Public Affairs
Journalism, at its very nature, is the art, skill and task of informing people through storytelling. And as a uniquely social species, we humans hold information as an integral part to our interaction with the rest of society. Journalism fills our innate need and desire to know; it is essentially a roll in society which reflects our most human characteristics on a daily basis.
The very way we, humans, see, understand and think about our lives and our world is through story. Human life itself even holds the structure of a storyline. We ourselves are in fact our own main characters and the very way we look at life is through the expectation that everything has a beginning, middle and an end; it is the way our mind works.
We need, use and thrive off stories because in simple fact, we and our lives are stories. We tell them everyday through our moods, our actions, our voice intonations, our look, responsibilities, likes, dislikes, intelligence, expressions, conversations, work and effort. We express ourselves in a way that carries more then just information about our personal preferences but about our society and our ways of living as well. To factually document stories in life in order to inform, that is the job of a journalist.
As with every professional practice, there are areas of specialization, journalism is no different. Creative nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, literary journalism, immersion journalism, nature writing, beat reporting, international reporting, enterprise reporting, undercover investigation and the like, are all examples of how far reaching the world of journalism actually goes.
Public affairs journalism, however, is an all encapsulating term for the entirety of these specializations. It incorporates each of these journalistic nuances in an effort to more clearly reflect upon and inform the society at large.
More then anything, public affairs journalism and all its parts are a reflection of the society which produced it. News stories not only carry specific detail and factual information about a particular issue, but they offer the reader a window into the shared values and beliefs of our society. They carry the lessons and themes of our lives and they hold exemplary models of information and insight into ourselves that have the ability to instruct, inform and entertain.
The ability to do what we do as journalists relies upon the public in all aspects. It is the public opinion that can make or break a journalist's work, for the public is the reason journalism exists.
Without the support and belief of the public that we are an honest and trustworthy breed, our ability to do the job we want becomes difficult. It is from this stance that the ideal values and skills of a good journalist become present.
The important aspects of a journalists work rely upon intelligence, accuracy, fairness, vigilance, consistency, quickness, nerve, courage, friendliness, endurance, perseverance, mental attentiveness, honesty, humor, adaptability, initiative, ambition, curiosity and thick skin. In a class like Journalism 380, Advanced Reporting, each of these virtues reveal themselves throughout the course of the reporting process because this class forces students into a real world situation where they have to report back to their professor, or editor, with their own developed stories from reporting beats they've selected. The task is monumental in the development of a journalist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but necessary amongst the quest for the true realistic experience with professional journalism. Thus students learn what it takes, in the most real sense, to get the job done.
Intelligence is reflected with every word and sentence written. It gives writer credibility on the most basic level. Accuracy is a necessity throughout all of journalistic content; it is the desire to write free from mistake or error. It is a simple building block upon which we build a bigger picture. Without it, our work no longer holds validity.
Along with accuracy comes consistency. It is the job of a journalist to maintain a certain level of work, catering to the expectation to their reader. Without consistency, the loss of the audience will be quick.
Fairness, though more often then not, is subjective, it is a necessary effort in which every journalist must engage. No matter how fruitless the journey, fairness is another hallmark akin to accuracy. It is a nonstop effort to end up with the best solution and most complete story possible while attempting to put ourselves outside of the story, and let the facts speak for themselves.
Vigilance is the ever watchful eye for journalists, yet it not only incorporates the sense of sight, but the rest of the senses as well, including intuition. The ability of a journalist's observation is invaluable when in the field processing information. The smell in the air, the surrounding ambient noise, the feel of the texture on a desk or a chair and the taste of the food over lunch are all telling facts that detail or more clear picture in the mind of the reader. At no time should a journalist allow themselves to be blinded with just one task.
Speediness is most desirable among journalists in a daily operation. It is a necessity for journalists to be efficient as possible, for it can guarantee a standard and quality of work with each story.
Journalists should have a bold desire to complete their stories. Fear, though a common at first, should quickly disappear, as it only breeds hesitation, slowing down a process necessary for success. This is the journalists' nerve; it comes with every issue tackled and each interview completed. It is in the most real sense, a virtue that allows us the ability to talk to people we've never met while asking them difficult questions.
Along with nerve comes courage, an ability to have confidence in your abilities to the extent that fear falls out of both mind and sight. Talking to people is the most important aspect of journalism. The stories we produce rely on other people, which is often why our jobs are so difficult, without people, without the public, our stories have no validity. Courage allows journalists the ability to never let fear undermine our ability to do a story. We never do our best work from a defensive position, it's the necessary offense more often the not that get the results we look for.
Friendliness is the companion of nerve and courage. While necessary to be bold and fearless during the quest of completing a story, on must learn ways of talking to people that will keep the comfortable enough to acquire the information you for your story. All around the world, people are people; they can be talked to and conversed with as easily as friends do.
