When I was a kid, we played a game called "Whisper Down the Lane." In the game, one person would invent a story and whisper it to the first person in the line. That person would whisper it to the next person and on the story would travel until the last person would announce in a normal voice what he or she heard. Between all the whisperings, many if not all the significant details would change. Often this little exercise would be used to encourage people not to gossip about each other or listen to gossip because details change and the truth is warped dramatically simply because people do not hear the whole story.
I tell you this little example as a preface to my question recently to my college students in Writing for the Media: How do you get your news? In fact, I didn't stop with my students. I also asked my children and the man beside the vending machine at the Chevy dealership while I waited for my car inspection. The elderly man obviously wanted to talk because he complimented my choice of peanut M&M's. I asked what he was reading. With pride, he stated, "The Wall Street Journal. Lots of good information in there." I smiled, nodded, and headed back to my laptop in the corner where I read the headline news online and wondered if I was getting just as much "good information."
To read the rest of the article, go HERE to Philly Moms Blog where I put in a story today about the news and where we get our information and where our kids get their information. With my recent work as a college professor of Writing for the Media, I have been on a constant quest to learn where people get their news.
Photo by Zarko Drinic
Where do you learn about things happening in the world?
