In just 12 weeks, broadcasting students train for Armed Forces Radio and Television Service jobs worldwide, or for stateside broadcasting assignments. From there, they move into television, where they learn to put together a full newscast. Basic journalist course students learn to conduct interviews, write news and feature stories, take photos, process and print film, and design attractive and readable military publications. The journalism program runs 11 weeks at a pace that Pvt. There's so much you have to absorb, but you learn from your mistakes.
Professionalism is stressed throughout the training.
Standards are high, as is the school's recycle rate. The learning curve involved in grasping those basics can be riddled with embarrassing lessons. Javier Hernandez remembered the time he played three songs on the air - at once. Then there was the time he slid a compact disc into the player, only to realize it had advanced halfway into a song. Turning out top-notch military broadcasters and photojournalists is the goal of the Defense Information School.