Debate: A great course for aspiring journalists

 

Recently I took a college-level Debate course. Although I felt light years out of my league, I came out of it thinking, "I wish I had taken this course before becoming a journalist."

This was not debate like the Ken Ham/Bill Nye debate. This was academic debate with flow charts, time limits and strange terms like "prima facie."

As a writer, I had always had the luxury of time -- time to develop a story idea, time to organize what I wanted to say, time to search for just the right word. In academic debate, there is no time, especially for the negative team. Team members research ahead of time and then develop arguments to what is being said while it is being said. When it is your turn, you just get up there and spew out as much of that information as you can in six minutes, sounding like the guy who reads the "small print" info on prescription drug commercials.

So, what does Debate class have to do with journalism? More than you think.

1. Research -- Research is the name of the game in academic debate. Each team has to back up its arguments with solid research, citing sources. This is great training for journalists, who have to write articles and sound knowledgeable on subjects they didn't even know existed until the day before yesterday.
2. Objectivity -- In one Debate class period, I found myself on the affirmative side of Felon Re-enfranchisement, and five minutes later arguing the negative on the same issue. Being ready to make both cases prepares the aspiring journalist to achieve balance and objectivity in his or her writing.
3. Thinking on your feet -- The speed and nature of academic debate makes questions come to mind quickly, which is perfect practice for interviewing. While a journalist will generally have a prepared list of questions for an interview, sometimes the unexpected rabbit trail makes for a better story than sticking to the list. The journalist has to be ready to think on his or her feet to follow those rabbit trails.

I would highly recommend some sort of academic debate course as an elective sometime in every aspiring journalist's college career. The training will prove invaluable.

Remembering Bill

The voicemail greeting used to begin with "Hello. You've reached the Bill Smith with the newspaper, not Bill Smith the locksmith..." It went on to give the phone number of the locksmith, just in case the caller had the wrong Bill, before giving his own number, in case the caller had a news item for the paper.

That was our Bill Smith -- somewhat self-deprecating, but always a disseminator of useful information -- the perfect combination for a "newspaperman." Former colleague Georga Bray once paid him the highest compliment one editor can give another: "If Bill were to cut his hand, he would bleed ink."

I got to know Bill when we worked for sister newspapers. I didn't know him well, though, until one joint-office Christmas party, when I found myself sitting next to him talking politics and newspapers at great length. I developed a deep respect for his vast knowledge and integrity.

That's why a few years later, when he had started the Trail Communities Messenger in Elroy, Wis. (after our parent company had closed his Elroy newspaper office), and I had been urged by community leaders to start my own newspaper on the other side of the county, the first thing I did was to talk to him. I thought maybe we could sell ads into each other's newspaper, offering customers one-stop countywide coverage.

But Bill was a little more forward-thinking than that. He thought about it for a month or two, and then came back to me with a different idea.  What if I bought into The Messenger, and we took it countywide? I actually liked his idea better than mine; I had been terrified of trying to start a newspaper from scratch. So another colleague, Betty Waits, and I became his business partners, co-publishers, and co-owners of The Messenger of Juneau County.

Those early days were incredible. We could not believe how the people of Juneau County accepted us with open arms. I remember Bill clapping his hands with delight when I came back to the office with two full-page ads after my first day on the job. I wasn't even selling ads. That was when we knew our beloved county stood behind us. After the required two years of being a newspaper, The Messenger was named the official newspaper of Juneau County (over the existing 100+ year old newspaper).

Over the several years that we worked together at The Messenger, Bill and I had many deep discussions about politics, journalism, and faith. Although he wasn't very vocal about it publicly, he told me that he had accepted the Lord as his Savior. And he showed that faith in his integrity and his willingness to help others.

Bill had always dreamed of being an "editor emeritus," and his last few years he realized that dream. He would make his way down the street from his apartment to the newspaper office less and less to write his column, lay out a page or two, or just visit with people. He entered hospice late in 2013 and went to be with "his Mary" (late wife) the morning of Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014.

There are a lot of things I'll miss about Bill. I'll miss knowing that he was out there, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk outside the newspaper office, formulating articles in his mind and keeping an eye on things. I'll miss his gentle mentorship. But most of all, I'll miss his friendship.