GRADUATION: Patti Dennis on what you need to know

Patti Dennis

Patti Dennis, vice president/news director of KUSA-Channel 9 in Denver and a member of the SJMC Advisory Board, delivered the School's fall 2007 commencement address on Dec. 20.

Her comments to students included her top 10 list of "what you need to know about your first – and every other – job." Here is the list and excerpts from her comments:

10. Be on time. In fact, be early. It shows respect for your work, your peers and the audience. You'd be surprised that the early bird gets more than the worm … he gets the whole nest.

9. Remember it's about "them." Stories are about people. It's their story, not yours. Let the light of your work focus on them.

8. Learn to do everything. There will always be a place for you. Today's media is multi-faceted. You have to be able to produce content for the many platforms.

7. Solve problems. No matter where you work, the key leaders are those who have ideas on getting around and through the "issues." Where there is strong disagreement, compromise. When equipment fails, strategize. When there is no solution, innovate.

6. Tell the truth. And remember in some situations, there is more than one truth. Never let a deadline push you past knowing the truth. Being right is vital. And if you make a mistake, tell the truth. Fix it; rectify it as fast as possible.

5. Be fearless. Journalism often takes courage and conviction that what you are doing is right and is a part of a healthy democracy.

4. Give your time away. Do things for free. Get out in the world so you can really get a sense of what is important to the people you serve.

3. Minimize harm. I don't mean eliminate harm. In some cases what helps one can hurt another. You have to decide how to carefully handle information that could cause harm.

2. Take care of history. In a sense, we are documenting history everyday. Be careful that what you leave behind each day is accurate, fair and balanced.

1. Listen. Most of us were attracted to journalism because we wanted to know everything, and most of us think we already do. The best way to learn is to listen. You will not know how to report the world's happenings if you aren't listening – a lot.