Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Day 1,095
So where do we go from here?Simply put, we don't know. (As if you couldn't tell that from our retrospectives.)
We've wrestled with what to do with the blog as we approached our deadline. It's our baby, so we'd love to see it continue, but we're different people now than we were when we first started this journey and we'd have to account for that. For sure, Ten95 as you know it will be taking a hiatus - likely brief, but potentially permanent - while we decide where we want to go with this. And when, or if, we decide to restart Ten95, it will likely be in a very different form than you've come to know it.
Know this: the "Ten95 Experience" has been a great one and that's thanks to you. From day one we got great, insightful and encouraging comments regarding our work and our lives. We had a community to vent our feelings to, and people who looked to our experiences as affirmation that they weren't alone in their struggles. We met young journalists who came to us for advice (which was humbling) and readers - seasoned veterans and rookies - who congratulated us on a project with such a unique perspective.
This experience has been one that we can safely say, made our first three years as journalists good ones and shaped our identities in the industry.
And for that, we thank you.
Sincerely,
The Ten95 Crew
The Ten95 Crew
P.S. -- For those of you who may need a Ten95 fix and will be in the Tampa area for the NABJ convention, 1/2 of the crew will be on a panel entitled "Reinvent Yourself, Not the Wheel"on August 4. And the rest of the crew will likely be hanging out in the audience, if you'd like to say hello.
Labels: convention, for journalism's sake, fun, growing pains, heart, inspiration, journalism, love, milestones, musings, NABJ, the industry, unity
continue...Tuesday, June 02, 2009
No Safety Net
I was never supposed to be here this long.Three years ago, I had it all set. I had just been hired full-time at my current paper after starting off as a two-year intern. The plan had always been to stay two years and then get up and out. By 2007, I would have some banging clips to help me find a new and better job at a more exciting paper.
October will mark my four year anniversary in Rhode Island and I am more nervous and uncertain about what to do about the future than I have ever been in my life. I was never supposed to be here this long and now, I'm afraid to leave.
I didn't leave before because I didn't need to. And after years of prosperity, it was easy to ignore rumors about how much trouble the industry was in. After all, who could imagine a day without newspapers -- we were vital. Or so I thought.
That was before the Rocky Mountain News closed its doors, before the Times threatened to shut down the Globe, before Detroit stopped home delivery and the P-I went completely online.
It's easy to see all that now, but over the past three years, I’ll admit it, I was caught up in the newness of my budding career. I preferred to focus on the joy of getting a great story or share the frustration in dealing with tough sources and bosses. But all around me, it was happening. It wasn’t until the recession came to my newsroom with the split of our company, buyouts, and then finally two rounds of layoffs that I started to get the picture. This whole thing is bigger than me. And I’m not invincible.
Honestly, that’s why I had a backup plan. The only thing is that now, my backup plan is causing me more angst than ignoring the industry ever did.
Getting my graduate degree was supposed to be my safety net. I started thinking about going to get an advanced degree in law probably about 6 months ago. I'd been covering courts for a while, and then, the paper announced plans for more layoffs. I got excited about the program and my plan was to apply for the Fall 2010 class, which would allow me to save up some money and really prepare for the transition. But with my job only 4th from the bottom on the seniority list when they announced layoff plans in February, I thought it important to have a backup plan.
So I applied to Georgetown. And got in. With a partial scholarship to their Masters of Studies in Law program for journalists. It's a one year program where I would be able to take all the same classes as a first year law student, but come May, I would leave with a Master's Degree.
I'm seriously afraid to leave and I feel like a punk for it. And it's killing me that this economy has me doubting my ability to land on my feet, even with an advanced degree. When I graduated from college, I never thought for a moment that I wouldn't be able to find a job. Ever. But that was back in 2005.
So here I am, with a great opportunity on one hand, a steady paycheck in the other and a gloomy economic outlook overhead. And I have no idea what to do. I've survived two layoffs and a round of buyouts by the skin of my teeth. The idea of hitting this economy in May with stale clips and a degree isn't particularly comforting. But even if I stay, I could be among the first to go if the paper were to decide they need to get rid of more weight.
Three years ago, I had no idea what I wanted to do, just that I didn't want to do it in Rhode Island forever. My disdain for municipal reporting emerged over the years, just like my love for cops, courts and legal reporting blossomed. And I worry that I'm romanticizing my time here out of fear for the unknown.
