Summary
Many journalists, at some point in their careers, have had an “Ah-hah!” moment -- a sudden realization about the impact of their work or the work of their colleagues. Many of the journalists interviewed for the WNN report provided a single anecdote about an event that helped them understand and appreciate the power and purpose of journalism. We are sharing those epiphanies here.
Click on the photos to view each anecdote.
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Advertising Director, The Grand Forks Herald Zach Ahrens had his “a ha” moment while he was publisher of two small weekly newspapers. Presidential candidates would stop by and court the newspapers. “It reminded me of the credibility of the product that we have,” says Ahrens. |
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Assigning Editor, The Grand Forks Herald Kirsten Stromsodt was a senior in high school when the Red River flooded in 1997. She was assigned by her family to pick up the daily newspaper when it was distributed every afternoon at a local gas station. She remembers people crowded around The Herald’s newspaper truck as they tossed off the papers. “It still gives me chills,” says Stromsodt. “We serve a purpose and people think we are important.” |
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Editor & Publisher, The Grand Forks Herald Mike Jacobs had an early epiphany when he was a cub reporter in Dickinson, N.D. He covered a combined city council, county commissioners meeting at which the commissioners did not come prepared. When he reported that fact the next day, one of the commissioners called him and said another meeting had been scheduled, and “he was bringing his books.” I learned “the value of writing something down and sharing it,” says Jacobs. |
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Editor, The Daily Republic Seth Tupper had an “a ha” moment when he dug into a story at city hall and discovered someone had bollixed inserting a sidewalk ordinance city officials thought was on the books. His digging paid off, and he wonders: “If we were not here, who’s going to do this kind of reporting?” |
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Publisher, The Daily Republic Korrie Wenzel learned key lessons about the “dos and don’ts of intrusiveness” after a tornado hit Spencer, S.D. He also discovered, in several ways, how “newspapers make a difference.” |
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Assistant Managing Editor/Digital, St. Cloud Times Mike Knaak felt the authority of the press when he wrote a story about plans to expand high-voltage power lines through the region. “That story stills lives in people’s lives,” says Knaak. “People paid attention; it’s not just an exercise.” |
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Executive Editor, St. Cloud Times John Bodette learned the power of the press when the two daughters of a local couple both disappeared. “It was so emotional to hear the story of what the parents were going through,” says Bodette. “The world is out of sync until we find out what happened to [those children],” says Bodette. |
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President and Publisher, St. Cloud Times Scott Johnson learned the power of the press when his newspaper printed an incorrect price in an ad for one of the newspaper’s clients. “What you say will go a long way,” says Johnson, and on that occasion it went the wrong way as well. |
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VP Products & Publisher, The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette Tim McDougall is a new entrant into journalism from the food, beverage and professional sports marketing industries. He has been at The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette since 2010. As a newcomer, he is learning lessons frequently. When a vote on a tax levy to pay for flood protection in Cedar Rapids failed narrowly, he believes his newspaper did not dig deep enough to discover the undercurrent of community sentiment against the measure. He sees it as a lesson to look beyond traditional sources to get at the full story. |
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Managing Editor, Aurora News-Register Laurie Pfeifer got a dream assignment in college – cover a Robert Kennedy presidential campaign whistle-stop for her journalism class. Then the other shoe dropped. She also had to cover a Richard Nixon whistle-stop. She was a Kennedy fan, but her professor told her she would be graded “on fair and balanced reporting.” She learned that accuracy trumps personal feelings, and it’s a lesson she still practices. |
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Co-Publisher, Aurora News-Register Kurt Johnson was the executive editor of a local daily newspaper in South Dakota when he got a tip that a college in his town was inflating its enrollment. Using insider information, Johnson’s reporting led to the sale and loss of accreditation for the school. Johnson felt the weight of his work and affirmed that reporting, “is a serious business and you need to treat it that way.” |
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Assistant Director Media Strategy, Lawrence Journal-World Jonathan Kealing had an “ah-ha” moment after he received an anonymous package bearing confidential Kansas University documents. Kealing followed the document leak to its roots, wrote a story, and procedures were modified. “Seeing how the university changed was really powerful,” he recalls. |
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Managing Editor, Lawrence Journal-World Dennis Anderson had to make one of those phone calls every reporter dreads -- to the mother of a boy who had just drowned. “She didn’t know me, but she had a story to tell,” says Anderson. She talked for a long time and Dennis took notes. Afterward, “ I knew that I helped her,” says Anderson. “We can do things like that – help people,” says Anderson |
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Chairman, The World Company; Editor, Lawrence Journal-World, Lawrence Journal-World Dolph Simons realized the importance of the newspaper business on a quiet Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. He was a 7-year-old at his grandfather’s house for Sunday dinner when war broke out. Before the day was done he was on the streets of Lawrence, Kan., hawking an extra edition of his grandfather’s Lawrence Journal-World. |
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Director, Project for Excellence in Journalism, Project for Excellence in Journalism Tom Rosenstiel’s first epiphany came when his new high school newspaper seized a mandate to write the news “the way they want to write it.” The authorities objected, and Rosenstiel discovered lessons were being taught at School Board meetings as well as in the classroom. |
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Web Editor, Daily Sentinel Duffy Hayes says he has learned that newspapers are “the prism though which people see the community.” And when he was a reporter, he says, “I just felt like I was making that connection [to the community] every day.” |
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Managing Editor, Daily Sentinel Laurena Mayne Davis was an advisor for a college student newspaper when she saw her young editor pressured for investigating the University’s Board of Trustees. The editor kept fighting, got her story out, and Davis learned a lesson: “If you do things for the right reason and stick to your guns – the right information can come out.” |
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Publisher, Daily Sentinel Jay Seaton’s “ah-ha” moment came when a regional sports blogger published an exclusive report on the appointment of a new football coach at Kansas State. “The newspapers did not go with it,” says Seaton, because they could not confirm it. “It was just not true,” says Seaton. “It demonstrated to me what we can do to continue to be the most important voice in the community.” |
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Co-Editor, Jackson Hole News & Guide, Jackson Hole Daily Thomas Dewell was a young court reporter when a woman made him a jaw-dropping offer he elected to refuse. The incident helped him realize the size of the stakes when you report on people’s lives. |
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Associate Publisher, Jackson Hole News & Guide, Jackson Hole Daily The Jackson Hole News & Guide, The Jackson Hole Daily (3:30) Kevin Olson’s “ah-ha” moment came when he was working at the Orange County Register in Anaheim, Calif. When The Register told the story of its community at the beginning of the 21st Century, Olson discovered the importance of a newspaper reporting the stories of the successes and failures of a community to get the public engaged and excited about the place in which they live. |
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