Endurance and perseverance are two of a kind. Being able to maintain your drive for the story is necessary for success in the journalism world. It's the desire and the love for the story that keeps us going under the most dire circumstances. To be able to maintain your courage, nerve, desire, speediness, vigilance, intelligence, friendliness and accuracy without running in a rut of boring formulaic stories, will more often then not produce a quality product.
Similar to vigilance is the alertness of the mind, the mental attentiveness of a journalist, once well honed, can be an invaluable ability when covering a story. To keep your mind active and available for learning is a key to seeing the whole picture within the guides of a storyline. Keeping the brain sharp in all situations is a virtue and task in which the best journalists engage. No matter what sort of facade we place on our outward appearance, it is the continual processing of information for all our senses that will most often lead us to a better more complete story.
Honesty, quite possibly the most crucial aspect of a human being, let alone a journalist. It is the ability of trustworthiness, without it, the words we produce have no value. It is an adherence to the facts and a straightforwardness of conduct. There's is no room for embellishment of fact in our world. We do what we do for the people, and our reputations rely on the honesty of our work.
Cheating on a story will only rip another tear in the trust that the public hesitatingly grants with the in and out of each day. The truth is not an abstract concept to forever be tied up in philosophical limbo. In a very real sense, the truth is a documentary of reality and our perceptions of that document. In the flesh in blood reality in which we live, people have a very real sense of truth, and wavering from that road is only a journey into unacceptable fiction that is scorned upon in a profession such as ours. There are no exceptions to the necessity honesty in a journalist.
The power we have affects peoples lives, we can hurt peoples reputations in the eyes of the public, get people fired and sent to jail, and because of this, it is necessary for us to hold ourselves to a morals which promote honesty as the only possibility. Otherwise, the consequences of our actions will be sharp, severe and will eventually lead to complete distrust from the public of our work.
It is from here that we attempt to never be found indisputably wrong, a task difficult on some levels, but eventually completed through thoroughness. We deal with so many serious issues having a light heart about things is a more valuable aspect then is usually expressed. Humor allows people an easy way into calming the tension that initially exists when two strangers meet.
Humor is a key to unlocking the friendly side of people, allowing you to further acquire more accurate and realistic information free of spin.
Adaptability is a hallmark of a journalist's profession. We are thrown into new situations everyday; covering such a wide variety of topics it's hard to picture a good journalist that lacks the ability to adapt. When dealing with a new topic with each story, we generally start fairly blind, and without the ability to adapt to the situation, topic, people or story completion of every task becomes difficult.
Initiative is another necessity for the success of anyone, no matter the profession. It's both the energy and aptitude to begin the development of new story ideas and ways of covering stories that will be most beneficial to a journalist. It is an ability to see and wonder about things other people don't that will lead to initiative. Initiative is an ability that constantly has the mind think what the next story could be.
As journalist, we are constantly on the move about how we can see the world as stories. Casual conversations can turn into some of the biggest most unique story ideas. The more eyes through which we can view the world, the more opportunities we have to view a complete a story.
Along with initiative comes ambition, a double bladed sword. A strong desire for some things can lead to actions which are both positive and negative. Some people obviously know what they want before they can have it, thus they from the path of light into decidedly darker area of the human psyche. Lying, making up quotes, people, stories and sources are all and most often a result of ambition gone awry. Conversely, ambition also produces the best journalists, for the drive for accomplishment and to always be better are both traits of the best journalists to date.
Ambition is a burning desire to know how things work; it's an extension of the desire to understand things and to share that information with others. Ambition comes from the love of the story. It's the only thing that counts. It's the thing that allows us to ask the stupid questions, move past our embarrassment and avoid using excuses as a scapegoat for why we haven't completed our jobs. Ambition is an every pushing desire to move the mind and felt status in life to a better position. It can be both the up and downside of some of the best people, and undoubtedly, the best journalists as well.
As much as ambition will push us to want to know and discover, without the initial wonder of what makes things tick, ambition is aimless. Curiosity is the major difference between journalists and people of other professions. We wonder about everything we do, whether it's a story we're working on or a simple oddity in life. Without it, a journalist is lost amongst the rest of the population. Ability without ambition is worthless. If there is no desire to want to know and inform, there is no journalist.
Curiosity is the heart of where journalism lies; it is the part of that asks the questions and that looks for the stories. It is the part of us that intrigues and pleases us. You have to want to know, otherwise our efforts are fruitless. Without a need or want to know, the right questions might never be answered, thus nullifying the need for our kind as a whole.
