Friday, October 24, 2008
Ian’s View
Chris asked me for a name for my column and as I don’t pretend to represent anybody’s views but my own I thought the column name apt.
So what’s been happening here on the island?
Chris Bowers seems quite committed to running an island newspaper that reports things of interest to the island and is not afraid to ask her writers for their input. She has also arranged weekly free journalism lessons for people who want to write for the Shingle. The instructor has 40 years experience as a reporter and editor on both large and small newspapers and even admits to occasionally selling his soul as a publicity hack. Both he and Chris are determined to produce reporters for the Shingle who are worth the name – that is people who report the news objectively and as balanced as possible, showing all sides of an issue and letting the reader make up their own mind, not trying to peddle their own particular agenda - won’t that be refreshing.
I attend these sessions because anything I can learn from an experienced writer is worth it although I don’t claim to be a reporter. I occasionally report on issues but mostly I am a writer with a column and as such my purpose is not the same as a reporter. I write about issues in an attempt to influence the way we look at and think about things, although I do try to be objective, it really is my viewpoint I am writing about. I find reporting the facts and just the facts and all the facts to be fairly easy but as a career it would bore me. I want to express the way I see things in the hope that my unique viewpoint will have some effect on my readers, I don’t hide this fact and pretend to be a reporter. Being a writer is much more my forte, and luckily there is room for both types of writing in a paper, as long as everyone is clear whether they are reading a report or a viewpoint.
Here are a few things that have been happening on the island, vandalism and crime continue although some people have e-mailed me about setting up Neighborhood Watches.
I get a fair bit of feedback from islanders, not all of it agreeable, but always worth reading, so keep on sending me your thoughts – that is why I use my e-mail address as my byline. I think the two articles that have generated the most feedback are the series I did years ago about “Gossip is Violence” and the “Take Me to Your Leaders” article. Several people were deeply offended by these articles but most of the feedback agreed with my viewpoint. Gossips don’t like to think of themselves as violent people.
As I am rapidly reaching my word allowance I will just comment on the “Community Leaders” issue. Apparently, although none of them ever contacted me directly, there were a number of people who consider themselves community leaders and resented my viewpoint that we had few if any. So for those people who want to be recognized as a community leader I suggest an election – they put there names forth in the paper and readers send in a yea or nay vote. Anyone who can convince 50 fellow citizens that they are a community leader will get a “Community Leader” badge that they can wear so that ignoramuses like me will be able to recognize them. Somehow I don’t think there will be many takers as real leaders don’t generally need public recognition and those who are fooling themselves probably know they couldn’t get the votes. Too bad, it would be a highly amusing contest.
Lastly, I would like to recognize one person who has been a community leader for the last 40 years – June Harrison. In some ways she was the soul of the island for a long time and can retire knowing that every major issue she backed she won, and that is a pretty awesome record. She will never need a badge to be recognized.
So what’s been happening here on the island?
Chris Bowers seems quite committed to running an island newspaper that reports things of interest to the island and is not afraid to ask her writers for their input. She has also arranged weekly free journalism lessons for people who want to write for the Shingle. The instructor has 40 years experience as a reporter and editor on both large and small newspapers and even admits to occasionally selling his soul as a publicity hack. Both he and Chris are determined to produce reporters for the Shingle who are worth the name – that is people who report the news objectively and as balanced as possible, showing all sides of an issue and letting the reader make up their own mind, not trying to peddle their own particular agenda - won’t that be refreshing.
I attend these sessions because anything I can learn from an experienced writer is worth it although I don’t claim to be a reporter. I occasionally report on issues but mostly I am a writer with a column and as such my purpose is not the same as a reporter. I write about issues in an attempt to influence the way we look at and think about things, although I do try to be objective, it really is my viewpoint I am writing about. I find reporting the facts and just the facts and all the facts to be fairly easy but as a career it would bore me. I want to express the way I see things in the hope that my unique viewpoint will have some effect on my readers, I don’t hide this fact and pretend to be a reporter. Being a writer is much more my forte, and luckily there is room for both types of writing in a paper, as long as everyone is clear whether they are reading a report or a viewpoint.
Here are a few things that have been happening on the island, vandalism and crime continue although some people have e-mailed me about setting up Neighborhood Watches.
I get a fair bit of feedback from islanders, not all of it agreeable, but always worth reading, so keep on sending me your thoughts – that is why I use my e-mail address as my byline. I think the two articles that have generated the most feedback are the series I did years ago about “Gossip is Violence” and the “Take Me to Your Leaders” article. Several people were deeply offended by these articles but most of the feedback agreed with my viewpoint. Gossips don’t like to think of themselves as violent people.
As I am rapidly reaching my word allowance I will just comment on the “Community Leaders” issue. Apparently, although none of them ever contacted me directly, there were a number of people who consider themselves community leaders and resented my viewpoint that we had few if any. So for those people who want to be recognized as a community leader I suggest an election – they put there names forth in the paper and readers send in a yea or nay vote. Anyone who can convince 50 fellow citizens that they are a community leader will get a “Community Leader” badge that they can wear so that ignoramuses like me will be able to recognize them. Somehow I don’t think there will be many takers as real leaders don’t generally need public recognition and those who are fooling themselves probably know they couldn’t get the votes. Too bad, it would be a highly amusing contest.
Lastly, I would like to recognize one person who has been a community leader for the last 40 years – June Harrison. In some ways she was the soul of the island for a long time and can retire knowing that every major issue she backed she won, and that is a pretty awesome record. She will never need a badge to be recognized.
