A Biblical Approach to News
Right now I'm in the computer lab at Patrick Henry College. I have time on my hands and nothing to do (well, not quite) because we are done with supper and it is raining outside. I just realized that there is no reason why I can't update the blog, so I will proceed to fill you in with what I have been learning.
According to Dr. Les Sillars, professor of journalism at PHC, journalism refers specifically to writing news stories. Other types of writing don't really fall into the same category, so specialty magazines and newsletters like I am used to require less journalism skills and more writing experience. So it has taken substantial effort on my part to switch my focus from columns and essays to hard news and feature stories like we are expected to produce here.
(BTW: there are also 20 giggling girls in the computer lab. They are very distracting!)
Yesterday, Dr. Sillars explained that for something to be news, it must have happened recently, be out of the ordinary, be relevant to people's lives and be something that they what to know. Then the audience will talk about what they have read, believe or not believe it, form an opinion, and possibly act upon it. Or, if the story was uninteresting, readers will forget about it. But the main thing people do with news is build mental maps (worldviews). And it is the job of Christian journalists to help them build accurate mental maps.
David Aikman, former foreign correspondent for TIME magazine, was brought in as a guest and said not to go into journalism unless you are passionate about reporting the news. You will have to put up with many "unpleasant people" (like if you have to conduct an interview with a prisoner or terrorist.) There are also many rude people that will not be willing to give information. "It's a very absorbing, compelling career," Dr. Aikman emphasized. "But it can also be tremendous fun. You are a fly on the mixing bowl of history and you get to meet many interesting people ."
Today we heard from the cultural editor of WORLD magazine, Gene Edward Veith. He talked about how American pop culture is tearing down traditional values. The notes from this lecture will be very helpful to me as I join the staff of Regenerate Our Culture Magazine. A highlight of the morning was shaking his hand and letting him autograph my copy of his book Christians in a .com World. I also handed him the issue of World magazine in which his last column appeared. He is moving from his position at the popular newsmagazine to become an Academic Dean here at Patrick Henry. The special part is that Dr. Veith hadn't even seen his last column in print so it was through me that he read his farewell issue. (Dr. Veith's columns will continue to appear monthly.)
This has been difficult to write because I am not used to working on a computer with so many other people. I will try to give ya'll another update later this week, but we will see about that...
According to Dr. Les Sillars, professor of journalism at PHC, journalism refers specifically to writing news stories. Other types of writing don't really fall into the same category, so specialty magazines and newsletters like I am used to require less journalism skills and more writing experience. So it has taken substantial effort on my part to switch my focus from columns and essays to hard news and feature stories like we are expected to produce here.
(BTW: there are also 20 giggling girls in the computer lab. They are very distracting!)
Yesterday, Dr. Sillars explained that for something to be news, it must have happened recently, be out of the ordinary, be relevant to people's lives and be something that they what to know. Then the audience will talk about what they have read, believe or not believe it, form an opinion, and possibly act upon it. Or, if the story was uninteresting, readers will forget about it. But the main thing people do with news is build mental maps (worldviews). And it is the job of Christian journalists to help them build accurate mental maps.
David Aikman, former foreign correspondent for TIME magazine, was brought in as a guest and said not to go into journalism unless you are passionate about reporting the news. You will have to put up with many "unpleasant people" (like if you have to conduct an interview with a prisoner or terrorist.) There are also many rude people that will not be willing to give information. "It's a very absorbing, compelling career," Dr. Aikman emphasized. "But it can also be tremendous fun. You are a fly on the mixing bowl of history and you get to meet many interesting people ."
Today we heard from the cultural editor of WORLD magazine, Gene Edward Veith. He talked about how American pop culture is tearing down traditional values. The notes from this lecture will be very helpful to me as I join the staff of Regenerate Our Culture Magazine. A highlight of the morning was shaking his hand and letting him autograph my copy of his book Christians in a .com World. I also handed him the issue of World magazine in which his last column appeared. He is moving from his position at the popular newsmagazine to become an Academic Dean here at Patrick Henry. The special part is that Dr. Veith hadn't even seen his last column in print so it was through me that he read his farewell issue. (Dr. Veith's columns will continue to appear monthly.)
This has been difficult to write because I am not used to working on a computer with so many other people. I will try to give ya'll another update later this week, but we will see about that...
posted by Seth @ 7:32 PM
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