A friend of mine said that one of the bravest things a person can do is imagine a different life for themselves. I wonder if it still counts if you imagine a new life out of fear that your old one will disappear.
Labels: fear, for journalism's sake, journalism, musings
continue...Monday, June 01, 2009
Day 1086
When we started this blog, things were different.Most of us had just graduated from college, were looking for jobs or either just starting them. We were bright eyed bushy tailed journalists ready to take on the world. We had no idea what adventures our lives would hold as we struggled to gain our footing in the journalism industry.
So we decided to document it as it happened.
We've written as we've been hired, promoted and laid off. As we graduated and figured out where to go and what to do with our lives. We've told you about our horrible beats, great bosses and mean readers and listeners. We've shared our successes, our awards, our failures.
There was no way to know when we started out where the world would be today. That we were dangling on the cliff of a recession that continues today. It was unfathomable to think that a handful of newspapers across the country would actually close their doors. That thousands of qualified journalists -- veterans and rookies -- would be laid off from their jobs.
We documented the shift in the industry as it was happening, as we lived it.
One thousand ninety-five days.
On June 10th, the crew here at Ten95 will reach that milestone. A day that seemed like it was always so far off is now literally just days away.
Over the coming week, each of us will write about what it has been like to start a career at a time when the world, our industry and it's future were so uncertain. This blog has given us a vantage point on the changes the recession have had on the industry that is unique only to us. And we'll do our best to give an honest look at what the view has been from here.
We hope you enjoy it.
Labels: for journalism's sake, growing pains, heart, industry analysis, inspiration, journalism, milestones
continue...Sunday, September 14, 2008
When You Write What You Know, You Start the Conversation
I have a hard time coming up with story ideas.Not because I can't think of any. I dream up plenty on any given day. But my brain has a glitch. It works a little too much. To the point where I overthink and overanalyze my ideas so much that I usually find a reason to dispose of them before any editor even gets the chance to. I think it's a side-effect of working in radio: instead of trying to fill up pages, we're trying to ration out minutes. Mere seconds, in some cases.
But it's something I'm actively trying to change. Particularly because right now, assignments are few in the floating/freelance producer world. I've got some time on my hands, and I've been spending it trying to figure out how to spend it.
"Go do a piece," said one of my colleagues (and sometimes-boss). "You're a good writer. Go find a story to do."
She said it so simply, like she was telling me to grab some orange juice out of the fridge. Doesn't she know in this overactive mind of mine, it's just not that easy?
*sigh* Okay. Yes it is. At least it should be. It just isn't, for me.
I was lamenting over this during a roadtrip with Soraya this weekend. "Just write what you know," she said. Basically, she said, there can be a story in anything.
And no sooner than I sign on to the Internet tonight do I see the very proof of her point.
There's the column about insipid commenters on washingtonpost.com (I'd been sniveling about that just a day before). There's the New York Times piece about the evolution of Sarah Palin's hairstyle (I'd been sniveling about that too for the past three weeks). And the Modern Love essay about the downsides -- BIG downsides -- of looking someone up on the Internet before the first date (been there...MAJOR mistake). And let me forget the piece about tattooed wedding rings.
(As an addendum: The articles mentioned above also proved another point that Soraya had made -- that Times clearly has its finger on the pulse of culture -- "It leads the conversation on these things," she said -- and that that's some stuff to aspire to.)
So, with my boss' encouragement in my pocket, Soraya's pep talk fresh in my ear, and examples to follow everywhere I look, I've printed out a little helpful phrase and taped it above the keyboard on my laptop:
"You can write about ANYTHING."
Labels: advice, journalism, lessons, story ideas
continue...Saturday, September 06, 2008
Election Reporters share tips, opinions
As I mentioned, I'm blogging live from the conference here.Here's a post I wrote earlier about a panel on election coverage. I thought the Q&A part would be helpful for our readers.
Election Roundtable: Q&A
A few questions and answers from the session....
Is who makes the most money really the best way to choose how you'll spread coverage around?
Sweet: Obama is a hometown guy; some candidates got more coverage than they deserved because they were interesting, etc.
There's not enough decoding of what is actually meant (should be done by reporters). There are not enough voices of color giving analysis or commenting (to give context like this).
The majority of top reporters covering politics at news outlets are white men over 50, says Jodi.
What do you read, watch, listen to, or not?
Felice: Loves Maureen Dowd, the Politico
Lynn: Mike Allen's Playbook at Politico, The Page (an aggregated site that looks at what moves the day), CBS/ABC aggregates, NYT, Wash Post, Chicago Sun-Times, and the links on her blog. She doesn't pay attention to one on one interviews. She needs places giving lots of information synthesized.
