Tag Archives: Journalism

Verif.

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The closest thing to a sacred trust we’ll get.

“Accuracy, as you can see, can be a stretch, well beyond getting the quote right, which is also essential. As for truth, I think of it as an ideal, toward which we strive, toward which all of our work should be an important part. If we are lucky, we may even touch a piece of it.”

-William F. Woo

He was the first person who was not a member of the Pulitzer family to work as editor of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the first Asian-American to be the editor of a major American daily newspaper. He later worked as a journalism professor at Stanford University.

Studying for my J4000 exam. This was part of my presentation about the role of an editor. This quote stuck with me.

Update 04/19/10:
Hahaha William F. Woo was a question on the exam. Sorry to everybody who didn’t pay attention during my presentation. Woo was a small part of my presentation and I’m sorry that you were tested on a few passing inspirational quotations!

A Funny Thing Happened in Front of the CBC Building

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Step 1: Take off shoe. Step 2: Put your foot in your mouth.

The CBC announced 800 jobs are going to be cut. On Thursday, there was going to be a town hall meeting for employees. We are a group of three journalism students on a same-day TV assignment. The news is scary, but the story is newsy. To the CBC building we go.

Location: Sparks Street
Mood: Optimistic

Our reporter is speaking to two women standing outside the doors to the building. Many of the CBC employees don’t want to talk to us, probably because they’re not sure what’s going on themselves.

Somehow, our reporter persuades the women to go on camera. The first woman, wearing a CBC jacket, gives us a great interview and some even better advice on what to do as young journalists when our industry is facing hard times. She reminds young people to be passionate about what they do, and wait it out when times are tough.

We ask her how she feels, knowing that her job may be on the line. Will her job be one of the 800 cut?

She responds with a very confident no. She say’s that she’s been at the CBC a while and seniority holds a lot of weight.

We wrap up the interview. Oh, and one more thing. Can you please say and spell your name for the camera?

“Kathleen Petty. K-A-T-H-L-E-E-N P-E-T-T-Y.”

Oh boy. We all burst out laughing.

Yes, we spoke to Kathleen Petty on Thursday about CBC job cuts and we didn’t even realize it until the end.

What a rookie mistake. If I become a journalism prof one day, this can be my witty anecdote for the first day of class.