Good Night and Good Luck: A Benediction for Journalists

Good Night and Good Luck (dir. George Clooney, 2005) will be a lighthouse to meandering generations of journalists to come – at least, after watching it, one would hope so.

The film is a cinematic well from which those of the fourth estate may draw wisdom, guidance, and inspiration. It showcases both ends of the journalistic spectrum: those yellow news people motivated by financial and popularity factors, and those morally sound gems dedicated to none but the audience. Good Night dares modern news institutions to follow the example of the ethical reporter.

There is a very thorough book by Misters Kovach and Rosenstiel called The Elements of Journalism, which addresses what ought to be (but rarely are) the building blocks of a noble trade. These elements are played out in Good Night as if the book and film were scripted by the same party.

Like the authors, Edward Murrow, hero of Good Night, recognized that “television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us,” citing Americans’ “built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information” as a cause for journalism’s plunge into some form of mass “reality” entertainment.

Clooney and the authors would agree on the roles of transparency and bias in the newsroom. Kovach and Rosenstiel wrote about honesty regarding not only what is known, but also what is unknown. “Acknowledging what is not known is a claim to more authority, not less,” they said.

Good Night tells the story of broadcast journalists wrestling with the controversies surrounding Joseph McCarthy, a scenario fraught with unknowns. The station’s honest treatment of the issue inspired the nation to trust Edward Murrow more than any other American.

Other members of the CBS team would make skyscrapers out of sandcastles just to get something on the air. Co-producer Fred Friendly said, “There’s no news, boys, so go out there and make some news.” But Murrow didn’t want to abuse the privilege of being on TV by broadcasting drivel.

Kovach and Rosensteil argue that “bias is not something that can or should be eliminated,” and this is clear from the newscasts shown in Good Night. Murrow’s opinion was obvious every time he stepped in front of the camera, a technique that would be quarantined today as a breach of people’s freedom to believe what they choose. In fact, it ultimately cost Murrow his job.

But Murrow never told audiences “this is what you should believe.” In spite of his bias, he presented a balanced account of the facts, presenting evidence from outside sources alongside his interpretation so that viewers could make informed choices.

That is responsible journalism. Kovach and Rosenstiel wrote that “objective” reporting “is more than mere accuracy.” It’s not facts presented without meaning; there is a “sorting-out process” on the part of the journalist. “Mere accuracy can be a kind of distortion,” they said.

The purpose of journalism is to reveal, not to hide. Murrow believed TV had the potential to teach, illuminate, and inspire if used toward those ends. “Otherwise,” he said, “it is merely wires and lights in a box.”

Excavations of the Psalms with Rabbi Baruch HaLevi

Baruch HaLevi is in the excavation business. In mid-September, he encouraged Gordon College students to search for “what’s beyond the text” of the Bible. The most challenging part of his call? It came from someone not typically embraced by those of the proverbial Gordon Bubble.

HaLevi is a rabbi at Swampscott’s Congregation Shirat Hayam. He was the first of a series of rabbis and Jewish scholars invited to explore the Psalms with the Christian students of Gordon. Even though the audience’s beliefs didn’t match HaLevi’s Jewish perception of Jesus, he boldly proclaimed his message.

“The Psalms are alive,” he said. They are truths that, laid bare to the ravages of time, have come out victorious. The rabbi was a portrait of Jewish openness to ambiguity in holy texts. “We are not turning there for historical truths, but for human truths,” he said. God always chose unlikely candidates to do his work. HaLevi highlighted the truth in this theme.

“God wants an individual who… is going to define himself by his deeds,” he said. God needs us to be people who will stand up for those made in His image and say, “Yes, I am my brother’s keeper.” HaLevi said the patriarchs and matriarchs were imperfect just like us, so we should follow their lead and act as the messiah in his absence.

Though his truth and ours were far from identical, HaLevi’s challenge is worth remembering: “Speak up and speak out, act up and act out – for goodness.”