Beth: Mike Allen's Playbook, CNN, NYT for general coverage and Slate's XX Factor
Ann: Michele Cotta from the Republic, Rebecca Traister at Salon
Can the Obama campaign sustain the interest and energy?
Yes, they can sustain the energy, but will the young people who have mobilized for him really vote?? That's the question, said Beth.
Lynn Sweet: Term Obama uses is "intensity gap" -- they say they're ahead of McCain. Palin revs up Repubs the way Obama has done for the Dems.
Places like the Politico don't have the same resource base as the old media institutions -- are there going to be journos covering political campaigns in a new media world? What's our strategy to keep the journalism in the campaign?
Beth said they're doing partnerships with papers like St. Paul Pioneer Press and Denver Post. Also launching Politico network -- content and ad revenue sharing program that will launch on Tuesday. It all has to do with marketing and advertising. Can't see advertising is our enemy.
Labels: convention, election, journalism, McCain, Obama, organization, political coverage, primary, seminars/workshops, the industry, tips and tricks
continue...Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Getting it First, but getting it wrong
This is where news goes wrong.A number of media outlets are reporting that Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African American woman to represent Ohio in Congress died today.
And these aren't podunk papers or TV stations who may not know better.
I'm talking CNN. Bloomberg. Shoot, I heard it on NPR.
Here's what Associated Content said: The Associated Press reported that she was discovered slumped over the wheel of her car, apparently after having suffered an aneurysm. As late as 12:30 PM ET, Market Watch quotes her office as reporting that Ms. Tubbs Jones was stable and receiving the best of care. Yet it was The Hill that speculated Stephanie Tubbs Jones would be taken off life support this afternoon. At 2:07 PM ET Politico reported that Tubbs Jones was indeed taken off life support and deceased. Nevertheless, MSNBC now suggest that the news is a bit ahead of life, and Stephanie Tubbs Jones is still very much among the living as of 2:41 PM ET.
In our effort to get it first, we're getting to wrong.
I heard the news in my car (said NPR news update I mentioned earlier) and when I got back to my desk, saw a flurry of e-mails from other journalists looking to confirm the news. So I did what any person of my generation would do -- I googled Tubbs Jones.
My first indication reports of her death had been exaggerated: Wikipedia. I didn't click on the link, but I could clearly see that there was not a date of death in the entry. Hmmm. I searched further.
Google News.
I found maybe 3 stories that said she'd died, right next to stories that (rightly) said she had an aneurysm and was in critical condition with limited brain function. To their credit, I did another search and found that many of the news outlets had taken down the report of Tubbs Jones' death in the scant 15 minutes I spent searching. I did still find one article from CBS News that confirmed her death.
So in my final act to confirm, I went to the only source I know I can trust: the local paper. I figured if anybody got it right, or would be willing to correct the error, it would be the paper that Tubbs Jones reads every day herself.
From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress, is in critical condition after suffering a burst aneurysm last night, officials said this afternoon.
Officials updated her condition this afternoon after conflicting reports that the congresswoman was dead. Numerous media outlets - including The Plain Dealer on its Web site cleveland.com, CNN and the Associated Press - reported that Tubbs Jones had died.
But that was as of 3:30 p.m.
Send up a few prayers for Tubbs Jones. And let's pray we get the story right next time.
Labels: controversy, journalism, the industry
continue...Monday, August 04, 2008
A Song for the Journalism Industry
Sorry, I had to do it. Sha-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!
It's time to change!
Labels: delirium, journalism, musings
continue...Online Journalism Awards announced
Via Romenesko:2008 Online Journalism Awards - Finalists
For all you multimedia producers out there, that's the list of who you should be sending your resume and online clips to.
...long shot? Maybe not.
Labels: journalism, multimedia, online journalism, technology
continue...Letting journalism "have it"
...and the LA Times for that matter.Romenesko posted the ramblings of a disgruntled former LA Times employee. Basically, the guy's talking major trash about the Times and about the industry. Some of it is funny. And some of it is just...well, I'll let you be the judge.
The Ex-LA T'er calls it a list of "42 Things [He] Know[s]".
My favorites:
#3 - ...the business model for newspapers is broken. (Agreed.)
#11 - Newspapers were unbelievably slow in embracing the Internet, even though younger reporters have been pleading with their bosses for years to embrace the Web. (I second that!)
