My first introduction to the world of news came in a high school journalism class. The class primarily consisted of reading how to write a lead and watching reruns of “the Simpsons.” My journalism teacher really liked the show.
A couple years later, I worked on the newspaper staff and enjoyed the collaboration that came with the class. While the experience was fun, our four page paper was only produced six times a year, and the most breaking news we covered was the appointment of a new superintendent, which happened two months before publication. We spent a lot of time in our class, like in journalism, watching episodes of “Freaks and Geeks” on repeat.
This was all fun and fine, but I didn’t start appreciating the purpose of journalism until I became familiar with the work of professional journalists. News outlets such as NPR, “60 Minutes,” and the New York Times have revolutionized the way that media approaches a story. Programs such as these forever changed the field of journalism by creating a reporting style that aimed not simply to report the facts, but to delve into the causes and broad sweeping effects of the event in question. This type of investigative journalism explores a story from multiple perspectives, and forces readers and audience members to become active and engaged thinkers about a story.
This is what makes journalism such an exciting medium to work with. While reporters tell only the facts, it is the way these realities link together that make the reporting process so interesting. Essentially, the art of journalism is one of exploration; of discovery. Journalists start with a question or tidbit of information and seek to find the truth that connects it to the larger story of current events.
This is the same thing news readers must do out in the “real world.” The European economy may not seem important to the crisis in Crimea, but the more connections that are made between events, the deeper an understanding of the world can be created.
This kind of reporting is also important on Wittenberg’s campus. With such a small student population, it is even more important to stay informed about the changes happening within the community. On a campus this small, the voices of the students have the ability to play a significant role in the decision-making of the university. For this reason, it is essential to have deep and significant reporting that can keep readers up to date on the complicated links and developments within the university.
