Situation Definition:
In a packed Schwab Auditorium on Wednesday night John Eligon of the New York Times spoke about his experiences and advice regarding the world of journalism. In the past Eligon has covered everything from the Boston Marathon bombing to a Neo-Nazi event in Germany to the Winter Olympic Games. He offered the audience intense ethical messages when speaking about his personal experiences typically regarding his race. A reoccurring theme of Eligon’s speech was how to immerse yourself into a story, but not to make the story about you as a reporter.
Analysis:
Early in his career with the New York Times, Eligon recalled two separate instances where he was reporting on cases and got stopped by the police as a suspicious person. Eligon spoke confidently about how he handled these situations, but did inform us that this upsets him because he is only doing his job. Eligon mentioned that he uses these instances as context about diversity and lack thereof. He went on to speak about a story he had to cover in Leith, North Dakota about a white supremacist, Craig Cobb. He recalled walking up to knock on Cobb’s door and mentioned how he stood off center in fear of getting shot. In a study done by the Guardian about readers’ comments deputy editor Katharine Viner found that “Sometimes readers will say things that are threatening and rude; certain groups, such as women and writers who are not white, can have a difficult time” (Gardiner, 2018). On the other hand, after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri Eligon mentioned that he received much more information from people in the apartment complex than his white colleagues.
During his reporting fellowship in Germany, Eligon attended a Neo-Nazi event. Prior to attending, Eligon mentioned he was scared and very uncomfortable, but the large police presence at the event eased his mind. He spoke about a man with a confederate flag on his T-shirt. Eligon questioned the man about his shirt and the man said he wears that shirt to show solidarity with the American south. The man was then quoted saying “Right now it’s like this for me, I see black people, there’s more and more coming and I’m not home when everyone looks different from me.”
As mentioned above, the other half of Eligon’s speech was advice on how to properly tell a story without making it about himself. Eligon said when talking to people it is always best to make conversation. In this case, you give a little and get something in return. Eligon made a point to mention that it is important to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Eligon’s motive with this idea is to take things he has experienced and make sure his writing is infused enough with his privileges of the world that other people don’t usually get the chance to experience. His concluding point was that it is acceptable to bring your own perspective and viewpoints into stories, but it is most important to let the reporting do that for you.
Conclusion:
In an article titled “The Black Revolution in Journalism” Earl Caldwell says “so much of what the reporter experiences does not get into the story in the newspaper or on television or the radio broadcast” (Caldwell, 2004). That is why it is important for journalists like John Eligon to inform younger journalists on proper techniques to immerse yourself into your writing. Prior to this speech from Eligon, I have read about how minorities get treated in the media and journalism world. From this speech, I learned about specific instances and experiences personal to Eligon that were very eye opening. As I mentioned earlier from the speech, Eligon is just doing what he was trained to do. Every day he sets out on a new mission to better himself as a journalist and it is unfair for him to be treated in such a way. I credit him for the way he handles each situation and how open he is to talking about it. It is important in today’s world for other journalists in Eligon’s shoes to open up about their personal experiences in hopes of making more people aware.
References:
Caldwell, E. (2004). The Black Revolution in Journalism. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=40&sid=edcc9ea2-b9d0-440e-a7cc-c86254b90adb%40sessionmgr4006
Gardiner, B. (2018). “It’s a terrible way to go to work:” what 70 million readers’ comments on the Guardian revealed about hostility to women and minorities online. Retrieved from https://www-tandfonline-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/doi/pdf/10.1080/14680777.2018.1447334
