Sunday
This is my first day here at the conference and already I’m off to a running start. I’m about to embark on a demanding and life-changing journey that will allow me to explore all the diverse corners of the field of journalism. Today, all 150 attendees had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to listen to Brian Lamb (the founder of C-SPAN) speak about his experiences in journalism and his views of what the future will bring this industry. After calling five curious yet nervous volunteers up to the podium, Lamb asked each of them: What is journalism? The result of such a seemingly simple question was pure, unspoken panic. The color quickly drained from each of the volunteers’ faces and their expressions mirrored that of a deer wandering across a highway as an eighteen wheeler roars down the lane toward it. Their spontaneous yet well-delivered answers revolved around the reporting of information to the public. As Lamb’s speech progressed, my mind kept encircling around that same question he had asked earlier. What is journalism? It is so much more than simply informing the public. Journalism gives us the inimitable experience of being the eyes and ears for people around the world who cannot witness what we do. Journalism allows people to educate themselves of worldly affairs without having to leave the comfort of the couch or looking away from their computer screen. It’s an industry fueled solely on the passionate desire to achieve which burns so brightly in the world’s journalists. The competition to achieve is cut-throat and only will rise to the top. I’m hoping the conference will help tell me if I’m one of those few. Only time will tell.
Leave a comment