Moving Forward

 

Moving Forward
Published: November 24, 2023

"The Disorganized"
(Courtesy: Mervin Manaois)

Our week was productive as we planned our future regarding our brief data report and investigation. We had no progress from our investigative report on the PGH Diliman’s construction at UP Pook Arboretum last time. As we move forward, we are deducing what our next steps are amid all other academic tasks attempting to hinder us. From our impending group report next week, I realized the prominence of conducting data evaluation and analysis. I then realized the significance of reminding oneself to prioritize things in life, academics, and special projects, in our case – our investigation. Furthermore, moving forward amid all other hardships we may encounter, it is essential to maintain a positive mindset and never give up hope.

The forthcoming report given to us by our professor is an introduction to what we may face in our investigative report. We first conceptualized what our story angle should be. Then, we evaluated or “read” our data – looking for particular items we may use for our report. We settled with the National Capital Region’s sanitary facilities and worked thereon. Such an activity made me realize how one can find datasets overwhelming at first but substantial as they progress in the investigative report (IR) process. Our group report is essentially a snippet of the IR process. Moreover, one should calm down and thoroughly analyze what one may include in their news, or else they may risk making no progress at all and be stuck in a dilemma on what to do next. When one reads and finds pertinent issues from a dataset, one may make a significant breakthrough that can assist in meeting succeeding objectives in the IR process.

In a few instances, should one find themselves in an impasse, it is valuable to maintain an optimistic outlook.

Last time, I was spiraling down mentally because of the prospect of not making any progress. Such a thought led me to overthink things – resulting in me being mentally and, subsequently, physically exhausted. Coupled with my fatigue were the countless academic requirements and workload I had to meet before our deadlines. So, when panicking or overthinking things, one must calm oneself down and maintain a positive mindset. Moreover, I also found management and prioritizing important tasks helpful. Then, when properly managing items according to prominence, an individual tends to take things down one at a time. Such a feat can lead one to overcome obstacles and sometimes not realize that one has accomplished all their tasks. Considering what I discussed earlier, I again find it consequential to prioritize the pertinent issues we may find once we read and analyze datasets.

Ultimately, there will be temporary dead-ends; one must maintain a positive mindset to continue and know one’s priorities. Our forthcoming report for our particular dataset emphasizes the precedence of items when evaluating and analyzing datasets. When undergoing such acts, it is essential to maintain an optimistic outlook to avoid mental and physical exhaustion, especially in the IR process amid other demanding tasks or academic workloads.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scouring Sources

Image
Scouring Sources Published: October 20, 2023 The Department of Public Works and Highways' tarpaulin details its construction of the PGH Diliman Resettlement. Taken on October 5, 2023. (Courtesy: Mervin Manaois) Finding one source is essential in the formation of a meaningful investigative report. However, one must remember that a single piece of information obtained through physical or digital means would not suffice, supplement, or support any arguments one may produce. Throughout my journey in my course so far in journalism, I have realized that one must strive to gather information or knowledge from varying sources to reinforce and complement a report. Moreover, it is substantial to cross-check and fact-check primary and secondary sources of information to ensure that the investigative process has no inaccuracies. Furthermore, I realized that not all things are easy. Acquiring relevant knowledge requires time and careful consideration of the source’s credibility. Our progress ...
Read more

Excel and Dead-ends

Image
Excel and Dead-ends Published: November 17, 2023 Sample Excel Exercise Sheet (Courtesy: Mervin Manaois) Time has passed, and we have yet to progress with our investigation on the construction of PGH Diliman at the UP Pook Arboretum. As I feared, we reached a dead-end because of the lack of motivation and a tsunami of other academic and extracurricular commitments. One thing I realize now is that time management is precious. In line with time management is organization. Our recent discussion and workshop on the basics of data organization involves working with Excel sheets. In the investigative process, I saw our workshop as a helpful and impactful guide to saving time and manual labor when analyzing and evaluating data. Our recent progress came from the NCR Regional Director Loreta Malaluan, stating that she sent our inquiry on the PGH Diliman construction to their Planning and Design Division “for action” last October 25. After her reply, our investigative process stood still. None of...
Read more

To Refresh and Beyond

Image
To Refresh and Beyond Published: December 1, 2023 UP Diliman Academic Oval, July 27, 2020. (Courtesy: Patrick Roque) After approximately eight weeks of theoretical instructions and activities, our group and I are about to go beyond the fence of lessons into another set of challenges. Our report earlier this week concluded with fruitful insights from our professor and substantial dataset and mapping exercises for future reference. Aside from new lessons, we still have to enrich ourselves with more activities on data in our class. Furthermore, after acquiring new knowledge, it is time to resume our investigative process and shed light on the concerns surrounding UP Pook Arboretum. We must consider every past lecture we covered, especially the investigative process itself, from its conceptualization to publication. In my case, I have to remind myself (at times) of what I wrote in my past logs as a form of motivation and recollection of my experiences. Besides encountering challenges as ...
Read more