#40 - I have no doubt my newsroom colleagues who I left behind can adapt to the challenges of the New Media environment.
On kicking journalism when its down:
If you leave the industry, because you say it's so broken, doesn't that mean you aren't around to revive or rebirth it?
I've never understood why veteran journalists -- even young ones -- critique the industry, just as they are leaving it. I don't get how that sort of criticism helps.
It's like being the head cook in a restaurant, quitting and then telling management to stop serving steroid-injected chickens because it isn't good for customers.
Labels: for journalism's sake, frustration, industry analysis, journalism
continue...Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Say that, say that!
Found this on Romenesko:A morning paper should have a busy newsroom at 11 p.m.
Hartford Courant Colin McEnroe says nobody has ever suggested it would be a good idea if he ran a newspaper. Still, he has some ideas for the "new" Hartford Courant. "The building should be damn near empty until 2 p.m. and full until 11," he writes. "Somewhere a long the way, newspaper jobs gradually started to resemble other white collar jobs. We all wanted to go home to the suburbs, have a glass of wine, interact with our spouses and kids. ... If the news staff is going to be an elite strike force, it had better include a lot of workaholics and night owls."
(*speaks in tongues)
Some of Colin's tips to journalists in dying newsrooms:
1. REGAIN YOUR SENSE OF URGENCY.
4. GET SMARTER ABOUT THE WEB.
5. BRACE YOURSELF. (Love that one!)
Read the full blog post, here.
Labels: buyouts, dying newsroom, journalism, layoffs
continue...Thursday, June 12, 2008
Anyone got a butter knife?
Right now, you could cut the tension in the newsroom with a hot butter knife.Tomorrow, all eligible employees of Bay Area News Group-East Bay will vote on whether they would like the Writer's Guild to represent their interest and enter into collective bargaining over wage, hours and benefits.
To keep it short, I've never seen such outward expressions of bitterness, anger and fatigue within a newsroom. People are on edge, as it seems the future of the newsroom and its reporters will be decided by those who care to vote on it.
I'm the intern. So it's supposed to have little, if nothing to do with me.
But I can't help feeling that this is just another marker for how hard it is and will continue to be for new reporters to break into this market.
One thing I know: a writer's union never stopped anyone from being laid-off.
Side note: I'm neutral in my opinion about whether or not one is needed.
More developments are as they come. Stay tuned...
Labels: frustration, journalism, the industry, writer's guild
continue...Thursday, June 05, 2008
Budget story woes
I'm writing a city budget story and I'm overwhelmed. I have no idea how to approach it. And really, I've not begun to seriously attack it yet.But while procrastinating I found this page, published in 1998.
"Dave Herzog: Twenty tips for covering and writing about budgets"
Hopefully the tips will help. I'm kinda embarassed to ask my editor, just yet.
Anyone else got any tips or site with tips about writing city budget stories?
Labels: budget, city politics, financial, journalism
continue...Love's in need of love, just not today...
(*queues the music)Good morn or evening friends / Here's your friendly announcer / I have
serious news to pass on to every-body / What I'm about to say (won't) mean the world's disaster / (And won't) change your joy and laughter to tears and pain. - Stevie Wonder, Love's in Need of Love Today (Love-less Remix)
Aaron IS and has been just fine being single.
(*gasps)
I know. It's hard to believe, right?
Somehow people around me think that romantic relationships are what validate your existence on this planet. And I'm sorry to report...I'm just not convinced of that.
Journalism. That's what validates me right now. (Cheesy, I know.) I've just recieved a degree in it. I've got to put every ounce of my energy into jump-starting my career (which I, too, take seriously, Vandy).
And when I go home, I don't down myself because of the extra space in my IKEA bed. In fact, I think I'm pretty damn lucky that nothing (and no one) is distracting from what I'm trying to do right now.
No. I don't need someone telling me I'm too busy for them. I don't need someone angry at me because I had to go out and cover something, unexpectedly. I don't need someone disappointed when I come home and I all want to do sleep and NOT talk, especially not on the phone.
In other words...GET OFF MY BACK ABOUT IT!
Is there something wrong with that? Should I desire cohabitation right now?
Labels: journalism, love, me-myself-and-I, relationships
continue...Thursday, May 01, 2008
Do It Big, then
I was searching through the newsletter for the Chips Quinn Scholars program (of which, I'm an alumna) and look who I found:This guy.
