Davisville, April 3, 2017: Five Things I’ve Learned About Journalism, Plus a Bonus

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Today's program is a KDRT it's-fundraising-week-so-let's-do-something-different kind of show. Several years ago, a friend at UC Davis asked if I’d consider speaking to his class someday about what I’d learned as a reporter and editor during my newspaper days. I’ve never recorded that talk, but today’s show is based on my notes. So if you're interested in one community journalist's take on the trade, tune in. Among other things, you'll hear segments about what many people seem to really want from the media (“Protect me! Expose them!”); the day a Berkeley City Council member did me the favor of pointing out an obvious hole in a story I'd been proud of; and Ray Bradbury’s advice, when he spoke at Freeborn Hall in the early 1980s, about the best place to get advice when you're trying to figure out how to do something you love. As a news person, you get to talk to many people and learn from their experiences; I try to distill a little of that in today's program.