My First Trip to the White House with the Urban Journalism Workshop
Story and photo by Maestro Joyner.
On March 23rd, 2024, I went to the White House for a field trip with the Urban Journalism Workshop, a program that provides aspiring black students who are interested in journalism with ongoing professional education opportunities and experience in podcasting and news. It's sponsored by the Washington Association of Black Journalists and it lasts over eight weeks. Students learn about the journalism field, what happens behind the scenes in news stations, how to identify stories, the research and accuracy that goes into a story, the importance of developing story ideas, newsgathering, writing for TV, and how to effectively use video.
Before we arrived at the White House, we did a group activity with Terace Garnier, a freelance news reporter, who taught us about full pan shots, medium pan shots, and close-up shots. Then, we learned how to conduct interviews and how to position the camera according to news station formats.
When we arrived at the White House, we went to the East Wing press conference room, where meetings are held about current events pertaining to the President. There are rows of seats where all the news reporters sit, from big, popular stations like ABC, FOX News, CNN, NBC, and CBS, to smaller, local news stations like WUSA9, WTOP, and DCNewsNow.
Next, we were given pointers and advice by news correspondents who work at FOX 5, the White House, and the Pentagon. We got to learn about their experiences and how it’s important to have people of color in white-dominated places like the White House, so that we can achieve a position that spreads awareness about black voices and stories in the DMV area. And not give up on pursuing our dream of being the next generation of black journalists.
Overall, my trip to the White House was amazing, and I would like to visit it again to see more people like me doing their part to make sure that our people’s stories get told and have more exposure. In that way, people of color have an equal chance in the world so that others will take us seriously. To reserve a visit to the White House you can sign up here.
Maestro Joyner is a junior at Friendship Collegiate Academy.