Passing Thoughts

Some of my recent thoughts/events:

The standards of journalism in this country, like its economy, is developing slowly. I’m not going to get into specifics because complaints about people could end up getting me in trouble. But I will say that there aren’t the same rules when it comes to receiving gifts, making promises and fully disclosing information. I didn’t accept any gifts, make unethical promises or falsify any reporting personally, but there is just a lot of leeway about what you can and can’t do. It’s a struggle sometimes to assert myself as a professional with integrity, but I suppose it can be good to learn the rules of the game in a place that has lax rules because it forces me to use my better judgement. Basically there’s no Poynter Institute to talk about that stuff here. But this is a good article in the Christian Science Monitor about when a journalist should help starving/sick/suffering in Africa.

I have a new roommate, Matt Ford. He goes to Medill and is doing an internship with the AP like I did in the fall. He’s a nice guy and we have good conversations about journalism, politics, and then regular bullshit too. He’s quite the multimedia guru, so I’m hoping he can teach me some stuff and help me set up a website. If I ever get a visa to Sudan, I think he’ll come with me to shoot the documentary.

I don’t exactly get why CNN’s headline is that some citizen publicly scolded Bush to his face. I guess it’s interesting because of the circumstances, but I don’t really see the significance of it. So people don’t like the president…what’s new about that?

I have become friends with a freelance photographer, Mohamed Alouba, who does work for the magazine. He loves classic rock (part. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley), but can’t get any good music here. So I gave him like 6 albums to listen to. He said he cried when he heard Stairway to Heaven.

We might start a photography studio together, as business partners. He was going to do the lighting for the film I was producing, but since I backed out on the project, that’s not happening. But I’d like to continue working with him. He said how google started with two guys and one idea. Not that I expect to build the next google or anything, but I definitely want my own company.

Final notes:
1)Wikipedia is not a legitimate source for information
2)I finished War & Peace. It became an amazing novel, once I got past the first 200 pages.
3)I’m beginning to like old films. I recently watched 8 1/2 and Sunset Blvd and they were excellent.