Wow

I’m had over 3,000 hits! Thanks everyone for reading what I have to say. Funny though that majority of the hits on this blog have come fom one single post, “Who else might have a cold?” It was a review I did of Gay Talese’s wonderful article about Frank Sinatra.

A Question

Lately, I’ve been debating how much of my personality, life and character should leak onto my blogs. I know many of the reader know me and know my blogs reflect only a small part of who I am.    

One of the issues in this interior debate is my future.  If I want to enter the world of mainstream media, my blogs should reflect a mainstream journalist’s mindset. 

But I’m more than that.  I have more to offer.  As does every journalist, because every person, journalist or otherwise, is more than just a generic pattern of thoughts.  They are people with ideas, thoughts, emotions, experiences, backgrounds and even mindsets as unique as their fingerprints. 

My experience makes me uniquely qualified to write about my experiences: in journalism, relationships, Kenya, culture, education or any area my experiences take me. 

Yet journalists are to present the best possible version of the truth not their ideas, thoughts or experiences.  A hard task in an increasingly subjective world.  Photography is easier. The camera takes a picture of what it sees; you interpret it for yourself. The photo might not represent the whole truth but it does represent a portion of truth.  With writing, I interpret something I see based on my internal filters, then the readers interpret my writing based on their own filters. Unlike photography, there is great potential for distortion. 

But restricting my blog to the “mainstream” leaves me little to write about since my life is not lived in the “mainstream.” 

So what do you the reader think?  Should I expand and include more of the everyday, in and outs and not worry so much about sounding or looking like a “journalist”?

website review: center for investigative reporting

The Center for Investigative Reporting is dedicated to journalism revealing injustice.  They have been supporting this cause since 1977. 

CIR is a non-profit organization claiming to “reveal injustice and strengthen democracy.”  They work with their own on staff reporters as well as freelance journalists to cover promising stories that would otherwise not have a chance of being covered in-depth.  They also produce major multimedia investigative projects. 

On their website you can view reports from previous investigations.  They are easily navigated by topic, outlet, reporter, date or media.  You can also link to CIR’s blog, Muckraking, from the homepage. There you will find more investigative reports and multimedia as well as links to other blogs and websites of interest. 

The website also contained bios about their staff reporters and links to their blogs.  Also of interest is a couple of investigative reporters tools including a “Citizen’s guide to investigation,” “Gun Reporting,” and “Looking up on your judge.”

On the website you will be able to sign up for email alerts about their recent investigations and ways to find them on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and iTunes. 

For a student journalist, especially those interested in investigative reporting, there are plenty of reports to study for ideas and technique though not so much of extremely practical value.  For the experienced journalist, CIR might provide job opportunities especially as a freelance reporter.  You can also make a contribution by notifying CIR about stories they might be interested in investing in.  Personally I would really like to see the Reporter’s Tools section expanded, but I will definitely be looking out for their recent investigations to help me better understand the world of investigative journalism .

A grand send off

Note: I thought I had posted this story months ago but just realized I never did.  Its from the final evening of World Journalism Institute’08.

High heels clicked against the pavements, pants legs swished together, laughter rose above the din of the surrounding sea of humanity. 

Unlike the well-dressed and heeled crowds rushing pass them, this group stood out.  Dressed in semi-formal black, yellow, and rose pink dresses, the girls obviously weren’t racing home from the office in time to cook supper for hungry husbands.  In their freshly pressed suits, the creases of their pants not yet softened by a hard day in the office, the men most definitely weren’t on their way home to eat in their kitchens, nor were they, with their ties still cinched up to their collars, on their way for a drink with friends. 

Where were these elegantly dressed young men and women headed? 

Well, if you must know, they were on their way to the Harvard Club.

Although these nineteen young adults were not finishing a hard day in the office, they were finishing three weeks of energy draining classes.  Students at the World Journalism Institute (WJI), they were on their way to celebrate the completion of their New York training with a fine evening, in luxurious surrounding, listening to a well-known political figure, while drinking wine and eating delicious food. 

What an amazing way to finish three spectacular weeks in New York City.  After learning what makes news and how to write about it, they were getting the chance to make news themselves. 

The speaker of the evening was Michael Gerson.  He is well known for his role as President George W. Bush’s head speechwriter from 2000 to 2006.  In his speech, he didn’t dwell on this role but emphasized how important it is for Christians to get engaged in their culture. 

He took these bright young journalists on a journey to Africa and discussed the pressing needs of those suffering from AIDS and malaria.  He challenged them to remember the needs of the poor, the voiceless as they step into influential roles and let these needs influence their journalism so that the American public would in turn be influenced to make a difference. 

The next morning as the 19 students took planes and trains back to their respective homes, a vision for the power of their positions burned bright in their hearts.