Newswriting: Is it about Becoming a Celebrity or Spreading the Truth?

One thing I've noticed with my internship is that people view the newswriters and me as being celebrities, or perhaps as middle-men toward making the everyday person a celebrity. Even though the printed word is starting to be viewed as archaic, people are still fascinated by the sight of their photo or even their name being memorialized in an article. There's just something about it that astounds people.

Most of the people I have interviewed so far are quick to "spread the news love" to others. Kelsey's sister Kourtney wanted me to mention the names of her former teachers, some of her good friends, the people who sponsored the events, and a myriad of others.

Theresa W., a volunteer at West Elementary who is the focus of one of our "Everyday People" articles, gave me a long list of the people who helped her with some of the programs at the elementary school. "Please, if you mention my name, put this woman's name in," she said adamantly, pointing to a name that had been highlighted, starred, and capitalized. She would later coax the Assistant Principal of West to be in the photo with her. I was humbled by her generosity and volunteeristic heart, but I also got a small chuckle out of the fact that she wanted so many people's names to be mentioned in one 400-word article.

I understand how people feel about having their name in print. When I was in kindergarten, I remember being very disappointed when the photographer John Badman--with whom I now work!!--didn't take my photo when I was skating around the roller rink in the Evangelical cafeteria. I can also remember how excited I was when one of my articles--one which I poured a lot of thought and sweat into--was published in the Puma Press in ninth grade. It was like I had been immortalized; perhaps I would never be forgotten because my name was in the paper, and people would be able to read the words that I wrote.

The Telegraph has given me a bigger audience to work with, I guess. With over 600,000 people in the River Bend community, I know that my articles are most likely read (or at least skimmed) by about a quarter of the population.

But, the novelty has begun to wear off and has been replaced by a sense of duty. As my fellow intern Amber said, we are here to write about the truth. In some ways, I feel that I am here to write about the average person. My purpose at the Telegraph is to make sure that the story of an 80 year old grandmother who fought off a pit bull with a brick does not go unnoticed. I'm here to help the community remember all the hard work TreeHouse Wildlife Center has done and why they should remain open. I want to help others give a round of applause to over-the-top volunteers and teachers in Alton and Godfrey. I don't care that much about breaking news; I want others to see what the average person can do. I don't care nearly as much about being remembered as a person; I'd rather see Kelsey's memory live on or know that the Summerfest at St. Mary's got a few more customers because of my article.

Boo to being a celebrity; that's too complicated. Let's just try to change the way people think.