An inspired journalist - A student reflects on the Master of Journalism Course

By Jeff McMillan

From this day onward as a journalist, a balance between professional and ethical priorities will shape my enquiries. How I choose to answer reflects a subjective process of decision making. Subjectivity is one absolute that confounds the media’s purported image of itself. The objective, idealistic vision of journalism is not taught in the classroom but it is not dispelled by the press (media) either. Let’s not get lost in the verbiage -- like cream, let’s take it from the top.

I graduated with little fanfare with an economics degree in 1991. A life spent behind a desk analysing economic data and making informed decisions about potential outcomes was not my desired future. I needed people and guarantees. A career in sales found me.

The opportunity to learn a product, highlight its strengths and diminish its weaknesses was a natural path. Success was easy. Energy was contagious. Money replaced promotion, egotism fueled the day. As a fashion consultant to the very wealthy, it was my duty to take their lavish money and my job to look stupendous doing it. A balance was achieved. The days were fast and the nights were longer. My brain responded to the lowest common denominator. The end was near.

When one chooses a course that does not reward benevolence, they see it shine even brighter in others. Once an easy path is filled with earths’ known riches, suddenly virtue is priceless. A natural progression, a final transformation is needed. How can a built-in inclination for delighting and entertaining people take me forward and rejoin the general masses?

Alone on self-imposed exile. Not truly belonging to either camp of the creative or the leaders of the "alpha" pack. My personal strengths were split between the aesthetic and the communicable. A harmonious discord. Passions always included the morning paper and anyone willing and able to discuss the day’s events.
News could be sexy. I could teach them how to dress, they could teach me how to write and new ways to think. Writing is communicating and permanent. This could work. It has to work or a variation on the theme. Australia and the world beckons.

Sydney is a place looking for news. The University of Wollongong, nestled in the foothills of the Illawarra, a long-hour journey to the south. The merits of its web site, boasting of being the Harvard of Australia, made it an obvious choice. Who reads the fine print anymore. The young and forward looking campus is a retreat for rabbits!

The two men that lead the Graduate School of Journalism from the precarious creative arts faculty are diametrically opposed. This should not surprise anyone -- news and feature writers have different styles and approach to news gathering and presentation. Oddly, or not so oddly, this is the type of schism I face within my own personality. I easily gravitate towards the open-architecture style teaching by Mr. Blackall as most students would. His lighthearted explanation of journalistic method and practice inspired me to view journalists with bravado and skepticism. A necessary element for an advanced society, but often a "toothless tiger" as he liked to say.

One instructor believes that journalism cannot be taught and taunts us with such defamation. The opposing professor wipes our face in newsprint. Our poorly constructed news stories --no match for our education. We are novice, sophomoric and many of us impetuous yet our desire to learn a valuable education is immeasurable. Who do we believe, or better, who do we trust? If memory shall serve me correctly, the most demanding instructor gains respect by elevating standards.

Schon (1986) says that it is common for professionals to find it impossible to articulate explicitly what is implicit in their practice. In journalism the conscious use of critical reflection provides a structure by which decision-making skills are learned along with writing and research skills. Journalism requires active learning, critical and creative thinking.

During our Ethics lecture, situations posed real-life journalism challenges. Our answers individually and collectively would seldom vary. A look of scrutiny coupled with despair ensued when a class member broke the code of sainthood and took the bait. We are supposed to be above the law even when tabloids and checkbook journalism are preferred mediums to intelligent discourse.

The one-year intensive Master of Journalism program started to take on real meaning and value in the second semester. Elective courses meant preferred thinking and increased interest in subjects. Radio and television, two courses I was not interested in in March, became new avenues with my expanded aptitude.

Directed Readings became the "sleeper" course of the year for me. It gave me enormous confidence to tackle an assignment which I only envied in the past for scholars and hard-core news junkies and long-winded feature journalists. It gave me the time, not only to formulate, but to think on a subject that truly interested me. The best and most difficult part of Directed Readings was even though I was saddled with more information than I’d ever compiled, the daunting task of piecing it together was as fundamental as News and Feature Writing.

