel more like a referee or a marriage counselor than a reporter, but one of the perks of the job is getting to hear the best arguments from all sides in an attempt to nail down the truth.”


MPS Journalism Ambassador Peter Schroeder graduated from the program in Summer 2010 and currently works as a Staff Writer at The Hill. His specialty is covering financial issues and politics. Peter worked in DC journalism prior to starting the program and shared with us how the program rounded out his journalism skill set.

MPS Journalism: Tell us how your degree from the Journalism program has impacted and/or changed your career.
Peter Schroeder: I was already working in the journalism field when I began Georgetown’s MPS Journalism program, but had not received any formal training in the field. The years I spent at Georgetown allowed me to not only cover those gaps in my understanding, but also gave me the chance to try out a range of different storytelling techniques and mediums that my day job would not allow. Furthermore, taking classes at Georgetown gave me the chance to interact on a regular basis with faculty who spend their days working in the journalism industry, gaining invaluable insight and professional contacts along the way.”

MPS JO: Why did you pick Georgetown’s Journalism program? How did you hear about us?
PS: I heard about the program just as it was starting from a friend, and was immediately interested. Getting the chance to further my academic training at a place like Georgetown, with its great history, was an obvious plus. At the same time, it was exciting to be joining a program that was just getting its feet under it, before things became too calcified and rigid. The combination of historic achievement coupled with that start-up appeal made for an enticing combination.

MPS JO: Who is your favorite working journalist?
PS: It’s impossible to pick just one, because the field is so wide and varied and is getting more so every day. There are scores of hard-working, very smart people cranking out quality work. But there are particular names I’ll always make an effort to read when they produce something. Michael Lewis, Robert Draper and Matt Bai consistently crank out excellent long-form pieces on complex issues that are as illuminating as they are entertaining.

MPS JO: How did you balance your work, life and school responsibilities while in the program?
PS: It can definitely be a challenge juggling everything, especially when studying journalism. The biggest obstacle is that most classwork in a journalism class involves doing journalism, which can’t be achieved during late-night cramming sessions. Fortunately, I had an understanding editor and an understanding wife who knew that sometimes I had to take some time out of my day to line up an interview with a key source for a school project.

MPS JO: What one interview for a piece you’ve done has changed your perspective on a topic/issue/etc.?
PS: It’s hard to nail down a particular interview, not because it hasn’t happened, but because it happens so often. One of the great things about this job is that you get to talk to lots of people who know issues inside and out and listen to them make their case. You’ll often find yourself in the middle of a heated debate and hear about an issue from two or more sides. Sometimes you can feel more like a referee or a marriage counselor than a reporter, but one of the perks of the job is getting to hear the best arguments from all sides in an attempt to nail down the truth.

MPS JO: What one piece of advice would you give current students?
PS: Be open to everything. Taking classes in the program offers a top-notch opportunity to try out a wide variety of approaches to journalism. I took an audio/photography production class and a video production class, despite the fact that I was working in print journalism and had every intention of staying in the written field. These days, it never hurts to have a baseline of skill in a wide range of approaches. Beyond that, take advantage of the faculty and the advice they have to offer. Since they are all working journalists, they have the direct experience you are trying to achieve, so listen up.

The Georgetown Downtown campus is located in one of Washington, D.C.’s most vibrant and accessible neighborhoods. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, professionals and community leaders will find hundreds of neighborhood amenities at their doorstep as well as comprehensive transportation options. The campus is located just eight city blocks from the Georgetown University Law Center and four blocks from the Verizon Center, home of Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball.

Journalism faculty, alums and student honored at 2012 Dateline Awards

Alumnus Khalil Garriott (G ’10) and faculty member Alisa Parenti each won a 2012 Dateline Award from the Washington, D.C., professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The awards, which were announced at a dinner and ceremony on June 12 at the National Press Club, honor journalists in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for excellence in a variety of categories, including spot news, sports and business/financial reporting.

Garriott, the online editor for the NFL Players Association, won the Dateline award for excellence in local journalism for the sports website entries of the Washington reporting category for his story “’85 Bears Finally Visit The White House.”

The judges wrote this about Garriott’s piece, which told the story of how the 1985 Chicago Bears, the winners of Super Bowl XX, met with President Obama 25 years after their first trip to the White House was canceled because of the space shuttle Challenger disaster: “It’s a good story, well told, and it was the first to be posted anywhere about this event.”

Parenti won in the business category for radio entries for “Surviving Pain at the Pump,” her series on rising gas prices. In the series, she gave listeners a glimpse at how gas prices affect a variety of people in the area: a mechanic, a realtor, a flower shop delivery guy and a gas station owner. The judges said the story was an example of “excellent local enterprise reporting.”

