Month: September 2013

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A bad day Monday

I’ve been thinking a lot about the advice Steve Buttry of Digital First Media gave to a group of journalists last month on how to begin thinking “digital first.” Following Monday’s embarrassing display of bad journalism, as every news source I consulted reported unsubstantiated and too-often wrong information about the shooting at the Navy Yard in Southeast D.C., we should all be thinking about it.
Monday was, as Jon Stewart said on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” the next day, the kind of day that 24-hour news media were created for: a day of “urgent, soul-crushing breaking news.” Days like Monday give good news organizations the opportunity to compete with each other on the toughest playing field around, one on which the landscape is constantly changing and new “tips” and bits of information are coming in all the time. But on Monday, September 16, I couldn’t find the good news organizations in among the others.
Much of what Buttry said in August at the Society of Professional Journalists’ convention (held jointly with the Radio Television Digital News Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists) was targeted more to print media and their online presences, and I don’t remember him speaking directly of cable news organizations covering a big, messy breaking story like Monday’s shooting. But I hope there were broadcasters in the audience listening because they needed to hear what he said as much as the newspapers, which I believe had as bad a showing Monday as most of the other news outlets I consulted as events unfolded.
I guess it’s just too tempting for them not to follow the lead, once one news operation reports that, for example, some first-responders were sent to another shooting at another D.C.-area military base. It’s too easy to dispense with our obligation to verify before publishing by qualifying our report with “someone said” or “another news operation reported …”
As Buttry said, “Don’t give up your standards of good journalism just to be first. You don’t have it first if you don’t have it right.” I’m writing about his advice out of context here; he was talking about online publications, not live television reporting. But I think the principles apply to broadcast reports as well as online reports published by newswires and online news outlets.
“The importance of verification needs to be stressed,” Buttry said. In the online context, he advises linking to your sources because “if you can’t find something credible to link to, it might be wrong.” So, even in the live broadcast context, think about what credible sources you would link to – “it will help you do better journalism.”
I suppose news directors of live broadcast operations would say they just don’t have time to check everything if they are going to beat the competition. In a 24-hour news operation there’s just not enough time to verify every tidbit we hear and also publish it as soon as it reaches us. But what good is it to be first if your information is wrong and you then become the source of all the other media’s wrong reports?
That goes for all the media I consulted on Monday. Everyone got it wrong. There were not three shooters. There was not a shooting at another military base in the D.C. area. Who knows how much the hype created by the 24-hour news media reporting unsubstantiated, incorrect information contributed to officials’ decisions to keep frightened workers in place, and children from their parents, for hours and hours after the lone shooter had been killed?
All day Monday, I heard Buttry’s words in my head: “The importance of verification needs to be stressed.” And “you don’t have it first if you don’t have it right.”
Thanks, Steve. And thank you to any journalist out there who takes time now to reassess. We all need to be thinking about this.

Talking shop

The best freelance session at Excellence in Journalism 2013, the journalism convention hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists and two other organizations in August, was actually the best freelance-oriented seminar I’ve attended in years.
The session brought together Mark Robinson, features editor for Wired magazine, and Amy Wallace, a Los Angeles-based freelancer who writes not only for Wired but also for Vanity Fair, GQ, and other national publications. In preparing for the session, SPJ Freelance Committee Chair Michael Fitzgerald asked the panelists to address the dynamics of the two sides of the freelance working relationship. Robinson and Wallace framed their discussion around a story she wrote for Wired about a scientist who killed and wounded co-workers at the University of Alabama in 2010.
Their presentation was interesting because it exposed the human sides of the two panelists – an accomplished freelancer who was scared to take on the project and an editor who put a lot on the line with his publication to get the story done. Wallace said initially she refused the assignment because she was concerned that she would put a lot of time and effort into the story that might not amount to anything. The shooting had already received a lot of attention, and “I was scared,” she told journalists attending the EIJ convention. “I didn’t want to do it.”
For Robinson, the work of getting the story published began before he approached the writer about the project. “I had to convince my publication first,” he said. “Then, I had to convince Amy there was more to tell.”
Wallace recounted that the original news and feature stories on the shooting spree “were about how academia drives people insane.” What the Wired story came down to, she said, is that the scientist had killed her brother more than 20 years earlier. Taking this approach “allowed us to get into how academia is really bad at spotting insanity,” she said. This offered a fresh angle to the story for Wired, a monthly magazine that focuses on science and technology.
The writer-editor team talked about the process of research, writing, and editing that led to the story, which was published in February 2011. “You need to have an editor to make you better,” Wallace said. “With the right relationship everything gets better.”
Robinson said much of his job on the Alabama shooting story was encouraging Wallace to see the assignment through to its conclusion. “Writers are neurotic,” he said, adding, “Editors are probably neurotic, too.”
The fun began, he said, once the first draft had been filed. The story went through several iterations, with input from other editors at Wired and a major overhaul near deadline helping shape the final product. But to get there, it’s important for writers not to take the editing process personally, he said. “You have to have a willingness to put your ego aside and focus on the story … because it’s all about the story.”
Wallace agreed, saying, “What’s important is that you are both really committed to the story.”
Advice for freelancers
The panel offered tips to freelancers in the audience. Among their suggestions:

If it’s a big story or one with a complicated story line, work from an outline. This will help you see all the pieces and organize information so that it flows smoothly.

