Getting the News

Of course, I attended the Save Our Schools (SOS) rally and march to show my displeasure at the way American education is handled today, as well as to hear what others had to say on the subject which I believe is one of the most vital issues facing America today.

But since I also had spent 10 years of my life as a news reporter and editor in the the mid 70s and early 80s, I was also fascinated to get a close view of how the modern media operate at a large national event.

In some ways, little has changed since my reporting days - it still comes down to seeking out good sources, asking meaningful questions, and eliciting insightful responses. Overheard: a TV reporter talking to his cameraman "I think we've got some good stuff, but I think we need someone from Wisconsin. Hey, anybody here from Wisconsin?"

But there were several changes, most brought on by rapidly expanding technology.  First, while most print reporters were using those old reporter's notepads, cell phones and laptops were equally ubiquitous.

In fact, newspapers today have their stories on-line often many hours before they appear in print. This morning, I read the account of yesterday's rally in The Washington Post that I get delivered to my doorstep every morning.  However, last evening I read a 1st version Post story online and I just re-read an updated version seconds before typing this passage. Such things were impossible in my day and my initial impression is that each of the 3 very different accounts prompted much different reading responses.  You can check out the latest Post article by clicking here.

And in the continuing pressure of getting it first, several of the highlights of the main speakers,were available as tweets on line just moments after the words left the speaker's mouth. To see the transcript of such Tweet reporting for the remarks delivered by award-winning author and social critic Jonathan Kozol click here.

So what did I learn from my examination?

There's no question that with technology, news from anywhere, be it the DC Ellipse or the darkness of Darfur, can be reported much more quickly today.  And it's true that, armed with a cell phone, anyone can be a reporter today and have their reports online in a matter of minutes.  However, does all that speed and ease make for better reporting? I think we will leave that question for another day.