Thick skin would be the last crucial bit of what makes a good journalist, for we live off of opinion and criticism. People, whether in the media or not, love and enjoy expressing opinions about anything and everything. Putting relevant work in the public eye will always attract a certain amount of criticism.
There is no room for journalists who can't take criticism; it is an expected outcome of writing publicly about anything. The very work we do will be speculated against, and it's the job of journalist to appreciate his or her criticism, for it will most often reveal aspect of an issue you didn't think about or see. This is a process that allows us to get better with ever outing.
Thick skin is what protects us from the harsh realities that consist of the word "no." Sometimes it's necessary to write things that people will not like. It is the nature of doing work in the public eye and revealing the truth. No one can please everyone, and an effort to do so is worthless. Facts are what should always lead a story, ulterior motives will get a story into trouble more often the not.
Each of these virtues present themselves daily within the life of a journalist. They are standard that has most often led to success of journalists throughout the world. Each aspect of what makes a good journalist will present itself through the process of true reporting. As our skills become sharpened and more responsive, the natural attributes to efficiency and excellence display themselves as the predominant aspects of a quality journalist. In no other class could this be learned to such an extent, other then the likes of Advance Reporting.
I became well versed in these lessons with the completion of the reporting for my series in Professor Leon Dash's section. Through the development steps of creating a complete story, it was necessary to concentrate on developing some of these virtues while others came naturally within the progress of working my technology beat.
My series is on UI-Integrate, an effort to centralize the more then 150 and computer separate computer systems being used between the three University of Illinois campuses, containing stories covering Systems and Computer Technology's (SCT) Banner 2000 program, its implementation at the University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign, and the problems they've run into in the process.
Learning to talk to all walks of people has been a major effort throughout the entirety of the semester. With this one project alone, my source list reached over 30 people from the vice president of academic affairs to financial aid clerks to students. All of their opinions and ideas came into play with such a massive project in which the university has engaged.
Public affairs, of all things have to do with relevant topics to the public. And while what's relevant and interesting to the public is often a fairly subjective matter, there is certainly a direct delineation between the kinds of stories that will have a direct impact and an indirect impact upon the populous. For instance, the proper use of money in the local government office verse a personal profile of the mayor might have a largely different relevance and importance to the people.
Every story I completed up until this series has dealt more with the softer side of journalistic content. My first story was on new research technology at the university, from there I moved on to the development of video games, an analysis of how movie theater technology works -- also detailing how to find the best seat -- and on to my fourth story, an expose on cell phone technology, how it works and where it's headed.
Each story brought their own difficulties, yet none were on the magnitude that I've seen with UI-Integrate. There are so many more facets to this broad reaching topic, it was difficult to wrap my head around the entirety of the material. Everyone approached the topic from a different stance, and a lot of speculation, misjudgment, miscommunication and spin were involved in the process.
I felt for my series that I need a topic that really matter to the local public, and it was until lately that I realized the nature of "public affairs journalism." There is room for such a wide variety of what is relevant and important to the people, that it's fairly difficult to find a topic outside of its realm. Public affairs is a sort of all encompassing term that contains an unlimited kind of stories.
Whether a literary journalism piece, an in-depth expose or a personal profile, each has a place in what we consider "public affairs." No matter how seemingly trivial, relevance can be found, even if the magnitude of it is varying, if the public cares to know, it's fair game.
It is a continually impressive to see the wide range of stories that are encompassed by what we call public affairs.
Not only can journalism incorporate all the traditional elements of storytelling (i.e. subject, description, detail, scene, theme, story arch, tension, resolution, action, dialog and setting), but it's entrusted with the notion that the information each story holds is all factual, appropriate, relevant and most importantly, true.
I've discovered as a journalist that when covering an issue, one must first need to take notice of their audience. From there we can discover what aspects of a particular subject will be the most important to display to the reader.
It is our job to take the facts and make sense out of them, and we generally want the things we write to represent something bigger, some larger more in-depth idea, we want our stories to ring of relevance. News is form that takes information from the writer's intelligence and personal insight, and combines it with the aspects of researching and interviewing to make complete stories.
After asking different questions after initial interviews, constantly attempting to see a bigger picture and looking beneath the surface, it became thoroughly apparent that it is the thought process of the journalist that defines and solidifies an idea and its important aspects. Going deeper into the reporting process to find a more complete whole is always the goal.
There was a need to learn to put myself outside of the story in the terms of the information I acquired, and the goal to maximizing that impact was through a tandem of consistent organization and the use mental information processing. None of which could have been completed without research and preparation.
This allowed me to condense the focus of my mind to the import bits of information. By informally outlining my story ideas, it was easier to achieve a level of concentration on certain topics.
During the interview process it's key to put the interviewee at ease while also informing them that you're not completely ignorant to the subject of discussion. Simply the types of questions you ask, a journalist can create a quality interview, without the need to supposition quotes like I've seen done in news rooms over the phone.