Study the magazine to see what kind of articles it runs. Editors want “more stories that have already run in their magazines – just bigger and newer ones.” They want writers to bring them topics and characters, and to be able to say the story line. Make sure there’s a story idea in the pitch, not just a topic.

To break into a new magazine, pitch stories for the “front of the book” – departments and standing features – as a way to get in the door. “Every month they have to fill those 30 pages,” Robinson noted.

Pitch early and often – but only suggest really good ideas. Keep your hand in – keep yourself in the conversation.

Have good work habits: Give clean copy. Be accurate. Be on time. Answer your phone. Be easy to work with.

If you get a story back, “pitch the hell out of it.” It may not have suited the intended publication (for whatever reason), but someone else might pay you for it.

Some editors respond well to one-line emails asking whether they want a pitch on an intriguing subject. Tell just enough to peak their interest.

Don’t feel bad if what you write gets “really worked over” in the editing process. This is particularly true when writing for the front of the book; they have their voice, and everything has to fit in.
The rewards can be great, the panelists said. Wallace’s rates range from $1 to $5 per word; Robinson said Wired pays $1.50 to $3.50 a word. And, writers should always ask for more, the Wired editor said. “Never do anything for free.”

The best laid plans …

Sometimes things just don’t go my way. My follow-up with Dr. Rudzki yesterday was supposed to be an “all clear – just be careful.” Alas, it was not to be.

The bone I broke is the fifth metatarsal of my left foot. It happened when my foot twisted while walking across an uneven portion of a baseball diamond, from the field into a baseline that was about an inch lower. The fracture, just a little hairline crack, was by the protuberance on the base of the bone. The good news is that it was not displaced – no change in the shape of the bone, nothing chipped off – and it was not a Jones fracture (which commonly occur at the narrowest part of the shaft). Those take the longest to heal.
It is so much better than it was that I was certain Dr. Rudzki would say I can go back to my exercise routine, which includes weight-bearing aerobic exercise four times a week along with one or two strenuous abs workouts and at least two upper body strength routines with weights. I thought he would say to ease my way back in …
Well, he probably will say that – when the time comes! But not yet. I still have some tenderness around the site of the fracture. And … it seems these fractures typically take six to eight weeks to heal. I am now permitted to spend some time on the recumbent bike (which I had been doing already in anticipation) but still no weight-bearing exercise. Not even squats! I thought as long as I stand still it wouldn’t hurt, but apparently that’s not so – it’s not the stepping but the flexing that would keep the bone from healing properly.
No hikes. I can walk the dog and go shopping in hiking boots. I also need to wear my boots at the gym. Not my favorite … But at least iti’s not that awful walking boot I had to cart around on our trip out west.
I would like to be totally healed by Thanksgiving. I’m going to do as told.
Well, sort of …

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Getting back in shape

It’s been a while since I’ve done my normal exercise routine. I’ve had a few injuries that have kept me from working out the way I used to, and the last few weeks have included much time away – perhaps not a bad thing, considering the latest injury. But I’m ready to go back now … here’s hoping I can shed the pounds I’ve been gaining lately!
First, let’s dispense with the injuries. The major one was numbness and tingling, and sometimes outright pain, in my right hand. It built up over time, and finally I asked for a referral to physical therapy. Thanks to Jeff Robinson at C.O.R.E. PT, I think that one is mostly licked. Jeff also helped me recover from some strain in my left shoulder caused by who-knows-what. A lot of this is just aches and pains that come from using my muscles wrong. It gets bad when I ignore it for too long – and that’s what happened to my right hand. Just before we left on vacation Jeff and I agreed that we’ve worked on that about as much as we can. So, between that fix and the total rest I’ve given my left shoulder over the last three weeks, I’m ready to go back to lifting weights the way I used to.
Jeff also convinced me to have an xray and see what was wrong with my left foot, which I damaged walking across a ball field with Chewey the Friday before we left for vacation. He said he thought I might have a fracture in the fifth metatarsal, and indeed, that’s what it was. I’ve been wearing a “short boot” whenever I have to walk any distance, and with the orthopod’s permission we did some walking and hiking on vacation – permitted as long as I wore good hiking boots. I only overdid it twice but actually have not felt pain in that foot for quite some time. I’m ready for him to say it’s OK to exercise again … more than ready.
Meanwhile, Robert and I did a lot of stuff on vacation, though not the hikes we would have done otherwise. Yellowstone’s major sites have great boardwalks from which to view the geothermal phenomena (and they are phenomenal; I can’t wait to get my pictures posted!). Wildlife viewing was done for the most part from the car. I hobbled around the Getty Museum in L.A., and we’ve been using a handicapped tag so that I haven’t had to waste too many steps on parking lots. I’m looking forward to seeing the orthopod on Tuesday and getting permission to do weight-bearing exercise again.
I haven’t been very good about eating, though. And the diet my rheumatologist had me on to increase my bone density coincides with a six-month period over which I gained eight pounds. Admittedly, one or two of those were added during vacation – I just can’t stick to my calorie count on vacation! But most of it, I’m sure, is because of the two-yogurts-a-day instruction. The rheum-doc agrees that gaining weight at that rate isn’t good, so I’m back down to one yogurt a day and trying to get additional calcium in other foods. We’ll see how it goes in another few months.
I’m sure the month off weight-bearing exercise (except for boardwalks and a few mild hikes) hasn’t helped any. After I returned from Asheville I started going to the gym again, riding a recumbent bike so I wouldn’t aggravate any remaining injury to my foot. I burn more calories on the elliptical machine and in my very advanced aerobics/weight-lifting classes, though. I want to get back to normal.
So, here we go again – starting over again with a new weight-loss goal that has to be in sync with my bone density, high cholesterol, and kidney stone history. Managing my health can be complicated – but I’m determined to master it all!

