Fun moments in journalism

It’s every journalist’s dream to call out uncooperative and unhelpful “sources.” Hats off to whoever let this go to print. Photo by Jeannine LeJeune.

Tonight, an old coworker posted this Poynter article on his Facebook.

Needless to say, I got a total kick out of this, as I’m sure all journalists would because there is nothing worse than working on deadline and having nobody get back to you. I’m not a sports reporter, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to print something similar.

According to the article, Louisiana journalist Jeannine LeJeune tweeted this photo (above) after reading that lovely line in her morning paper.

Can I just say that whoever printed this is my hero?

I may be on a sinking ship…

…but man, what a crew to go down with.

Journalism is not doing well. Profits are down; newspapers everywhere are shutting down; and people are getting laid off left and right. As a result, veterans with years — sometimes decades — of experience are going for the same jobs as college grads just entering the field.

With the supply not meeting the demand, you’d think the industry would have this competitive, every-person-out-for-themselves atmosphere. But since I’ve graduated, I have yet to encounter it.

One of the best things I’ve discovered about journalism is how tight-knit of a community it is. Despite the state of the industry, everyone is still willing to do what they can to help each other, especially newcomers like me. I really feel this whenever I attend journalism events.

On Saturday, I attended the AAJA Seattle Lunar New Year banquet and I have to admit that it was great being around people with whom I could “talk shop.”

My Thanksgiving post

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so getting in the spirit of the holiday, I’ve decided to do a “What I’m thankful for” post. But rather than discussing how I’m thankful for my family, friends, etc. (all of which I am so thankful for), I’ve decided to talk about what I’m thankful for as a journalist.

While there are several things not to be thankful as a journalist — layoffs, bad pay, and long hours, to name a few — there is one thing I have recently become very thankful for: (somewhat) rational judgement.

In J-school, students are taught to be as objective as possible when writing a story, unless it’s an opinion piece, and to talk to sources from all sides of the story. Some don’t always put this lesson to use, but I like to think I do. I also feel this has spilled over into my “civilian” life as I try not to make snap judgements about people, events or situations. Though, I’ll admit I’m not perfect and sometimes do judge books by their covers.

This being said, I have to say I’m often saddened and appalled by the human race as I’ve read comments for certain news articles. (I discussed this same topic last year and still feel the same).

Balancing objectivity with compassion

One of the first things you learn in journalism is that you want to keep your stories factual and objective and you keep your emotions out of it. This usually isn’t a problem for me but I’ll admit that I am very glad I don’t report on the City of Seattle and I am especially glad that I am not a TV news reporter.

For anyone who may not know, a man went on a shooting rampage in the city and killed four people and critically wounded two others. The suspect, Ian Lee Stawicki, then turned the gun on himself but did not succeed in killing himself and was last reported to be in critical as well. I won’t get into the gory details. You can read about them here.

Just reading the reports and watching the evening news was difficult as I thought about the senselessness of Stawicki’s actions. I admit I got a little teary eyed.

Right and wrong sounds

I will be the first to admit I’m not perfect: I have no game; I tend to hold on to relationships (romantic and platonic) longer than I probably should; I’m not always the nicest person and I can be a bit of a snob at times. With the latter, I have stuck my nose up at various things. But I would have to say that the worst type of snobbery I am guilty of is music snobbery:

I’m (not so) sorry to say — to the disappointment of my favorite comedian, Dara O’Briain — I am quite the music snob. It’s been said about me that I stopped listening to music beyond high school and I don’t listen to music unless it’s at least 20 years old.

Not entirely true, but not entirely off the mark.

From aliens to dragons, books on sports that score a home run

Here are my latest book recommendations for the Northwest Asian Weekly:

“Galaxy Games: The Challengers”
By Greg R. Fishbone
Lee & Low Books, 2011

When Tyler Sato turns 11, his cousins in Tokyo have a star named after him, but it soon becomes clear that TY SATO is no ordinary star. First, it doesn’t stay in the same place like ordinary stars do. Second, it seems to be on a collision course headed straight toward Earth.

The whole of humankind believes it’s an asteroid with the potential to bring on its extinction. However, it’s really a spaceship headed up by M’Fozza, a girl alien from the planet Mrendaria.

M’Fozza is headed for Earth to save the world from a dishonorable performance in the Galaxy Games, the biggest sporting event in the universe.

Tyler is designated to be captain of Earth’s team and works with M’Fozza to compile a team of human children to compete. The team consists of many young, talented athletes like a Chinese gymnast training for the Olympics, a Mexican wrestler, soccer players from Brazil and Germany, and a Japanese judo champion. These kids have to figure out how to defeat a team of Ossmendians, rocklike aliens who are challenging the Earthlings.

To read the rest, click here.

Stories told by comedians and a plastic surgeon that should have been one — NWAW’s monthly must-reads

Here are my latest book recommendations for the Northwest Asian Weekly:

“Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)”
By Mindy Kaling
Crown Archetype, 2011

Before she became known as the self-involved, boy-crazy Kelly Kapoor on “The Office,” she was Mindy Kaling, a girl from Cambridge, Mass., with a love for comedy. Growing up, she was a bit on the chubby side, the furthest thing from an athlete. It took her a while to realize what true friendship meant.

