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Hair, Skin, and Soul

     As a child, she wanted to be a doctor. She pored over her grandmother’s book on the anatomy of the human body, fascinated by the way the body worked. She was deeply interested in human illness, and she wanted to understand what made people sick and what made them well.
    As a teenager, she became her neighborhood’s “hair girl.” She loved making others more beautiful, and she decided to become a beautician. When she shared her plan with a high school guidance counselor, however, he told that she could do much better than that.
    Now, through her work as the director of BYU’s office of Women’s Services and Resources, Lanae Valentine has found that the answer to her childhood question of what makes people healthy lies in their relationships with others.
    That belief is obvious to those around her. “She has honestly been my mom here,” said Bianca Rosenhan, a native of Blackfoot, Idaho who is majoring in recreation management and works in the office of Women’s Services and Resources. “I could get so emotional about [this office]. It really is home here.”
    Valentine became the director of the Women’s Services and Resources office 12 years ago, after a long career that included inpatient work at a depression unit and teaching as a professor at BYU. She had discovered her that her real passion was health psychology while working on her master’s degree. She continued researching the ties between physical illness and relationship problems while obtaining a PhD in marriage and family psychology.
    Valentine has used her study of health psychology to expand the program at Women’s Services. She focuses on two main issues: body image and eating disorders. “We see too much that a way a woman has power can be to sexualize herself,” she said. “College is really where you shape your life.”
    Elise Peterson, the office manager for the Women’s Services office, sees women come to Valentine in for one-on-one help with some of these issues. “Women will come in crying, and often leave with a smile on their face,” she said.
    Rosenham told one story of happier tears. Valentine had shared an email she had just received from a past participant in the program’s 10-Day Challenge. The girl was currently in a center for eating disorders. She had reread the challenge and shared it with the other girls in the center, and they had all made “beautiful” t-shirts. “By the end of the email, we were all in tears,” said Rosenham.
    Valentine tailors the events put on by the office to meet the needs of college-age women. Breast cancer awareness, for example, is no longer part of the program, although Valentine added that preventative measures should begin early in life. Yoga, on the other hand, is a new addition.
    Valentine began doing yoga after attending a seminar where yoga was used as a cure for psychiatric problems. She sees it as a way of increasing the health of the mind and body. “There’s a spirit inside the body, and the spirit can get sick,” she said.
    At the same time, Valentine is concerned by the modern fitness craze. She promotes activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. “It’s important to find balance and not get caught up in all the crazes,” she said.
    Valentine finds joy in helping women find balance, healthy relationships, and good priorities. “And I still like to fix people’s hair,” she added.

And Now Featuring

This is an exciting feature story for my newswriting class. Thanks to all who helped!

Raymond Quain was a student at BYU when his roommate talked him into trying the Bamboo Hut, and he got hooked. It was a tiny building tucked into a parking lot across the street from BYU, but it quickly became an “upper-classmen only” hang-out spot that students nicknamed “The Bamboo Shmut.”
    “You could get a whole lunch for $2,” said Raymond Quain, a BYU alumnus who now resides in California. “I went there all the time—all I ever got was the chicken. If I had an extra quarter I could get the three-piece chicken.”
    The Hawaiian family that owned the Bamboo Hut eventually sold their recipes. The new owner moved the restaurant further away from BYU, yet its history was not forgotten. A large blue flag with the crest of the cougars has a place on the wall beside the palm tree, less an artifact from the past than an actual feature of the Bamboo Hut’s continuing story.
    Morgan Mix, a 19-year-old biology major from North Carolina, was impressed with the pineapple barbeque sauce. “Some people claim that they have pineapple barbeque sauce or something, but then it doesn’t taste different,” she said as she selected a sweet potato fry for dipping. “This is true pineapple sauce.”
    Forrest Addams, a customer from Pleasant Grove, Utah, looked to satiate a passion for the exotic with authentic Hawaiian food. Addams served in the military for over 20 years. His travels took him to Korea, Okinawa, and the “fabled shores of Tripoli” in Libya. Addams viewed a nice dinner at the Bamboo Hut as a staple of retirement. “I turned around and saw the bamboo,” he said.
    Bamboo goes without saying. Lava-lavas decorate the Bamboo Hut’s interior as well, with thick rope railings leading customers past the menu to the food. Jessica Torres, who has worked at the Hawaiian grill for two years, recommends the pork ribs and the sesame chicken. She recounted the story of its early days, when lines of students waiting for chicken, and pineapple on a stick extended out the door.  Now, the Bamboo Hut is a nice, calm place to work, Torres said.
    A woman hurried in for the $3.99 chicken deal. Prices have gone up since 1984, but the Bamboo Hut’s past is still remembered in its present. A sign by the door reads, “Every part of Hawaiian life is touched by legend.”

Let There Be Cupcakes!

The fruit of our labors! Katie announced that she wanted a golfing cake. However, the store-bought cakes were just not going to do it. We decided that we could get more bang for our buck with cupcakes.

 We began with pound cake cupcakes and butter-cream frosting, tinted green. The golf balls were made of mini marshmallows, which I rolled into balls and dipped  into powdered sugar. The flags, made with wide ribbon, toothpicks, and hot glue, are the cupcakes' only non-edible feature.

We are rather proud of the golf clubs. Small pieces of chocolate licorice are slid onto a straight pretzel. The head of the club is made of a Jolly Rancher chewy candy. With the paper removed, the candy goes into the microwave for 8 seconds. Then it can be quickly sliced into three small pieces, with each one molded onto the end of a pretzel.

After we frosted them, we rolled the edges in chocolate sprinkles to give them a polished look. The "holes" are chocolate chips stuck into the cupcake upside down. They are not exactly quick and easy, but they make for thoroughly cute golf cupcakes.

