It’s no wonder that Dr. Scott has his classes keep a blog and post for it almost every class. Writing, as it turns out, is the most essential piece of just about any form of media, including broadcasting, as Elon students learned last Friday.
Matt Belanger, an Elon alum-turned-NBC reporter, spoke to students about the field of broadcasting and the importance of developing one’s skills, in particular that of writing.
“I am always writing,” said Belanger. “Even when I’m not actually writing, I’m writing in my head, or thinking about ways I can say something.”
Another thing Belanger stressed was the need to make an impression on others. He said that standing out amongst other reporters and upholding journalistic integrity were important pieces of gaining information from sources.
“You have to find a way to be memorable,” Belanger said. You have to be ‘that guy.’”
Belanger left his students with one final word of advice, and that was to love one’s career. Broadcasting, he said, is a craft that one must perfect, and that if one does it simply to see one’s name up in lights, then the person is doing it for the wrong reasons.
“There is an experience, a relationship. It’s not about the words, but it’s just about the experience.”