“Receiving the honor was exciting, but to see several students recognized for their work was truly a thrill,” Parenti said. “The MPSJ program is making its mark!”

Parenti was also a finalist for the Washington Correspondent Award. She reports for MarketWatch’s Broadcast Division and is heard regularly on WTOP-Washington, D.C., 1010 WINS-New York, WBBM-Chicago and KFWB-Los Angeles.

Student Judy Kurtz (G ’15) and alumna Elizabeth Jia (G ’10) were also honored at the ceremony.

Kurtz, a columnist at The Hill, was a finalist in the features category for weekly newspapers for her piece “Political cartoonists rooting for Gingrich.”

“I was honored to be among the SPJ Dateline Award finalists for my story on political cartoonists and how many of them were rooting for Newt Gingrich in the presidential race,” Kurtz said. 

“Hopefully, with this nomination, my head won’t become as large as how one cartoonist described the former Republican White House hopeful’s noggin in my article: ‘His head is just immense. He looks like a walking Macy’s float. Or the marshmallow man from ‘Ghostbusters.’”

Jia was a finalist in the general news category for television for her work on “Bullying Stops Son From Going to School Says Mom.” She is a multimedia journalist at WUSA 9.

Thanks to James Parenti and Elizabeth Jia (G ‘10) for the pictures. 

MPS Journalism Alum of the Month - May 2012 Jessica WeissContact Information: Blog:www.jessicaleeweiss.com,Twitter: @jessweiss1, Facebook: /jessweiss1  Jessica Weiss graduated from the MPS Journalism program in May 2011. Last November, she moved to Buenos Aires to work as a freelancer and practice her Spanish. Her articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times,The Washington Post Magazine andWashingtonian Magazine. Jessica revealed to us her favorite experiences from the program and how these experiences helped prepare her to live and report abroad. 1. Tell us how your degree from the Journalism program has helped you in your current job.I moved to Buenos Aires somewhat as a leap of faith, but I believe my time at Georgetown helped build my confidence and led me to believe the experience would inevitably work out. During my two years in the program, I was given opportunities to think in new ways and produce meaningful work. With varied courses, I learned that I was interested in working in mediums I never thought I would be, like radio. I was also encouraged by my peers and professors to try to publish my work, which resulted in a portfolio of clips by the time I’d graduated. This proved that I could “do it,” and that my writing was worthwhile. Without those clips and the encouragement, I can assure you I would not have had as much confidence to move abroad without a job.  2.What is your best memory of being in the MPS Journalism program?There are many, including a variety of inappropriate laugh attacks I had with friends in class (you know who you are)! But I’d have to say Howard Yoon’s Narrative Non-Fiction class really stands out. Part writing bootcamp, part group therapy session, the class (led masterfully by Howard) inspired students to dig deep and share their most personal stories through their writing. It was a totally safe and open space which made for so many beautiful pieces. I grew in huge ways in that class, and I think many others did too. 3. Twitter or Facebook?I’m a self-proclaimed Twitter junkie. I’m actually that person who goes on a soapbox at parties about how Twitter is an incredible tool and shouldn’t be bashed on or characterized as a way to share useless information about your dog. Twitter has helped and inspired me in immeasurable ways. I think it’s an essential tool for journalists. 4. Who is your favorite working journalist?One who comes to mind is Michael Kruse (@MichaelKruse) who writes for the Tampa Bay Times. Though he writes primarily about sports, his portfolio is incredibly varied. The piece that got me hooked on him was a haunting narrative of a Florida woman who died in her own home and wasn’t found for 16 months. The piece basically answers the question, “How could a woman go missing in her own home?” He was able to recreate so many scenes and dig up so many details that brought this woman to life and made the whole narrative very impressive. I remember reading the piece on a Sunday morning and being moved, baffled, saddened and horrified all at once — and of course totally in awe of his writing. You can see some of the journalists I try to follow via my Twitter ”journalists“ list. 5. What one piece of advice would you give current students?Take a risk while you can. It would have been nice and easy for me to stay in Washington, but I could no longer resist my curiosity and the urge to live abroad. A lot of people ask me how they can do something similar. It’s not for everyone, but if it’s something you really want, you can do it, and it will be worthwhile no matter what. Even to move to another city or state in the U.S. Use your skills to make it work financially while you settle — I have a variety of part-time jobs including an editing gig, English tutoring, yoga teaching — and then get out there and try to find the stories you want to tell and hope someone picks them up. I’m no expert, and I’ve certainly gotten my share of rejections, but I do believe that if you do something with passion and heart, and if you really want it, it can be. And even if it doesn’t turn out how you expected or hoped, just trust you’ll be a better person and storyteller for it down the road.
View Separately

MPS Journalism Alum of the Month - May 2012

Jessica Weiss
Contact Information: Blog:www.jessicaleeweiss.com,
Twitter: @jessweiss1, Facebook: /jessweiss1

 
Jessica Weiss graduated from the MPS Journalism program in May 2011. Last November, she moved to Buenos Aires to work as a freelancer and practice her Spanish. Her articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times,The Washington Post Magazine andWashingtonian Magazine. Jessica revealed to us her favorite experiences from the program and how these experiences helped prepare her to live and report abroad.
 
