Walter Cronkite and My Journalism Kick

More stories to come out of Europe. But for now....

I've been on a journalism kick lately. As in, appreciating it. It all started with my graduation from BYU and subsequent move to Seattle. I wanted to continue to learn and to grow. The way I saw it, my learning should continue not only through my years of formal education, but forever. As such I made plans to continue to learn, weather it be through classes, (yeah free education paid for by boeing!) reading, whatever. Must continue to learn. This goes along with a verse of scripture I read the other day:
"Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly ...of things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms-That ye may be prepared in all things..."(D&C 88:78-79)

My first book to read was a biography called "A Reporter's Life". It was an autobiography, actually, written by Walter Cronkite. While it started off a little slow (most memoirs usually do), once he began to be a reporter in Europe during WWII and in Post-WWII Moscow, things became very exciting. I would take the book to read at work, stealing a half hour outside my building, enjoying the sun, my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and my endeavours through the eyes of Walter.

I think the most important thing I took from the book is the need for unbiased news. Don't get me wrong, I love opinions. My favorite tv show? Pardon the Interruption.

(Yeah, it's about sports, but whatever. I love it because of Tony and Michael's opinions. And I wanted to have a picture in this blog entry.)

I value the opinion of people who I usually agree with...and I really value the opinion of those who I don't agree with (knowing both sides of an issue and really thinking about it..I've changed my thoughts on a couple of things. Oh and as such, I don't hold it against a politician when he or she changes his/her mind. It happens sometimes, I think. At least it happens to me). However, after watching a little bit of tv news (my grandparents watch it every night) and with the little bit of internet surfing I do to find my news...I found myself wanting more. I felt the need. The need for unbiased journalism, but yet intensive enough to go beneath the surface.

I found the answer to my desire one morning while I was trying to put in my iPod on the way to work. My Guster kept cutting out as I drove down the road. Finally, I gave up, turned Candace off. (candace is the name of my ipod) and all of a sudden, a channel came through, crisp and clear. NPR! National Public Radio. That morning they told me about Seattle and some of the local issues with which the city has been dealing. They gave some insights into the Obama presidency. Best of all...it was refreshingly clear of bias. Just the news. Just the facts.

NPR has become sort of a ritual in my car, now. While I still enjoy a good Justin Timberlake on the way to work, and I usually talk to Torrie or the family on the way home...when those aren't going on, I listen to NPR. Today they had an interview with the President of Estonia, and how he was viewing the Georgia-Russia situation (which I know all about, thanks to NPR). His opinion was insightful, being a head of state of another small country that was once under the Soviet umbrella. I came home knowing more than I did before. Thank you, NPR.