Newcomers: Naarita ArnoldAvila

Gordon’s first Bolivian student, Naarita ArnoldAvila, is thrilled to be here. “I’m glad that God opened doors,” she said. ArnoldAvila grew up near the city of Tarija with her extended family, all Pentecostal Christians. She came to America to make her faith real and personal by leaving that comfort zone.

“When you’re listening all the time to faith, it’s hard to know what it is,” said ArnoldAvila. She has already learned a lot from students of other denominations and looks forward to learning more.

When ArnoldAvila got on the plane to come here, it was her first time leaving Bolivia and she didn’t know what to expect. She said the people here have shown genuine interest and concern for her. It has been like home, where her family often gathered to pray, celebrate, or fellowship through activities like camping.

Pop culture has been the greatest barrier. “I don’t know about music or about shows,” she said. “Some things that they talk about I don’t understand.” As a community, let us recognize that many students on campus are in the same boat and love them by letting them in on the secret.

30 Years Later, Zinsser’s Book About Writing Still Inspires

“It’s called classic for a reason,” said Erika Diaz, a senior communication arts major from Napa Valley, CA, of William Zinsser’s On Writing Well. The book has been on shelves for thirty years, longer than the students reading it have been alive – but they agree that its advice remains relevant. “Anybody who’s gonna put a pen to a page should read it,” Diaz said.

On Writing Well certainly runs the gamut. “It’s about learning to deal with people,” said Steve Fletcher, a junior communication arts major from Maine, “which lends itself to journalists more than anyone else.” Zinsser speaks specifically to journalists in sections that map the anatomy of articles and interviews.

But all writers will benefit from Zinsser’s counsel to write clearly, concisely, and without exhaustingly polysyllabic words that only obfuscate the point – what Zinsser calls “clutter.” Diaz said the book transformed the way she approached writing – more specifically, revision.

“I dreaded cutting until now,” she said. Zinsser taught her that there’s freedom in leaving some material on the cutting room floor. Diaz felt these words of wisdom made her a stronger writer.

The book’s success comes down to two words: user friendly. Fletcher said it was the most readable book he’s been assigned in his college career, and Diaz compared it to a coffee shop conversation with a “grandfatherly figure… [who’s] sitting down and telling me everything I need to know about writing.”

“The person on the other side of the page had a passion,” said Fletcher. Zinsser’s subtle humor keeps the reader coming back for another lesson, and another and another. Fletcher felt that Zinsser wanted writers to infuse their writing with that same “human feel.”

On Writing Well is a fun and friendly classroom text. Diaz said, “I sold back all my books last year except for this one!”

College Students Mixed about Online Journalism

By Amanda C. Thompson

With many newspapers waving goodbye to paper and hailing an era of virtual reporting, the world of journalism stands at a crossroads. Some readers are disconcerted, but many welcome the possibilities offered by online journalism.

One cannot deny the convenience of Internet-based newspapers. “I get my news online because it’s easy and quick,” said Jessica DeVivo, a student at Gordon College.

Additionally, virtual publications mean writers can adhere to the journalistic ideal of timeliness in a way that was never possible before, and they can cater to an audience that thrives on immediacy.

But traditionalists aren’t convinced. Maggie Lafferty, another Gordon student, said, “print is better!” She added, though, that she appreciates the accessibility of paperless journalism. While attending school in Massachusetts, she can keep up with events at home in Pennsylvania because her local paper, the Lancaster Mariner, is available online.

The Gordon College newspaper, The Tartan, is going exclusively online for the first time this fall. Many students are not aware of the change and expect to find a stack of printed Tartans in their usual place at the bottom of the stairs in the dining hall.

One of these students is Chelsea Lucas, a junior at the college. When she heard the Tartan was going online, her immediate response was, “I don’t like it.” She explained that she only read the paper if she found it lying around. Now she probably won’t read it at all.

Lucas speculates that updates sent by e-mail will end up in virtual recycling bins amid daily Student News posts from the Center for Educational Technologies (CET). The Tartan’s best hope, she said, is to include lots of features on the homepage alongside sports updates so non- athletes will have a reason to keep reading.

But she’d still prefer a hard copy.