Thursday, March 30, 2006

Jill Carroll released

I'm sure everyone already knows, but here's the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060330/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_carroll_released

I'm elated. There are other journalists who have died, been captured and have been wounded from this war. However, I'm not too sure why this case moved me more than others. Most of the journalists over there are not there for the fame - they're there to cover a war that puts them in danger just as much as soldiers and civilians. Many journalists are saying that they are unable to do their jobs because the security situation is so bad that they can't venture out of the 'safe' areas, such as the Green Zone.

One of the criticisms about the war coverage is the wealth of attention spent on covering "the bad news" but not enough covering the good. However, using this logic, if a car bomb detonated near a major marketplace in Chicago or Los Angeles, do you think the press should be criticized if they covered this event extensively and not other events going on in that city at the time, such as a school being opened or a church-sponsored food drive?

1 Comments:

At 12:28 AM, Blogger Daniel Bradley said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog a few days ago about the life of a journalist post. I kind of struggle sometimes with the realization that by doing what I love, it will make other areas of my life more difficult. Newspapers pay poorly, and that is putting it nicely. The hours are crazy, and many times, your friends just don't understand why you have to work until late on Friday and Saturday nights. But it's part of the deal.

I graduated from college last year, and I work on the sports copy desk at The Indianapolis Star. It's easier than a lot of people have it given the size of the paper and that it's not just me putting the section together. I want to write, and while I've been told I'll get my shot at the Star, I sometimes wonder if I would be better off going to a smaller paper. I think there are lessons to be learned by struggling for awhile in Nowheretown while working your way up to the bigger city papers. But we'll see.

Really, there's nothing else I'd rather do than work in newspapers. The love for it supercedes any of the negatives that go along with it. I can't imagine working 9-5 doing a job I could not care less about. Plus, not to diminish the significance of the job in my mind, but if I screw up today, it doesn't matter tomorrow because that paper is lining someone's birdcage or litter box.

But thanks again for the comment.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home