Journalism & Backgrounds
Summary
TLDRIn 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
📰 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.
🏆 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Journalism
💡Social Media
💡Electronic Journalism
💡Multitasking
💡Sports Journalism
💡News Side
💡Press Table
💡Breaking News
💡Award-Winning
💡Disassociate
💡Leads
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
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