Interview: Robert Gutsche, Jr.

Dr. Robert Gutsche, Jr. is a Journalism professor in Miami. He was raised in a Christian home and has been a reporter for various newspapers since 1996. He earned his Ph.D. in Mass Communications from University of Iowa and has written the book "Race, place and the press: Creating Iowa's rural ghetto."

Although he keeps his Christianity "close to the vest" for political reasons, he said he brings his personal values to each story he writes.

"If you have a certain belief or faith, you can't set it aside; it's part of all you do," he said. "It's not about choosing a story or not; it's about how you cover it."

However, the way his faith comes into play in covering the story depends on the story.

"When I see something that's blatantly wrong," he said, "I'm going to overturn some money-changing tables."

In that sense, when he sees someone or some group in authority -- public officials, business owners, educators -- doing wrong, fairness and equity tend to go out the window. He said he has a keen sense of righteous anger that drives him to seek the truth.

On the other hand, when the subject of a story is someone in crisis mode, he tends to be caring and compassionate.

"Compassion has become a very ingrained emotion for me," he said. "It drives how I operate as a journalist."

Speaking from the viewpoint of a journalist with a Christian background, Gutsche likens a journalist to a preacher in the pulpit. He said the history of American journalism is one of pointing out corruption, which is something a preacher or people of faith are supposed to care about.

"I have no problem working with the 'left' to stand up for the rights of working people," he said. "Journalists should be more opinionated and interested in the rights of the people we cover."

As for balance in a story, Gutsche at first said that he doesn't know that any journalist has ever written a story that has been truly, perfectly balanced. But when he writes about a highly controversial topic, he strives to achieve some level of balance by stacking the story with as many sources as he can.

"I try to get as many voices as possible," he said. "You're going to hear a lot more of the voices of other people in my story."

Although Gutsche tends to keep his faith out of his articles, he has let it show on occasion in the opinion pieces he has written. For instance, in one opinion piece he wrote about Christmas being a true holiday and quoted the Bible.

Because he has kept his faith private, Gutsche said he has seldom felt persecuted for it personally.

"But any time you're part of a group," he said, "you have a responsibility to find out what people are saying about that group. When people say things about Christians or whatever group I'm a part of, that affects me as well."

Ultimately, Gutsche has a passion for what is right, and that passion tempers every area of his life.