It’s no secret, I love MediaStorm. I even wrote a post about my adoration of the website. The site that tells the stories of people around the world through audio slideshows moves viewers in a way that journalism hasn’t in a long time. As a journalism student, MediaStorm is an inspiration; every time I watch stories like Jonathan Torgovnik’s  Intended Consequences or Luis Sinco’s The Marlboro Marine, I feel inspired to pursue this career path.

So needless to say, when my online journalism teacher arranged for a Skype call from Brian Storm, president of MediaStorm, I was ecstatic. I read every article of further reading my teacher assigned, watched every audio slideshow she suggested, and basically secluded myself in Brian Storm reading until 1 a.m. Yes, I went a little bit overboard.

My teacher had instructed the class to write questions we wanted Brian Storm to answer. I wrote down a few, but there was only one question I really wanted to know. Since MediaStorm is so focused on quality over quantity, what should journalism students pursue after graduation: big media outlets, or small organizations that allow graduates to do their own thing?

The Skype call took place on October 7, 2009. And believe it or not, I was actually really nervous. Brian Storm is someone I completely admire, and as a student pursuing a career in online journalism, he is an idol.

Brian Storm

Well, knowing I would be too nervous to walk up to the webcam and ask my question in front of the class, I volunteered to blog the conversation on my class’ private website.

Luckily for me, Brian Storm answered my question in his introduction. Storm said, “there’s only six people at MediaStorm, and 135 countries visit MediaStorm each month. We don’t do any advertising. The tools we use are cheap and powerful. I don’t think we’re doing anything new on the story-telling side, but we’re able to do it as an independent company. We’re able to reach countries you couldn’t reach in mainstream media. I wouldn’t work at a mainstream company, I’d find a couple buddies and do something.”

Storm, who has worked at MSNBC and Corbis, was 34 years old when he decided to work for a family organization after being fired from a job he excelled at. “The thing about working for a big place, they’ll never love you back,” said the photojournalist. But Storm also noted that there are some fantastic “big” media sites, including The New York Times, that are worth working for.

Due to advertising revenue, Storm suggested journalists focus on hyper local or global issues. Storm explained that regional publications will fail because they don’t attract advertisers.

To me, Brian Storm is a huge inspiration and having the chance to hear him speak was amazing. I have attended a number of speeches regarding the future of journalism, and the speakers all seemed to say the same thing: journalism is dying, newspapers are dying, television is dying, bloggers are taking over online and therefore journalism is still dying. But Storm has a different take: there is opportunity. Because older forms of journalism are dying, new forms are being created.

I cannot tell you how uplifted I felt after Storm talked to my online journalism class via Skype. After listening to pessimistic opinions of the future of journalism for the last two years, it was nice to enter third year with an optimistic point of view.

I attend Ryerson University, a school that has produced journalists who work at the CBC, Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star among many other media. Everyday I enter classes that encourage me to be ruthless but kind, a go getter, thirsty for information and fearless. And although journalism teachers are training students to enter a newsroom floor ready to photograph the inhabitants of a crack house, interview the mother of a murdered child, and cover a dramatic court case; it is also training me to enter the world of entertainment journalism, because there is nothing more cut throat than the entertainment industry.

I love journalism. I respect hard hitting news journalists who cover a gory story without batting an eyelash. I grew up watching 20/20 and was fascinated by the stories of deceit, murder, abuse, and the absurd equally as much as I loved the latest celebrity interview with Barbara Walters. As much as I want to be an entertainment journalist, I still would love to do a little hard-hitting news on the side.

Perusing the shelves of books at Indigo, I came across Bridget Harrison’s memoir Tabloid Love: Looking for Mr. Right in All the Wrong Places. The memoir chronicles the life of Bridge Harrison after she moves to New York City on the exchange program from London. Her four-month gig at the New York Post turns into years when Bridget falls in love with the City That Never Sleeps. The premise of the memoir is about Bridget’s tumultuous dating life in New York, however, the book is really about working as a newspaper reporter. Although Bridget writes a dating column in the Post, she also works as a reporter, traipsing across the city trying to get a scoop. From boiling subway stations to a mother who just lost her son, Bridget must race to get her quote. Just like Barbara Walters’ Audition (which I highly recommend) is actually about her personal life, Bridget Harrison’s Tabloid Love is actually about working as a reporter. Tabloid Love is not a great book. Heck, it’s not even a good book; but for those pursuing a career in journalism, it really gives you a glimpse into that world.

For those pursuing a career in journalism and looking for a medium outside of television and newspaper, there is a fantastic website called MediaStorm. The winner of two Emmys, MediaStorm features incredible audio slideshows. Audio slideshows are photographs to audio edited together in a slideshow, which creates a documentary on various subjects. Founded by the Missouri School of Journalism in 1994 and relaunched in March 2005, MediaStorm pieces have appeared on PBS and the websites for MSNBC, Reuters and NPR. The pieces are an incredible cross between art and journalism and are sure to inspire anyone interested in journalism, photography, film, and documentary.

Documentaries have  been gaining in popularity. Love him or hate him, a lot of that has to do with Michael Moore. While he is biased and not always accurate, Michael Moore has managed to bring documentaries to the mainstream. Although most documentaries have gone under-the-radar, the success of Moore’s films have created more opportunities for other documentary film makers. Capitalism: A Love Story is Moore’s latest film, covering the financial crisis in America.