Journalism & Backgrounds

Summary

In this interview, award-winning journalist Mike Harris, with over 40 years of experience at the Associated Press, reflects on the evolution of journalism, particularly in sports writing. He discusses the impact of social media and electronic journalism, which has accelerated news delivery but also increased pressure on reporters to be immediate, sometimes at the expense of thoroughness. Harris shares personal anecdotes, including covering Notre Dame's historic basketball win and the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt, highlighting the challenges and rewards of a journalism career.

Takeaways

• 📰 Mike Harris is a retired Associated Press journalist with over 40 years of experience, primarily in sports writing.
• 🌐 Journalism has evolved significantly with the rise of social media and electronic journalism, which differs from traditional print media.
• 🔑 One of the downsides of new media is the lack of editorial control, allowing for unregulated content that can be misleading.
• ⏱ The immediacy of new media has increased the speed of journalism but can compromise thoroughness and accuracy.
• 💻 The pressure on journalists has grown due to the need for real-time reporting, which can lead to less thoughtful writing.
• 🔄 Multitasking is now a crucial skill for journalists, who must write before, during, and after covering events.
• 🏈 Mike's passion for sports led him to a career in sports journalism, despite starting on the news side.
• 🏆 He spent 44 years covering sports and enjoyed meeting a wide range of personalities, from famous to not-so-nice.
• 🏆 Memorable moments include covering Notre Dame's upset of UCLA's 88-game winning streak and the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt.
• 🏆 Harris won major awards for his writing, including the Associated Press News Story of the Year, demonstrating that tragedy can bring out the best in a writer.

Q & A

How has journalism evolved over the past few decades according to Mike Harris?

Mike Harris notes that journalism has changed significantly, with a major shift from print media to social media and electronic journalism. This has made the field faster and more immediate, but also puts pressure on journalists to publish quickly, sometimes at the expense of thorough fact-checking.

What are some of the negative aspects of the current state of journalism as described by Mike Harris?

Mike Harris mentions that the immediacy of social media and electronic journalism can lead to a lack of checks and balances, allowing for misinformation. Additionally, the pressure to publish quickly can result in less thoughtful and potentially inaccurate reporting.

How does Mike Harris feel about the role of technology in modern journalism?

While Mike Harris acknowledges that technology has made journalism faster and more accessible, he also expresses concern about the potential for reduced accuracy and depth due to the pressure to publish immediately.

What advice does Mike Harris have for those interested in a career in journalism today?

Mike Harris suggests that aspiring journalists must be prepared to engage heavily with social and electronic journalism, and to be aware of the importance of multitasking and the responsibility that comes with delivering accurate and honest news.

How did Mike Harris become interested in sports journalism?

Mike Harris developed a passion for sports from a young age, playing various sports and attending numerous sporting events with his father. This love for sports led him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

What was Mike Harris's experience like when he first started his career in journalism?

Initially, Mike Harris had to start on the news side as there were no openings in sports journalism. He worked his way into sports writing and eventually spent 44 years in the field, which he loved.

Can you share a memorable moment from Mike Harris's sports journalism career?

One of Mike Harris's most memorable moments was covering the Notre Dame basketball team's victory over UCLA, ending UCLA's 88-game winning streak. He had to file his story by dictating it over the phone under the press table amidst the chaos of the students rushing the floor.

What was one of the most challenging experiences Mike Harris faced as a journalist?

Covering the death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 was a difficult experience for Mike Harris, as he knew Dale personally. Despite the emotional challenge, he managed to write a story that won him two major awards for news writing.

How did Mike Harris handle the emotional aspect of reporting on tragic events?

Mike Harris had to dissociate himself from the personal connection to the subject and focus on being professional. He wrote the story with a high level of professionalism, even though it was emotionally challenging and brought him to tears at times.

What does Mike Harris believe is essential for a successful career in journalism?

Mike Harris emphasizes the importance of learning how to handle both the enjoyable and difficult aspects of journalism, including dealing with tragedy and maintaining a high standard of professionalism and honesty in reporting.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Evolution and Challenges of Modern Journalism

In this segment, Mike Harris, an award-winning journalist with over 40 years of experience, discusses the rapid changes in journalism, particularly the shift from print to digital and social media platforms. He highlights the positives, such as the increased speed and accessibility of news, and the negatives, including the lack of editorial control and the pressure on journalists to publish immediately, sometimes at the expense of thorough fact-checking. Harris emphasizes the importance of integrity and accuracy in reporting, even in the face of these challenges. He also touches on the need for journalists to be versatile and adapt to new forms of media, such as blogging and tweeting, which are now integral parts of the profession.