Keep Off the Dirigible Plums

A quick report on what I've been up to lately:

  This is the starter piece for our coming Gnome Garden (see Gnomeo and Juliet). It was not as easy as it looks, however. Drawing on my experience in woods class senior year (another great story, to be sure) I visited my former woods teacher, who readily consented to help. The stencilling and wood-burning was slow work, but passed without mishap until I reached that final "S." You know, the one that pluralized "plum." In short, at that point, the nib came off of the wood burner. So, I hea ded out onto my high school campus in search of another wood burner, surprising many of the current students. To the "Hey, Lucy, didn't you graduate?" I responded with a sophistocated,  "Oh yes, I'm home for the summer...BYU doesn't have a spring break...I'm just here working on a project."
   When I finally finished the lettering and sanding of the hardy oak sign, I moved to the table saw--where I almost cut off one or more fingers because I forgot to check the height of the blade. My longsuffering teacher came over to ask patiently, "What are you doing now?"
   I sorted out that with all my fingers on, cut a nice crooked arrow onto the bottom post (wizards are kind of a scruffy lot---they do their shopping covered in soot, right?) and prepared to finish things up. Having located the nail gun and lined everything up without mishap, I quickly shot three nails into the back of the sign to hold the post in place. In short, everything was going well--until I tried to pick up my finished project. It wouldn't budge. I had nailed it neatly to the table.
   With the aid of a hammer, mallet, pliers, the janitor, a random woods student, my former teacher, the curious stares of high school freshmen, and some back-country elbow grease, the sign was removed from the table. My teacher sent me for some screws (now why didn't I think of that?) and quickly attached the post. I plan to send him a plate of chocolate chips cookies tomorrow.
    The moral to this story? Keep off the dirigible plums.

What is a Journalist? (one semester older and wiser, too)

Humphrey Bogart was not a journalist, but his character in Deadline USA said that journalism is “not the oldest profession, but it’s the best.” As technological changes send—not ripples, but waves into the media world, statements like that become much more important. In the face of media consolidation, readership declines, and public mistrust, questions arise as to how journalism could ever be the best profession. Yet a journalist is an important person whose job meets a basic human need that is mandated by the Constitution and requires a skillful artist.

The press itself is a controversial issue, and everyone seems to have an opinion about how the media is ruining or saving (usually the former) America. It can be helpful to look at the facts of the case. First, humans need news. Anthropologists believe that people of all cultures “need news to . . . protect [them]selves, bond with each other, identify friends and enemies” (Kovach 2). These historians of human nature say that “journalism is simply the system societies generate to supply this news” (2).

A journalist has one of the few vocations in the private sector with a Constitutional stamp. The First Amendment is more than a way to catch up on the local gossip. The American press is expected to preserve democracy by being independent, truthful, and relevant. A journalist is not a common newsmonger, but a pencil-laden defender of liberty. A journalist’s first loyalty must be to the citizens, for they must have accurate, truthful information about the state of the union in order to make good decisions about government.

Truth, however, is a double-edged sword. It is a very difficult thing for mere mortal journalists to obtain. Therefore, two tools aid the journalist in the quest for truth. Objectivity is one of them. Although often misunderstood, objectivity is a practical method that can be used by journalists to accurately report the news. A journalist must aggressively pursue the facts as they are, not the facts that appeal to certain groups. This is one reason for the journalist’s Constitutionally-protected independence. An objective journalist finds golden nuggets of truth through the careful sifting of facts. Although truth often develops over time, objectivity is not an impossible ideal. It not the horizon pursued, but is the road upon which journalists run.

With our increasingly complex world, Journalists need a second tool for truthful reporting. Transparency is about trusting the public with one’s sources, ideas, and reasons for including certain news. The public will respect journalism far more if reporters are honest about what they know and why they believe it is important.

A journalist has a second responsibility to truth. Journalists do not enter the business with a desire to become cogs in an information machine; they hope to provide useful knowledge. A journalist must provide context for the news and clearly explain its importance. A journalist sometimes uses “spin” in order to make a story interesting and engage the public. However, the “spin” is actually unswerving loyalty to the citizens, not some other special-interest group.

Perhaps the reason so few democracies flourished before the U.S. is that, in the pre-print era, they had no one to act as a government “watchdog.” The watchdog role of the journalist has many names: investigative reporting, fourth estate, independent monitor of power, giving voice to the voiceless. One of my personal favorites is “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comforted.” Journalists have a responsibility to bring the plight of the downtrodden, the plots of the powerful, and the deceptions of the self-serving to the light of day. Journalists do not have to be world-weary cynics, but pragmatism and a healthy curiosity bordering on obsession are essential. A journalist, though necessarily independent, cares about the community’s welfare and wants to be a part of bringing public issues to the public.

A journalist’s first loyalty should be to the citizens, but the second is to the story. A love of writing, a passion for stories, an addiction to news—they all point to journalism’s role as a practical art form. A journalist’s love affair with the craft has more to do with who he or she is than what they are doing. A journalist couples the drive to figure out what is going on with an equally strong drive to share it. A journalist loves to listen to the stories of individuals, to be in the know. Problem-solving skills are essential during long battles with facts that must be fit together with gut feeling, common sense, and additional, carefully-verified facts.

Journalists love a challenge. They are independent, free-spirited beings who bring up odd topics and questions in social situations. They are always looking for reason why and the cause and effect relationship. Journalists have a certain ego, to be sure. They love being the ones to walk past the ring of light and see what is going on in the darkness. Long traipses through the woodlands of happenstance are worthwhile to the journalist in pursuit of a “eureka” moment. Barring the thrill of discovery, a journalist’s love of reading and writing brings joy to the effective communication of a story. A journalist’s love affair with words will motivate him or her to tell a story in a new and clearer way.

