Sandra Knipsel: The Oracle of Meek Week

Houston Buckley

JOUR 271

Radio Lives Story

373 words.

            Oxford, Ms. – In a crowded classroom inside Farley Hall, a group of students eagerly awaited for a speaker. A woman walked into the room bearing an accent that most of the students were not used to. Sandra Knipsel, a former graduate of Ole Miss, was speaking to journalism students about what it takes to be a journalist.

            Knipsel received her masters from the University of Mississippi; she also studied in France, and at Wales University. Knipsel has received two Edward R. Murrow awards for success in journalism, and was the London Correspondent for German News. Knipsel also worked all over Europe.

            The main focus of Knipsel’s lecture was focused around internships. Knipsel got her first internship in high school, and her first job was Bloomburg Media. “Take internships now, it’s hard to get jobs in journalism for beginners and even returning journalists.” Said Knipsel. “If they say can you come in on weekends, of course you can.” Said Knipsel. “Read everything you can and consume news, the more you can do shows.” Knipsel didn’t just speak on behalf of internships; she also talked about writing techniques that would improve the skills of the students.

            Knipsel won an Edward R. Murrow award for her feature story on the Smithville tornado. The tornado ravaged Smithville, Ala., and was a two-part story for Knipsel. Knipsel used professional sound bites to record natural, organic sounds from the disaster recovery. Knipsel used crisp and clear questions to gather her information, along with satisfactory vocabulary.

            Knipsel made an emphasis on finding the feature stories. “The two bank tellers in Smithville that had their building ripped apart over them,” said Knipsel. “That’s the stories that you go for.” Knipsel gave information to those young students that could potentially boost their journalism careers.

            After the lecture was over, Knipsel took questions from the class. One student asked her “what was your most memorable story?” Knipsel pondered for a moment and replied, “it’s hard to say, and I have had a memorable career.” Knipsel’s long career was put to good use during meek week, and the students in her lectures now have information from one of the most decorated graduates to come from Ole Miss.