Eye to Ear: From Newspapers to Public Radio

The world of newspapers and public radio differ in many ways. This is shown by discussing David Folkenflik's experiences; he switched from working with The Baltimore Sun newspaper to being a National Public Radio correspondent. Folkenflik made the switch because he had grown up listening to the radio and greatly enjoys it. He had to start over again when it came to his thoughts of getting the information out to the public. A big part of this was the fact that there was now sound involved, which made it more complicated. Sounds were added to stories to make them seem like real life. Radio correspondents also have to do a very hard thing, not be afraid of their own voice. At the same time the writing needed to be different. The basics are similar, but everything else needs to be done somewhat differently. Here is how Folkenflik sums up the writing transition from working with newspapers to working with public radio.

"You have to be willing to collaborate to a greater degree," Folkenflik said. "You have to tell complex stories more tightly -- but without losing any of the sophistication or vital context."

It is every journalists choice as to which part of the field they enter into. If they switch areas I just hope its because they want to experience a new area of journalism rather than a salary increase. Hopefully, they will keep their passion for journalism no matter which area of journalism they go to. Every area of journalism is different in a way, and each is done with a little bit different expertise. The world of newspaper and public radio journalism may be different in many ways, but their point is the same. They want to reach the public and inform them on issues or get whatever information they feel needs to be told out to the public. Journalism is an amazing tool of the people that lets voices be heard by others.

If you would like to read more, here is the link to the article:

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=138083