Understanding journalism is more than gathering information, assessing its credibility and validity. Any journalism guidebook will tell you all you need to know about becoming a journalist. As any reputable university can instill principles that all journalists should adhere to. There is one specific task that all journalists must learn as they consider themselves to be full-fledged reporters -- and that is to write stories. Original stories, not guided by a book and not rewritten from yesterday’s newspaper.

There lies the problem. Advanced Journalism Project exposed this plain truth. The objectives of this course were simple and straightforward. Perhaps it was the simplicity of objective number three that cast a spell -- "Introduce students to the rigours of working as a journalist in a media organisation."

Media organisations, like classrooms and texts demand ethical, accurate and attractive stories for the reader. The first hurdle was having your story ideas approved. They had to be a mix of news and feature without being too feature-rich. Once satisfied, the task of writing the stories should have been the easy part.
Journalists are held to high standards, and this can be a problem. A story idea, as beautiful and well-planned in one’s head, can go terribly wrong upon execution.

On more than one occasion I thought of a story idea only to have the premise of the story completely shattered by the interviewees. I would ask an open-ended question and have them tell me something completely arbitrary. Or, scribble down pages of notes only to have nothing tangible to work with later. Even in one case, and I have no way of proving this, the interviewees thought I was a spy of some sort and refused to open up with any candor or objectivity of their own.

Perhaps it sounds as though my technique failed me or I didn’t ask the easy questions first but it’s not the case. It is simply a case of having an agenda and having it backfire in your face. McGuiness suggests that it is possible to be biased in terms of personal prejudices, consciously or subconsciously, and still be fair in the treatment of others.

Having the freedom to change a story’s lead and move forward in a different direction are not always associated with the rigours of working as a journalist. Further knowledge gained from this particular course had to do with time management. Media organisations gather, edit and publish news with deadlines in mind. My strategy offered one more luxury afforded the student -- the rewrite.

In the past, there was nothing more demanding and demeaning than rewriting something I had already spent hours agonising over. My previous thinking led me to believe that one could always find fault or error in a story. Now I look forward to the rewrite and see that each time, through repetitious joy, improvements mean a better understanding and stronger argument. Rewrites expose character flaws and pronounce them in bold red ink.

My message and preferred style of delivery are often at odds with each. This has been exposed by continually seeing red marks on first drafts. Now, I make a conscious effort to eliminate extra words and pare down ambiguous meanings for better flow. Before, I would concentrate on my view of the ideal reader. Someone who was dedicated to my eccentric and even convoluted delivery for the sake of art. Now, the preferred message must be straightforward and easy to follow.

There are many things I still need to learn. A one-year intensive masters degree places limits on information retention. Scores of books, lectures and videos support the underlying theme that journalism is best learned by practice. Through trial and error, a level of confidence allows one to ask the right question without fear. Through continually engaging with fellow journalists and listening to valuable editors, one learns to tailor and edit their own material on the first try. By staying abreast and reading current material, a journalist can write insightful current stories that answer the question of the day. This takes a sincere effort and a committed, willing participant.

Hopefully I have reached the point of reflection. The process in which journalists learn to recognise their place, their assumptions and media’s role in society. O’Donnell (1999) describes this approach as the "art of reflecting in practice, of being able to deal with situations of uncertainty, instability and uniqueness and value-conflict, of gaining experience through practice and being able to draw on that experience each time you confront a news situation".

Personal experiences, like firsthand accounts provide valuable information that rival textbooks and classroom education. How one chooses to write and develop a news or feature story is a combination of their background and personal approach. The University of Wollongong has given me a frame to build-on and hang my shingles. As King points out, "by thinking about what we do, we can make better decisions as journalists and provide the basis for a philosophy".

December 2002