Journalists are watchdogs, not cops

This blog post is in response to this article: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/making-sense-of-news/205841/powerful-photo-essay-on-domestic-violence-stirs-backlash/

The article deals with the age old question faced by journalists: when, if at all, is it necessary to step in and intervene. I truly think this issue is all grey area, there are numerous situational differences that dictate whether or not it is right to step in. In this instance, I think it was acceptable for Sara to stand back and continue photographing.

In large part, I believe this because of the reasoning that she used, there was honestly nothing that she could physically do. To step into a fight that she could not contribute to would pointless, what reason does she have to put her life in danger? She also had nothing to do with this fight, so again, she didn’t really have any place in being in it.

Although she could’ve seen this coming, I don’t understand what she was supposed to do because of that. I don’t believe you can call the police and say, I think this man may possibly hit his girlfriend sometime soon. She did what she could, when she could.

As far as the journalistic values, I think that’s a little bit trickier, but again, I do not think she was in the wrong. Even though the story she was trying to tell wasn’t about domestic violence, because the story that she set out to tell included domestic violence, it only makes sense to include it. Was she supposed to scrap the whole story because it had this element? I do not see why. Another alternative, I suppose is to not include the photos of domestic violence, which I think is even worse. The domestic violence is part of the story; it needs to be included in the story.

People naturally will feel uncomfortable when viewing pictures of such intense nature, such as pictures of domestic violence. I can understand why there may have been backlash. Seeing something like that is startling and confusing, but if you take a step back and think about the situation Sara was in, the end result was justified. Her pictures provided concrete evidence that this was going on, without them this man could’ve gotten away with this. It would’ve then been a tragedy if she set her camera down for some feeble attempt to break it up. Perhaps they didn’t need to be published, but she is a journalist, she set out to tell a story, and that was how the story went, and so that is how she is required to tell it.

They aren't secrets anymore, now are they?

This blog is in response to Annie Murphy Paul's article "Secrets of the most Successful College Students."

As far as secrets go, these are not in the slightest bit juicy. Being one of the most successful college students doesn't sound like that much fun if the gnarliest skeleton in their closet is that they are deeply invested in their class material.

With that said, I like to think of myself as a fairly successful college student. I would probably fall under the category as a "fair-weather" deep learner. If I am in a class that I enjoy, journalism, english, history, I can let myself get pretty immersed and dig a little deeper than the weekly online BlackBoard quizzes. As for math or science, I certainly am only in it for the grade. In my personal opinion, you can't dig any deeper in stats. Math is what it is and nothing more. I will not give math an ounce of passion.

Luckily, I am done with math forever, so perhaps I will be able to move on and become a full-fledged deep learner. In each of my classes I could explore more about the subject beyond what the textbook or the professor teaches. Textbooks and professors teach everything from their point of view, everything is tainted by their own experience, which is why it is important to learn from various perspectives, to ensure that a wholesome education is achieved. Consulting more with other students is another way to get a different and more in-depth understanding of the material.

Deep learning certainly gives a better educational experience. When I actually care about what I am learning, it doesn't seem like schoolwork, its the difference between checking the clock every three minutes in class and just sitting there, absorbing the material. Looking at the clock is not that fun, but learning, and increasing your value as a person can be nothing but a rip-roarin' good time.

In journalism it is very important to have a well rounded understanding of everything, especially other people. Becoming more richly and diversely educated is a great way to broaden one's knowledge base. As a journalist, to truly be able to capture the people you are writing about, you must be able to understand them. In strategic communication, to sell something, you must be able to connect to the buyer. Being more educated in the world can also help to ease the nerves of going into the unknown. If you are well educated about the world around you, the foreign may not feel to foreign after all. The more you care, the more you learn, and the road to the Pulitzer prize becomes more evenly paved.