A journalist might be a little in love with the idea of being a journalist, might love the excitement of using tools like written communication, objectivity, and transparency to share a story. A journalist’s independence lets him or her love the community, too. A journalist is a fierce enemy to both injustice and deception and cannot shake the feeling that if the truth could just be exposed properly, things might get better. And although journalism may not be the “best profession,” it is the conscience of democracy.

Right On

Dr. Scanlon's lecture on "Rights of Passage" had several interesting elements. He explained that "rites of passage" occur at certain events in human stories. The obvious ones, of course, are birth, death, and marriage. However, Dr. Scanlon was talking about two other transitions, the ones on either side of the college experience. He talked about the mingled excitement and fear of both the college freshman and his or her parents. He also mentioned the all-important college-to-workplace transition. He referenced Arnold Van Gannep, who believed that "rites of passage" were characterized by three phases: separation, transition, and reincorporation.

Since he was using a play on words as a starting point (“rights” verse “rites”), Dr. Scanlon gave some of the etymology of the word, “right.” He explained that in times of war, leaders surrendered by shaking right hands so that neither could reach for a weapon. He also explained the hitherto mysterious practice of putting the buttons of women's blouses on the left side—apparently this was to show that a woman was wealthy enough to have other people dress her. Even biology has examples of right-hand dominance. The right brain is know for music, creativity, and putting its left-side counterpart down. This technical information was interesting, but it also made me think. As a natural right-hander, I have never really considered the implications of right versus left. There are many things, though, that are so thoroughly ingrained in our culture that we do not even think to question them. Right-handedness happens to be one of them, and I wonder whether there is any real significance behind the practice (think about which hand we take the sacrament with) or whether it is a philosophy of men that has been around so long that we just assume there is some “right” behind it.

Upon reflection, I am very glad that I chose to take this lecture class during my second, and not my first, semester of college. I think that I am far enough away from that initial “cutting away” to be able to look at it a little more objectively. I can look back on the initial “separation” now, and the emotions surrounding it make a little more sense. My parents' mixed and occasionally confusing responses, my own almost paralyzing excitement, apprehension, and assurance, as well as the satisfied well-wishing of family friends seem appropriate in the context of a “rite of passage.” Going to college is both a literal separation and a symbolic farewell to childhood. I always like to think of the line from “Little Women,” where Jo says that she “stepped over the divide between childhood and all that lies beyond.” This divide is significant, but it does not change the things that matter the most, or “the reason we are all here.”

Anxiously "Engaged"

     I liked the definition of journalism that was brought up in class: storytelling with a purpose. This, to me, says that journalism should give people what they need and what they want. It is a tall order, to be sure, but a good writer must fill the desire for news and try to be entertaining. This goal has not always been met, as evidenced by the rise of infotainment, which we can safely call a failure.
      The trouble with trying to give people what they want instead of what they need, is that, all too often, they end up changing their minds. Here is an article from Thursday's NYT about one strange phenomenon: type-writers are coming back in fashion. Just as the first "digital generation" comes of age, the permanence of paper, ink, and manual keys becomes chic. Not that there is any particular moral imperative in typewriters versus I-pads, but it demonstrates that the consumer is quirkier than is sometimes assumed.
      Another issue is that, surprise! Different people like different things in their news. I have noticed this with Dr. Cressman's infamous NY Times quizzes. As far as I can tell, he prefers national news (business and political), anything to do with Apple, and the fascinating lives of political figures past...very little arts, international, scientific studies, or Metropolitan Diary. In short, the exact opposite of what I go to first when I pick up a newspaper. Doubtless this is healthy, but the take-home message is that the media must cover a lot topics.
     I just have to include this SNL example of what not to do. I think that if journalists keep in mind another journalistic principle "Be loyal to the citizens first." If journalists are honestly looking out for their readers' needs and interests, they will not seek to crowd-please with the sensational or bore them with reports that no one likes.

On Harry Potter and Comprehensive News

     One thing I have noticed is that people often seem to know when you are being honest. When a person talks or writes without sincerity, people often have an indefinable suspicion about them. On the other hand, people respond to emotion. Now the exact nature of that response varies, but people tend to like honesty in a writer. I liked the quote by Kovach and Rosenstiel, "People do not expect perfection. They do expect good intentions" (213). My Honors Writing class had a discussion about this issue. One of my classmates said that, in Men's Chorus, they were always urged to "Be what you are." I think that can hardly be a bad attitude to take with regards to hype.
     I think that "proportional and comprehensive" news will take a lot of courage on the part of journalists. The news has largely build itself into the niche of only being for some people. I know this refers to British journalism, but I am reminded of Harry Potter, when Harry is afraid to interrupt Hagrid's newspaper-reading due to experiences with Uncle Vernon. Like many people, Harry felt that reading a newspaper was for the bigger (faster, stronger, better?) in society. Why is this? Because newspapers are not always comprehensive and proportional.
    I remember once mentioning to my mother that J.K. Rowling should really keep writing, as people would certainly buy and read her books. My mother replied, "Do you think she wrote Harry Potter for the money, or because she had a story to tell?" I will let J.K. Rowling answer herself, "This one thing in my life I believed. I believed I could tell a story." A writer should write because they have to tell their stories. I think that is how a journalist should be: out in the community finding stories which simply have to be told. Then the hype will make itself.

