And that’s a wrap!
The Limerick Voice has finally been put to bed. After
several disagreements, numerous late nights and too many cups of coffee, the
2014 edition of The Limerick Voice is finished. And what a journey it’s been.
There have been highs and there have been lows but I am
extremely proud of what we have achieved in this edition of the Limerick Voice.
The dedication, talent and commitment shown by my classmates in both the BA and
MA class, combined with the guidance and assistance from our lecturers, has to be
commended and I feel honoured to work alongside such creative and talented
people.
The experience of researching, investigating, interviewing,
reporting, designing and publishing a newspaper has been invaluable. It is an
experience no classroom or no lecturer could ever teach. I have gained
experience I know will stand the test of time and build on making me a better
journalist and for that I will be forever thankful.
My previous work placement in The Munster Express definitely helped me as I set out trying to make contacts, organise interviews
and schedule photographs. The buzz of searching communities for stories,
speaking to local people and visiting new places was all part and parcel of my
Limerick Voice experience and one I enjoyed and benefited from very much. The
thrill of putting pen to paper, (or perhaps keyboard to Microsoft Word as the case may be) and
finally seeing my stories come alive on a page is a just reward for weeks of
hard work.
Working as deputy news editor proved slightly more stressful
than I had imagined but, in hindsight I am glad I accepted the role. Assigning stories,
keeping track of different people’s articles, watching stories develop or fold,
subbing copy and giving a helping hand has been an honour and an experience I
know will make me a better journalist.
At times the production of The Limerick Voice was
challenging and frustrating and, as with all group projects, there are always
people who pull their weight more than others. This project (unfortunately) was
no exception.
As is the nature of journalism there are times where you
will work hard and put a significant amount of time into a story only to find
out it has been cut. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed when I
scanned through the newspaper last Thursday morning and failed to find one of
my articles. It was a story I had assigned myself from the very beginning of
the project and I was committed to getting it done. It took me weeks to get in
touch with the source I needed to speak to and when I did (eventually) write up
the article I felt it was a solid news story. To put time and work into an
article and to then have it cast aside is disheartening but I am aware that
this does happen in newsrooms.
As we neared the end of the Limerick Voice tensions were high
and, at times, there was a lot of negativity both in the newsroom and at
meetings. Although this is understandable I found it stressful and discouraging
working in a negative environment. In saying that, no teamwork project would be
complete without a couple of arguments. Coming out the other side of these
disagreements is the main thing and, thankfully, we made it! Despite maybe
wanting to throw the Mac out the window in frustration or scream at the top of
my lungs when things went wrong, I wouldn’t have wanted to work with any other
group of people. Although things seemed touch and go for a week or two,
everything worked out perfectly in the end. As it always does. And we produced
a pretty amazing paper too!
To next year’s class: I don’t envy you trying to top this
edition of the Limerick Voice. It’ll be a challenge that’s for sure but a
little bit of determination and a lot of hard work can go a long way. Best of
luck!
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