jmurphyshots. Oregon High School Journalist of the Year.

It started with me writing about the NFL. Then I picked up a Canon camera for the first time. Then I became the Photo Editor as I reported on more school events. I created a photo brand by the name of jmurphyshots. I organized media days. Then I got the Web Editor-In-Chief position. Led our staff to get the third SNO Distinguished Site in the nation. Then I got a superior in the sports feature photography category at the 2023 fall JEA/NSPA national convention. I then led the website to get Best of Show at OJEA Fall Media Day. However, the process just doesn’t end there.

These facts and titles are mere shadows to what really lies: dedication, enjoyment, leadership, sacrifice, and a whole lot of communication. I am a student of the journalism industry, always looking to improve my craft, always learning, always adjusting when needed, and always building relationships with people. So, this is my journalism portfolio, where you get to see a little more than just seeing me on the sidelines, talking loudly, interviewing, and even relaxing. Behind the camera and my computer, I take pride in being a role model and meeting my potential.

So how did I even start in the first place? I knew it was important to feed information to any given community and for me, sports was my community. I loved getting fed sports content, locally and nationally. I empathize with the sports-lovers. With all that in mind, I started writing for the people like me: the people who just cannot get enough of sports. I’m glad that this idea has grown into something much more.

It’s almost hard to call journalism something like a future career or a job or some kind of everyday thing. In my eyes, it’s my passion. Dive through my portfolio and see the thoughtfulness and passion I have put into each entry. Through this portfolio, I aimed to teach the average viewer more about the importance of journalism because my goal in journalism is to create more students in the industry. This portfolio also serves as a place where I show off my photography work.

Over the years, I have practiced journalism in a multitude of ways, especially photography. By clicking the links below, check out my table of contents for my photo brand “jmurphyshots” and my journalism work.

jmurphyshots

Journalism

Favorite entries

Getting the third Distinguished Site in the nation

This deep dive on how I led the staff to the third Distinguished Site in the nation is something I’m still proud about to this day. By looking at this entry, you will discover why this was one of my biggest challenges, how I overcame strife, and how I kept things organized. It’s a must-read.

Doing sports media days

Me explaining how I do sports media days felt like a deja vu. I say this because I love sharing about the experiences I have at these events because they bring me satisfaction, joy, and good relationships with sports teams. In this entry, you will find out how these events are organized and my leadership style through these projects. You will also see the kind of post-media day content we create.

Using news gathering to connect to the community

This entry explains a lot about my favorite-ever writing piece. The story “Promoting and proposing ethnic awareness” went onto BestofSNO.com and most importantly, I learned what it means to connect with underrepresented communities. This a story that still resonates with me because of the impact the story had.

Using composition to create storytelling photos

Delving into my photo processes was extremely enjoyable because I always love to talk shop regarding photos. As a photojournalist, I take pride in my ability to get different kinds of shots and this entry puts those words into work. I would explore this entry and discover the details I got with each image since each image was created with composition in mind, as my work always is.

How sports media days enhance audience engagement

With this entry, I focused on another aspect of sports media days. This entry explains how building relationships with the players (and people in general) is the most important aspect of audience engagement. I also explain how the content strategy produced more audience engagement. I love this entry because I think building relationships is one of my priorities as a journalist.

Notable awards

2023-2024 SNO Distinguished Site, third in the nation
2023 fall JEA/NSPA National Convention, superior (sports feature photography)
2022 Fall NSPA Clips and Clicks, fourth in the nation (sports photo)
Northwest Scholastic 2023 OJEA Fall Media Day, Best in Show (website)
Best of SNO, “promoting and proposing ethnic awareness” (feature story)
2022-2023 OJEA Student Media Olympics, best in category (in-depth news package: multiple stories, awarded for media day led by me)
Northwest Scholastic 2023 OJEA Fall Media Day, Best in Show (feature story)
Northwest Scholastic 2022 OJEA Fall Media Day, Best in Show (environmental photograph)
2022-2023 OJEA Student Media Olympics, best in category (Photo story/slideshow)
2022-2023 OJEA Student Media Olympics, best in category (sports reaction photo)