The Original Ivory Tower

First of all, I think that Dr. Gordon Mower’s Thursday lecture has given me a new literary hero: Michele d’ Montaigne. He received a whole education in Law, then returned to a tower on his estate to make wine and write essays. What admirable eccentricity! He cannot but be the toast of Greenland and Antarctica!

            I found a lot of value in Dr. Gower’s history of philosophy. I was unfamiliar with many of the terms and people that he used, but it was a good introduction to philosophy. Dr. Mower explained that skepticism begins by discounting everything one thinks that one knows and only building on certainty. I was interested, also in the concept of dispensing with reliance on logic. At first, I was shocked. If we don’t have logic, how can we think and discover? Dr. Mower later gave an interesting explanation. Montaigne, he said, believed that treating his logical and reasoning capabilities with “skepticism” complemented his faith. This reminded me of the lecture by the author of An Ambiguous Adventure, where science was represented by light, but the unknown mysteries of faith were found in the shadows. I suppose faith is an interesting mix of hope, trust, and even “skepticism” at times. The more I think about it, actually, the more sense it makes: as much as we like to talk about scientific inquiry (not that it isn’t valuable), taking any piece of information from the “thinking about it” stage to “knowledge” requires a leap of faith and trust. People have been known to hold to beliefs in spite of overwhelming evidence. How do we really make our decisions?

            Dr. Mower stated that Montaigne believed in a “gentle” education. In his view, the transition from ignorance to knowledge should be as smooth as waking from sleep to light orchestral music. I don’t know that I have had that experience—my mother would occasionally rouse us with sprightly songs about getting and doing push-ups, but that is not quite the same. To be honest, his thoughts on education reminded me of Lady Brackal in “The Importance of Being Earnest.” She believed that ignorance was like a delicate flower that should not be tampered with. Despite my disagreements with him in terms of education, I enjoyed this “gentle” introduction to the study of philosophy.

Blogs on Faith

At first glance, the issue of journalism and religion might seem to be no more significant than, say, journalism and ethnicity, or age, or any of the other distinguishing characteristics that keep the ACLU in business. However, if the mission statement of BYU is to be believed, religion is a characteristic that goes “more than skin-deep.” In addition to a person’s upbringing or social expectations, religion affects worldviews. In organized religion, people are not just allowed but encouraged to evaluate every aspect of their lives by a set of values.

            Religion is important to individuals. So, it should be important to journalists. A reporter needs to be able to tell the story of an individual, complete and unfettered by bias, regardless of whether he or she is Episcopalian, Jewish, or agnostic.This is personified by Barry Bearak's quote. Bearak, a Jew, wrote an article about a Catholic community that won a Pulitzer Prize. According to Bearak, great stories are "hard to do well. They need time and space. They need reporters and editors with talent and with patience." I admit, in the light of all the added stress that is being placed on journalists right now, I am a little worried about the continuing ability of the media to produce such great stories about religion. 

         Just for fun:

• Coverage of Catholicism is disproportionately low, given the U.S. population
• Coverage of Islam is disproportionately high, given the U.S. population
• Coverage of both religious populations is disproportionately bad
• I read an interesting article in Thursday's NYT (which, unfortunately, is not to be found online) about BYU in New Orleans and critiqued it for its religion coverage

Look at the Puffs!

Dr. Nicolas Mason, the Beckham Communications Lecturer, had two major points: The first was more elemental, and, given his audience, lacked sparkle. He based it off two common myths about advertising: first, that it originated in America, and second, that it is an invention of the mid-nineteenth century. He disproved both with pictures, facts, and examples. He showed a picture of some ancient ads that were found on the walls of Pompeii. Apparently the city features the long-ago pleas for customers to solicit brothels and doctors. He also provided pictures and editorials on the state of advertising in London in the 1700s.

            His second point was far more interesting to me. He talked about puffery, which is essentially the last legal form of deception in advertising (e.g. “Red Bull gives you wings”). Puffery is of English origin, and it referred mostly to books at first. Apparently literary magazines, growing desperate competition, began allowing authors, or at least their close friends and relatives, to write the reviews for their own books. Needless to say, these reviews lacked something in the way of objectivity, and the “buttered” reviews, filled with “superlatives,” were known as “puffs.” His contention was that this excess of advertising not just coincided with, but caused, the economic collapse of the British publishing industry in the early 1800s. I was skeptical at first, but when I thought on it, all of the classic British writers I (and the two other people I discussed this with) can think of are from the Regency, Romantic, and Victorian period, not the Georgian.

            To explain the “so-what” of the lecture, Dr. Mason used Amazon.com. Apparently the site began with the goal of bringing English majors and Bohemians together to “preach the gospel of literature from the pulpit of the internet.” In time though, they began offering a $10,000 package in which a book was given a prominent location on the website and a custom “Amazon review treatment.” When this came to light, the editorial staff was fired in favor of the volunteer reviews we see today. Although these can be subjective, authors have been known to post glowing reviews of their own books—anonymously, of course. One author created a list of the “Best Hundred American books of the last century.” The Great Gatsby was Number 1, but his book came in at Number 5.

            Dr. Mason drew on the experiences of the past to make a judgment call for the present and future. His contention is that puffery is alive and well today. He believes that, just as it “killed” the literature of Georgian Britain, puffery is adversely affecting America’s struggling publishing industry today.

An Ambiguous African Adventure

I am going to begin by revealing my ignorance: I had never previously heard of Cheikh Hamidou Kane or his book, “Ambiguous Adventure” until Thursday’s lecture. However, in the short time that I listened to him, to excerpts from his book, and to others’ accounts of his him, I was deeply impressed. He walked and spoke with a quiet but confident dignity. He maintained that throughout his travels and tumultuous life, he had never abandoned his faith. He has lived through a period of Africa’s history that no one really understands, yet he remains hopeful. Additionally, at age 83, he is travelling to America to speak to students, most of whom do not speak his language. I have placed his book on my summer reading list.