He may have told me before, but I have a horrible memory.
So, anyway, congrats to Aaron and the rest of the Chipster class of 2008!
And he shouted out the blog in his biography. Gotta love him.
Labels: diversity, fun, inspiration, journalism, seminars/workshops
continue...Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Pulitzer prizes announced
Here's the list of deserving over-achievers!Check them out, here.
Labels: awards, journalism, Pulitzer
continue...Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Race debate in political journalism
I find it hard to believe that a majority of journalists (of any color), who have never been to a predominantly African American churches, could ever look at the comments that Rev. Wright gave in church with the appropriate nuances.Most take the sermons in snippets and then make a generalization about what was really meant. This is piss poor journalism.
When will this country (and the journalism industry) be ready for a real look into why diversity is needed in the newsroom and on the TV?
Would not a Black or Hispanic reporter, who grew up going to African American churches, be able to steer news coverage away from vilifying the often controversial, rambunctious, fiery comments that flow from the mouths of African American preachers Sunday after Sunday?
"...diversity is a business imperative." - Walt Swanston, Director of Diversity for NPR
Labels: journalism, political coverage, race issues, Rev. Wright
continue...Tuesday, January 22, 2008
I wonder...
Here's my question... and possibly a volatile one. (Or not. It's never that deep.)How did your newsroom react when news of Heath Ledger's death crossed the wires?
Here, there were shrieks abound. From the women, at least. The men? Not so much.
"That's unfortunate," one older colleague said. Then he asked me to put out the broadcast script, and that was that.
MSNBC and CNN cut in with breaking news, rehashing Heath's past movie roles and what may have caused his death. And then... back today's other news. The economy. The stimulus package. Oh, and that pesky presidential campaign.
"They're not going all 'Anna Nicole' with the wall-to-wall coverage?" another young, female colleague pondered.
"No... I guess not, huh?" I replied.
Even within our newsroom, the surprise quickly quieted to the usual dull roar. I cocked my head to the side.
"You know," I countered, turning back to my co-worker, "I bet if women ran the newsrooms, it would be SOOO 'Anna Nicole' with Heath."
"You think?" she asked.
"Yeah!" I pointed to the reactions just 15 minutes earlier. We freaked. The guys, again... not so much.
Then I pointed to the text messages and Facebook communiques that started coming in. All but one, from women.
"So you're saying because Anna Nicole was a chick, she got all the attention?" my co-worker said. It was her turn to cock her head to the side.
"Hmmm... I think I see where you're going with this."
Labels: 24-hour news cycle, broadcasting, journalism, musings
continue...Monday, January 21, 2008
Sing, Sing, Celebrate
Yeah, it's cold. It's about six degrees in the sun outside, and if you don't have on gloves, your hands will likely feel as if they were used in an amateur acupuncture experiment.But today is one of those days where I'm not satisfied with sitting in the office. It's the King Holiday, and there are countless celebrations going on around the country, and at least a few here in the nation's capital. While I usually take comfort in being a cozy, warm, in-house producer and writer, today I'd rather be out talking to the people celebrating, and learning from those who have memories to share.
I've been here before. And I'm noticing a pattern. While fires and court proceedings and celebutante antics don't entice me, moments commemorating history -- particularly, my history -- do. Maybe the yearning comes from not being there 40, 50 years ago. Maybe it comes from only being taught so much while I was still in school. And maybe I'm just simply intrigued -- intrigued by a generation I've only read about.
Or... maybe I just want to be Errin Haines.
So for those braving the bitter, biting cold and desperately trying to warm their hands into order to jot some notes and quotes, rememeber: some of us do envy you.
Labels: journalism, musings
continue...Thursday, December 20, 2007
Top 10 Stories of 2007 ?
The Associated Press and it's members just released their list of top 10 stories in 2007...do you agree with them?1. VIRGINIA TECH KILLINGS: Seung-Hui Cho, 23, who had avoided court-ordered mental health treatment despite a history of psychiatric problems, killed two fellow students in a dormitory on April 16, detoured to mail a hate-filled video of himself to NBC News, then shot dead 30 students and professors in a classroom building before killing himself. It was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
2. MORTGAGE CRISIS: A record-setting wave of mortgage foreclosures, coupled with a steep slump in the housing market, buffeted financial markets, caused multibillion-dollar losses at major banks and investment firms, and became an issue in the presidential campaign.
