Andrea Johnson Homework 1

1) About Me

In July 1997, I came into this world as Andrea Faith Johnson. As a young writer and photographer, I attempted to document my life events and later discovered I could document events through writing and photography for a living. That was an exciting moment. I wrote my first newspaper article in ninth grade, became a reporter/photographer for my high school newspaper in tenth grade, became photo editor in eleventh grade and then became senior co-editor to end my high school journalism career.

My journalism career gained speed in college. I started working for The Arkansas Traveler as a freshman features writer and photographer and learned more about reporting on a larger scale. Last year I continued this job but also worked as a photographer for the Hill magazine and The Razorback yearbook. As a junior, I work as the projects news editor for the Traveler, which allows me to focus on improving the newspaper’s news feature and in-depth coverage.

I think that the best story I’ve written might be “Professor, Students Show Support For Men On Death Row.” I wrote the bulk of the story sitting in Starbucks on a rainy Friday night. Yes, I spent a Friday night transcribing interviews and writing about death row inmates. The news of the Arkansas executions made national headlines, but I was the first to tell the story of a professor who knew a few of the inmates as friends. In my interview recording with the professor, I can hear the wind whistling eerily in the background. I wrote the story on a stormy weekend. And the theme of death and darkness didn’t leave me at night, resulting in a restless night during which I thought more about the legal power to take a person’s life. I figured out a way to end the article with the words, “at peace.” Oh, the irony. Read my story and you’ll understand: http://www.uatrav.com/the_companion/article_8d5130de-29ff-11e7-850d-639fbc1f16ff.html

I continue to build my portrait photography business, which helped me earn money while in high school and now while in college, and I’m pursuing a Spanish minor as well. Data journalism is not my strength. It’s outside of my comfort zone, but that’s how I know I should be in this data journalism class. I know that learning more about interpreting numbers to find applicable truth will make me a better-rounded journalist.

I attached some of my favorite shots below. These take me back to moments when I appreciate my work most.

2) In the section called, “Some Favorite Examples” under “Providing Independent Interpretations of Official Information,” Isao Matsunami said “Journalists need to have access to raw data, and to learn not to rely on official interpretations of it.” Where should journalists look or ask for data? How does a journalist determine if data provided by an official is valid?