            The metaphor that Kane uses in his book startled me at first. The Doctrine and Covenants refers to “that which is of God” as “light.” Kane, instead, represents faith with shadow. His explanation proved adequate to set my mind at rest though—faith can indeed be referred to as a “shadow of things to come.” We learn that God works in mysterious ways, and that He sees, not on the “exterior,” with quantities, qualities, and concrete data, but on the “heart.”

            As a BYU student, or perhaps simply as a Christian with a Westernized education, I was in a unique position relative to Kane’s ideas. One might even say that I am on my own ambiguous adventure. The quest to understand how scientific reasoning and religion can coexist is something to which I can relate. In a world where the “facts” often complicate the already confusing world, we seek a truth that will help us understand our role in it. I have taken a similar path to the Knight, looking forward to God’s coming with that mixture of certain hope and incomprehensibility that characterizes faith, while seeking an education that will allow me to live “in the world.” I must agree with Kane; we need both darkness and light in order to do our work here.

            I appreciate that Kane did not simply stand on an anti-Western/science soapbox. His openness allowed me to think a little more deeply. I am reminded of Ernest Hemingway’s story, in which a man who just attempted suicide was deemed “happy” because “he [had] plenty of money.” As Kane reminded us, the exterior is important, but without a strong inside, or foundation, a person is lost.

The Most Dangerous Professions

    I was recently talking to a friend who is debating between majoring in teaching or communications. Naturally, I had an opinion on the subject, and we had a good-natured discussion. After she left, I sat down to read the paper, and I was struck by the current problems that teachers seem to be encountering. This is one example. Shaking my head, I wondered that she was considering such a profession. Shortly thereafter, though, my slightly self-righteous thoughts were interrupted by the State of Media report for 2011. I was quickly forced to wonder why anyone would consider either course of study. My efforts, in short, to create a "true" or "false" answer to a multiple-choice problem left me feeling foolish. I was drawn, though, to a quote by W. G. Crane, "There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job."
     This encounter reminded me of our "spectrum survey" in class, which was designed to show us that real people resist labels with startling skill. Most people do not fit nicely in one camp or another. Many of our current political issues come from the fact that the words "pro" and "anti" have made enemies from adversaries. The textbook reminded us that, as journalists, our job is to help democracy function. Part of this is accomplished by providing a public forum where solutions and comprises can be discussed, as opposed to insults traded. 

Ethical Considerations

    I once had an English teacher who had joined the public sector precisely because of an ethical concern. She had an interest in reading and writing, as well as a strong sense of social justice and a desire to make a difference in the world. At her first job, she was assigned to cover rapes in the area. Her editor wanted plenty of detail, and he seemed to want the stories covered in an excessive way. Constantly covering the same, rather unpleasant topic depressed her. However, she was even more concerned by the fact that she felt she was doing more harm than good. Interviewing the victims and their families seemed to be causing injury to them, and she could not see what good it was really doing anyone. She eventually became a high school English teacher.
   Stories like this concern me. I wonder what I would do in such situations. Journalists have a responsibility to the public, but we can never forget that the public is made up of individuals. If individuals are being hurt by a journalist's reporting work, then red flags should go up. Elements of Journalism  offers a solution to my former teacher's problem, explaining that "for journalists to be able to exercise their conscience, managers and owners have to create an open newsroom" (231). Other problems can also  be solved by this. I like to think of the clip from the movie Hitch where the editor questions whether the reporter feels comfortable running a story in which she had a conflict of interest.
    Truth, to me, is obvious. I was surprised by how much organizations themselves have to say about ethics. I was impressed with Code of Ethics for the LA Times. Ultimately, though, the importance of ethics boils down to a statement by Carol Marin, "A journalist is someone who believes in something that they would be willing to quit over."

Watchdog Journalism #7

Rusty from Lady and the Tramp--that is the image that comes, unbidden, into my head with the phrase "watchdog journalism." I thought that I should probably get the cultural clutter out of the way before I tried to analyze the topic critically. Unfortunately, not everyone has my philosophy. "Watchdog journalism" has a lot of cultural clutter. "Dangerous washing machines" seemed to be the catchphrase in class, and, for a lot of people, I think that pretty much sums it up. To explain: my American Heritage professor described muckraker journalism in a lecture (Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Ida B. Tarbell's lengthy expose on John D. Rockefeller, etc.), explaining that the whole idea is that, once exposed to "the light of day," corruption can somehow be cured. To show us how such journalism operates today, he showed this clip. Don't get me wrong, dirty glasses will make hotel travelers wince, but lipstick residue was a bit of a let-down after The Jungle.
     Is there a place for serious investigative reporting? I think so. There are important issues that citizens lack the resources to discover, but should know. In the government and business sector, independent journalists have a role to play. However, as media companies are consolidated, independence becomes more difficult to come by, "I-teams" can end up on wash duty. This goes back to the former issue of independence. Possible solutions, and I admit, I  like this one, include the Center for Public Integrity. To me, watchdog journalism should involve focused journalists. They should not end up as either elitist advocates or overtime health inspectors. I like to think of an investigative reporter as a good citizen on steroids, so to speak.
     From the view of a journalist, I liked the quote by Susan Kelleher from Elements of Journalism, "Before anybody participates with me in a story in the sense of a source, I tell them how I work. I tell them they have to go on the record. I tell them I am going to be asking other people about them, that even though I find them really nice people, I am going to have to check them out" (Kovach 154).

