A Bachelors of Journalism From Fontbone University Is A BJ From FU

I have to give a lot of credit to journalists. The ability to consistently write clear, informative copy that’s neither pithy nor verbose can be damn intimidating. Imagine starting your day staring at a blank computer screen that begs for an unique voice; an uncommon take on news items that have been dispensed and commented on by a deluge of sources. When vast amounts of information are available by the mere application of a few keystrokes, serious questions concerning redundancy arise.You ask yourself, what can I add to the already bloated infosphere? Are my feeble attempts at analysis justification for feeding the information overload monster? Am I becoming a Bing commercial caricature? At three a.m., as I stare at a blank computer screen, these questions are causing me some angst. I could open numerous tabs of newsites, blogs, and forums; digest copious amounts of data; drink several cups of coffee and still wonder what the hell to write about. Here’s a thought. I’ll continue in the same vein and write about writing.

When knowledge can be obtained from an infinite number of sources , the old rules of journalism no longer seem to apply. The mere reporting of data has taken a back seat to the interpretation of that data. The journalistic, Dragnet  style of “just the facts, ma’am” is no longer warranted or wanted. Facts we have plenty of. Soundbites are no longer enough for a vast majority of the populace. Americans have demonstrated, via the Nielsen ratings, that they want a rational dissection of the issues that have ramifications for their lives. Witness the rise in popularity of such shows as The O’Reilly Factor, The Glen Beck Show, and Hannity.

Conversely, we have seen a steady increase in the number of Seinfeld-type news columns, programs, and websites. These “soft news” sources are like comfort foods. In our chaotic lives, these vignettes of life are reminders that other people go through the same crap that we do; that we share a certain commonality.  Starshine Roshell, a writer for the Santa Barbara Independent, personifies this. Besides having a extremely cool name, Starshine is a very funny lady. I can only hope to be able to write as well as her one day.

Well…my word count tells me that I’m now at almost four hundred. I guess that qualifies as an article. It’s time for a cup of coffee and, heaven forbid, a cigarette. Ciao.