Posting “News” Stories Doesn’t Make A Journalist
By Jim Kent
“Once upon a time”… I put aside writing to pursue
careers in acting and music. To that end I studied at New York City’s Lee
Strasberg Theatre Institute. I also had the opportunity to sit in with one of
Rolling Stone’s “Top 100 Guitarists” for a few lessons.
During our initial conversation, the rocker asked
which field I thought was more difficult to break into: music or acting. He
felt it was music, since “everyone and his brother” seemed to have a garage
band (and things are only tougher now in a world where “anyone” can produce
their own CD, You Tube video, etc.).
I agreed, even though acting in this country – then
and now – was primarily a “who you know” not “how much talent you have” scenario.
It wasn’t until I returned to pursuing my current
career that I learned writing is actually the most difficult of the 3 arts
mentioned to succeed in.
To begin with “everyone” learns to write. Even today
it’s among the first educational tasks for any child along with learning to
read. You need to know how to write in order to get through school. But being
able to string words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs
into term papers or even a college thesis does not a “writer” make.
Notwithstanding, everyone learns to write as opposed
to learns a musical Instrument or studies acting. So many who aren’t actually
writers consider themselves such and increase – and sometimes flood - the
competition for those who are.
I know. It’s a rough world and in the end talent
usually wills out…but only usually.
As an aspiring commentator, I quickly realized that
this meant I would be competing, literally, with anyone with the slightest
degree of name-recognition who had anything to say on any subject. Everyone’s a
writer and everyone has an opinion. From politician to businessman to
personality to jokester, the key to success was acknowledgement of
specialization and expertise in any one area of interest.
And though I was able to get off to a relatively good
start with a half-page commentary in U.S. News & World Report offering my
“expert” opinion on the U.S. Marine Corps, it was a long and winding road from
then to now.
Transitioning from commentator to journalist in the
late ‘90s, I was confronted with a situation I hadn’t encountered before: a
general attitude that “reporters never get it right” so there’s no need to
trust them and, whenever possible, avoid them.
Although I’d been criticized for the opinions
expressed in my commentaries prior to this, I’d never been judged due to
another’s ineptitude. I quickly made it a point to carry a tape deck with me at
all times – even before seguing from newspapers to radio, with the aim of
getting names, dates and facts correct.
And though I may not have made a major contribution
to journalists – or journalism – as a whole, I’ve prided myself in getting it
right most of the time for straight news stories and offering common sense
opinions in my commentaries that can generally be understood – even if not agreed
with by all.
Enter social media. Where “everyone” was once a
writer, now “everyone” is a journalist. Except, they’re not. And “they” might
mean “you”.
Reposting information on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
or your preferred social media site doesn’t make you a journalist. It makes you
a “poster”. Sharing the misinformation that became the frightening norm during
the recent presidential campaign – from both sides of the aisle and outside
sources – made you a direct contributor to one of the most chaotic political
experiences in U.S. history.
Being a journalist isn’t about making your team look
like saints and the other team look like demons. It’s about presenting both
sides to the best of your ability even if you detest the views of one.
Even commentators have to allow for a certain sense
of civility in their writing as well as…oh, yes…verified facts.
So, if you want to play “social media journalist” you
need to verify that your “story” is being presented by a real news source, not
somebody’s blog or an “on-line news magazine” with a work force of…one.
Check on who’s posting, where they're located, who their staff is and
then Google the headline. If you don’t come up with at least 2 mainstream news
sources with the same story, don’t repost.
Sharing misinformation with the masses doesn’t make
you a journalist; it makes you a dope.
Published on 12/8/16 in the
Lakota Country Times
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