By Sammy Fernandes
Communications Chair of RTDNA
The first guest speaker of the semester was Esteban Reynoso, former RTDNA president, KCSN editorial assistant and intern at CBS News in New York.
He graduated from CSUN Spring 2020 and moved to Northern California to work as a multimedia journalist at Action News Now in Chico/Redding, affiliate of CBS and NBC.
He said it was a lot more difficult than he expected.
“I didn’t touch my Twitter account the first two months,” Reynoso said. “I just couldn’t. It’s really draining, but you do get used to it. You get used to the grind. You get used to the deadlines.”
While at CSUN, he had two weeks to do a package. Now, he has hours.
“It’s all about meeting deadlines. But that is the hardest thing, too,” Reynoso said.
One of the best pieces of advice Reynoso has ever gotten came from his mentor, CBS Los Angeles anchor DeMarco Morgan: “We make TV, not art.”
Reynoso wanted to have the perfect lighting and focus, but at the end of the day, “just turn it in. Make the deadline,” Morgan said.
Progression, not perfection.
He advises students to challenge themselves and make a package in one day to see how it feels, so they’re prepared once they get a job in the industry.
When talking about journalism ethics, Reynoso said journalists should always keep it in the back of their head.
“You represent a lot more than just yourself,” Reynoso said. “If you don't get both sides, you ruin not only your reputation, but your station’s, coworker’s, and the news reputation.”
Journalism is a public service to inform the public; stories must be straightforward and factual.
When covering the North Complex Fire, Reynoso recorded the devastation and destruction of the neighborhood. He was on the sidewalk and recorded flames inside a house, but he didn’t feel it was okay to use the footage in the news.
He followed his gut and called his boss, who said it was legal to use the video as he didn’t trespass.
But it was the ethics portion that didn’t feel right.
Reynoso ended up not recording street signs or numbers; instead, he showed the generic view of the house, with close-ups of the frames and kitchen table.
“You’re a human first,” Reynoso said.
In COVID-19 times, to differentiate Zoom interviews, Reynoso urges student journalists to actually put in the energy.
“People can read off a teleprompter easily, but it takes a different craft to show what's really going on.”
CSUN is proud of him. He made it, and you can make it, too.
Watch our meeting to meet Reynoso and the RTDNA's board members:
If you’d like to reach Reynoso, his email is estebanreynosotv@gmail.com.