Flying Motorcyles (in terms of social change)

         I will be honest: I could have walked into the Honors lecture room, read the title, “Implications of Place, Mobility, and Technology in Economic Development: Impact of Motorcycle Access on Female Fertility in Indonesia,” and walked away completely satisfied. I do not believe that I have ever seen a title, including the well-named works of the late Tennessee Williams, which brought me so much joy. However, that title was followed by a fascinating lecture, and I had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Brown later that evening. Thursday was red-letter day for me in terms of intellectual stimulation.

            First, and this relates to the fore-mentioned title, I liked Dr. Brown’s premise. He explained that his research had allowed him to combine all of the things that interested him: poverty, cultural change, development, equity for women, and more, into one project. This project also involved travel, meeting new people, concepts, and making cultural comparisons. The realization that such wonderful careers exist is one reason that I enjoy Honors 292 so very much.

            Dr. Brown connected geography with mental state in a very interesting way. The Mississippi Delta was his first example. He believes that, as much as the area’s socioeconomic state, its “flatness” has contributed to the genius of the American authors who got their starts there. He believes that the unusual vastness and sense of space gives the people a different sense of the universe. He also explained the difference in opportunity between rural, bounded areas and larger ones. This eventually culminated with the idea that, when transportation (in this case, motorcycles) allows individuals to conquer their geographic limitations, massive socioeconomic changes can be effected.

The idea that mountains, valleys, or deltas can do so much to a person’s resume is incredible, yet his conclusion was backed up with sound research. On a personal note, I have always felt more comfortable when surrounded by mountains, and I am certainly feeling my horizons expand from what they were when I lived in a small town a hour’s drive from everywhere.

            The #1 indicator of a nation’s GDP: female fertility.He used this website's video. After getting over one’s shock, there is an attempt to rationalize it with population. However, Dr. Brown hardly mentioned this factor. No, he believes that motorcycles are a source of transportation, allowing people to conquer their geographic boundaries. This increases opportunities for women, which decreases a household’s economic incentive to send their daughters into marriage and childbearing at age 14. For this reason, women contribute directly to the economy, have fewer children to burden said economy, and are better able to take care of themselves and said children. And, of course, healthier people lead to a healthier economy. I am not saying that motorcycles are the answer to world hunger, but the idea of pulling people out of a vicious cycle with a logical step like that is impressive.

Independence and Journalism #5

  Independence and Journalism focuses on the following principle of journalism: Journalism must maintain an independence from those they cover. Look at the book. Closing related to the idea of avoiding advocacy, this principle refers to the need to be dedicated to giving the public the truth more than anything else. I admit, I have a hard time understanding the individuality of this principle, but I guess all journalistic principles can't be "independent" of each  other.
 When I think about journalists and independence from their journalistic subjects, I always think of the picture by Kevin Carter with the Sudanese girl and the vulture. See the picture and some background here. 
Apparently Carter waited for some time, hoping that the vulture behind the starving child would spread his wings, but he finally gave up, took the picture, and left. The picture shocked many people, and a number of them blamed Carter, comparing him to another type of vulture. I don't think that a journalist has to be that way. I believe that, although he or she has a responsibility to many things, including truth, the story, the citizens, the company they work for, etc, the responsibility to humanity is not something that can be "left at the door." Take the picture, and do what you can in life-threatening situations. Just make sure that you don't get emotionally involved in every sob story that comes your way.

Journalism as an Idealogue #6

 An idealogue---- Wavy red lines have appeared underneath the word, which leads me to believe that it is to be defined via the dictionary of experience. In the classroom discussion, the concern was voiced that journalists sometimes become too involved in their stories. Instead of being advocates for the people and public well-being, they take on the role of an activist. The point was made that the specific cause does not really matter: whether for recycling, Hurricane Katrina victims, or the Democratic party, journalists must be wary of activism's lure. For this last point, someone brought up an article by Orson Scott Card, a registered Democrat who scolds the press for their Democratic leanings in reporting the financial crisis and the presidential election. http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2008-10-05-1.html Card mentions investigative reporting. He specifically mentions journalists who, as idealogues, choose to pursue certain stories, allowing leads that do not help their "case" to slumber undisturbed. That, we learn, is the primary danger of advocacy in journalism. Unverifiable facts and "spin" happen, to be sure, but most editing is completed long before such issues come up. Journalists can sway public opinion by their choice of story.
  The issue of editing through story selection becomes particularly concerning in light of the Agenda Setting Theory of mass communications. One of the most modern (and I suppose "most correct" follows) theories of mass communications, its basic idea is that the media controls what people think/talk about. Consider: you can't even disagree with an article if you don't know about it. For more information on this theory, see http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Agenda-Setting_Theory.doc/.
  As a prospective journalist, one question remains for me. Can the profession of journalism coexist with an active, involved citizen? For many people, the draw to this profession lies in its power to affect positive change. Page 69 of this book gives an account of a journalist who withdrew from civic life in an effort to maintain his objective perspective. See Mind of a Journalist . This begs the question: is he just giving us the perspective of an uninvolved individual? Is that sacrifice required of a practitioner of the "best" profession?

Truth in the Face of Uncertainty

Yesterday was very inspiring in the blog-about-truth-in-journalism department. It began with some unusually unpleasant letters to the Daily Universe http://universe.byu.edu/opinion.
The opinion page for 2/17/11 caused me to ponder, with some concern, the tendency of some BYU students to (and I quote my American Heritage professor, Dr. Kimball) "be so focused on the perfect that they miss the good."
I also attended a lecture by Dr. Shane Reese, who used statistics to "bridge the gaps in knowledge created by science," allowing science to operate amidst "uncertainty." This seemed to link back nicely to the video that we watched in class on Tuesday.
http://www.youtube.com/user/browncoat4077#p/a/f/0/ZH28G0_vTpg
Anyway, all of this reminded me of journalism. A journalist does not know all of the facts because they are constantly developing and changing. However, unlike these unfortunate letter writers, a journalist has to accept that, without knowing everything, she must use the "good" she does have. Like Dr. Reese's statistician example, she must operate amidst "uncertainty," using the scientific process of verification to "bridge the gaps between what we know and what we need to know."

