Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Turn off your mainstream t.v. news

Who, what, when, where, why, and how are all commonly posed question terms used for journalism. Each one needs to be answered every time. Next, craft the story in an inverted pyramid format which means sum everything up in the opening paragraph and follow that with details that led to said person, place, thing, or event's impact on a respective community. As a journalism student, journalist, and freelance writer, I was taught this is AP-style writing and warned the first few paragraphs written are the most crucial. Multiple studies revealed how the average reader's attention can quickly become distracted if my story doesn't catch the reader's attention. Are you still with me? Bueller, Bueller...? So, why should I respect a style of writing coming from an organization who overwhelmingly values access over truth?

My heavy set, butch editor called me into her office. It was in and around late July 2005 where I had just come back from an assignment in the unforgiving Georgia oppressive heat and humidity. I was still trying to catch my breath, as I grabbed my pen and notepad. With the glass window enclosed office and grainy brown and black spotted wooden door, I saw her intently looking at her desktop before entering. Without hesitation her face lit up and exclaimed, I just got off the phone and see Rev. Jesse Jackson will be coming here this Sunday. I want you to cover it. Will you be able to do it?

"Yes," I emphatically replied.

"Are you excited?"

"I'm humbled and honored to attend this event."

A few minutes later after being provided instructions for showing a press pass and how a photo for the story should be done with an action shot i.e. snap a photo when the Rev is shaking someone's hand (ended up being the photo), thoughts began wildly racing in seemingly every direction. Am I dreaming this? What did I do to deserve it? How should I approach a guy who many consider to be an icon? He's a former Democratic Presidential candidate who won the state of Michigan, stood alongside Martin Luther King Jr. to help pave the way for civil rights... How should I cover this and not offend him? Wait. Go back. How should I cover this and not WORRY ABOUT offending him? That was the problem.

On a muggy Sunday evening, I arrived at the historic church wearing a damn pair of slacks and buttoned up shirt and tie. I looked handsome but always prefer comfort. Is this the right place, I asked myself as I only saw a few people walking towards the church. I walked up a small set of concrete steps, opened one of the large, brown wooden doors, and saw a congregation of people in the atrium. Immediately, a burly man asked in a gruff tone, "You with the press?"

"Yes. I'm with the (said newspaper I worked at)," I quickly responded, wanting to bypass the plebian and move on to the big dawg himself.

"Come with me."

Hmmm. This wasn't the most pleasant reception, and frankly, the guy looks more suited for being a henchman in a mob than working for a formidable civil rights leader. He led me to the back of the church and said, "Wait in here. He should be here shortly."

There were a few other reporters quietly sitting in chairs next to a comfortable appearing cushion couch in front of a small window. Through the blinds, I darted my eyes to see if he arrived. Alright. Let's go. I still want to get back to playing a MLB game on my PS2, I thought to myself.

"He's already been to a few other places," one reporter said to another.

"Yeah. I can imagine he'll be tired when he gets here," the other responded.

Finally, the Rev arrived. After a few minutes, he shook the hand of an elderly woman. Snap. Click. Snap. Click. I took a few photos and was immediately attracted to how one came out. About 15 minutes passed before myself and the other reporters followed him inside the small room.

I was still awe-struck. He quickly began going into his spiel for the purpose of why he was there: provide awareness to all races and creeds to emphasize the importance of voting and the community's support to help Congress pass the Reauthorization of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. I could see the fatigue in his eyes. Out of respect, I didn't want to ask him that one question that lingered in my mind: How can you support the quality and improvement of life while disrespecting the decsion Terri Schiavo and her husband made to end her suffering? Yes. He might've had one of his mob-like guys take me out of the room and bar me from the event. However, that's a legit question.

"President Bush keeps saying, 'Don't worry, be happy,'" as he was referring to the unprovoked U.S. occupation in Iraq where no evidence for weapons of mass destruction were ever found. He continued, "Tom Delay is on a mission in Texas to redistrict his entire state...." 

About five minutes were used for questions. Predominantly, they were asked by a reporter from one of the state's largest newspapers. I tapped my foot impatiently. This guy was essentially throwing him softball questions pertaining to raising awareness for one's rights to vote and how to engage communities in knowing their rights to vote. The Rev stood up, invited us to watch different speeches by himself and other community leaders, and sluggishly walked out of the room and into the church.

This turned into more of a spectacle than anything else. There were a few, quick witty jabs rightfully directed at President Bush for being an abject failure. The rest was gospel singing, asking who in the audience hadn't registered yet to vote, having a few who raised their hands, approach the altar to sign up and become registered, and acknowledging the huge wealth disparity between a hotel worker in Chicago making several dollars more an hour than one in Atlanta with high ranking members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in attendance. So, what's changed?

