Nothing is off the record

When do journalists agree to allow a source to be "off the record?" The answer should be never. It seems that sometimes we are afraid to tell a source that everything they said is fair game to be printed. Sometimes our ethics are brought into question and giving a highly recognized source a bad reputation can really impact a journalists career.

Case in-point, Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone Magazine. Rather than receiving praise from his colleagues, Hastings is getting some backlash for not understanding the "unspoken agreement" that you will not embarrass the troops. Lara Logan, CBS News Chief Foreign Correspondent, criticized Hastings, ultimately saying she doesn't believe the story, and to her, "something doesn't add up."

We are taught everything is on the record, unless the reporter agrees otherwise. Journalists shouldn't be afraid to take some risks, our job is to write great stories and share great news with the public. If some risks weren't taken to do so, then we wouldn't have a job. 

 I think Steve Buttry sums up the matter beautifully, saying, "Our nation's founders did not protect the press so the press could protect the government." 

On to the next one

Multimedia Immersion rap from News Photog on Vimeo.

Priceless.

"Don't take no for an answer"

With plenty of time to read books that I actually enjoy this summer, I have been enjoying one book titled God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours by Regina Brett. Brett is a columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and in her book she writes the 50 lessons life has taught her.

One lesson that is probably relevant to most journalists is Lesson 20: when it comes to going after what you want in life, don't take no for an answer. Brett describes the struggles she faced when looking for a steady job after graduation. After a professor told her that she wasn't ready for the world of journalism, Brett didn't take no for an answer. She began writing for a paper with a beat she didn't want to cover, yet took every story she could get and finished it. 

Many more no's came to Brett, and she fought through each one, until she eventually got her own column. At the end of this chapter Brett writes, "I have a dream job. All because I wouldn't take no for an answer and kept shoveling."

Every college student is working through school to get to their dream job. However, as Brett demonstrates, a dream job isn't just going to be handed to us. Now more than ever journalists have to create a name for themselves, going above and beyond in order to beat the competition (get it, "beat"? ok, bad joke). We know we want to be writers, that part is accomplished, but becoming a great writer with great content comes with the perseverance to prove those who tell you "no" wrong.

Just a note, Lesson 20 goes hand in hand with Lesson 1: life isn't fair, but it's still good. 

Fact Check Please

I spent a part of my Memorial Day weekend at my dad's house bbq-ing it up. Of course the evening could not end without my dad and stepmom coming up with some insanely right sided thing to say about President Obama. Screaming at the top of thei lungs, (yes, SCREAMING) they both start in on how Obama is "the first president to not attend the Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington!" Continuing on their rampage, they said "he was on vacation with his family! I don't care who you are as president, but you show respect and go to tomb of the unknown on Memorial Day."

Well, one conservative source mentions this is because Obama doesn't like the military, another also criticizes the president's vacation. Neither mention that the presidents weekend started with a trip to the Gulf Coast. And, it isn't as if he blew off Memorial Day all together, he went to the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill. As left columnist David Corn writes, Obama is not the only president to not go to Arlington on Memorial Day. A few other presidents have missed out as well.

A professor told my class once to only believe half of what you watch, read, and hear, especially when it comes to politics. Before we get upset about a certain topic, it is important to investigate on your own before drawing conclusions.