After I spent 21 years of my life working at newspaper and television stations—not counting earlier editing of my junior high school, high school and college newspapers— my Alma Mater paid me less to teach journalism students.
Truth is, would have paid the university because—as Rudyard Kipling’s poem says—I had “sold my heart” to the old dark art called the daily Press.
Sorry to say, some graduated journalism students may have forgotten my teachings. Some I still reach by email. And, ahem, I do occasionally repeat my classroom lecture about avoiding interjection of personal bias into choice of words.
To one former Daily Texan graduate, I suggested that I didn’t see on my TV set, “the president lumbered across the stage.” Thought the reporter turned the verb into sarcasm.
But oh no, the reporter was accurate, replied the graduate. How could I criticize a winner of the Pulitzer Prize?
When I later countered, “the president shuffled,” I was told I might be showing a bias.
Morale of this story:
Maybe only old journalism professors still think reporters should present both sides of the issue without personal opinion. Leave partisan opinions to the editorial and column writers.
Maybe Kipling’s concluding words justify a reporter’s personal interjection: “While Thrones and Powers confess that the King over all children of pride is the Press—the Press—the Press!”
Maybe, but still don’t think so.
Photo by congerdesign from Pixabay
