Sandra Knispel Meek Week

Paige Gustafson

JOUR 271

16 October 2012

442 words

Tips to Become a Successful Journalist

UNIVERSITY, Miss.—When German-born journalist Sandra Knispel moved to the United States, she worked for a newspaper in N.Y. and realized it was the worst job in the universe. “I had the most horrible boss you could imagine. He was sexist, he was racist, and he had a horrible temper,” Knispel said.

It’s safe to say Knispel didn’t run away from the hectic journalism industry, even after quitting the horrid job in three months. Since then, Knispel has worked the journalism industry at all angels.

National television anchor in London for Bloomberg TV Germany, managing editor for the weekly Oxford Enterprise, multimedia editor for Bloomberg Financial Markets in Princeton, N.J., and later London were a few of the many jobs Knispel took up as a journalist. Since 2002, Knispel has been freelancing for Mississippi Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio.

Knispel shared her many accomplishments to a packed room of faculty and journalism major students in Farley Hall Thursday morning. The students were all ears as Knispel stressed the importance of internships and news consumption in the journalism industry.

“Do internships as quickly as you can. You need internships, you need clips and you need work to show off to prospective employees,” Knispel said.

When looking for internships, Knispel said if there are openings on the weekends go for it because not many people will. Starting out in the industry Knispel worked during the week and did internships on the weekends. Internships are what gave Knispel the experience she needed to work in the industry.

“If you don’t know how to do something [a task in an internship] then ask questions and study at night. There are so many good books that explain how to be a good reporter. Read everything you can and consume news,” Knispel said.

Besides books, Knispel said it’s a great investment to get a subscription to Newsweek or Time magazine. If you’re in a job interview and something comes up it makes a huge difference knowing what is going on in the world.

“If you only watch local television news as your main source, you are totally uninformed…You will have no idea what is going on nationally or internationally if that is all you rely on,” Knispel said.

Joseph Atkins, Ole Miss journalism professor, couldn’t imagine a better journalist to speak to the students. “Sandra you‘re the perfect example for multimedia journalism, radio and television, magazines, newspapers and so forth,” said Atkins.

Atkins asked Knispel how important it is for young graduates, coming into the journalism field, to be flexible and to be able to adapt to various sorts of media.

“If you want to eat,” Knispel laughed, “if you want to have a career that keeps going, even though you may move, gosh you have to know everything.”