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A post-vacation high

Amazing, what a real vacation can do for the spirit! Despite two weeks of travel out west and now a short trip to Asheville via GSP (where there are nonstops and affordable fares, even considering the rental car) I am relaxed, resting and writing at the Comfort Inn while waiting for Gabriel to nap before I pick him up from school. I feel as though I’ve taken a turn in the road, and I’m ready to get on with things.

This is no small feat, after the last 16 months of living with Robert’s melanoma. I have lived under a shadow, knowing that his lesion was big, deep, and aggressive. His is not a case of “skin cancer lite,” a term I’ve heard recently in reference to basal and squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma in situ. I don’t always smile when people ask, “But they got it all, right?”

 

Yes, I’ve sighed with relief when there was no evidence of disease (NED) at the six-month and one-year marks knowing that the highest likelihood of recurrence is in that time. But the thing about melanoma is, you never know what little bits might be floating around in there waiting for the right time to make their presence known.

 

I have spent a good deal of time in the last year learning about melanoma treatments. I’ve had many vehicles for this education. The most important has been our periodic visits with Dr. Lipson, Robert’s oncologist, who is very good at explaining things in terms we can understand. I’ve also followed news of recent research reports and other articles that come up in my internet feed. Some of that information has been useful in blog posts I’ve written -not as many as I had intended, perhaps, and many partially researched but never followed through. I believe I am reasonably well-informed.

 

My most constant source of information has been the Melanoma Research Foundation’s patient information page (MPIP), a discussion forum frequented by people who are actively fighting the disease. This includes “newbies” (those recently diagnosed and their loved ones and caregivers) as well as people with later-stage cases. Some of the best-informed participants in the forum have had recurrences and/or more than one family member as patients. Some have been fighting melanoma for more than 10 years.

 

My habit over the last year has been to read recent postings at least once or twice a day, and some days even more often. I’ve learned things I needed to know, and I’ve gotten help there in learning how to manage life with melanoma. Sometimes I’ve contributed, though most of the posts are asking about situations we have not encountered and I have nothing to offer in response.

 

Reading the MPIP posts can have a down-side. Most of the people who contribute a lot there are dealing with later-stage disease, seeking advice about how to handle treatments and their side-effects. All too often there is news we don’t want to hear – of someone in late-stage, or whose melanoma battle is over. It can be demoralizing and depressing.

 

I’ve thought for a while that I needed to visit the forum less frequently, but honestly it was a habit that was hard to break. I actually received benefit from it for most of the last 16 months, but I’ve come to know over the summer that it was time to quit. I just couldn’t …

 

This is what the vacation did for me (among other things): it broke the trance I was in, focusing on melanoma so intently since May 2012. My visits to the MPIP were the last vestige, and going on vacation broke me out of it. We were busy and without reasonable internet for most of the trip, and I didn’t even think about it until I got home. At my computer Thursday, I went back to my old habits – but I knew I didn’t want to do it any more so I stopped. That felt good!

 

I don’t think I’ve abandoned MPIP completely. I’m sure my days of researching melanoma are not over – I still feel the need to keep up on the latest research and treatments, even though I’m not living under that same cloud. If we face a recurrence, I’m sure I’ll go through a lot of emotional upheaval and won’t be able to think straight for a while – that’s what happened last time. I want to make sure I have a good foundation if the dread disease comes back to visit.

 

Perhaps I’ll give myself time every week for deciding what I want to follow on MPIP. It may end up being the newbies, just learning about what their life may be like. I think I have some insights that may help some of them. And, if I’m really ready to move on to some other focus, I would like to be able to help others do that as well – when their time comes. This will happen for many of them – whether temporary or long-term.

 

In another post, perhaps also written from Asheville (or maybe not until I get home), I’ll try to collect my thoughts on what’s next for me. And I’ll try to get the vacation review posted. I got at least a few amazing photos I can’t wait to share!

 

So … on to … something else! More about my pondering of priorities in a future post.