Great Beginnings

Yesterday we had an amazing group interview exercise that included a mobster, an explosion, two dead bodies and interviews with various characters played by staff at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. One of the characters who we interviewed was a shifty man named Seymour, played by Alan Weintraut. Seymour represented the kind of source that had a lot to say (too much), but nothing that was significant. He claimed to be an eye witness to the explosion, but wasn't and went on at length about his service in Viet Nam, but was never actually there. Needless to say he was hilarious.

Even more important than our group interview was the presentation by ASNE President Ken Paulson on the First Amendment. (Yes Mr. Paulson, George Washington was the first President to avoid running for reelection because he hated dealing with the press, but he probably won't be the last.) Seriously, I tell my students that our guarantee of a free press is our most precious right, for it acts as a gatekeeper for all our other rights. In a totalitarian state, such as Syria, a free press is the first thing to go. The lecture by Mr. Paulson was a powerful reminder of the difficult but necessary job I have as a journalism teacher (and parent, and person in general) to remind others of our most basic rights found in the First Amendment. If the rest of the week goes like the first day, I'm going to be blown away. (Hey, that rhymed!) Anyway, it's a new morning with more great possibilities!