05:02

🏆 Memorable Moments and Difficulties in Sports Journalism

Mike Harris recounts his career in sports journalism, starting with his passion for sports and his eventual transition from news reporting to sports writing. He shares a thrilling anecdote about covering a Notre Dame basketball game where they defeated UCLA, ending their 88-game winning streak, and the unique challenge of filing his report by dictating it under a press table amidst a student rush. Harris also discusses the emotional difficulty of covering tragic events in sports, such as the death of Dale Earnhardt during the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite the personal connection and emotional turmoil, he managed to produce award-winning coverage of the event, demonstrating the resilience and professionalism required in journalism.

Keywords

💡Journalism

Journalism refers to the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast. In the video, Mike Harris discusses the evolution of journalism, particularly the shift from print to digital and social media platforms, which has accelerated the pace at which news is produced and consumed.

💡Social Media

Social media are interactive technologies that provide individuals with the ability to communicate, create, share, and exchange information and ideas. The script mentions the impact of social media on journalism, highlighting how it has democratized news dissemination but also raised concerns about accuracy and accountability.

💡Electronic Journalism

Electronic journalism encompasses the use of electronic devices and platforms to gather, process, and disseminate news. The video script illustrates how electronic journalism has made news reporting faster but also more pressured, with less time for thorough fact-checking.

💡Multitasking

Multitasking in the context of journalism refers to the ability of journalists to handle multiple tasks or roles simultaneously, such as reporting, writing, and using social media. The script indicates that multitasking has become a significant part of modern journalism, contrasting with the more focused roles of the past.

💡Sports Journalism

Sports journalism is a specialized form of journalism that focuses on sports-related news, events, and personalities. Mike Harris shares his passion for sports and his career in sports journalism, emphasizing the excitement and challenges of covering various sports events.

💡News Side

The 'news side' refers to the general news reporting aspect of journalism, which is distinct from specialized areas like sports or entertainment. Harris mentions starting his career on the news side before transitioning to sports journalism, indicating the common career path in the industry.

💡Press Table

A press table is a designated area in sports venues where journalists sit to cover games and write reports. The script recounts an incident where Harris had to file his story from under the press table due to a chaotic celebration by students, illustrating the dynamic nature of sports journalism.

💡Breaking News

Breaking news refers to new information or events that are current, urgent, and of wide interest to the public. The script describes Harris's experience covering the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt, highlighting the importance of journalists in delivering breaking news with sensitivity and professionalism.

💡Award-Winning

Being 'award-winning' signifies that a journalist or their work has been recognized with accolades for excellence. Harris mentions winning awards for his writing, particularly for his coverage of Dale Earnhardt's death, underscoring the high standards and recognition in journalism.

💡Disassociate

To disassociate in a journalistic context means to separate one's personal feelings from the professional task of reporting. Harris talks about the need to disassociate from personal connections when covering tragic events, showcasing the emotional challenges journalists face.

💡Leads

In journalism, 'leads' refer to the opening paragraphs of a news story that aim to grab the reader's attention and summarize the most important information. Harris discusses writing multiple leads for a story, showing the iterative process of crafting news reports.

Highlights

Journalism is changing rapidly with a significant emphasis on social media and electronic journalism.

The immediacy of new journalism can lead to less thorough fact-checking and increased pressure on reporters.

The evolution of journalism has made it faster and more accessible, but also more demanding for journalists.

Multitasking has become a crucial skill for journalists, who must now write before, during, and after covering a story.

Mike Harris' passion for sports led him to a career in sports journalism despite starting in news reporting.

Harris spent 44 years writing sports, enjoying the hard work and meeting many interesting people in the field.

Sports journalists must be able to handle both the exciting and difficult aspects of their job, such as covering tragic events.

Harris covered the Notre Dame basketball team's historic win over UCLA, filing his story under the press table amidst chaos.

The tragic death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 was a challenging story for Harris to report.

Harris won major awards for his writing on Dale Earnhardt's death, demonstrating that tragedy can bring out the best in a writer.

Journalists must learn to handle both the fun and difficult aspects of their work to truly master their craft.

The pressure and responsibility on reporters have increased due to the need for immediate reporting in electronic journalism.

The public's changing reading habits, with less time for long stories, have influenced the pace of journalism.

Harris' early career in journalism was heavily focused on print media, contrasting with today's digital focus.

The importance of being honest and straightforward in journalism to avoid misleading the public.

The impact of social media on journalism, where anyone can publish content without many checks.

Harris' advice for aspiring journalists to be prepared for the demands of social and electronic journalism.

