Reporter's Reflections Archive

Last week I took time to “reflect” on being a reporter, and my purpose as such. I began feeling the eyes of other reporters upon me, and also began to wonder what I was doing. Should I observe only? Or participate? Should I print this? Or keep quiet? Should I be positive all the time? Or controversial? What is the best thing to do? Does being from Calhoun make a difference?

I went back to by college textbooks on journalism, and realized with all I was taught about grammar, and rules, and writing style, there was nothing in the books about people, or politics, or small town life.

I began to compare my articles and writing with other reporters. I thought I should check myself against others in my field. That was like comparing apples to oranges. Each newspaper has a different audience--different readers with different reading levels, different purposes, different interests, and different characters.

So actually, you see, the one thing they don’t teach you about in school is the one thing that makes you unique as a reporter--the community in which you report. So, what is a Calhounian? What is our community? Who can claim it, and who is part of it? Who has a right to participate, speak out, become active? Who is responsible for our development?

Although the middle school 5th graders are the only ones who provided written response to the Calhounian question, I have been given input verbally by others. Calhoun isn’t like other communities. There is a blend of past and present, of natives and transplants, of republicans, democrats, libertarians and rebels. We can’t fit Calhoun into a textbook model, any more than I can compare myself to a big city reporter.

After attending the Community and Economic Development Summit last weekend in Glenville, I realized that our attempts to classify a “true Calhounian” does nothing but separate and divide. Attempts to make sure “true Calhounians” are an elite group does nothing but alienate and dismiss so many others.

The more a community embraces diversity, the more the community will grow. The more often community members recognize different talents and abilities in their people, the more the community will prosper. Until we all learn to respect and admire the abilities of all those within our community, we cannot flourish because we are not using all the resources available.

It is the community that makes a community paper. The more we hear from all Calhounians, the more we represent the community. As both a community and a community paper, we are unique.  

From here or not, I am a part of Calhoun’s community--as are we all. The world is run by those who show up, and I’m prone to show my face just about anywhere. That may not make me a true Calhounian, but it does make me an active one.