Bring it on

by Craig Malveaux

I haven’t had a full day of class at the Poynter Institute but one thing I’ve learned in the first few hours or so is certain; if you want to survive, you’d better start paying close attention to detail. In sports journalism, detail is everything. Detail is what sets you apart from everybody else. It’s the difference between a solid story and an exceptionally written one. And the difference between you landing the job of your dreams or having to settle for that general assignments reporter gig at some small-town newspaper. The first thing we did in class taught us about that. We took a pop quiz called a sports check. Greg and Sandy asked 12 questions about current events. You know, the kind of topics you bring up for small talk in the newsroom.
The questions ranged from Shaquille O’Neal’s college basketball coach and what two pitchers were penned in the starting lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays game today to the name of the national politician who was indicted recently for improper use of campaign funds. Unfortunately, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked to. But I’m sure there will be plenty of sports checks to go around this week. It just means I need to brush up a little more on my sports knowledge. I’m sure this is only a small taste of what’s to come while I’m at the Poynter Institute; there will be much more challenging, yet fun and interesting things for me to learn. And if so, BRING IT ON!