Jobs and CareersIn the newspaper El Pais on the 11 of January 2009 Juan Cruz interviews the legend of journalism: Ben Bradlee.
The interview offers an accurate sketch of what journalism is all about. But one event is the most striking and from it we can learn that some competences are required in any field.
Journalism is of course about stories, about content and as Bradlee explains "the fundament of journalism is searching for the truth and tell (about) it."
In the most famous passage of the WP two reporters "found something that didn't smell right." It was Ben who had to convince Katherine Graham -- the owner of the Washington Post -- to pay attention to these two boys (Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein). What followed was the well known Watergate.
Bradlee retired in 1991 an event that was celebrated profoundly at the WP showing how Bradlee was appreciated.
Another important feature of journalism is that a professional live consists of a large network of contacts - offering sources - and you cannot trust any of them. "checking sources is everything in journalism," states Bradlee. One mistake was embarrassing and impacts the credibility of the paper: Janet Cooke won the Pulitzer Prize yet with a story not of her own. It was one big lie. Bradlee: "one of my biggest mistakes."
Interesting about the personal biography of Bradlee was that he survived a polio disease which made him into an eternal optimist, strong and able to confront everything.
Like Kennedy Bradlee started reporting after returning from the war a period "which was a very important for people of that generation." His motive to become a reporter first for Newsweek later for the WP was not special: "what else was I to do - work for a bank?"
Than the role of "the truth" in journalism these days. It was killing the career of Nixon, Bush lied - he thinks - as everybody does these days. But now, "there is a big preoccupation in favor of the truth..."
About change.
Journalism has become more massive. At time of Roosevelt there were 10 reporters for a press conference, now there are 1500 certified journalists.
The key in journalism, now and in the past is to know "whether an event is important for history or not..." In many cases the journalist is (in my opinion) like a chartist on the exchange: able to show that the price is fluctuating, but to what direction and not knowing the historic relevance. Only after a few years we are fully able to understand what really went on these days and how the financial crisis affected the economy and society.
Ralph Blagden -- one of the directors -- is quoted to express about the nature of journalism that: "the essence... is superficiality... Bradlee adds that he stated this in the context of a war veteran. He said: "tell the story but superficially because otherwise the history will end dead."
Other changes come now with the internet. Bradlee has not experienced it: the apotheosis of the instantaneousness. Alan Riding argues in this context that: "the media are every time more sophisticated but the message ever more ordinary."
At the end of the interview, the financial structure of WP is explained, where the type A shares - that with voting power are in hands of the family Graham (the family of Katharine just mentioned) "William" Buffet is one of the large shareholders, but he cannot make changes. When reading is, I wonder whether this shouldn't be: Warren Buffet.
An open question to end: Juan Cruz asks whether the Golden age of journalism -- linked to the name of Bradlee -- is over.
It appears not. There is so much happening these days. The change however is also not over. Bloggers are not mentioned, but they will change the scene more and more.
"One of the pleasures of journalism is that don't know where you are going to write about when you enter the office." That is something that will stay.
Of present interest on journalism is what now happens in Israel. The Israeli authorities do not admit reporters in Gaza...
In another Spanish magazine Arturo Perez Reverte complains in his weekly column about today's journalism and the truth that citizens need to know everything up to significant details that may be "helping" terrorists (he referred to ETA terrorists in Spain). What is more important; the truth or national safety, one could wonder. I personally think that the details revealed by the newspapers are not significant enough to be of any help to terrorist. The famous example is probably the atomic-bomb that anybody can fabricate searching the Internet.
And also of present interest and related to the role of Washington Post and journalism is the new movie called "NIXON FROST" or: how did a journalist reveal the truth secretly safeguarded by the president...***
--------------------------------------------
By Hans Bool
© 2009 Hans Bool
The interview offers an accurate sketch of what journalism is all about. But one event is the most striking and from it we can learn that some competences are required in any field.
Journalism is of course about stories, about content and as Bradlee explains "the fundament of journalism is searching for the truth and tell (about) it."
In the most famous passage of the WP two reporters "found something that didn't smell right." It was Ben who had to convince Katherine Graham -- the owner of the Washington Post -- to pay attention to these two boys (Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein). What followed was the well known Watergate.
Bradlee retired in 1991 an event that was celebrated profoundly at the WP showing how Bradlee was appreciated.
Another important feature of journalism is that a professional live consists of a large network of contacts - offering sources - and you cannot trust any of them. "checking sources is everything in journalism," states Bradlee. One mistake was embarrassing and impacts the credibility of the paper: Janet Cooke won the Pulitzer Prize yet with a story not of her own. It was one big lie. Bradlee: "one of my biggest mistakes."
Interesting about the personal biography of Bradlee was that he survived a polio disease which made him into an eternal optimist, strong and able to confront everything.
Like Kennedy Bradlee started reporting after returning from the war a period "which was a very important for people of that generation." His motive to become a reporter first for Newsweek later for the WP was not special: "what else was I to do - work for a bank?"
Than the role of "the truth" in journalism these days. It was killing the career of Nixon, Bush lied - he thinks - as everybody does these days. But now, "there is a big preoccupation in favor of the truth..."
About change.
Journalism has become more massive. At time of Roosevelt there were 10 reporters for a press conference, now there are 1500 certified journalists.
The key in journalism, now and in the past is to know "whether an event is important for history or not..." In many cases the journalist is (in my opinion) like a chartist on the exchange: able to show that the price is fluctuating, but to what direction and not knowing the historic relevance. Only after a few years we are fully able to understand what really went on these days and how the financial crisis affected the economy and society.
Ralph Blagden -- one of the directors -- is quoted to express about the nature of journalism that: "the essence... is superficiality... Bradlee adds that he stated this in the context of a war veteran. He said: "tell the story but superficially because otherwise the history will end dead."
Other changes come now with the internet. Bradlee has not experienced it: the apotheosis of the instantaneousness. Alan Riding argues in this context that: "the media are every time more sophisticated but the message ever more ordinary."
At the end of the interview, the financial structure of WP is explained, where the type A shares - that with voting power are in hands of the family Graham (the family of Katharine just mentioned) "William" Buffet is one of the large shareholders, but he cannot make changes. When reading is, I wonder whether this shouldn't be: Warren Buffet.
An open question to end: Juan Cruz asks whether the Golden age of journalism -- linked to the name of Bradlee -- is over.
It appears not. There is so much happening these days. The change however is also not over. Bloggers are not mentioned, but they will change the scene more and more.
"One of the pleasures of journalism is that don't know where you are going to write about when you enter the office." That is something that will stay.
Of present interest on journalism is what now happens in Israel. The Israeli authorities do not admit reporters in Gaza...
In another Spanish magazine Arturo Perez Reverte complains in his weekly column about today's journalism and the truth that citizens need to know everything up to significant details that may be "helping" terrorists (he referred to ETA terrorists in Spain). What is more important; the truth or national safety, one could wonder. I personally think that the details revealed by the newspapers are not significant enough to be of any help to terrorist. The famous example is probably the atomic-bomb that anybody can fabricate searching the Internet.
And also of present interest and related to the role of Washington Post and journalism is the new movie called "NIXON FROST" or: how did a journalist reveal the truth secretly safeguarded by the president...***
--------------------------------------------
By Hans Bool
© 2009 Hans Bool
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