Walter T. Middlebrook, assistant managing editor for news at The Detroit News, talks with Unis middle school journalists. One student asked Middlebrook about the biggest story of his career, and he suggested the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which occurred while her was working for Newsday near New York CIty.
By Nour Eidy
Unis Middle School
On Dec. 7, 2010, Ms. Kincaid’s 7th grade journalism class took a field trip to Channel 4 the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News. We started by visiting Channel 4. We were seated in the lobby of Channel 4, next to a tall Christmas tree.
WDIV-TV/4
We met Andrew Humphrey, a meteorologist on the Channel 4 news team. Andrew stated “the hardest part of my job is forecasting itself.” Also, Humphrey shocked the class when he said, fewer people work in the TV station’s newsroom than in newspaper newsrooms.
The class was indeed disappointed because security was so tight. The Channel 4 News studios are very private and personal. Yet we still enjoyed our time at Channel 4 and moved on to The Detroit Free Press.
Detroit Free Press
When we visited the Detroit Free Press. I was moved by a specific object on display — the words of The First Amendment declaring freedom of speech and press.
We were seated in the news conference room and met people from the Detroit Free Press team. One was James Hill, a budget editor. Another was Jocelyne Heard who reports the news in meetings. We also met an audio editor.
I encountered awards that were given to Tim Higgins for Best Column, and Kofi Myler an artist. Also, the newspaper had 10 Emmy Awards for “Pit Bulls: Companions or Killers?” and in categories that included advanced media news programming, informational, public service, breaking news and sports.
We also learned who chooses the picture that go into the newspaper and how reporters sometimes report the story to photographers who go out and takes photos. As we wrapped up our Detroit Free Press tour, we moved upstairs to where The Detroit News work its magic.
The Detroit News
At The Detroit News, we were also seated in a conference room. The Detroit News has been up and running since 1873. It has come a long way since then and tis still changing till this day. Ankur Dholakia, photographer and videographer, told the class that to be good journalists, we must always be eager to write. Plus, we must always be curious about getting to the bottom of the story.
Dec. 7 was a day Ms. Kincaid’s 7th grade journalism class will truly never forget. We learned so many new techniques that we will adjust our writing and this will make our knowledge and enthusiasm for writing skyrocket. It was an amazing experience that will stick with us in memory.
Photos by Joe Grimm