Verification in Journalism #4

I am going to begin with a favorite quote from a favorite book, "If we act the truth, the people who really love us are sure to come back to us in the long run," (Forster, A Room With a View). http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2103.E_M_Forster
I have determined that this is probably not a bad motto with which to begin a journalist's education. In contrast to the previous week's discussion, the presentation on verification in journalism was refreshingly clear. Several principles guide the journalistic method; the journalistic method is what separates journalists from, well, those other people. The principles are as follows:
Never add anything to the story that wasn't really there; never try to deceive the audience; be as transparent as possible; rely on your own reporting and notes; exercise humility

In the in-class survey, I selected "Never deceive the audience" as the most important principle. This stemmed from my previous experiences in journalism. I wrote bimonthly movie reviews for the local newspaper. http://www.paysonroundup.com/search/?q=Lucy+Schouten+movie+reviews&sortby=date&x=0&y=0 I quickly learned that honesty was an important facet of reviewing. I lived in a small town, and people appreciated the fact that I was level with them. If I thought a movie was frightening, stupid, or overly graphic, I admitted it in print, and I was able to establish a relatively credible reputation because of it.
My view broadened throughout the presentation. I now agree with the book that transparency is the primary tool in creating credible journalism. Although some people take a "we can't get rid of bias so why even try?" attitude, I believe that is an unprofessional approach. Through honesty and scientific verification, journalism can, in the best sense, reach that hazy horizon: objectivity. In short, long-term, scientific verification can produce truthful journalism. The internet may evolve and media conglomerates may conspire, but if we as journalists "act the truth," the American audience is "sure to come back to us in the long run."

Rise and Shout

I would be remiss in my duties as a BYU student if I did not comment on the BYU Basketball situation. My favorite signs from the game:
"I love badminton"
"Every time a bell rings, Jimmer gets a three"
Also, my favorite from the posts is John Weymouth, near the bottom.

http://dreamcatchermedia.com/jimmered
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed screaming my brains out at the Marriot Center on Saturday. Go Cougars!

To Play or Not To Play

A Letter to the Editor in Response to the Words of Michelle Peralta on Jimmer Fredette:
Let me begin by stating that I am aware of the phenomenon to which Mrs. Peralta alluded in her recent letter (of which “controversial” would be a shocking understatement). BYU Basketball, with a special emphasis on its most honored player, is one of the more significant issues on campus right now. As I write this, students are doubtless waiting in tents near the Marriot Center, or simply gearing up to “scream their brains out” at the game tomorrow. I hope to do some screaming myself, however, I will admit that I find those who dwell in tents to be slightly disconcerting. A friend commented that their excess of zeal made life difficult for those of us who, while desirous of joining in the fun, felt the need to do homework occasionally. I agreed.
However, Mrs. Peralta’s letter was not a commentary on excessive zeal. In fact, in spite of the recent hype, it did not even seem to be about Jimmer Fredette. As far as I can tell, her vitriol was aimed squarely at those who, like myself, find simple, perhaps even sub-intellectual, joy in a battle of skill at the Y. She asserts that those students who choose to spend their time watching basketball games on TV, waiting in line at the Marriot Center, relieving stress with a hearty “Ra, Ra, Ra-Ra-Ra!,” or high-fiving a friend over “last night’s game,” are the culprits. In short, she is not asking for moderation or even wishing that the current system of ticket-distribution were more conducive to a well-rounded life; she is promoting her own choice of lifestyle at the expense of one embraced by many BYU students.
Ms. Peralta has stated in other letters that her preferences tend toward the arts. The argument has been put forth that her preference for less sweat-inducing entertainments contribute to her disinclination for basketball. In general,though, BYU takes its “arts” quite seriously. Groups travel all over the world, representing BYU through dance and music. There are many wonderful events to attend on campus in honor of these things. The students themselves are very supportive of this. “Cinderella,” showing on the same weekend as “the big game,” has been sold out for some time now. Many other premier arts events have received the same response. The dance classes at BYU have more students from all over campus than any other department. I attend an organ class with 13 other students: there are only 12 organs in the organ lab. There is also no reason to suppose that arts and BYU basketball, badminton and even Jimmer Fredette, are mutually incompatible. At BYU, we are urged to seek a balanced life and education, to enjoy the best that we can find in whatever sphere our interests or circumstances may take us.
Finally, BYU students have a wonderful diversity of opinion, but most of us share a number of values. Most of us are doing our best to gain a good, rich, varied education and live our lives in accordance with the Gospel. We seek to apply the scriptures to our lives, however, taking small scriptural incidents out of context and using them to condemn the lifestyle choices of others is inappropriate. Mrs. Peralta is free to live as she chooses, but unless she feels actual enmity from basketball fans, she must allow others the same privilege. For more information, see http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=1964

