Witnessing Haiti 1/21

Carly Yuenger

On yesterday's show we took the time to talk about our emotional reaction to the devastation in Haiti and about how witnessing the suffering of others, as difficult as it is, can be productive.

Witnessing pain and destruction can make us feel numb and disconnected. It can even bolster negative stereotypes. But, as our guests and callers pointed out, it can also bring about empathy, solidarity, political resolve, and understanding.

Take a listen as our guests, Kaethe (kay-tah) Weingarten, a Harvard professor of psychology and the director of the Witnessing Project, and Carrie Rentschler, a communications professor at McGill, talk us through the pitfalls and potentials of witnessing.

Or, leave a comment below with your thoughts:

• How has the media coverage of Haiti made you feel?
  
• How do you keep from feeling "compassion fatigue"?
  
• How can we transform our concern for the people of Haiti into something that lasts after the media coverage subsides?

International journalism at its best! 10/28

Carly Yuenger

On today's show we think about why the best journalism is often the longest journalism, the densest journalism, and the most personal journalism. What does it take for a news story to convey more than "just the facts" in a way that helps us change the way we see the world?

The October issue of Words Without Borders is dedicated to the best international reporting of this sort. Here's a list of some of the pieces in the issue with links that will take you right to them. Happy reading and please leave your thoughts about what you read and what you think makes for journalism that sticks with us by adding a comment at the end of this post!

You can access the entire issue here until the end of October, and here after November 1.

Peter Froberg Idling, "Pol Pot's Smile"

Erwin Koch, "Dear Torturer"

Wojciech Jagielski, from Towers of Stone

Abdourahman A. Waberi, "Rwanda: The Flame of Hope"

Karl-Markus Gauss, "When Chaos Came to Salzburg"

Elham Gheytanchi, "A Revolutionary Tradition: Shoars in Iranian Street Politics"

Gébé, "The Front"

François Vallejo, from The Burning of the Chiado

Nanni Balestrini, from Sandokan

Meeting Helen Thomas

Thanks to my dear friend Emy, I had a chance to meet Helen Thomas, the legendary White House correspondent, at Madison Civic Club's luncheon yesterday.

Called "the dean of the White House press corps", she has asked questions to 10 presidents. The audience applauded when we were told that her front row seat in the White House press room has been restored by President Obama.

At age 89, she's still quick-minded, straightforward, and down-to-earth, pretty much like this profile of her in last Friday's Washington Post. Somehow she reminds me of the little kid who shouts "but the emperor has no cloths on!" For example, when asked which press secretary of the President was most effective, she answered in one word, 'none." Another question asked of her if there should be a term limit for Senators and Congress Representatives to get rid of incompetent ones, she said no and offered an alternative solution -- "fire them."

I admire women who are not afraid of speaking their mind. We need more female (and male) journalists like her.

Walter Cronkite and Journalism Today

Carly Yuenger

On today's show we remember the life and work of journalist and news anchor Walter Cronkite by thinking hard about what journalism was, is, and can be.

When Walter Cronkite started out, there were only 3 national broadcasting networks and the evening news lasted 15 minutes! Journalistic practices, the news, and the media through which we get it have all undoubtedly changed in the last 50 years, and changes seem to come faster and faster through ever-evolving new forms of media and new uses of old media.

The use of Twitter during the unrest following the recent Iranian elections and the ever-increasing number of 24-hour cable news channels suggests we have a lot to catch up on with regard to how we think about and use news media.

But this doesn't mean we can no longer tell the difference between better and worse news and news sources. The values that made Walter Cronkite the most trusted man in America may help us sift through the news we encounter today. It may, however, demand that we look longer and harder for the good stuff and that we become better and more critical news consumers.

How do you think we as news consumers should catch up with the times? What does good journalism mean to you? What does it mean to be a critical news consumer and what today makes it difficult to be one? Add a comment below or leave a voicemail for our mailbag segment at 1-877-GLOBE-07