blog assignment for the other

I read “The Hurt Between the Lines” (about race relations and the Acron Beacon Journal)

1. I find words funny. I think that’s one insight I got from reading this. How words can relate to things in our minds is crazy – like we’re constantly playing a word-association game in our heads – a Rorschach test of ancient symbols. Niggardly and nigger – they’re different words, yet similar sounding. One word had the power to tear down the alliance between Chancellor and Dyer.

2. Well, liked this quote a bit: "I always thought, even well before that series, that people in the newsroom considered themselves enlightened, which was sort of debunked when we did the focus group," he said recently. "You know, we were like any other part of society. We didn't have a clue."

3. A series of short anecdotes caught my attention, which summed up that race doesn’t often seem an issue in the newsroom. The first was about a white reporter and editor playfully shooting rubber bands at a black reporter. The second was about a sick black woman being visited by members of both races. The third was about a black photographer returning from Africa, who got a chance to write about his experiences.

4. The reporter did well. The author was exceptional at illustrating the newsroom and the tension within. I could understand what was going on and also the thought processes of the people he interviewed, due to quotes and his explanation of the environment.