(BLACK PR WIRE/FAMU-TALLAHASSEE) "" Fall graduation is approaching for journalism students, and preparations for what's next were given to Dr. Gale Workman's Multimedia Public Affairs Reporting class by three successful former journalism graduates.

Lynn Hatter, a 2007 graduate and reporter for WFSU-FM public radio, said that being a great writer is a person's strongest attribute to any job in life. "If you are a good writer, you can survive any media you are suppressed to." She said she was hired at WFSU-FM because she knew how to report, write and listen. "I didn't know anything about radio, but I knew how to write well." She said when conducting an interview, people tried to give her the runaround. "Know where you have to go and who to talk to; people will try to steer you in other places," she said.

Tia Mitchell, capital bureau reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, graduated in 2001 with a major in newspaper journalism. She was lucky enough to land an internship as soon as she graduated. She said Dr. Workman's teaching methods and the experience at FAMU helped her land the internship. "The tenacity and patience you learn from FAMU helps you," she said. She also mentioned that if you find a good writer now, follow their work to help improve the way you write. "When you find someone who writes well, continue reading their work," she said.

Margie Menzel, a former reporter for WFSU-FM public radio and professor at FAMU, now a correspondent for Florida News Service, has been a journalist since the "˜70s. She said jobs are scarce and students will have to know every job in journalism. "It is so competitive now"¦.you're going to have to be able to do it all."

She said when it comes to reporting, get great quotes for a good story. "Talk to people long enough to get good quotes"¦don't over- or under-report," she said.

To hear the work of Lynn Hatter, visit http://news.wfsu.org/people/lynn-hatter. To see articles from Tia Mitchell, go to www.tampabay.com. To find more work by Margie Menzel, visit www.wgcu.org.