Extra Credit

Dan Ashley (anchor of ABC7 News at 6 & 11 p.m. and ABC7 News at 9 p.m. on Your TV20) met with SJSU journalism students on Wednesday. He started by saying that it was irresistable to speak to a room full of people who cannot change the channel. He also compared television to a sausage because, "Those who love it should not watch it being made".
He advised the young journalism students to never give up because the need for journalism would never go away. Ashley said the immediacy of broadcast journalism is what attracted him to his profession. He gave an example with a very recent copy of the Contra Costa Times which had a lead story "Bay Bridge Closed" on Tuesday when the bridge actually opened two hours later that same day. He also talked about the impact technology has on reporting. For instance, pictures from the Vietnam War took days to arrive while nowadays they can be sent instantly from the battlefield. Ashley also shared his personal experience about how much more informed people are today, saying that there are times when he hasn't even finished his sentence during the newscast, and the station is already receiving e-mails from upset viewers, correcting the information he had just given them on TV. That is why, according to Ashley, there is tremendous pressure on local broadcasters for continuous coverage of major events because they need to compete with the 24-hour CNN, FOX, and others.
He talked about his experience in North Carolina, working 20-22 hour work days, continuously covering major political events. Ashley said that the thrill and privilege of witnessing an event first-hand is what keeps him going. He also stressed on the importance of portraying things fairly and showing the crucial elements of a story to an audience that trusts you. Then he added that "We are held to a very high standard but none of us got ordained, we all just got hired.".
After he talked about his experience with international reporting, and his most recent trip to Poland with Bay Area Holocaust survivors, Dan ashley gave some advice to students. He told them that they should read as much as they can and have a working knowledge. He also talked about how important an internship is because it gives you real world experience and it may fire your passion. According to Ashley, it's tough to get in but relatively easy to move up in the journalism industry. He thinks the first 5-10 years of your career, your job is a lot cooler because it gives you a range of experiences you can't get in any other profession.
The last student question was about how everything we learn and do at school will most likely be irrelevant by the time we graduate school because of the rapid change in technology and the journalism industry. Ashley's answer to this was simply that "Quality never goes out of style".