Elements of Journalism

Pg. 167: "Every year millions of dollars are spent trying to sway public opinion, often by employing half-truths and sometimes outright lies. As a result, it is crucial that the news media play the role of honest broker and referee as it carries the common discussion." This quote says it all. The media serves as a watchdog, but sometimes that watchdog has an owner. We need to have no owner but to report fairly on all sides of every argument. This is something I would be most worried about as I grow up and grow smarter. i would hate to have such a bias on something that I wouldn't be able to report fairly. I believe that is something I need to be reminded of constantly.
Pg. 189: "Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. That purpose is to provide people with information they need to understand the world. The first challenge is finding the information that people need to live their lives. The second is to make it meaningful, relevant, and engaging." This quote is how I want my stories to always resemble. I would never want someone to call my writing boring. I would want to deliver information in a fashion that people would actually want to read. Keeping the public informed is just as important as keeping their attention.

Editorial

Taking the Leap

By Chris O’Connell ‘13

            “Welcome to your new addiction.” The carved wooden sign outside the entrance to SkyDiveNewEngland in Lebanon, Maine, looks more like the fingernail scratchings of a crazed lunatic than a friendly greeting.

             Over the summer, I decided to overcome my fear of heights and my fear of splattering against the ground like a watermelon in one day. I was going to go skydiving. It could be that I was still on an adrenaline high after coming back from La Vida, it could be that my summer was getting kind of boring, or it could be that I’m secretly an adrenaline junkie daredevil who doesn’t play by the rules. Whatever the reason, I gathered some close friends and paid the sum of $189.00 to get thrown out of a perfectly good airplane.

So that’s how I found myself standing on an airport tarmac, clutching my terrified beating heart.

 A first group went up while the rest of us signed papers saying that in the event that we died we couldn’t sue, our lawyers couldn’t sue and our relatives couldn’t sue. Then we were introduced to our skydive instructors/partners. Mine was named Matt; a short, bearded fellow in his late twenties who decided that shoes weren’t necessary when jumping out of planes. Why should they be? Matt strapped me into a rope harness that cut off all circulation to my lower half. Matt wore an identical harness except his had the parachute. Which, for all I knew, was filled with linens from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

            Once ready, we were led to a plane that I swear had duct tape on the wings. The plane took us up to 14,000 feet and circled. They opened the door and we watched as two by two, tandem divers leapt into the sky. I was the first of my friends to go. Matt pushed me to the front, told me to hang on and without any warning threw us into the sky.

 Nothing can describe the feeling. Like John Gillspie Magee Jr. said, I put out my hand and touched the face of God. And then I did front flips with God. And then I supermanned across the sky with God. I was not falling to Earth; the Earth was rising to meet me. I would have smiled until I hit the ground but Matt, like a professional, released the parachute before that happened. We floated down gracefully and landed standing up. I gave Matt the biggest hug I’ve ever given another man. I know he appreciated it.

 The point is, two years ago I never would have even considered jumping out of a plane. Even now I’m still terrified of it. But I did it. I took the leap. I took the leap and I will never regret it.

 When I decided to transfer schools and come here to Gordon, I was taking a leap. It could have been an awful decision but it turned out to be a great one. Those who dream big, have to be prepared to fail big. There’s always a chance that you will get burned, but don’t let that keep you from taking chances. Always wanted to study abroad? Take the leap. Thinking about doing La Vida? Take the leap. Want to go skydiving? Definitely take the leap. You will never regret the decision to jump, only how you land.

What I Learned from Thomas Lake?

Sports Illustrated contributor, Atlanta Magazine editor and Gordon alum Thomas Lake came to visit us in class. Not often do I stand in the same room as someone so accomplished or in so intimate a setting. I wish I could have recorded the conversation because he said a lot of important things that I'm sure will get lost in the back of my brain. But one important thing I learned was: hard work is rewarded. Lake spent a lot of time working on the bottom doing boring stories and boring assignments for little pay. But he kept at it. He worked hard, turned in stories at an incredible rate and finally found himself a job. His position at Sports Illustrated was definitely a bit of providence because most people don't rise to that status so quickly, but his hard work put him in a position to attain his dream. The other piece of advice i found most interesting was find your own stories. Go out there and look. Some of Lake's best stuff came when he looked into a cut and dry situation and found something that went deeper. Or he took a subject that no one else wanted except for him. Those are the two most important things I learned and I'm sure I won't forget them anytime soon.

Gordon Students Compete on Family Feud

By Chris O’Connell ‘13

   Name a Gordon family that recently won the game show “Family Feud.” Survey said: the Coker family.

   Gordon students Hala Coker ’12, Hattie Coker ‘13, alumni Hannah Coker ‘10 and cousins Alessio Tranchell ’14, and Clark University student Amira Tranchell ‘12, won the chance to fly to Atlanta and compete on one of America’s most well-known game shows.

   “Family Feud”, a popular game show that first aired in 1976, pits two families against each other in a question style format. Opposing contestants race to hit a buzzer and answer questions like, “Name something a magician would need to take out his pants before sending them to the dry cleaners.” Correct answers are determined by how a survey of 100 people answered the same question.

   The Cokers found out about auditions when Hattie Coker saw on Twitter that auditions were being held at the Bernie and Phyl’s furniture store in Saugus, Mass on May 14 of this year. The Coker’s had watched “Family Feud” since they were kids. They decided it would be an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.

   “It was like living out a dream,” said Alessio.

   After competing all day and winning a tryout match against another family, the Coker family had one obvious advantage over the other competitors.

   “They loved us because we were so young,” said Hala.

   “Before we knew it we were meeting with the executive producers who were falling in love with us,” said Hattie.

   On May 28 they received a postcard from the producers. The Coker’s were going to compete on “Family Feud.”

   The network gave the Coker’s an all-expense paid trip to Atlanta for three days of competition. The Coker’s flew down on July 12. On July 13 they filmed all four episodes defeating three families, losing to a fourth and coming away with $21,430 in cash. On July 14 they flew back home.

   “The whole experience was surreal,” said Hala.

   When the Coker’s arrived, they had no idea what to expect. But the staff and host Steve Harvey made it a fun time.

   “Everyone there, including Steve, was so encouraging,” said Alessio.

   In between commercial breaks the Coker’s would get cups of water and pep talks from a personal game coach who helped them stay positive.

   “I never thought that the people would be so nice,” said Hala. She also remembered Harvey giving them advice and telling them, “Alright let’s win some money, you guys are college kids, you got bills.”

   The Coker’s won the first round but failed to win fast money. Winning the game only gets the contestants around $500. Fast money, the final round, is where the real money lies. If they win they get $20,000. The Coker’s pulled this off on their second taped show. Alessio and Hala both competed on fast money and with their combined answers, won.

   “I was completely in the moment, not even thinking about the money,” said Alessio, “and then I was like ‘Oh my gosh, did we just win $20,000?’”

   “Hattie screamed for ten minutes straight.”

   The Coker’s won against the third family they faced but failed to take fast money again. Despite not winning fast money the Coker family seemed unstoppable.

   “We were definitely in it to win,” said Alessio.

   But their streak came to an end against the fourth family.

   “That was our fourth game of the day and we were tired,” said Alessio. “It was completely heartbreaking.”

   “If we had won the fifth game we would have won the car,” said Hala. “We could taste it.”

   Despite being sent home without the grand prize, the Coker kids received $4,286 each. Even though their streak came to an end, the Coker kids are happy with the time they got to spend together and the fun they had.

   “Although it was obviously exciting to win the money, I think we are all just happy that we got to experience it together, as a family,” said Hattie. “It’s definitely a memory we will all cherish forever.”