I wanted my blog link this week to be from BuzzFeed, because
who doesn’t love BuzzFeed?
Much to my surprise, the website has much more than articles
about Mean Girls and emojis and quizzes that tell you which type of unicorn you
are. There’s a whole column of “Big Stories” that have to do with real life.
But just in case BuzzFeed isn’t a credible enough source, here’s the same
article Washington Post style:
Jill Abramson, former editor of the New York Times, stepped
down unexpectedly Wednesday afternoon. She says she has “loved [her] run at The
Times” but does not plan to continue her involvement in the paper in any
capacity after her departure. The reasons for her decision are not entirely
clear. Abramson was the Times’ first female editor. Her successor, Dean Baquet,
will be the paper’s first African-American Editor.
Senior Editors of the Paper were told about Abramson’s
departure Wednesday afternoon, and many of them will be sad to see her go. The
news even took many of the reporters at the Times by surprise. Still, Arthur Sulzberger Jr, the publisher of
the Times, looks forward to the work that Baquet will accomplish while he is
with them.
In our Government class we’ve talked about the effects of
the media on politics. They decide which stories will be heard by the people
and the point of view from which to report. The sources where citizens acquire
information greatly affect how they think about what is in the news, and a good
number of people look to the New York Times. As Baquet acknowledged in his remarks
to the newsroom, the newspaper can expose a bad cop and, in doing so, free two
people from jail. They capture grief and show inexplicable joy in the same
issue. Newspapers print breaking stories, book reviews, photography, crossword
puzzles, and comics. In doing so, they have a huge impact on everyone who came
into contact with their papers. Abramson has (or used to have) a huge impact on
what would be printed within the pages of that paper. This is pretty big news.
Personally, I’m getting that “Devil Wears Prada” vibe. Something
just isn’t right within the company. One person leaves and another takes their
spot. Things go on, but it just isn’t the same. What (if anything) was wrong?
We may never know. The Times is probably just as good at keeping things out of
the news as it is at printing the stories it does want heard. I am glad to see
Jill Abramson doing what she wants to do. I’m sure plenty were heartbroken and
wanted her to stay, but she’s doing what she knows is best for her life. In the
end, she is in control. Jill Abramson is a product of so much more than just
the place where she works.
“Passion for Journalism”
Also, in case you were wondering, I wasn’t kidding about the
Unicorn thing. I’m a Rainbow Unicorn, and everybody wants me at their parties.
Y’all can be jealous, or you can take the quiz here (http://www.buzzfeed.com/keelyflaherty/what-kind-of-unicorn-are-you)
and find out what you are too!
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