Adventure Eight: On jealousy

Jealousy is a complex emotion.

No one ever seems to want to admit their jealousy, but they usually don't need to; their actions and body language alone speak louder than their words could.

Jealous comes in all different forms and for all different reasons. You might be jealous that someone else got the job you wanted. Or jealous that they got a better grade even though you worked harder. Or jealous about someone's style. Regardless, jealousy is not pretty, and it's often incredibly consuming and distracting.

But here's the thing about jealousy. Feeling jealous is a blatant, but unintentional (I hope), disregard of all the things you have going for you. A disregard for all the things you have, the things you've done, the things other people have done for you, etc. Obviously, no one is thinking this when they're feeling green with jealousy. They're focusing on what they don't have, what someone else has. It's a lack of reflection and appreciation for what you have.

Jealousy is also exhausting. Constantly worrying about what someone else has or is doing is consuming. You spend more time focusing your energy on someone else rather than channeling it toward achieving what you want.

What I've learned about jealousy is that it's inevitable, unfortunately. We can't help but admire and want what we don't have. And that's okay, as long as we don't get malicious about it. We can use jealousy as our motivation to get what we want.

An Interview with Alex Rodriguez (not the baseball player)

For our big interview, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Rodriguez, the Nation/World Editor for the Chicago Tribune.

While Mr. Rodriguez is not a “suicide expert” as far as his previous work in the field, I felt very confident that his insight on covering trauma in general would prove to be extremely powerful. And I was not wrong.

During our conversation, Mr. Rodriguez shared with me how he got his start in the field, what news organizations he’s represented throughout his career, and where his job has taken him. When presented with the opportunity to travel the world and cover international news, Rodriguez was hesitant because of his lack of experience. However, he greeted the opportunity and accepted. He covered combat across the globe, ranging from Iraq, to Russia, to Pakistan, to Iran, and even areas in Africa. He quickly fell in love with covering combat, but was not exempt from feeling affected by what he saw.

Rodriguez described the horrors of war that he witnessed on a regular basis, graciously sparing the particularly gory details. He was witness to a handful of suicide and roadside bombings that took place in various parts of Baghdad that he was covering. He was in the midst of cross-fire when the Beslan school siege occurred and was present for the bombing. He quickly learned how to adapt to high-risk situations like these, and took responsibility for ensuring the safety of his fellow journalists and crew.

When it came to coping with the trauma that he witnessed, Rodriguez said every news organization he worked for made it a priority to provide any kind of emotional and mental support necessary. While he never felt the need to seek it out and found ways to cope on his own, he described feeling haunted by the images he saw on a regular basis.

The biggest take-away from my conversation with Rodriguez was his emphasis on the importance of not only covering combat across the world, but trauma overall.  He said we need reporters who take risks, but do so intelligently, in order to educate the masses. He believe it’s crucial for citizens to stay engaged and informed on traumatic events so they are better able to form opinions. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Mr. Rodriguez and hear his insight on the importance of covering trauma.

Women Covering Syria

After reading the Buzzfeed article about women covering the Syria War, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

The article did a wonderful job of painting a picture of the sisterhood between female journalists in their quest to (continue to) cover combat, and to cover it well. It shed light on the unbalanced recognition of journalistic work when it comes to male and female reporters. It discussed the conflicting views of what kind of journalism makes the front page. All of this, I could wrap my head around and supported whole-heartedly. But what I could not get on board with was the blame that was put on men and women, and the focus of putting someone at fault.

The article addressed a number of reasons why women are getting shafted when it comes to receiving recognition for their work. One reason being that women don’t nominate themselves for awards or promote their work while men do so on a regular basis. Another reason was that women are quick to put themselves down, and another being that women love the softer stuff and men love the blood and gore. At this point in the reading, I was losing patience.

I believe those were all valid points to make. Yes, women are less likely to promote their work and nominate themselves for awards. I can understand why women put themselves down in this industry. And it’s true, as we know, that if it bleeds it leads. But some of the language in this article, in my opinion, is directly perpetuating the themes that it is working to criticize.