In “Hanging Out,” Kaling shares the story of how she went from an admittedly asexual-looking kid to one of People magazine’s Most Beautiful People in 2011. We learn — among other things — about her time performing off-Broadway as a Ben Affleck impersonator, her take on romantic comedies, her views on dating, marriage, and relationships, and what the set of “The Office” is really like. Kaling also shares her views on proper karaoke etiquette, best friend responsibilities and rights, and the differences between men and boys. She even leaves detailed instructions on how she wants her funeral.

What I loved about “Hanging Out” was not just the stories Kaling shares about her life and career, but also that she shares the more painful moments she has experienced. Kaling reflects on them in a matter-of-fact way that shows she’s not afraid to laugh at herself. This makes her relatable to the readers.

To read more, click here.

Anything can happen in the blink of an eye…

…and it can cost you a crap-ton of money.

Exhibit A:

We met the Weasley twins at Emerald City Comicon! From left: James Phelps, Wynn Wynn, me and Oliver Phelps.

Yup. That’s me and Wynn with James and Oliver Phelps, otherwise known as Fred and George Weasley. And yes. I’m blinking. And yes. Oh yes. I paid good money for this photo.

But funnily enough, I’m not that upset about it. As you can see, I look pretty happy, just soaking in the moment. It’s not every day you get to meet a couple of actors from your favorite book and film series, so I was just thrilled to even have the opportunity.

Help support my sister in the Boston Marathon and the Ron Burton Training Village!

While I like to stay active with my hot yoga, Zumba and “running” on the elliptical, the one type of exercise I am really not a fan of is normal running. On the ground, pavement, treadmill, you name it, I hate it and I’ve always hated it — even (or maybe especially) when I was a gymnast.

So I am extremely proud and impressed to say my big sister will be participating in this year’s Boston Marathon, come April 16!

Last year, my sister was a volunteer for the Boston Marathon. This year, she's a participant! Help support her and her cause by making a donation!

She’s done triathlons and half marathons for several years now and has watched and volunteered for the Big Race in the last few years while she’s been living in the greater Boston area. So the natural progression would be to participate.

Now, as great as this may be, my sister is also raising money for the Ron Burton Training Village (RBTV), a nonprofit organization in Massachusetts that works with young people from low-income communities to help them build racial harmony, leadership, self-determination, respect and love for others through a program of spiritual, educational and physical fitness training in a wholesome, caring environment.

My sister’s goal is to raise $1,500 for RBTV.

I may be here on the West Coast, but I love kids and any organizations or programs that help kids get ahead in life — especially those who may not have much of a chance in the first place. And from what I’ve learned about this nonprofit, RBTV definitely deserves the support.

Show your support for my sister and RBTV by clicking here and making a donation. Help her reach her goal!

Thank you!

Stories about unique API families — NWAW’s monthly must-reads

Here are my latest book recommendations for Northwest Asian Weekly:

“Terroryaki!”
By Jennifer K. Chung
3-Day Books, 2011

Daisy Wang’s older sister Samantha is getting married in three months, but things don’t look too promising as their Taiwanese parents are still shunning Sam’s white fiancé Patrick.
As a means of escape from the pre-wedding drama and her family’s scrutiny regarding her future, teriyaki connoisseur Daisy distracts herself by going on a search for a mysterious ever-relocating teriyaki food truck with a ghostly looking (and supposedly cursed) chef.
I really enjoyed reading about Daisy’s ongoing hunt for the teriyaki truck, as well as the reviews she writes on her blog about the different teriyaki joints she tries. This part was particularly fun because the story takes place in Seattle and Chung localizes it by setting Daisy’s food excursions in various neighborhoods and cities in the greater Puget Sound area, such as Ballard, Belltown, Southcenter, Renton, Issaquah, and Puyallup.

For local readers like me, this nod to the less “mainstream” areas of the Pacific Northwest will make you want to visit these areas to see if the restaurants really exist.

Despite her ongoing truck hunt and teriyaki tasting, Daisy does get pulled into the fold of Sam’s tumultuous relationship with their mother and does her best, albeit reluctantly, to be the moderator.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

‘You look ridiculous. I look exquisite…’

Old University of Washington mascot faces off with Wario, a potential new mascot.

…said the guy dressed as Wario, the evil arch nemesis of Mario from the popular Nintendo series, to the girl with red construction paper dots all over her white Toadstool helmet.

Conan vs. Da Peng

This is one of the reasons I love Conan O’Brien and team.

They aren’t afraid to be silly or make fools of themselves but they also aren’t afraid to call people out for whatever reason. This back-and-forth exchange between the two comedians reminded me of a feud Conan had with another public figure and it makes me hopeful that my favorite redhead (besides Ron Weasley) will invite Da Peng to his show like he did Cory Booker. Although, this time it may be difficult since Da Peng is overseas and there’s the whole issue of the language barrier.

This whole situation also reminded me that we don’t need to take ourselves so seriously sometimes. Ripping off someone else’s entire opening sequence could have easily led to talks of copyright issues and plagiarism but Conan just took it all in stride and forgave Da Peng and gave them an original opening sequence for him to use if he chooses.

Now, how nice is that?