Stephanie vanKampen

Posted by The Beacon From the field Friday, November 6th, 2009

Stephanie vanKampen

I’m not going to lie. I was terrified when I walked through the doors of the towering CBC building in downtown Toronto, as any green journalism graduate would be. Questions were bouncing around my head… would I be good enough? What if I’m not what they’re expecting? What if I mess up?

I soon learned that confidence is half the battle, even if it’s just a mask. If you don’t think you can do it, why should anyone else? Trust your instincts; you’ll know what to do because you’ve already survived a journalism degree. You’ve already proven yourself, already been trained for life in the working world, you just haven’t gotten there yet.

Let me assure you of one thing: you’ve chosen the right profession. I can’t think of another degree that will open doors to such a variety of potential jobs and opportunities. In the six months six graduation, I’ve worked as a writer on an international news show, been a chase producer for a breaking news channel, and am currently working as a filmmaker in Africa. The world is your journalistic oyster.

So don’t box yourself in. Don’t get mulled into thinking journalism means just daily news or just newspaper reporting, or just any singular job. Journalism is growing, stretching, widening, and opening up. Be a part of it. Explore the fringe of journalism. Explore fiction and photography and music and sound. They are all part of telling the story.

In Africa

I was scared, terrified to be standing in that huge newsroom in that huge building. I had no idea if I was good enough to be there. But the tingle of fear fades quickly when you’re somewhere between sink and swim. I found my feet and began to see that journalism in the 24 hour news cycle is another world. The deadlines were black and white, which only added to the excitement of it all. Each detail was paramount. The stories we covered were important. We followed them grow and climax and end, all in real time. It’s fascinating to be on the outside of a story, and yet know everything about it.

In Africa, on the other hand, I’m experiencing another side of journalism. Here there are no deadlines, no hard and fast rules. I’m in Zambia for three months working as a filmmaker for a non-governmental organization called GEMS. I’ve been given total freedom to create a promotional video about a school that GEMS is building. While here, I’m compiling orphans’ stories for a book that GEMS will publish. And for fun, I spill all my adventures on my blog.

I interview and edit, but the challenges here are entirely different. The video camera is a huge distraction, especially for children, as if the language barrier doesn’t make things hard enough. I have to make several trips to the village to establish a relationship with the kids before I interview them. If they can get used to the sight of my blonde hair and pale skin, I have a better chance at getting their story. I often put the camera away and sit down with the kids, one on one, to make them as comfortable as possible, and then pull out the camera when they’re ready.

Journalism here is fun, but it’s not easy. I struggle with culture differences, language barriers, and working conditions that are less than ideal. For me, it takes a more personal flavour. It’s not as black and white as the breaking news scene. There are shades of grey. In each of my distinct experiences as a journalist post-graduation, I’ve encountered different challenges. But in each, there lies an opportunity for creativity. Find that opportunity and be confident in your abilities. You never know where they will take you.

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Posted by The Beacon on Nov 6, 2009. Filed under From the field. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.