Saying that women have a habit of putting themselves down sounds like an overgeneralization of women’s self-confidence and self-esteem. If it were me, I wouldn’t have included that quote.

Saying that women don’t promote themselves or nominate themselves for awards because they are overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of men who do so is indirectly shaming men for asserting themselves in the industry.

Saying that front line gory coverage takes priority over showing real life amid war is criticizing both men and women for the variety of coverage they do, when the real issue here is about changing society’s perception of what kind of news is important and what needs to be covered.

I won’t neglect to acknowledge the statistics and personal experiences of these men and women that support the claims in the article. They serve as strong evidence that affirms the overall message and tone of the piece. But I have a difficult time getting on board with any kind of argument that is supported by smack-talking others.

If you want to talk about why female journalists aren’t getting noticed for the work they do in reporting on the most dangerous places around the world, I don’t see the necessity in shaming men for the work they do. In some regard, it’s not their fault that a static picture of a solider in the road got the front cover of a magazine when the heart-wrenching photo of a family watching their world crumbling from combat. People want the picture of the solider because confirmation bias had led them to believe that that is what it’s like overseas in the midst of combat.

If there is any blame to place, it’s not just on female journalists, it’s not just on male journalists. It’s the fault of the industry as a whole. As journalists, we create the news, we structure the news, we shape society’s perception on the issues and stories we share. If we stop giving in to what has been popular among the masses and instead start publishing the kind of content that sheds like on the reality of war and combat, I firmly believe we can change the way people consume news and the news they search for. It’s certainly a gamble, but I think it’s worth it for the sake of the future of the industry and those who want to establish a career in it.

Adventure Seven: Hollow

What was the last piece of journalism that moved you? Not something that elicited the flat reaction of "Wow, that was cool." But rather, a piece of journalism that literally rocked you from within. You felt compelled to jump out of your seat in the same rhythm of your heart and scream about it using the oxygen at the very pit of your stomach?

I have been struggling to explain to people what my "dream job" in journalism is. I could imagine it, but articulating it was difficult. I was feeling discouraged, that maybe perhaps my dream was too far fetched and imaginative. And then I saw "Hollow."

"Hollow" is an interactive documentary piece covering the deteriorating state of a small county in West Virginia. The once booming area has seen a decline in population, economy, and overall quality of life since the 1970s. It's a collection of stories from people whose pride in their roots shed light on a kind of optimism that makes you want to give everything you can to the cause.

The incorporating of video, audio and photos was done so rhythmically and in an engaging, organized fashion. You're drawn into the story as it takes you through the history of the county- the highs and lows, the changes and its evolution, how to came to be where it is. It forces you to follow the story- though "forces" hardly seems like an appropriate word to use because of the effortless fluidity of the piece.

My struggle to explain what my dream job has ceased, with much thanks to those who made "Hollow" possible. This piece, every single aspect of it, moved me so soulfully that all I can do is think about the stories I wan to tell in a similar fashion. I'm eager to uncover untold stories and to tell them so my work may evoke a similar feeling in those who come across it.

Adventure Six: The Role of Journalism

I always think about why I chose to study journalism. I think about the mentors I’ve had, the support I’ve received from friends and family, what I want to do with my life once I have my diploma, the driving forces behind my decision. The optimist dreamer in me chose this major because of my desire to do good in the world, to tell the untold stories of so many lives. It’s not about leaving my own personal branded mark; it’s about making a difference.

When we watched a video in class from a Ted Talks conference, journalist Janine di Giovanni talked about what her role was as a journalist when it comes to making a difference. “I am diluting myself if I think as a journalist, as a reporter, as a writer, what I do can stop them. I can’t…All I am is a witness. My role is to bring a voice to people who are voiceless.”

I was incredibly unsettled upon my first digestion of these words of hers. I based my entire decision-making process upon my desire to help people, to change things, to make a difference. I felt saddened and discouraged, second guessing whether or not I made the right decision of what I plan to do for the rest of my life and my intentions behind it.

