CONFESSION: My 'Unofficial' Love Affair with Journalism

(I’m just saying…and heads up…) No story can be more ho-hum, or anticlimactic than my infatuation with journalism. This crush began when I was about ten and first saw Larry Kane anchoring on ABC (Action) News. I’m not sure, but believe it was that dramatic soundtrack that drew me to the News. Normal kids, as such I like to believe I was, had little (if absolutely) no love for the News. But that music was jamming, and I, for one, loved to dance.

At 6 and 10, when that song started playing, I’d slide across the floor and start jumping. That’s how I ended up taking notice of this rather young looking anchor. I was like, ‘WHO IS THIS?’ …and like stories often go, one thing led to the next. I started paying closer attention to the News. Usually (in the 70’s) it’d be a rather mature looking gentleman suited up in the necktie talking in the colorless voice, “hi. I’m such and such…this happened…that happened… expect rain/sunshine…Eagles lost/won… Goodnight.” I don’t think it took more than 30 minutes to report the News.

But Kane, for some reason, got my attention. Maybe it was his youthful looks. Perhaps it was his youthful ‘good’ looks. It also could’ve been that I couldn’t catch him tripping over a word, (as it must be understood I was paying very, very close attention). As a matter of fact, this was about when I started paying close attention to all anchors; waiting to catch one tripping over a word.

At any rate, I wrote to Kane, inviting him and his film crew to put a neighborhood play I’d written on the News. To my surprise, and further admiration, he wrote back… apologizing for being unable to (thank God) see our play. From this point journalism intrigued me even more, despite moving on to pursue other interests and careers. Many, many years later (roundabout 2011) I learned Kane had written a memoir. (Of course) I immediately purchased a copy. Once more I was surprised. The book arrived autographed; (probably signed before going to print). 

I loved ‘Kane’s Philadelphia’. I went from excited (about finding the book) to enlightened (about journalism and its early transformations) to getting all choked up about an observation that had me sobbing 'a bucket of tears'... BEFORE… thanking God (again)… I did not pursue this career.

And still, I have great respect for good journalism. Funny… I was in the middle of a sentence, about to loan out this book when I remembered the signature in the book. Yeah, that particular conversation got awkward very quickly; me suddenly backing out of one of my top passions—recommending great books I’ve read! But hey, wasn’t no telling if I’d get my hands on another signed copy if the book was never returned.

All this to note; I just finished reading ‘Anchored in Bias’ by Lisa Benson. (Thoughts here). And (so far) I’m all kinds of impressed reading Dorothy Butler Gilliam’s solid piece of journalism, TRAILBLAZER.

#ILoveReading #ILoveMemoirs #JustReadAGreatMemoir #ILoveGoodJournalism #JustBlogged