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PASCO > Jackson Journalists: Not A Tough Act To Follow TOM JACKSON Published: Nov 17, 2005 LAND O' LAKES -- The vast majority of newspaper journalists live contentedly with the knowledge that, generally, their livelihood possesses all the glamour of selling insurance, without the financial rewards. In the interest of gathering news, we cover zoning hearings, school board meetings, county commission workshops and the aftermath of traffic accidents. Asked to demonstrate the tools of our trade, we produce spiral-bound note pads and ballpoint pens. In the world of visual aids, actuarial tables have more pizzazz. The other 364 days a year, the absence of professional regalia matters little to a print journalist, whose satisfaction derives from seeing compelling facts presented in an orderly, provocative succession, connected by sterling turns of phrase in the morning paper, and knowing that someone in power will be prodded to action. But try to describe that sensation to a class of 14-year-old middle-school students when (a) they prefer to get their information from the Internet, television and radio, (b) they just came from a SWAT team demonstration, complete with simulated helicopter strafing and (c) you are all that stands between them and lunch. Holding up that morning's front page and describing its various elements -- headline, lead story, byline, caption, etc. -- pales in comparison. ## Beneficial Addiction Lurking Furthermore, eighth-graders are not remotely impressed by the fact that city managers and state senators return your calls. You may impress Rotarians at lunch by saying, "I was talking with Mike Fasano the other day, and Fasano says ..." but unless he's talking about state-funded public skate parks and shuttles to the mall, it's all too 20th century for them. Not that there's anything wrong with that. At the same age, I would have been content if the newspaper consisted of nothing but the sports section and the comics pages. I could name the St. Louis Cardinals' starting lineup for the previous 10 seasons and all the Peanuts kids, but I couldn't have identified two members of the local legislative delegation if you spotted me their party affiliations and committee assignments. Happily, the vast majority of those poor teens drafted to be my captive audience at Pine View Middle School on Great American Teach-In Day 2005 have the Tribune tossed onto their driveways on a daily basis; therefore, someone in each of their households continues to find virtue in this ancient news distribution system. At some point, routine exposure to this friendly, accessible and portable font of information is almost certain to escalate into a lifelong addiction. (Fingers crossed here.) ## Making The First Amendment Sexy In the meantime, those of us who feel compelled to share the wonder of the daily miracle that is newspaper publishing need better visual aids. I mean, I'm lucky I was scheduled before the afternoon act in Stephanie Walls' language arts class: someone from the Collier Commons Publix bakery who planned to construct a cake out of cookies, decorate it on the spot, then distribute pieces of the finished product. How's a journalist (particularly a journalist whose list of celebrity interviews ends long before the age of Bono and Jennifer Aniston and Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom) supposed to compete with that? By revealing that Gov. Bush personally replies to my e-mails? Wait. Gov. Who? Write a letter to the editor about this story Subscribe to the Tribune and get two weeks free Place a Classified Ad Online

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