Transcripts

I'm here today with Mike Harris Mike is

an award-winning journalist over 40

years experience uh with the Associated

Press retired um nearly five decades

experience in journalism and he's going

to share with us uh some of his uh

experiences uh with journalism and

specifically Sports

[Music]

writing what is journalism right now

it's it's changing almost every day uh

there's a there's a lot of uh emphasis

on social media and uh electronic or New

Journalism that's totally different from

when I started out where we were almost

totally involved in the print media so

there's good things and bad things about

it some of the bad things about uh

social media and electronic journalism

are that uh it there's not there aren't

many um breaks on it you know people can

pretty much say or do what they want to

do and that's not always a good thing

but on the other hand uh it has made uh

the whole world of Journalism faster and

in some cases more interesting

especially nowadays when people don't

have the time or the interest to read

long stories or to spend a lot of time

over a a newspaper uh you can go on your

computer or whatever it is that you're

using your smartphone and read whatever

you want to read but it's put different

emphasis on uh on the journalists on the

uh people covering the stories because

it's immediate uh you have to get it out

right now and sometimes that means

you're not checking things as thoroughly

as you might want to do so it puts a lot

of pressure on the writer on the

reporter and I think that uh that's one

of the biggest changes in journalism is

that you really have no time to sit and

think about what you're writing in many

cases uh that's not always a good thing

so it means that reporters have a lot of

responsibility they have to really work

hard to figure out what it is they're

going to get out there and try to make

it as honest and straightforward as

possible and not mislead the public if

you're going to get into it today you

have to pretty much be aware that you're

going to be heavily involved in Social

journalism and electronic journalism

it's just part of the business today in

this day and age that multitasking is

very important and and it's probably the

biggest change in journalism because

when I was first in it there was no such

thing as multitasking you went you

covered a story you wrote the story you

did what you had to do and you were done

nowadays that's not true you write

before you cover the story you write

during the time you're covering the

story and then you write after you cover

the story so it's uh it's tweeting and

it's uh blogging and it's uh it's

writing the actual uh sto print

story

by the time I got to high school I

pretty much knew that I wanted to write

Sports because I always loved Sports I

mean that's that was my passion I played

every sport you can imagine and uh

wasn't very good but I just enjoyed it

and uh my dad was a big sports fan and

had been a good athlete and uh took us

to a lot of uh sporting events I grew up

in Madison Wisconsin went to University

of Wisconsin sports events constantly

basketball football baseball hockey even

boxing in those days and uh loved it

very much and that that was my passion

and that's what I knew so that's what I

wanted to do now when I got into the

profession interestingly enough I

couldn't go straight into sports writing

and most in in both cases of uh jobs I

took I had to start on the news side

because there were no openings in sports

and they needed somebody who was a

little bit more uh knowledgeable

experienced for the sports slots but I

worked my way into it eventually and and

uh spent uh 44 years writing Sports and

loved it loved pretty much every minute

of it so um it it was a it was a lot of

fun and a lot of hard work and I met a

lot of interesting people the people in

sports are fabulous to cover I mean

there are people that aren't very nice

and there are people who are great and

just like any other part of life but

during my career which spanned almost

five decades I met just just about

everybody famous in sports and uh some

of them I liked some of them I didn't

like some of them I got along with some

of them I didn't get along with but uh

one some of the things that I did during

that time uh some of my favorite things

were I when I was working in

Indianapolis I covered the Notre Dame

basketball team and uh this was the time

uh back in the 70s when UCLA had an 88

game winning streak and they came into

South Bend playing the Notre Dame

basketball ball team and Notre Dame beat

them on a last second shot by a guy by

name of Gary broka and I wound up

actually filing my story by telephone

dictating my story sitting under the

Press table because the students had

rushed the floor and were grabbing

everything in sight everybody's notes

and books and everything else I grabbed

my telephone and went underneath the

table and and uh sent my story in and

got it done so uh that was that was

exciting um uh some of the more

difficult things I did was unfortunately

and if you cover Auto Racing for a

number of years which I did uh you're

going to have to deal with uh the bad

things with deaths in the sport one of

the worst was when Dale nhart who was

the biggest star in NASCAR was killed in

the 2001 uh Daytona

500 and uh it was a very hard thing

because I knew Dale quite well I'd had

lunch with him two days earlier and uh

it was very hard to write that story but

you have to dis associate yourself from

the person and you have to actually just

sit down and be very professional and do

it and I I wrote that story and I wrote

a number of what we call leads in other

words new new tops to the story over a

period of hours uh I wound up not

leaving the Press Box that day until

3:00 a.m. uh the race had ended about

4:30 and uh I uh I wound up winning uh a

major award for my writing uh two major

awards for my writing wound up uh

winning the Associated Press news story

of the year for the day Earnhart uh

death story and I also was given an

award for the best news writing of the

year so you know they say the tragedy

brings out the best in a good writer and

in this case I think it did bring out

the Best in Me although I was very sad

while I was doing it and actually had

tears in my eyes quite a bit of the time

but uh it was a it it was something it's

how you learn your craft you have to

learn how to do the bad the difficult

things as well as the fun things so uh

if you are going to have a a career in

journalism you're going to have to deal

with these

things