RE: Thank you

[Karin Gordon <KGordon@exchange.hsc.mb.ca>]

Dear Amanda,

I'm a hospital radiation safety officer working in Manitoba.  I have watched
the publicly posted responses to your query with a great deal of interest,
because some folks in our profession have been badly burned by the press.
Also,  one of my daughters is a professionally trained journalist - she took
the post-graduate journalism degree program at King's College in Halifax,
after completing a B.A.(English) and a B.Sc (Biology).  Her first love in
life is writing, but her science background (including courses in
statistics, physics, genetics, cell biology, chemistry, etc.) has at least
provided some basic knowledge of the scientific process.  While her
knowledge base in most scientific disciplines is relatively superficial, her
background does help her to ask mostly intelligent questions of scientists
and know how to research various topics with a critical eye.  

So consider taking some science courses either during or after your
journalism program -  you'll expand your knowledge base and hopefully gain
an understanding of the scientific process, which will help you considerably
in your future life as a professional journalist. In your message you
indicated you have learned how a reporters "ignorance and bias" can alter
the story you ultimately convey to the public. By being an intentional
life-long learner, you'll minimize the amount of the former that you bring
to any writing assignment.

Always remember that as a journalist, you function as the lens through which
your readers or viewers will learn about various topics and issues.  The
best journalists, like fine optical lenses, provide sharp focus, an
excellent balanced and detailed view of the subject and definitely do not
distort. 

Best wishes for your future in journalism - I think you're off to a good
start.

Karin

Karin Gordon
Radiation Safety Officer
Health Sciences Centre
GC-214, 820 Sherbrook Street
Winnipeg, 
Manitoba
Canada R3A 1R9

phone: (204) 787-2903
fax:      (204) 787-1313
e-mail:  KGordon@hsc.mb.ca




> ----------
> From: 	Amanda Graham[SMTP:amanda.graham@sympatico.ca]
> Sent: 	Tuesday, November 30, 1999 9:01 PM
> To: 	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: 	Thank you
> 
> Hello,
> 
>      I wanted to thank everyone for all the help.  I received over 100 
> responses and all were extremely useful.  I had no idea I was going to
> start such a debate but I learned a lot about how your profession views
> the media.  A good friend of mine is attending McMaster University and
> is in the Engineering Physics program.  He has helped me understand some
> of the information. He also has a lot to say about the way the media
> covers the nuclear power industry since he is from Deep River, Ontario
> and his father worked at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. I thought
> his eyes were going pop out of the sockets when I told him what I asked
> all of you.
>      My point is that I have learned a lot in the last few weeks and my
> project has taken a totally different direction than I originally
> anticipated.  I have also thought about the impact I have on my reader's
> views and  how my own ignorance and bias can alter an article.  It is
> really easy to misquote someone when you don't completely understand
> what they are saying.  I guess journalists just don't want to look
> stupid and don't realize that changing a few words will completely alter
> the meaning of  your explanations.  It is not exactly a subject you can
> learn about in a few days. After all, if we knew anything about science
> we probably wouldn't be in journalism. :-)
>      Thanks again for all the help.
> 
> Amanda Graham
> 
> 
> 
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