3. IRAQ WAR: The "surge" that sent more U.S. troops to Iraq was credited with helping reduce the overall level of violence. But thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of U.S. personnel were killed nonetheless during the year, and Iraqi political leaders struggled to make meaningful progress toward national reconciliation.
4. OIL PRICES: Oil prices soared to record highs, at one point reaching nearly $100 a barrel. The high prices, which burdened motorists and owners of oil-heated homes, nudged Congress to pass an energy bill that ordered an increase in motor vehicles' fuel efficiency.
5. CHINESE EXPORTS: An array of Chinese exports were recalled, ranging from toys with lead paint to defective tires to tainted toothpaste and food. Despite the high-profile problems, America's trade deficit with China was running at record-high levels.
6. GLOBAL WARMING: Warnings about the consequences of global warming gained intensity with new reports from scientific panels and a Nobel Prize to Al Gore for his environmental crusading that included the film "An Inconvenient Truth." Across the U.S., many state governments sought to cap emissions blamed for global warming.
7. BRIDGE COLLAPSE: An Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during the evening rush hour on Aug. 1, killing 13 people and injuring about 100. The disaster fueled concern about possible structural flaws in other bridges nationwide.
8. PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: In a yearlong drama with shifting subplots, large fields in both major parties battled for support ahead of the caucuses and primaries that will decide the 2008 presidential nominees. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama led among the Democrats; some polls showed five Republicans with double-digit support.
9. IMMIGRATION DEBATE: A compromise immigration plan, backed by President Bush and Democratic leaders, collapsed in Congress due to Republican opposition. The plan would have enabled millions of illegal immigrants to move toward citizenship, while also bolstering border security. The issues remained alive in the presidential campaign.
10. IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM: Worried that the ultimate goal is a nuclear arsenal, the United States and other countries pressed Iran to halt uranium enrichment. Iran said it never had a weapons program. A U.S. intelligence report concluded there was such an effort, but it stopped in 2003.
Labels: AP style, journalism
continue...Monday, December 03, 2007
A Lesson in Journalism ... from an Athlete
It's been one of those days where it's easy to forget that you're a journalist, and just as easy to be irritated with your industry. No, scratch that, this whole week has been that way.Today was the funeral of Sean Taylor, aired live on several local stations. I watched as his family, his teammates, his longtime girlfriend fought to get through the three-and-a-half hour service without breaking down. Some were successful. But most weren't.
Tears stung my eyes, while some spilled onto the cheeks of a coworker. It was hard. It was heartbreaking. A supervisor said she wasn't watching specifically because she didn't want to end up sobbing at her desk. And I wanted to turn away myself at times.
But what was keeping me glued in? The fact that for once, in this terrible, terrible week, Sean Taylor was being remembered for what he truly was, by people who truly knew him. Not being analyzed by desk-dwelling anchors. Not being examined by columnists who didn't know him personally. And not being dragged into the tired news narrative that implies everytime a young black man dies, it must have been because of the nature of his "thug" lifestyle.
Luckily, for Sean, his family and his memory, I wasn't the only one choked with frustration. With a bit of a swarm of media people at the service, those who had the opportunity took the chance to bite back at everyone who "reported" on Sean's "thug lifestyle" throughout the week.
Otis Wallace, the mayor of Florida City summed up the sentiment -- saying the media should be ashamed for jumping to conclusions merely on speculation. And he added that he hopes "the media gets a small lesson in grace and humility" from it all.
At my desk, I nodded in agreement and said a quiet "thank you." And an arena-full of mourners stood to applaud, loudly.
But I couldn't help but wonder -- how many times will that quote show up in tomorrow's papers? Will journalists be willing to examine themselves, just as critically as they examined Sean?
I did a Google search. The Washington Post's Jason La Canfora is the only one so far to do so, in his Redskins Insider blog.
I hope it won't stay that way.
When Sean was first wounded, journalists found it necessary report legal woes from years ago, stemming from an incident where he allegedly brandished a gun while trying to keep men from stealing his property. Some, in Sean's death, found it necessary to recount the times he got in trouble on the field. Their implication -- that Sean fell to a lifestyle that, as his loved ones say, he actually wasn't involved in.
So will those same journalists feel the need to report on the open criticism of their work (used loosely) at Sean's service? Will they note that Wallace's words, and the same sentiment from other speakers, drew the some loudest, most earnest applause?
I hope so. We're supposed to report the full story, right?
Labels: 24-hour news cycle, broadcasting, diversity, frustration, industry analysis, journalism, prejudice, sports, the industry
continue...