I think I have had in the back of my mind for many years this thought that journalists are celebrities in their own right. They are the ones giving us the news but by doing so they themselves become figures in the public light. So I guess with this thought I was surprised how easy it was to contact and conduct an email interview with a journalist Tim Woodward from my home town newspaper the Idaho Statesman. I enjoyed how friendly and how down to earth he seemed in our email correspondence.
Besides the things I learned from his answers was a truth I learned from the preface he gave me about the answers; he said “Sorry the answers were so rushed. Too many deadlines of late.” Being a journalist I think might be a little harder then I thought.
With that said the Q & A with Tim Woodward of the Idaho Statesman
ENJOY! I think he gave alot of answers that go along with the things we have discussed in class and our blogs.
Why did you go into journalism?
I'd always wanted to be a writer. It seemed like a way of being able to
write and still earn a regular paycheck.
How did your break in the field?
I applied at almost every paper in the state. No jobs. Took a job as a
photographer for
school kids. That lasted until the week I realized my travel expenses, which
came out of my own pocket, were within $10 of my salary. Quit on a Friday;
the Statesman called Saturday. I've been here ever since.
How do you define good journalism?
Accurate reporting, as objective and well written as possible, about
subjects that affect readers' lives.
Do you feel like your news organization practices good journalism?
Yes.
How would you define the type of journalism you do?
I'm sort of a shirttail journalist. I've done about every kind of reporting, but in recent
years do mainly feature stories and columns.
Does your organization allow you to do the type of journalism you want
to do?
Yes
How does the journalism you practice serve your community?
Readers continually tell me I write about things no one else does, that I help keep
our local history alive, find stories about things they care about and bring
them to the forefront and occasionally bring about some sort of action such
as readers contributing to help needy subjects of my columns and stories,
correct wrongs (a misspelling on a granite memorial to the armed services is
a recent example) and recognize those who otherwise might be forgotten. I
write more about the little guys than the big names.
What is your opinion about recent movements such as community,
citizen, civic, and public journalism?
I think this would be a better question for one of our editors.
Have you ever had an experience in which you felt your work as a journalist really made a difference?
Yes. I did a series that resulted in a corrupt state official going to prison. Did some columns that got a man unjustly imprisoned out before he died. Those are two of many through the years.
How have your views about journalism changed over the years?
They haven't. The technology has, but the basics are timeless.
Have you been affected by dropping circulations, ratings, layoffs, and growth of citizen journalism?
Yes. We all have. My job is changing right now as a result of a smaller staff and a newsroom reorganization it necessitated.
What advice would you give students wanting to go into journalism?
Study hard, work hard, get an internship that gives you hands-on experience. And
you might want to consider a medium other than newspapers, which are doing a
lot more laying off than hiring these days.
No comments:
Post a Comment