A Refresher on Why I’m in Journalism
By Bill Spiegel, ACN 2022-23 President
On February 2 I sat in the audience while my oldest son was inducted into the Manhattan, KS High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society.
Until Feb. 1, I didn’t know what Quill and Scroll is.
Turns out, it’s a scholastic journalism honorary, established nearly a century ago at the University of Iowa. My son, Jack, was inducted into MHS’s chapter with nine other high school students. The students conducting the candle-lighting ceremony impressively explained how new members are expected to adhere to the principles of this organization:
- Truth
- Learning
- Leadership
- Loyalty
- Initiative
- Integrity
- Judgment
It was refreshing and frankly inspiring to hear young people recite these bullet points in the ceremony. Abiding by them is sometimes a difficult thing to do in our business when we love the industry we write about.
“Journalism” covers a lot of ground these days. Jack, for example, is enrolled in 21st Century Journalism at MHS; students photograph events for the school newspaper and produce content for the school’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds. He collaborates with other members of the Student Media to broadcast home athletic events, and record concerts, plays, and other activities. It’s a whirlwind, and Jack – a fourth-generation journalist – is telling stories his Great Grandma never would have imagined when she was a columnist and correspondent for her local newspaper a century ago, or his great uncle when he covered the Kansas legislature for the Topeka Capital-Journal. For that matter, we all are doing our jobs differently than we ever imagined.
The basic tenets, of course, are the same as they’ve ever been. And maybe that’s one reason the Quill and Scroll ceremony served as a gentle reminder of why I’m in this business.