The Road to New Journalism

SEATTLE TIMES BRINGS ERITREAN COMMUNITY INTO VIEW

by Roger Simpson

     The stories of ethnic communities within our regions often disconnect the local folks from the homeland that continues to exert its influence on the immigrants.  Reporting that bridges two places is worth a look.

     In early July, The Seattle Times Pacific Magazine reported on the Seattle metropolitan area’s Eritrean community, one of the highest concentrations in the U.S.  Manuel Valdes deftly interwove the group’s celebrations, political activity and religious observances here with the recent history of the conflicts in Eritrea and with Ethiopia.

     Valdes makes the linkage clear with his opening description of Mihret Dessu, a University of Washington employee emptying garbage cans in a silent campus building, then showing the reporter a leg wound she suffered in a 1980 battle in the fight for independence from Ethiopia.

     A reader of the piece learns not only how members of this refugee and immigrant group live in the Seattle area, but where they came from and why conditions in Eritrea continue to influence their lives.  

THE COST OF CUTTING COSTS

by Roger Simpson

Dart Professor of Journalism and Trauma

University of Washington

     The persistent drumbeat of layoffs, bureau closings, scrapping of valued content by the news industries has been framed primarily in terms of cutting costs to maintain profitability. It’s time to view this rupture in the news media in terms of its impact on essential news reporting.

     Let’s take just one example: Reporting the unexpected disaster or tragedy. Old hands who have worked through such events are leaving their posts, taking buyouts, early retirement, or being laid off. Life’s penchant for throwing the worst at us when we least expect it hasn’t taken note of the economy or the industry’s confusion.

     Managements that continue to train staff to prepare for challenging events deserve plaudits, but cutting training as a way to save money makes no sense.  Read all »