L et me begin by saying I am as tired as I have ever been. Through a strange fluke of circumstance the weekend morning shift that I had left over a year ago,I was back to filling in at for a month. The same month that my labor of love…the New York Association of Black Journalists High School Journalism Program starts on Saturdays at 9am…did I mention that 9am is the time that I get OFF work…and usually would head straight home to crash but commitments are what they are…and today I find myself catching a catnap in the car on my way to LIU in downtown brooklyn. (no I wasn’t driving)
Today was the first day we let the student go out and cover real news. Each adult had three students with them . My task was to head to Prospect Park and observe them while they covered the park’s Halloween festivities.
The weather was beautiful and although we were working we couldn’t stop commenting on how pretty the leaves were…how gorgeous the park looked….how warm the sun felt. Kimberly kept talking about how she saw scenes she wanted to paint…Nadya couldn’t believe this was her first visit to the park…Cindy just seemed to be taking it all in.
There is something invigorating about watching journalists begin their careers. After I laid out their task, I then held back and just watched them work. There is so much talk in our business about how it is dying…how it’s changing and will never be the same and while some of that is absolutely true…to see these young women practice the art ( and I do believe it is an art) of journalism was affirming. To see them take charge and get soundbites…take pictures….and write notes was a sign to me that although how we practice journalism is changing because of technological advances and the popularity of getting news online…the basic tools to tell a good … they will never change.
