| New Voices Fellows Ask the Editor |
|
| Written by New Voices | |||||
| Tuesday, 30 November 2004 | |||||
|
The six 2004-2005 New Voices Fellows prepared questions on Jewish journalism, journalistic ethics, and how to break into the biz. Then we asked Gary Rosenblatt, editor of the New York Jewish Week, to give us some answers. Here are the topics and his thoughts: 1. On Jewish journalism and its role in the community: In my 32 years in Jewish journalism, I have seen both positive and troubling changes. Most troubling is that for the People of the Book, which has produced so many wonderful writers, including journalists, we have not elevated our communal newspapers to the highest of professional levels in terms of enterprise reporting. Too many Jewish newspapers emphasize coverage of the Mideast over important issues in one's own back yard, because reporting on local controversies can offend important community leaders and organizations. On the plus side, at least a handful of Jewish newspapers around the country are doing a fine job, technological advances (like web sites) have made the newspapers' work more accessible, some highly qualified and motivated young people are coming into the field, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency is supplying member papers with quality reporting, and when handled with solid facts and sensitivity, investigative writing can have a positive influence. 2. On covering Jewish and non-Jewish issues, there are several questions here to be dealt with. First, I see no special obligation to cover non-Jewish news. We are a niche, or specialty, publication, and we cannot compete with large dailies in covering an entire community, nor should we. Having said that, the definition of "Jewish news" varies broadly, depending on how it is interpreted. One could take a very parochial approach - only do movie reviews of Jewish-themed films, written, directed and produced by Jews - or write about anything of interest to Jews (presumably everything). That depends on the editors, the writers and the community itself. (Sometimes I think a community gets the kind of newspaper it deserves...) As for balanced reporting, I think there is an obligation to be fair - but that does not necessarily mean to be objective. For example, if a Mideast correspondent writes that Israel responded to a suicide bombing by sending a missile to destroy a Palestinian bomb-making site, the report would only be complete and "fair" if it mentioned the moral context - that one attack was aimed at killing innocent civilians while the other was intended to prevent such actions. 3. On the challenge of being inclusive within the Jewish community: The struggle for a Jewish newspaper to be inclusive of all kinds of Jews, and denominations, is ongoing and difficult. Writing about a gay synagogue can be perceived as informative by one segment of the community and offensive to another, so there are no clear guidelines. Much is determined by the nature of a particular community, so that covering Baltimore Jewry is very different than writing about San Francisco's Jewish communal life. Still, the editors and writers should strive to give each part of the community a voice, and to be attuned to suggestions, and criticism, from readers. If each segment of the community feels you are biased against it and favoring another group, you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Best is to try to listen, and keep making your coverage deeper, more knowledgeable and more sensitive. 4. On college courses: Journalism, English literature, writing, Jewish history and culture are all particularly helpful. Editors are always looking for educated, caring Jews who know how to think and express themselves. 5. On graduate school vs. work experience as the best way to launch your career in journalism: I am biased in that I didn't go to journalism school. In fact, I graduated from Yeshiva University, which offered no writing courses beyond freshman composition. But I was active with the school newspaper all four years of my undergrad career, and that's where I came to love journalism. A graduate degree is always impressive, but so is a year or two of experience at a newspaper. Having a chance to write and be published is invaluable, and many newspapers tend to hire reliable free-lancers when they have an opening for a full-time reporter. 6. On pitching a story: Best is for the writer to present an editor with a finished product, since editors are lazy and would rather read a completed article than go through the process of assigning a story and working with the writer along the way. Story pitches should be e-mailed (preferable to the phone). They should be brief, punchy and to the point, letting the editor know what the story is, what angle you plan to take, and offer some sampling of your bright writing style as well as your knowledge of the subject matter.
Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.12 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved. |
|||||