The placement issue

So after a lot of time flip flopping and some rather lazy soul searching i've finally decided for my work placement which is (go to youtube and find a drum roll)

The Lincolnite- For who I already do some work already

So to help with the paper work side of this placement I've made these following points:

My USPs:

News gathering

Sound editing

Copy writing

News photography

Ability to pick a suitable sound clip

Interviewing techniques

Some knowledge of the local area

Page layout and design

Uploading web based content

Basic video editing

Developing shorthand

Contact development

Competently operate a marantz

Reliable

Punctual

Strong research skills

Polite

Five things I want to get out of this work placement:

1. The ability to write quicker, accurate copy
2. Create stronger news photos
3. Learn how to expand on the knowledge of a press release
4. Have a better understanding of to upload online content
5. Work in news environment on a regular basis  

SWOT:

Strengths:

1. This will help with my academic writing skills and is a strong quality to have for work in a news environment.
2. This will help with my photographic understanding and will be a good chance to place a lot of practice I’ve learnt into theory.
3. A lot of news outlets are accused of chunralism and looking beyond what can be accused of bias sources can lead to strong more balanced news stories.
4.  With the print industry in decline and most news outlets moving to an online format it’s logical to be immersed in how this function works.
5.  This will help my professional news development which is lacking on my course since the pace tends to be a little more relaxed.

Weaknesses-

1. This is something which could take time and in a more professional news environment my colleagues may not have the time for me to slowly improve my skills.
2. Again this can take time, if I produce a photo which is not suitable the story is in danger of being scrapped if a decent photo cannot be produced.
3. This could be a case to case basis problem, for example if a press realise is produced by the NHS it would be difficult to find a strong enough and credible source to give balance to the story.
4. Since this is a crucial part of the entire outlet this could be quite complex and difficult to learn and would again consume the time of my colleagues.
5. Doing this for online could be a tough learning curve and could lead to stressful repercussions.

Opportunities:

1. A great chance to prepare myself for my working career and overall enhance my skill as a journalist
2.  Good skills for a journalist since journalists are expected to be multi skilled.
3. This would help my establish myself as an investigative journalist and help with my research skills.
4. This would prepare me for the expected change in journalism industry from less print to more of an online setting.
5. I have experience in radio news environments and this will be a chance to experience another side of the industry.

Threats:

1. This would be the skill that required the most development. It would probably take the longest to develop and could endanger the publication of a story.
2.  A strong photo can make a story and since all Lincolnite stories have at least one photo again the publication of a story could be endangered.
3. Sometimes looking for other sources could lead to incorrect information tarnishing the quality of the story.
4. If I’m trusted with uploading web content this could lead to a lack of proofreading for my stories and could lead stories being published with inaccuracies.
5. With my timetable and work schedule this could be at threat to get one solid period of time to put this point into practice.