Closing the rally, the Rev looked straight at me after making another snarky comment. "Print that in The Telegraph." Hahaha. Let's all poke fun at the white guy (one of three white people in the audience) who you all believe had ancestors who enslaved yours. Nope. First, I didn't work for that newspaper. Second, I empathize and understand after more than 400 years of enslavement by colonials that in general black people have a lot of justified resentment towards white people. Finally, some of my ancestors didn't come here for sport either despite them not being shackled and in chains. Yeah, the Rev pissed me off but ultimatley, it was my reluctance for job security reasons and awe-struck in a celebrity's presence not to ask the few questions that should've been raised. Today, I can honestly say along with many others in the black community that Rev. Jesse Jackson along with Rev. Al Sharpton are merely showmen. Where's a camera? They haven't seen one that they've shied away from.

About a month later, the paper fired me. There were heaven forbid a few mistakes I made that the dopey editor overlooked. Isn't that her job? No. I'm supposed to be perfect. Also, I didn't quite fit in with the newsroom, considering it seemed they all had known each other for years. Finally, I pissed off a well-known local by taking a Conservative position on how ridiculous it was for her to persistently interrupt a meeting held by a regional development authority official for planning a project that wouldn't take place at the earliest for another five years along a historic river area. Oh, well.

I was grateful for all the experiences I had along the way. Specifically, I was proud of a weekly feature I did on a senior citizen, comparing and contrasting how life was back in say the '20s to life today, and the contributions they all made to their family, friends, and neighbors. I was humbled to be at another event hosted by a summer youth group that featured one of the big tobacco whisteblowers from Philip Morris and on another occasion, meeting with an odd, mad scientist appearing man who developed foot inserts for those severely stricken with arthritis and well-renowned athletes. It was incredible watching before and after videos of some of his clients who could barely muster movement with their walkers to completely walking on their own with ease. In the end, yes, I selfishly look back on those moments speaking one-on-one with people and recognizing how much more in common we all have than we give ourselves credit for.

A few years later, my passion for writing and journalism returned. Ironically, one article that I accepted initially began as "Why do black people vote Democrat?" I had to negotiate with the paper's editor to change it to why young people, minorities, and low income vote Democrat (refused to accept a racially divisive headline and obvious answer on why a disadvantage and once enslaved race voted Democrat). So, I went to an event hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network at an Augusta church.

I walked into the event, feeling somewhat out of place like I did several years ago when I went to meet with Rev. Jesse Jackson. After a few minutes aimlessly walking to find a place to sit, a jovial, burly set man smiled and waved for me to join him. He introduced himself as the head of the Network's Washington, D.C. chapter. This event was focused on how George W. Bush changed the narrative for our bad economy, continued neglect for addressing economic needs in urban, heavily populated black communities, and continued occupation in Iraq by attacking homosexual Americans.

"People say we're militant, but we're not militant," Terry (can't recall his last name) said while leaning forward in a softer tone of voice.

Why would he mention "militant?" I jokingly responded, "Is it Fox News? They seem to think anyone's militant who isn't a Conservative."

He went on with his interpretation of the Bible. I respectfully disagreed with him when he mentioned the well known verse out of Leviticus, "Man shall not lieth with another man." Without taking away from the event, I challenged him on this notion and why their organization who many feel speaks for the black community would take a discriminatory position of their own.

He spent a few minutes defending his reasoning before finally succumbing to saying, "Do I adhere fully to the Bible? No," adding "Coretta Scott King supports equal rights for all." O.k. That's Dr. King's wife who if alive today, I'm sure Dr. King wouldn't support your position either.

Rev. Sharpton provided an equally amusing and witty speech to the one Rev. Jackson gave several years ago. However, his speech was greatly overshadowed by another minister who had two doctorate degrees and delivered one of the best speeches I've heard to this day. It mirrored Dr. King's Beyond Vietnam speech, provided clarity on the status of our society as a whole, and ultimately, what we needed to all do to better ourselves. Sharpton mainly did his usual Fox News and Bush bashing speeches (not to say there was anything wrong with either but suggestions, ideas, and action at the end of the day are all that matter).

The presentation ended. I respectfully asked for a business card from the gentleman who graciously offered for me to sit with him. He declined and quickly walked away. Why? I didn't think I pressed him that hard on their organization's hypocrisy, but they seemed to want to have it both ways -- liberate our group while discriminating against another because our interpretation of the Bible says so.

After covering the event, speaking to a few of the area's prominent Democrats, and spending several more hours of research, the content flow didn't meet the editor's expectations. This was the second attempt. The last time, the editor said it would be too divisive and cause too much controversy within the community. Strike three, I'm out. What? The story was canned and moved on to another assignment that to this day has been the one I've been most proud of crafting -- possible autism/vaccine injury connection. This was the most personal since my brother at the age of nine was diagnosed with severe autism.