Forms of Journalism #3

I admit that I was disappointed in the ambiguity of our class discussion. If I believed that the work of anyone with access to the internet and a couple of half-verified facts could produce free-standing journalism, then I would not be focusing my college education on the topic. I believe that a true journalist has several qualifications: (roughly taken from Mind of a Journalist, 40).
1) A loyalty and commitment to the citizen's privileges to truthful information
2) Some education- I am not going to snobbishly specify, but I believe that a true journalist's thirst for truth will not be sated without some personal fulfillment.
3) Rough belief in the "Fourth Estate"
4) Loyalty to the story
Referring again to the class discussion, I would qualify both the Tweet and the newspaper article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/world/middleeast/29cairo.html) as journalism. They both provide information with the previous goals in mind. The blog (http://www.gaurdian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/feb/05/egypt-protests) ,to me, leaves the reader with more confusing at the end of the article than he or she has at the beginning---and not a probing, philosophical confusion, either.
The widespread availability of publishing technology blurs the line between journalism and publicly-accessible commentary. It reminds me of my days of high school track. I had a coach who was very fond of "throwing" sprinters into the 800m race, which is technically a distance race. Their times normally beat those of the actual distance runners, which was disheartening, to say the least. However, they could only ever do it once. After the first race, they knew how much it would hurt and were unwilling to put forth the effort again, as compared to the regular distance runners. A novice might produce something spectacular once or twice, but it takes a professional to create quality work, day in and day out.

For Whom Do Journalists Work?

In discussing the various loyalties which modern journalists juggle daily, particularly given the trends in media conglomeration, I am forcibly reminded of a certain line from The Importance of Being Earnest, about how being found in a handbag "seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. And I presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to?"http://iws.punahou.edu/department/theatre/curriculum/monologues/female/bracknell.html
In other words, placing journalism in the hands of cold-blooded capitalists seems to be akin to placing a baby in a handbag in the cloakroom of Victoria Station. The "Press" is included in the Bill of Rights, after all. http://archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
Not that press members should be given any kind of royal treatment or excuses for bad behavior (I don't think that they usually are anyway), but they should occupy a special place in society. That place is, namely, to preserve American liberty as watchdogs, gatekeepers, and educators. I thoroughly agreed with the book in this regard. "Journalism's first loyalty is to citizens" (Elements of Journalism, 2). With any other intent, journalism becomes so much advertising and information overload.
At the same time, I recognize that journalists cannot be dewy-eyed idealists. The money has to come from somewhere. However, I believe that the current difficulties that the media is experiencing arise, not from the internet (because the decline of newspaper reading among postgraduates actually began in the 80's) but from shoddy, commercialized journalism. The New York Times, which is respected for the fact that it cuts advertising before news, should be an example of what happens when poorly-written novels do not replace babies in perambulators.

Oh Say What Is Truth?

At the risk of overusing that hymn, I want to establish the main points covered in our presentation last Tuesday on Truth and Journalism:
1)  Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.
2) Truth is a process.
3) Truth can be subjective-Journalism provides relevant commentary to help the public think about the news.
4) Journalists are storytellers who use facts to create a relevant story and communicate the truth.
Speaking of relevance, a good quote from the BYU forum with Condoleezza Rice, "Today's headline's and history's judgments are rarely the same."

What is a Journalist?

A journalist is someone who can function as something of a “hierarchy of one.” Whether driven by self-confidence, or, more likely, curiosity and a strong sense of justice, a journalist can walk across the crowded room to go and talk to someone. A journalist can does make friends with all sorts of people, getting as much enjoyment from a conversation with an interesting veteran forty years her senior as from her peers. The journalistic curiosity, thirst for knowledge, and desire to understand the society in which she lives is often the first priority.

            Journalists are often given to introspection, wondering what people really mean when they say or do certain things. They often pause, looking on and wondering about the relationships between people, wondering what their motivations really are. They like to ask questions and find out how things work. Often, like lawyers, perhaps, they ask questions even when they know the answer, simply wanting to see a given person will explain his or herself. The journalist might then continue to ponder the question to see if it has more sides, more complex issues at stake than might be originally supposed. For this reason, a journalist is typically a creature of parody: fiercely independent with a strong love of people and conversation.

            That said, a journalist is not a philosopher. He or she is not likely to mull an issue over forever. Ideas have to be published and shared. Problems must be solved using this acquisition of contacts, knowledge, and understanding. On top of that, the journalist generally has a strong sense of duty, perhaps for justice, the betterment of society, or simply compassion for humanity. The “muckraker” journalists at the turn of the century are perhaps the best examples of the belief that, if the facts could simply be advertised to those with good hearts and strong influence, the “truth will set them free.”

            How then, must this be published? The idea that writing is the medium of choice among journalists is precluded by ancient (town criers, perhaps) and modern (the evening news, photojournalism) examples. However, many are drawn to the profession by their love the written word. Many writers become journalists, and like it, too. Most journalism is, at some point in its creation, expressed at least in part through the written word. Writing and rhetoric has been and will continue to be a mainstay in the world of journalism.

            However, a definition of journalism must go beyond these broad characteristics if it is to survive in the modern world. Journalism must be organized in two different ways. First, there is a fundamental code of ethics. Better writers than I have put forth countless efforts to define these, but the fact that they exist is supremely important. As explained by its presence in the Bill of Rights, journalism exists as a safeguard for democracy. The journalist aspires to bring to the attention of the great and powerful the needs of those who have no voice. Conversely, the journalist must report the doings of the former to the educated masses if democracy is to be safeguarded. Secondly, journalism is professional. Once again, this is a broad term, especially when it has to include such charming additions to the profession as “ambulance chasers” and the like. However, the term is a necessary requirement.

            Whatever his or her chosen medium, a journalist is a man, or woman, on a mission. It is a vocation which many select for the nobility that they find in it. It is a vocation which, rightly practiced, acts in the preservation of true freedom.

Let There Be News

An Exciting Foray into Journalism, Blogging, and Haphazard Capitalization           by Lucy Schouten