Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "community-journalism"

I have got to stop watching the evening news. And listening to the radio. And reading the newspaper.
Twenty-first century journalism -- or should I say, what passes for journalism these days -- isn't good for my blood pressure. In fact, as a former reporter, it makes my blood boil.
You see, when I began working at a daily newspaper as a high school freshman back in the 1980s, journalists still believed in fairness and objectivity. That meant getting both sides of the story. No matter what.
Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, fairness and objectivity weren't just words I lived by -- they formed the philosophy and ethos I tried to embody.
That's not to say I didn't have strong personal feelings about the issues that I covered, or that I didn't form friendships with sources. It simply meant that I worked twice as hard not to let personal feelings or personal relationships influence the way I did my job.
As I saw it, it was my job to present "Side A," "Side B," and even "Side C" and "Side D," when necessary. It was then up to the reader to decide what to believe.
It was a philosophy I embraced not only as an award-winning reporter, but as the author of my memoir, "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey."
Sadly, that philosophy has fallen out of favor not only in the world of mainstream, corporate journalism, but in community journalism as well.
The only news that matters these days is the news that "sells." Sanctimonious, self-righteous and self-important "journalists" no longer care about getting the story right, as long as they get it first. They tell the world what to think in 10-second soundbites and Internet blurbs. And the world laps it up. There is no such thing as critical thought.
You don't believe me? Then just pick up a newspaper... or listen to the radio... or watch the evening news. And tell me what you think.
Until next time, "That's life..."

Blogger's note: I am taking a huge risk by writing this. I know some people will find it controversial and some may be offended. If that's the case, so be it. I'm fed up with hearing people moan about income inequality and I've kept my mouth shut long enough.
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Those of you who know me personally or have read my memoir know quite a bit about me.
You already know that I have a fantastic geographic pedigree. I was born in Bronxville, N.Y., an affluent New York City suburb and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, which has long had a reputation for being one of the wealthiest communities in the United States of America.
I got a world-class education and graduated from a private, all-girl Catholic School in Greenwich. I have traveled extensively. In other words, I have had an extremely privileged life.
But before you start hating on me, let's get a couple of things perfectly straight right here and now. My parents were not rich, but they worked hard and sacrificed a lot so I could begin traveling at a young age and have that world-class education.
I am extremely fortunate, but I am not rich. After graduating from college and working at a daily newspaper for a few years, I made a conscious decision to devote myself to a career in community journalism. Although I was extremely successful, in more than 20 years in that field, I never once made $30,000 per year. And just for the record, I'm not exactly making millions as an author and freelance writer/editor, either.
In other words, I'm just like millions of other people. I'm definitely one of the "99 percent."
But unlike many 99-percenters, I absolutely, positively refuse to vilify, malign or begrudge the so-called 1 percent of exceedingly wealthy people for what they have. Frankly I don't have the time or energy to resent them; I am too busy trying to survive.
Here's what I do resent. I resent people who constantly moan and cry about how unfair life is, or more accurately, how unfair it is that others are so much better off than they are. Most of us learned that life is unfair during playground fights in preschool. Grow up and get over it.
I deeply resent the fact that the same people who denounce the 1 percent are probably wiling to invest a lot of discretionary income in the purchase of mega-lottery tickets. Let's face it: Every single person who has ever purchased a multi-state lottery ticket wants to join the 1 percent club.
I resent politicians who denounce income inequality and corporate greed after they've amassed their own fortunes as private citizens and happily taken corporate donations to fund their campaigns.
I deeply resent the fact that so many people are so incapable of critical, independent thought that they can't see these politicians for the hypocrites they really are. Here's a news-flash: No one can hold a high political office unless they have personal wealth or wealthy campaign donors. Here's another news-flash: Most politicians will do or say anything to get your vote.
I resent the self-important, self-aggrandizing Hollywood elite who denounce capitalism and income inequality while they make millions for a single movie.
I deeply resent the fact that so many people are so incapable of critical, independent thought that they can't see these pithy entertainers for the hypocrites they really are.
I resent the fact that the guide on the Circle Line cruise that I took around Manhattan last weekend felt it necessary to moan about income inequality in New York City for more than two hours.
I really, really resent the fact that author Emily Giffin felt a need to take a backhanded stab the wealthy in her novel Love the One You're With saying,"To Suzanne every 'rich' person (a term she used derisively) were the same: soft, selfish, and likely 'a lying snake of a Republican.'"
Finally, I resent anyone, in any socioeconomic bracket, who has a sense of entitlement. Here's a news-flash for you: The world doesn't owe you a thing.
Until next time, "That's life..."

As a lot of you know, there aren't too many things I miss about being a reporter.
I don't miss the 18-hour days. I don't miss the tight deadlines. I don't miss the stress and aggravation. I don't miss self-important public officials or arrogant cops.
I don't miss standing around crime scenes for hours or rushing to cover a plane crash at three in the morning.
I don't miss working for what amounted to less than minimum wage and I certainly don't miss office politics.
To be perfectly frank I'm much better off without most of the people I worked with (although I do miss a few).
I must admit there are some other things that I do miss though. I miss the communities that I covered. I miss the readers whose lives I touched. I miss the fun assignments that editors dismissed as unimportant, like this one I did in The Plains, Va., back in 2011.
No reporter will ever win a Pulitzer for covering a village scarecrow contest... unless the judges were on the take or someone stuffed a dead body into one of the costumes... Call me cynical, but stranger things have happened.
But at the end of the day, these were the stories that people loved the most. These were the "feel good stories," the stories that touched their hearts and made them laugh. These were the stories that took their minds off all the troubles in the world -- at least for a little while. These were the stories that helped them take a little bit of pride in their communities. I know all of this it's because the readers told me.
So I'll let other reporters tell the world about Isis and Ebola and the economy.
I'll let them have the satisfaction of spreading the word about the upcoming elections and I'll let them have the glory they all think that they deserve.
I've been there, done that and gotten the awards to show for it.
I take pride in those awards. But at the end of the day, I made people smile. I made them laugh. Perhaps I even made them feel a bit better about the world.
I'll always take pride in that.
Until next time, "That's life..."