I spoke with a grandmother, who was the main subject in the story along with her grandson to get started. Initially, I brushed off what she said: mercury in vaccines. Really? Other toxins like antifreeze and aluminum are also used as additives. Get outta' here. Yet, I looked at her intense stare and occasionally with swift, frantic-like movements her pointing to all the research she has done. Papers could've been stacked up to the ceiling, as they were neatly stacked in boxes. A three-shelved bookcase featured mainly books on autism.

She was extremely hospitable. I briefly interacted with her grandson and his friend he brought over. By the end of the interview, she handed me a book that transformed my thinking even more -- Evidence of Harm by a contributing health and science writer for The New York Times, David Kirby. Curious by the book's title, I wanted to begin reading it right away.

After I left her apartment, I flipped the book to the back cover and was alarmed by one statistic: 1 in 10,000 Americans were diagnosed with autism in 1987. Today, it's 1 in 150 (actually, that number today is closer to 1 in 100). Amazing and truly startling to see in only an 18 year span the numbers of kids being diagnosed have risen astronomically like that.

I read the book in a couple of days. There were some profoundly disturbing things in it starting with parents who said after early detections and extensive treatment and therapy programs that included chelation therapy, biomedical treatments, and glutein and starch free diets, their children literally were cured. One lady mentioned lives right here in Atlanta and was a significant source in the book.

Time after time, the CDC reported this phrase in their vaccine-autism link findings "no evidence of harm," adding there may be slight redness and swelling at the injection site. However, they slipped up a few times, most notably in a joint article sent to Congress in 1999. There have also been other instances where they've gone further and admitted that vaccines can lead to injury.

After it was published, I was surprised to see an immediate rebuttal to the piece by the Director of the National Immunication Coalition in San Francisco. He said the article was highly sensationalized and two sources I used who are vaccine researchers basically didn't know what they were doing. How did this piece ever reach this guy? Did someone in the local area tip him off? It's not exactly a New England Journal of Medicine or Time Magazine here. Perhaps, that's to be expected when power feels threatened.

I was agnostic and to this day, still believe there simply needs to be a balance in how an infant to toddler age is administered vaccines. However, it's proven to be unnecessary to administer Hep-B shots when an infant just comes out of the womb unless the mother has it or they're already having sex at one or two days old. I highly doubt the latter.

Today, I'm glad I sparingly write for a publication that might catch my attention and myself, theirs. Those questions I sought to address would still be forbidden or deemed too controversial today. When covering an economic development meeting where its only concern is bringing in new business and money, all questions pertaining to it are off limits. First, these meetings were very painful to observe since most time is spent using official speak and repeating several times what has already been covered. Second, this is the heart of any community or city's growth. Without new business, communities could die. So, it's an ultra-conservative, neoliberal mindset these guys on the board have. Finally, myself and other writers had their works heavily edited by the head of the development authority. In one article, I questioned him and my editor for why an old business in town may have levels of lead that could lead to lead poisoning. I was assured the EPA had already said the levels were too low for that type of exposure. So, just take him at his word when children who play in a field may not know better, eat grass, and uhoh, said child gets sick? That could've been a story and today, it would be handled the same way.

I was only in this field a brief time but still feel passionate about it, knowing I can never go back to the subservient racket it has become since the Vietnam War. The marketplace is responsible for answering to the press and not the other way around. Today, thanks to corporate messaging where companies and advertisers spend lengthy times using psychologists and sociologists to tap into our biggest fears to categorize what they're selling as a norm, it's accepted. This is why stories focusing on tragedies and macabre (car accidents with mangled vehicles on front pages) sell the most. The average reader has become conditioned.

Moving forward, I don't know what's in your local community. From experience, newspapers hate it when you hound them about covering a story. If they continually refuse to cover it, write a letter to the editor in a nearby competing publication to get your point across. If nobody covers it, start up your own blog and begin writing about your observations and experiences. We've learned over the past year some of the most revealing stories have come from handheld cell phone videos.

Our biggest problem is trying to teach all of the old dogs new tricks. We've become accustomed to reality T.V., video games, cell phones, talk radio, talk T.V., and the Internet. That's fine. Collectively, we can become something much greater. We all consume individually to some extent. Ideas always have a way of coming together at some point to benefit all of us. I recommend turning off the ad nausuem coverage of this upcoming election year filled with the usual GOP and/or Democrat rhetoric regurgitated and turning on truly independent-minded journalists like Amy Goodman with DemocracyNow!, Julian Assange, Matt Taibi with Rolling Stone, and Jeremy Scahil at The Nation magazine to find out what's truly going on around us. I'm sure I'm leaving out too many, but those are good for starters