Journalism Class Trip

The journalism class of Atlanta Adventist Academy got the opportunity to take a field trip and visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia last Monday. November 17, 2014. This was great opportunity for the students as they got me too speak to Mark Waligore a managing Editor and Jamila Robinson the Entertainment/Digital Editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  CNN offered a tour on which students take a look at CNN’s news desks and domestic, international and HLN studios. 

            The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a 24/7 Newspaper based off here in he city of Atlanta, Georgia. According to the managing editor Mark Waligor the AJC is one of the best paper in the country and one of the news outlet that offers free site. The students had the opportunity to ask Mark and Jamila Robinson a couple of questions. One of the question that was asked by senior Jayvon McKinley does a persons religious belief affect their work in the journalism world, to this mark explained that it all balance out that if a person isn’t able to work because of a religious observation they can simply rotate with other employees that don’t share the same problem. Among other questions that were asked by students were, how long does it take to edit a story, to this we were told that it could take anywhere form 3-15 minutes to 6moths to one year. The AJC has a deadline every night at 10pm, the press starts printing the paper out at 10:20 and by midnight the paper is on trucks on its way to your doorstep.

Mark Waligore a managing Editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution on the left behind Duy Nguyen a student from Atlanta Adventist Academy's journalism class reading a press copy of the Atlanta Journal Constitution while on a fieldtrip to the AJC in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, November. 17, 2014. (Ronal Sorto)

            Mark shared that at the AJC “we don’t just put on a Newspaper, we tell a

story.” At the AJC their main goal according to Mark Waligor is to tell “stories that read like a mini book. Jamila Robsinon shared with us that” Everything has a story to tell.” At the AJC the things they sell is he expertise. They seek the truth and get the News out because there will always be people ready to receive the news.  Mark shared that since day one he always wanted to be a journalist and majored in it and hopscotch across the country until he landed a job in a big paper like the AJC.

           

            He encouraged the students who were interested in journalism to pursue their dream, he shared how the AJC is a “Incredibly fun place” “everyone loves it here.” Not many jobs out there were you’re excited about work everyday. The adrenalines rush that only journalism can produce when working under pressure.