I ran through the quote again in my mind, trying to find some way to spin is so my dreams weren't entirely crushed. I though about her last sentence: "My role is to bring a voice to people who are voiceless." I came to realize that while I personally may not have the power to stop wars, combat worldwide starvation, end the war on drugs, all the issues and events that plague the globe, I do have the resources to draw a significant amount of attention to them. Hopefully this way, someone who is more qualified to execute these actions will become aware of what is going on and put great effort toward making a difference.

Adventure Five: Definition of Success

Since my early years of education, teachers and other outside influences have preached the importance of receiving an education. You'll be a much more well rounded candidate for anything you aspire to do, insuring a life of much more success. I followed their instructions blindly, knowing that trusting the system and trusting those who have my best interest in mind wouldn't possibly lead me astray.

As my academic career developed and everyone chose their own path, the material became more sophisticated, the projects became more challenging, it was a whole new ball game. It's a whole new competitive world where people are constantly comparing your performance relative to theirs. People brag about their accomplishments and often come off as arrogant, but I think this is just a defense mechanism to combat the judgement and competitiveness with self-assurance.

I started thinking back to the emphasis put on the quest for success. It was so heavy and came from all angles. It was carved into our brains and served as the motivation for everything we were to do.

But what defines success?

What I've realized is that there simply isn't be one concrete, universal definition of success with which people abide by and recognize. Even moreso, there cannot be just one definition. There are far too many professions, talents, skills, fields, specialties, that make it impossible to throw such a generalized umbrella term across it all.

And hell, let's not get so technical about it.

We are people. Every person is different. Every story is different. Every reason for being is different. How can you measure success this way? That's why it's our job to define it for ourselves- not in the sense that we disregard all other definitions of success, but that we use those definitions to tailor it to fit our own.

Adventure Four: On Covering Traumatic Events

This semester, I'm taking a class about how to cover traumatic events in the media. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I figured it would be a good idea to familiarize myself with how to cover a topic that seems to be appearing more and more frequently in the news.

We started reading various stories from people who had personally experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. We're learning how people respond to certain situations and why, coping mechanisms, how to overcome what has happened and what resilience means. We're often asked to reflect on the diverse ways people handled certain circumstances and discuss how we think we would have responded to the same situation. 

We also explore what it means not only to be a victim of these unfortunate events, but also what it means to be the one talking to sources, getting pictures from the scene, watching these stories unfold right before their very own eyes. Journalists are people with feelings too -- we can only professionally numb ourselves to such a degree until we start feeling the impact of the work we do, the things we cover. 

A special guest made an appearance in our class this week -- a photojournalist by the name of Adrees Latif. He talked about his background, his work experience, the stories he's covered, and he even gave us a taste of the work he's done (I strongly encourage everyone to look into his work.) Someone asked him how he copes with the dark stories and events he's covered, what his tips and tricks were for detaching from a wave of emotions. His response: he finds meaning.

My ears perked up immediately when he said this. Everyone's heard variations of that saying, "There's a reason for everything," or "There's meaning for everything that happens" you get the gist. I've adapted this mindset over the years as a coping mechanism to deal with and interpret what goes on around me. I tell myself there's a reason this is happening, there's a meaning to it all, even if I know what that exactly means yet, or even if I don't necessarily believe myself.

The approach Latif took to this really resonated with me. He was genuine about it, and didn't say it just as a cliche. You could tell that he truly believes there is meaning behind the work he does, the stories he captures, why he shares them. I often worry about the feelings people have about me when I tell them I'm studying journalism because of the rep journalists get for being desensitized from emotion. I've personally heard people critique the entire field by saying it's just a business to us and there is little regard for the impact these stories have on the people they affect. 

I worry that I'll turn into that kind of person, and that's not why I chose to study journalism. It was comforting to hear someone else in the field say that there's meaning behind what we do, and it's important that we do it. I'm still trying to prepare myself for what it would be like to report on a traumatic event, but I feel much more confident after hearing stories from someone of such high esteem saying this work is important and that there's value to it. I'm looking forward to learning more about how it's done and becoming a more well-rounded journalist because of it.