The last couple of weeks I have been researching, contacting and contemplating various journalism schools around the country. I feel a settled excitement when I consider the field of journalism. The most common question I'm asked by the various university officials is "what type of journalism are you interested in?". The answer, to me, used to seem so simple. I'm interested in honest, well-thought-out and nuanced journalism that brings awareness, connection, and even some action to the topic discussed. But I'm finding, once again, this pie-in-the-sky answer is fine in theoretical world, but does little in guiding me toward a more concrete answer. Do I want to focus on print journalism? But what about multi-media? Broadcast? Scratch that, no broadcast. But who knows?!
Last week while talking with Lissa Petersen, a writing professor at Pitzer College, she suggested I read a recent article regading the future of journalism published in The Atlantic. Later in the week, my close friend suggested the same article to read. Below is an excerpt from the article "How to Save Journalism" and James Fallows' much more articulate vision of what type of journalism I desire to practice.
"This is essential if the “crowd sourcing” and citizen journalism that have already transformed news coverage—for instance, the videos from inside the Iranian protests last summer—are not to be the world’s only source of information. Accounts like those are certainly valuable, but they will be all the more significant if they are buttressed by reports from people who are paid to keep track of government agencies, go into danger zones, investigate and analyze public and private abuse, and generally serve as systematic rather than ad hoc observers. (I am talking about what journalism should do, not what it often does.)" Click the title of this post to be taken to the full article.
Perhaps my first thought is more concrete than I realized. Journalism, whether in print, on television or in a documentary, all should be rooted in the deeper pursuit of the truthiness of the situation being covered. I will continue to research, connect and contemplate the many possible roads ahead with settled excitement.
