:: everyday journalism ::

Forgive me if I sound a bit Socratic, but before I dig deep into this blog, we need to get a nagging question out of the way, because the answer isn’t as simple as it was before.

Ahem.

What is journalism?

My Mac OSX dictionary widget, which is totally modern and cool, gives this definition, which is totally not:

“\ˈjər-nə-ˌli-zəm\ The activity or profession of writing for newspapers or magazines or of broadcasting news on radio or television.”

This leaves bloggers and online media out entirely. So screw that definition. Merriam-Webster offers more sensible definitions here, and PressThink has an amazing in-depth discussion on the evolving meaning of the word here. But for the purpose of this blog, let me try and break it down into three steps:

1. Take raw information.
2. Interpret it.
3. Share it.

Surprise, surprise, that’s the same three parts found in the basic definition for communication.

Which means that everyone who speaks or writes performs at least a basic, unintentional form of journalism.

Which is the point of this blog.

Journalism is not a profession, is not a medium, is not a prerequisite degree and is not dependent on the size of your audience. It is a way of thinking. It is an everyday human occurrence, intentional or not.

Now, not everyone is going to agree with me that 3-year-olds are, at a very basic level, journalists. (Some would say the 3-year-olds are already better journalists than the ones we got.) But there are several levels of journalism, and I’ll get into that for the next post. My goal with this blog is to explore the ways we all could step it up a notch or two when these everyday opportunities arise.

So stick with me; I’m setting this up as best as I can before we can get to the fun part. Once we get some basic explanations out of the way, this will be more like a blog and less like a book.

I spent a lot of time brainstorming, researching and brainstorming some more about this here blog, wanting to offer something different from all the other quality journo blogs on the Internet. So much good stuff is out there, and it’s hard to say anything new. But in journalism, it’s your job to find the uncovered angles, the fresh way of storytelling, the observances that pass by without pause, the information you need that’s hopelessly buried in the information you don’t.

My mind’s performance skills are pitch perfect at around 2 a.m., especially on nights when I have any amount of post-sundown caffeine in my system. So on one of these particular nights, my eyes flipped open at exactly that time, my brain twitched, and *SPLAT!* Out popped an idea.

I would write about everyday journalism.

My brain twiched again, because frankly that’s a boring idea in itself. Just the words “everyday journalism” sound so bland and average, so *THUMP!* Out spilled some more ideas.

I could illustrate how slices of everyday life can be observed through the eyes of journalism — that is, to flesh out color and information to capture the beauty, usefulness and importance of these moments.

*SCHPLOOSH!*

I would chronicle my own humble attempts to seize everyday opportunities to become a better journalist.

*KERPLUNK!*

I would write about the everyday circumstances in which people commit “random acts of journalism.” This is not just another “citizen journalism” ploy here, although that movement certainly has a part in the conversation. This is more about the level of journalism a woman in Des Moines employs when trying to buy a new car.

*KAPLOWIEZOWIESPLOPP!*

I would outline what it means to dig deeper, harder, better, faster, stronger, through the “average everyday journalism” level to the “extraordinary everyday journalism” level. Because here’s the real confession: I’m nowhere near the extraordinary level. Not even close.

But I’m inviting you along on my journey.