Thursday, July 07, 2005
Columbia, Mo.
I know I haven't posted very much to this blog, and I certainly apologize for that. Not a whole lost has happened to me that I couldn't put in the main blog, so I've included it all there. Now that I'm in Missouri, though, and back at Mizzou, there are a couple of things to say that wouldn't probably be inappropriate on the C-P site.
Some may recall the conversation I had with D way back last month, at that party, about journalism and its growing limitations. Or at least that's what I remember about it right now. Anyway, I was thinking about that conversation again while waiting in line at Shakespeare's Pizza, which is located just across the street from MU's beloved Journalism School. I guess somebody long ago figured that Shakespeare's would attract a bunch of writers, and maybe they were right, since the place doesn't have terrific pizza, yet it's the most popular eatery in town. It was packed yesterday with all kinds of people, mostly the families of kids on campus for orientation. To some extent, I think that Shakespeare's is the most popular restaurant in town only because it's the most popular restaurant in town. Like it's tradition to eat that mediocre pizza and tell everybody what a great time you had.
Anyway, I'm flying way off my point. Wading back: There may have been a time in history when Shakespeare would have been a journalist -- the early 20th Century, maybe, or even the late 1960's -- not not today. Today he would just be giving up on films to storyboard video games, twisting drama and bloodshed out of the fables of antiquity. Even if he dabbled in journalism, he'd stay away from newspapers. Their limits of space, truth and focus group would not allow his surprise endings. If anything newsworthy appeared after the fifth graf, editors would move it up.
Instead of eating the the restaurant, which probably would have been asking too much, I went out to sit on the quad and watch the folks walk by. A stream of high school-age kids entered Gannett Hall in front of me -- some sort of Journalism camp, I think. One girl was wearing a t-shirt that said I (Heart) Journalism. I almost laughed out loud. I don't know if the shirt's designer was trying for irony, but he hit it nonetheless. Out of all those kids going to the J-School, including the ones touring it as part of orientation, I wonder how many will actually reach its halls in junior year? How many will graduate, and how many will land a job? How many will (Heart) journalism after five more years? I love my job, but journalism has been a consistent disappointment. It's kind of like an abusive relationship, and the healthy thing would be to leave. But what else am I qualified to do?
Some may recall the conversation I had with D way back last month, at that party, about journalism and its growing limitations. Or at least that's what I remember about it right now. Anyway, I was thinking about that conversation again while waiting in line at Shakespeare's Pizza, which is located just across the street from MU's beloved Journalism School. I guess somebody long ago figured that Shakespeare's would attract a bunch of writers, and maybe they were right, since the place doesn't have terrific pizza, yet it's the most popular eatery in town. It was packed yesterday with all kinds of people, mostly the families of kids on campus for orientation. To some extent, I think that Shakespeare's is the most popular restaurant in town only because it's the most popular restaurant in town. Like it's tradition to eat that mediocre pizza and tell everybody what a great time you had.
Anyway, I'm flying way off my point. Wading back: There may have been a time in history when Shakespeare would have been a journalist -- the early 20th Century, maybe, or even the late 1960's -- not not today. Today he would just be giving up on films to storyboard video games, twisting drama and bloodshed out of the fables of antiquity. Even if he dabbled in journalism, he'd stay away from newspapers. Their limits of space, truth and focus group would not allow his surprise endings. If anything newsworthy appeared after the fifth graf, editors would move it up.
Instead of eating the the restaurant, which probably would have been asking too much, I went out to sit on the quad and watch the folks walk by. A stream of high school-age kids entered Gannett Hall in front of me -- some sort of Journalism camp, I think. One girl was wearing a t-shirt that said I (Heart) Journalism. I almost laughed out loud. I don't know if the shirt's designer was trying for irony, but he hit it nonetheless. Out of all those kids going to the J-School, including the ones touring it as part of orientation, I wonder how many will actually reach its halls in junior year? How many will graduate, and how many will land a job? How many will (Heart) journalism after five more years? I love my job, but journalism has been a consistent disappointment. It's kind of like an abusive relationship, and the healthy thing would be to leave. But what else am I qualified to do?