The meticulous nature of journalism is often a bit annoying in the sense that without having the exact phrasing of a quote, you can't use it. So when there's any doubt, a paraphrase will do.
Accuracy is the most consistent battle journalist face with each line of text. If it's wrong, you'd better know, but in the end, we all just do the best we can in the time allotted, and it's never enough. We must face whatever faults we reach and do it better next time, because journalists are human, or in other words not perfect.
The qualities of true journalists shine through the respect they have for their work. We indulge in the fact that we have heightened sense of obstination. We have a love for listening to other people speak and in meeting people far different from us. We are paranoid about making mistakes and encourage the idea that people are always better off knowing more then less.
Journalists have an undeniable willingness to go wherever the facts take them. We have a need to know the accepted common wisdom and gratify the fact that we attempt to approve or disapprove it through fact. Our job makes us outsiders, and we love it. We have a desire for discovery and a fascination with story. We're always on the search for to concrete and we're forever committed to the idea of telling an honest story.
It's all about the kick for our kind. We thrive on revelation and information. It's a nonstop desire for us to know, show and tell. All of this is exemplified by the sheer number of relevant impacts journalists have had on society. Whether you're looking at Robert Caro's The Power Broker, Whittitaker Chambers' Whiteness, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Nellie Bly's Around the World in 72 days, Ida Tarbells History of the Standard Oil Trust or Woodward and Bernstien's All the Presidents Men, threes no denying the influence that journalism and its practitioners have had on the real world.
It is the ability of journalists not only to uncover and reveal but also to touch expound upon moments and instances that pinch and touch upon emotion that makes us feel. Beyond the high minded ideals of journalism is the realistic aspect of what our work actually accomplishes. The journalist's word, since its conception, has had the power to strike forcefully upon the hearts of all men, bringing those above reach back down to earth.
As students of language and men and women of letters, it is our job to see through the muck of the standard stories using our most valued tools, observation and interviewing. Novelists take advantage of our intelligence and our senses, and for truly thought provoking journalism, so must journalists.
We have the ability to turn our stories into evocative moments, and the effort is more then worth the payoff. To do this, we attempt to develop the complete world of an issue or person within our in-depth stories. The only way we can complete this task is through both the objective and subjective experience.
This is done through the development of a set of skills and tools as well as through the mistakes we make.
Too often journalists are looked upon as simple reporters of community problems. While public affairs journalism does seek this as a goal, its purpose reaches beyond that. It often seeks to engage readers and their community in search of solutions to broken institutions within society. It can educate and inform as well as entertain. It attempts to place the power and selection of relevant news within the realm of the reader. Public affairs journalism can help the people set the agenda while focusing on the events and issues that we, journalists, analyze and report.
Public affairs is an exercise in discovery of what relevant to the people. In what they should know, need to know and what they want to know. The balance is subtle but incontestably imperative.
It's done through an extensive round robin of communication between the stories we write and the responses we receive. The public helps us hone our identification skills of importance as much as we help ourselves. The more eyes that see our work the better we can become as professionals.
Though these ideals might reflect the preaching of an idealist turned journalist, the theory behind our practices are just as important as the expediency of our work.
The bottom-line eventually comes down to the fact that we formulize our work to in an effort to keep the reader and the audience as the main goal in the production of the story. The reader should not simply be a means to fulfill our own passions, but should be the main focus for writing a particular piece.
This is not to say that journalists don't write for themselves as well, however, within public affairs, it's the audience of the story that is the most important aspect. We do our work to show the reader something new, something different, something relevant, something important, something of substance. We do it to show them something that matters, something that evokes emotion, something that catches the eye as well as brings a tear to it. We do it to give the reader a complete story and to benefit from the information we've gathered. It is an effort to include them in the a loop the may have never discovered otherwise. To show them a new world in some instances and to show them new things about their own.
Journalists are the observationists of the public; we point out information and reflect upon our own society through our work. It's the effort is so massive and so far reaching, that it all it can never be detailed enough. Our jobs create and add something more to the meaning of our community, our country, our society and our life every day.
The effort is always worth it, successfully accomplished or not. Our goals as journalists are never ending. In public affairs we serve the people and ask for little in return. The opinions of our readers are invaluable to the daily processes in which we engage.
We suffer through massive amounts of work and skill development in our craft just to create something which we hope can make even the smallest audience think and discuss. We attempt to encourage wide-open and robust debate. We are a representation of the most basic principles upon which our country was founded.
And because if it, we hold a special position in our nation. It is a position that will maintain its impact influence until the end of human kind, for information will never cease to be important, and our content will always be king amongst the daily operation of our nation.