Nine UO School of Journalism and Communication students traveled to Vienna this spring, hoping their professor and Billy Joel knew something they didn’t. They quickly discovered that SOJC Professor Peter Laufer and Billy Joel were correct: Vienna was amazing.
For all of spring term, the journalism students and four Austrian counterparts participated in internships at newspapers, magazines and radio stations in Vienna.
They toured major news organizations including the daily newspaper-of-record, Der Standard; a periodical written by and for immigrants, Biber Magazine; and the bilingual radio station FM4. The students concentrated on reporting and interviewing across languages and cultures.
“Interning at an Austrian radio station has been one of the most valuable aspects of my time abroad,” said Adam Vaughan. “FM4 provided me a unique opportunity because it broadcasts in both English and German. I learned so much about interviewing for radio and sound editing that I'll take with me forever.”
In addition to valuable experience, interning at Austrian media organizations also pushed students to engage with Vienna community.
The University of Oregon's AHA International Study Abroad insured that the students were integrated into the community, placing them with host families and connecting them with a variety of cultural events in the city.
The students discovered what appeared to be a significant cultural difference: A lack of smiling between strangers in Vienna compared to Eugene-nice. Laufer assigned each student to smile at six Austrians and then ask them why they didn’t smile back.
This uncomfortable yet enlightening assignment yielded some hilarious and poignant results, and the interviews, along with a photo essay, will be published in Portland Monthly.
Halfway through the term, the journalism students were assigned to report from Bratislava, Slovakia, and Györ, Hungary. With no language training in either Slovakian or Hungarian, they tackled social and political issues including racial conflict, organic food and standards of living.
“At the end of the day, we were happy to be back in a country with a language we were used to not understanding,” Maddie Stone laughed.
“I'm going to look at these months as a crossroads in my journalistic career,” said Victor Flores. “Everything — from Professor Laufer's lectures to the stories I've written — has made me think about how hard this career is and how far I still have to go to get into the field and stay there. When I do get a job in journalism, I'll look back at this spring in Vienna as a key reason why. It's been the reality check I've always wanted and needed.”
- from the UO School of Journalism and Communication