Collegian T he Cameron University
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Monday, November 13, 2017
Volume 97 Issue 8
Questions and Answers
Michele Norris What are the two main things you want people to take away from your presentation?
The two things that I would hope people would take away are the value of narrative and understanding each other, but personal narrative. I’ve always known about the importance of personal narrative as a journalist. When you collect stories from people, they set the agenda. It’s not just that you’re knocking on doors because a story has dictated that you need to be there to interview them. They will put stories on the table that are important to them. As a journalist or as a storyteller, that is really valuable because there are perspectives that I would not get to and I would not understand.
For you, which interviews are the toughest?
Social Justice
Michele Norris and civil discourse
The toughest interviews for me are always talking to people after significant loss. That does not get any easier. I still remember, with great specificity, a moment when I was a student journalist and sent out to talk to a family that had lost someone in a plane crash. The work that I do with “The Race Card Project,” it’s difficult also sometimes because it’s race, so some of the stories are filled with pain and anxiety, but the difficulty there is the way I handle that is I realize ‘Okay, as difficult as this is, someone is expressing frustration, and they’re not just all stories of frustration.”
How have you seen civil discourse change in the last year? In general, I think we’re in a moment where discourse is rather coarse. I don’t want to just blame social media for that, but I think it’s contributed to that. A lot of people will just throw things out into their social media stream that are very hot with the idea of “ just saying,” and it’ll be something that is purposely provocative as opposed to trying to actually engage in a conversation where you’re talking at someone as opposed to talking to someone. We see it in news organizations when you do a story, the comment stream, which feels like a reign of fists sometimes. I wonder if the rules around privacy have changed, and I don’t want to sound like someone who’s pining for ‘the good old days,’ but civil discourse requires a certain degree of civility, of understanding that you’re respectful of someone else’s feelings and at the same time understanding that you might not agree with them – that you might actually offend them.
Do you feel the media contributes to a culture of fear and distrust? I think it [fear] probably has been there all along. Because of research, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at newspapers as primary source material and research that I’ve done over time, and it can be used to stoke fear and sometimes that is legitimate because we live in scary times. There have been times in America where propaganda has made its way into the news cycle and sometimes legitimate news cycles, sometimes legitimate news organizations. You have to, in newsrooms, figure out how to resist that and how to make sure that propaganda doesn’t make its way into the news cycle and that you’re not being exploitive or manipulative in trying to explain something that can be, on its face, quite scary.
What’s inside CKI attends Fall Retreat Page 3
Cheyenne Cole
story often that they have not told anyone else. Sometimes that they Managing Editor haven’t even shared with members of @cheyenneccole their family, so I have to honor that Academic Festival X, “American and figure out how to engage them Identities in the 21st Century,” and then share that.” continued on Nov. 9 with author According to Norris, this is and award-winning radio journalist especially important today because Michele Norris. it can start a civil dialogue, whereas Norris visited campus for a people often use social media to student session at 3:30 p.m. in berate others for their opinions. Johnson Auditorium in Ross Hall “Civil discourse requires a certain and a lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the degree of civility,” she said, “of University Theatre. understanding that you’re respectful The first African-American of someone else’s feelings and at the National Public Radio (NPR) same time understanding that you host, Norris hosted the first news might not agree with them – that program on NPR, “All Things you might actually offend them.” Considered,” until 2011. Norris said she believes people Additionally, Norris won an feel comfortable sharing their stories Emmy and a Peabody Award as on theracecardproject.com because an ABC News correspondent for she approached the project with an her coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001 open heart. attacks. “I said ‘I want to capture The National Association America’s conversation around of Black Journalists named her race,’” she said. “I put a basket on Journalist of the Year in 2009. the table, and I asked people to Norris’ presentation focused on share their stories. I’m careful about “Social Justice and the American what I do post. If it is offensive, I Dream,” a discussion consistent with might post it because we’re trying to her background – both personal and capture the conversation on race as career. it’s really happening.” In 2010, she founded “The Race Norris said journalism is under Card Project,” a Peabody Awardattack in the United States right winning campaign that encourages now and that news outlets should people to submit six-word stories admit it when they don’t know the that encapsulate their experiences truth about a story, issue or topic to with or observations about race. earn trust back. Norris said theracecardproject. “Any step you take in that com provides people with a platform direction to earn your viewers’, your to safely tell their story without readers’, your listeners’ trust is really judgement. important in this moment,” she said, “I’ve created,” she said, “through “and you can inoculate yourself in this crazy project, a trusted space, some ways against the charges that and they have entrusted me with this news is fake.”
Junior journalism and media production major AnneMarie Altman said she spoke personally with Norris about navigating journalism in its current state. “It was really interesting to talk to a woman who works in journalism, she said. “I felt that she gave us some really good advice about how to keep our personal lives away from our professional lives to create the idea that news is trustworthy.” In terms of social justice, Norris said the biggest issue America is facing is securing the right to a quality education. “Education is a civic right – is a basic right in America that we have taken for granted,” she said, “and we ought not take for granted. We have so many young people in America who attend schools that are not wellresourced, do not have a tax-base to support them. “They walk into buildings and the minute they walk in the building – the minute they approach that building – everything about the way that building is maintained says ‘You’re not important.’” Academic Festival X’s final guest speaker retired General Jack Keane presents “America’s Place in the World: Power, Diplomacy and Commerce” at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, 2018 in the University Theatre. Students, faculty, staff and the community can reserve free tickets to the presentation approximately 30 days before the event at cameron. edu/festivalticketrequestform. For more information about Academic Festival X, call the Office of Public Affairs at (580) 581-2211 or email publicaffairs@cameron.edu.
“Education Education is a civic right ... a basic right in America that we have taken for granted.” granted Michele Norris CU Theatre presents ‘November’ Page 5
Volleyball woes continue Page 6