Dear Meek School of Journalism and New Media: Thank you for everything you've given me -- which is usually the inspiration and encouragement to tell whole, true stories in the most effective way possible, but also (as I've come to realize) the shelter from nay-sayers and truth-haters (for lack of more spiteful terms).
I looked up "journalism" quotes today, and was quickly discouraged. First one by Margot Asquith, talking about how bullish press can be. Okay. True, to an extent. I'll take it. Second by Carl Bernstein -- "The lowest form of popular culture has overrun real journalism." That one kind of stung. Two negatives in a row. Keep scrolling, looking for some relief... nope, still negative... still negative... and end of page one: last quote is still about how much journalism sucks.
Alright.
My first thought is, well, none of these people were ever journalists, or they hated a journalism course they took in school. Second thought is - they're absolutely right. This is certainly a deeply-held perspective on journalism and its role in society, and some journalists aren't working to prove them wrong.
Then, I remember something I've heard twice this week in NYC: "We need journalists."
This first came on the subway when a guy named Ryan Snow, about 24 or 25, carrying a saxophone on his back, began to ask me about a rather large canvas I had in my hand. I gave him the run-around... I got it from some guy in a park. Well, the real story was I bought this beautifully painted canvas from Alvin Gans, an 83-year-old navy veteran who lives by himself in a college dorm in lower Manhattan, all because he brought me to tears through me his life story, and made me realize how insignificant the things I worry about can be. He found the painting in the dumpster and was selling it for $5.
So, after all of this was pulled out of me through awkward smalltalk, he asked me what I was in school for. I responded "journalism."
He paused, took a deep breath, shot me a glare, and said "we need journalists."
I can still hear in my head the second time I heard that phrase this week. It's Diane Sawyer's voice, smooth and understated. I picture her shaking her head in her glasses, as I envy the body in her hair that she has at her age. She asked us about our dream stories - the ones we really wanted to seek out and delve into. We went around the room, and she was either enchanted by what we wanted to do, or a very good actress. That's when she started begging:
"We NEED you. Thank you for wanting to do what we do. I love your stories. We need you."
So, maybe those quotes are right. Maybe there IS a real need for true journalism. True journalism is what I've also wanted to do, I guess now I'm just glad that I know at least two people out there will appreciate it.
I looked up "journalism" quotes today, and was quickly discouraged. First one by Margot Asquith, talking about how bullish press can be. Okay. True, to an extent. I'll take it. Second by Carl Bernstein -- "The lowest form of popular culture has overrun real journalism." That one kind of stung. Two negatives in a row. Keep scrolling, looking for some relief... nope, still negative... still negative... and end of page one: last quote is still about how much journalism sucks.
Alright.
My first thought is, well, none of these people were ever journalists, or they hated a journalism course they took in school. Second thought is - they're absolutely right. This is certainly a deeply-held perspective on journalism and its role in society, and some journalists aren't working to prove them wrong.
Then, I remember something I've heard twice this week in NYC: "We need journalists."
This first came on the subway when a guy named Ryan Snow, about 24 or 25, carrying a saxophone on his back, began to ask me about a rather large canvas I had in my hand. I gave him the run-around... I got it from some guy in a park. Well, the real story was I bought this beautifully painted canvas from Alvin Gans, an 83-year-old navy veteran who lives by himself in a college dorm in lower Manhattan, all because he brought me to tears through me his life story, and made me realize how insignificant the things I worry about can be. He found the painting in the dumpster and was selling it for $5.
So, after all of this was pulled out of me through awkward smalltalk, he asked me what I was in school for. I responded "journalism."
He paused, took a deep breath, shot me a glare, and said "we need journalists."
I can still hear in my head the second time I heard that phrase this week. It's Diane Sawyer's voice, smooth and understated. I picture her shaking her head in her glasses, as I envy the body in her hair that she has at her age. She asked us about our dream stories - the ones we really wanted to seek out and delve into. We went around the room, and she was either enchanted by what we wanted to do, or a very good actress. That's when she started begging:
"We NEED you. Thank you for wanting to do what we do. I love your stories. We need you."
So, maybe those quotes are right. Maybe there IS a real need for true journalism. True journalism is what I've also wanted to do, I guess now I'm just glad that I know at least two people out there will appreciate it.
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