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''' ri Phrfsbnas Open House WerbeRlay, December 15111 114*.a.rg. • losi 111 10 THE OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER, DECEMBER 2010 Slow down, remember and think before writing Clark's Critique BY TERRY CLARK, Journalism Professor, University of Central Oklahoma [email protected] "The years creep slowly by, Lorena. The snow is on the grass again." Those haunting words from a soldier in the Civil War describe life for any veterans in war zones and for their loved ones who wait for their return. But not in our hectic, accelerating jour- nalism world. The years fly by, gaining speed and complexity with each new piece of technology that puts more demands on us. Yes, we can do more now in shorter bits of time, but increased quality does not seem to be a product of increased sophistication, and certainly not of the hurry-up demand of instantaneous journal- ism that bypasses editing and planning and thought. We need solid journalism more than ever in the face of all the challenges to our profession and country. We can have all the zippiest techno stuff in the world and still not have a quality newspaper. It will always be about content. So let's slow down a minute and take stock. Take this year-end test. One rule — don't use a computer. Get a blank sheet of paper or a legal pad, and a pen. See, you've immediately slowed down — essen- tial for thinking. The late Shelby Foote, author of the multi-volume history of The Civil War who provided insights in Ken Burn's docu- mentary on it, wrote all his books with a fountain pen. He said that handwriting made him slow down and carefully value and choose his words. Good advice for all journalists. So, slow down, breathe and list each of the past 12 months vertically on the left side of the page. Take a sip of coffee or other refreshment. Think back — what was your main story or effort or accomplishment this month? Jot it down, briefly beside December. Then go back month by month and try to remember, and do the same thing, until you reach January. (Hint — publishing without power?) Now turn the page over, put 2011 at the top of the page, and relist the months. What are you goals for the new year? I hope they're about stories in your com- munity that you've wanted to write and haven't had time for or have forgotten. Go ahead, list them, at least one a month. (Hint: make sure there are stories about WWII veterans. Chances are they won't be here this time next year. If you don't plan to do them, you'll never get to again.) Sample suggestions: January — the old- est member of the chamber of commerce or the Civil Rights movement. February — ?. You get the idea. My wish for you and Oklahoma and America is that next year will be better than this. I hope you have a Happy New Year, and, oh yes, a Merry Christmas. LOOKIN'EM OVER: I wonder how long it will be before whatever passes for Oklahoma newspapers and "media" in the future ignore the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, or the attacks of 9/11. I'd estimate about 50 years, perhaps even less as time and change speeds up and younger people lose memory of those events. Why? Because a large number of Okla- homa newspapers ignored Dec. 7, the attack on Pearl Harbor, this 69th year after the event. Yes, a journalist could argue — short- sightedly — that the event is no longer newsworthy or relevant. That ought to bother us even more than just not mention- ing it, given what happened on 9/11. I found only 11 daily papers put it on page one. A couple of those were AP wire stories, which is better than no coverage at all. Ignoring Pearl Harbor is ignoring the interest of a huge number of readers. Editors who overlooked the day also missed a terrific opportunity to feature that dying breed of Americans — WWII vets. But there were some great examples of local coverage. Manny Gamallo of the Tulsa World interviewed a survivor of the U.S.S. Ari- zona. David Laughlin of The Duncan Banner told the story of a Pearl Harbor survivor in Rush Springs. I saw strong local stories in The Norman Transcript, the Stillwater NewsPress and the Shaw- nee News-Star. My favorite was by Jeff Mullin of the Enid News & Eagle. Headline was "In an instant." Here's Jeff's lead: "Henry L. Deeds, a 22-year-old farm boy from Garber, was a long way from home as he stood waiting in the chow line for his breakfast at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the prospects of a lazy day off stretching out before him. "But his plans changed in an instant..." Best headline this month is from the Claremore Daily Progress: "Best gift ever!" Zack Stoycoff photographed and told the story of a soldier's surprise return to the classroom to surprise his children, including a big spread inside. Here's his captivating lead: "Jason Wiroll's 10-year-old face stopped in time. "Moments later, he clasped his hands around his father's back and buried his head into his shoulder. "Charles Wiroll, who had just returned from a year in Iraq, gift-wrapped himself in his camouflage uniform and a match- ing Santa hat for a surprise homecoming at Jason's Sequoyah Elementary School classroom Friday." Second place goes The Norman Tran- script's Michael Kinney who wrote about the son of OU women's basketball coach Sherry Coale. Head: "Chip of the Coale block." Third place, tie to The Countywide & Sun, on a head that makes you have to read the story: "New Mayor May Face Red Glow Of Defeat," and to the Claremore Daily Progress again, on a Joy Hampton story about a youth services charity that might have to close because of a lack of funds: "Out in the cold?" Community services takes front page in the Edmond Sun. James Coburn features a local charity, the Hope Center, which helps women, as part of a Good Samaritan fund drive. Head: "Mothers, families find HOPE in Edmond." Here's his compelling lead: "Sarah Nelson is not afraid to ask for help as an expectant mother with a 14-month-old son to feed, she said. She is one of about 70 women helped this year Continued on Page 11 The Edmond Sun and Claremore Daily Progress focus on various aspects of family during the holidays.