1. Tell us how your degree from the Journalism program has helped you in your current job.
I moved to Buenos Aires somewhat as a leap of faith, but I believe my time at Georgetown helped build my confidence and led me to believe the experience would inevitably work out. During my two years in the program, I was given opportunities to think in new ways and produce meaningful work. With varied courses, I learned that I was interested in working in mediums I never thought I would be, like radio. I was also encouraged by my peers and professors to try to publish my work, which resulted in a portfolio of clips by the time I’d graduated. This proved that I could “do it,” and that my writing was worthwhile. Without those clips and the encouragement, I can assure you I would not have had as much confidence to move abroad without a job. 
 
2.What is your best memory of being in the MPS Journalism program?
There are many, including a variety of inappropriate laugh attacks I had with friends in class (you know who you are)! But I’d have to say Howard Yoon’s Narrative Non-Fiction class really stands out. Part writing bootcamp, part group therapy session, the class (led masterfully by Howard) inspired students to dig deep and share their most personal stories through their writing. It was a totally safe and open space which made for so many beautiful pieces. I grew in huge ways in that class, and I think many others did too.
 
3. Twitter or Facebook?
I’m a self-proclaimed Twitter junkie. I’m actually that person who goes on a soapbox at parties about how Twitter is an incredible tool and shouldn’t be bashed on or characterized as a way to share useless information about your dog. Twitter has helped and inspired me in immeasurable ways. I think it’s an essential tool for journalists.
 
4. Who is your favorite working journalist?
One who comes to mind is Michael Kruse (@MichaelKruse) who writes for the Tampa Bay Times. Though he writes primarily about sports, his portfolio is incredibly varied. The piece that got me hooked on him was a haunting narrative of a Florida woman who died in her own home and wasn’t found for 16 months. The piece basically answers the question, “How could a woman go missing in her own home?” He was able to recreate so many scenes and dig up so many details that brought this woman to life and made the whole narrative very impressive. I remember reading the piece on a Sunday morning and being moved, baffled, saddened and horrified all at once — and of course totally in awe of his writing.
 
You can see some of the journalists I try to follow via my Twitter ”journalists“ list.
 
5. What one piece of advice would you give current students?
Take a risk while you can. It would have been nice and easy for me to stay in Washington, but I could no longer resist my curiosity and the urge to live abroad. A lot of people ask me how they can do something similar. It’s not for everyone, but if it’s something you really want, you can do it, and it will be worthwhile no matter what. Even to move to another city or state in the U.S. Use your skills to make it work financially while you settle — I have a variety of part-time jobs including an editing gig, English tutoring, yoga teaching — and then get out there and try to find the stories you want to tell and hope someone picks them up. I’m no expert, and I’ve certainly gotten my share of rejections, but I do believe that if you do something with passion and heart, and if you really want it, it can be. And even if it doesn’t turn out how you expected or hoped, just trust you’ll be a better person and storyteller for it down the road.

Master’s Journalism program students and alumni gathered at Georgetown’s Clarendon campus on January 29, 2011 for the first in a series of Saturday workshops. The audio from the workshop is available above. 

The “How to Pitch” workshop began with a panel of accomplished journalists discussing the kinds of story pitches that top editors at news outlets look for, exploring the do’s and don’ts of pitching, and providing tips on the best ways to sell a story idea. The editors worked one-on-one with students during the small group sessions to help each person come up with, and refine, credible pitch ideas.

“How to Pitch” Panelists:

  • Tom Shroder, former editor of The Washington Post Magazine. Shroder’s new book, Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster, will be released in March 2011 (HarperCollins).
  • Miranda Kennedy, editor at NPR’s Morning Edition. Kennedy is the author of the soon-to-be released memoir, Sideways on a Scooter (Random House).
  • Ryan Grim, DC Bureau Chief and Senior Political Reporter at The Huffington Post. He is the author of This is Your Country on Drugs (Wiley). 
  • Howard Yoon, literary agent and partner of the Ross Yoon Agency in Washington, DC. He is also a member of the MPS Journalism faculty and teaches “Crafting Narrative Non-Fiction” each fall.

Top