Professional Journalist advises Staff

The Feather staff welcomed Ron Orozco, current writer of the Faith and Values Page for the Fresno Bee, to speak on behalf of journalism, Feb. 24. Orozco offered advice and insight on the writing process, the impact of social media, the future of the modern newspaper and much more.

He also explained the impact of the Christian faith on his profession and described his recent pilgrimage to Israel. He was inspired by viewing the supposed sights of biblical stories and standing on the very same ground that Jesus once tread. He even brought the class stones from the valley where David and Goliath fought and a pebble from the table of the Last Supper.

Orozco graduated from Fresno State and found an opportunity to write for the Fresno Bee. Over the years he wrote in several different sections of the paper including sports, news, and the Sunday features. However after his conversion to Christianity, Orozco developed a passion for places of worship and their influence on society. He then decided to write the Faith and Values page. This year marks Orozco?s 40th anniversary with the Fresno Bee.

Orozco believes that writing is a form of expression similar to music, art or athletics. To him the purpose of journalism is to use self expression while simultaneously informing and bettering the community.

“When we sit down with our laptops, it?s like a canvas and we’re Monet, Rembrandt and Da Vinci,” Orozco said. “We can create an expression. Writers express themselves; we communicate, educate and inform.”

Many of the concepts that Orozco covered were already known or at least discussed to some extent by The Feather staff. These ideas included the use of social media, the correct way to interview and the writing process, to name a few. However, Orozco did breach upon several new or overlooked concepts that The Feather benefited from.

Editor-in-Chief Tynin Fries, ’14, was grateful for Orozco coming to share his knowledge on journalism.

“I was really appreciative of Ron for coming to speak to the staff,” Fries said. “I think it was good for everyone to hear from an experienced journalist. He gave good points for the staff members grab hold of and put into practice themselves.
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Orozco addressed the value of the new technological age and predicted the impact it would have upon newspapers. Despite, the wide spread idea that the print newspaper will eventually reach extinction, Orozco is confident that this is not the case. He acknowledged the strain that such developments are likely to put on the newspaper franchise but believes writers will simply reinvent the traditional paper.

He pointed to social media as a chance to inform the public in a faster, often more effective, way and draw their attention towards particular articles.

Orozco emphasized the value of efficiency in journalism. He provided a simple writing process that eliminated the alleged writers block and insured a fast written but factually sound piece.

Independent sports journalist, Joshua Carter, ’16, appreciated Orozco?s tips and believes that in the future they will benefit both him personally and The Feather as a whole.

“As a sports writer I appreciated his insight and ideas about writing in the midst of everything that is happening,” Carter said. “It is a great way to get readers and people who weren?t there, interested in the game. Many of his other ideas and knowledge will help improve this paper and the sports section.”

Throughout his presentation Orozco challenged students to abandon lazy habits and strive for excellence. He encouraged The Feather to interview people in person rather than by email and text and also to write and read others’ work often and to take notes on the constructive criticism of editors or peers.

Although Timothy Timothy Nyberg , ’16, is a video production student and is not currently involved in journalism, he believes the message applies to his work as well. The experience caused him to see both writing and video production in a new light.

“What he talked about even applied to me in video production,” Nyberg said. “I think it was really good when he talked about how you literally need to run to get your work done. You really have to get on top of things like that and the laziness definitely applies to me. It helps me think differently about writing and video.”

For more features, read the Feb. 24 article, Japanese-American recalls post Pearl Harbor discrimination (PODCAST).

Follow The Feather via Twitter and Instagram: @thefeather and @thefeatheronlilne. This writer can be reached via Twitter: @skylerklee.