Studs Terkel Assignment

In reading the obituary from the Chicago Sun Times, I felt as if I had come away knowing a lot about Studs Tekel, not only about his life about his personality and ideals as well.

This something that has to be done in writing obits. You need to get to know the person by talking respectfully with his or her family, and then present that information in a way that honors and remembers them and makes others feel as if they knew them or what kind of a person they were. The obit writer for Studs Terkel did this wonderfully, but part of me thinks that Studs Terkel was just the kind of guy that made eveyone feel good about themselves andwas just a guy that everyone would love to be around.

A qoute from Terkel that I really liked in the Chicago Sun Times article was:

"A tape recorder is a revolutionary instrument. It's no good for a talk with a movie actress or a politician, because they're so plastic. But a tape recorder on the steps of a housing project is something else again. There a person who a moment ago was just a statistic starts talking to you and becomes human, becomes a person."

~ This shows me that you really need to consider who you talk to for an interview for a story. I reaffirms that you need to look at from where you can get your own, different angle on the story. And, Studs is saying that you need to be the voice of those who may not know how to be a voice for themselves or their own people. He also shows in this statement that some of the best stories come from the places where you least expect them. And, I think that it is the journalist's job to look beyond the normal interviewees with their packaged quotes and talking points. This is because you have a job to not only get the truth to the poeple, but to be a voice for those people who want to speak the truth and have a story to tell. And, in doing this, I think it can add to a greater understanding between people of different cultures, races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds as well. I tihnk people need to listen to others more, to people who are different than they are in some way because, in the end, the things that bring us together are that we are all human and every human has a story. Studs Terkel devoted his life to telling those stories.

In my own writing and interviewing, I know I have to look deeper for my sources and for the ones I interview because those are the stories that need to be told. Also, I believe that Studs Terkel understood the art of really listening to someone and hearing what they had to say. And, when someone knows that you are taking a genuine interest in what they have to say, they will be more open towards you. You also need to show respect for all people, and I think that can be done as well by true listening and honest, decent communication skills. In my opinion, that is one thing that our society is lacking today: Decent communication skills that show respect for someone else's opinion.

Another interesting qoute that taught me something was:

Studs credited his blacklisting experience for his future prominence as a writer.
"In a strange way, it helped me," Studs recalled. "I probably would never have gotten into writing books otherwise, or into WFMT. I was never publically pilloried; I was able to continue to make a living."

~This helps me as a writer. It sort of connected with me, in that, Terkel never (as far as I can tell) regretted any associations or outcomes because of those situations. I think he realized that he would do what he was meant to do, and that he would do great things. Studs Terkel has then taught me that you have to live your life the way you want to, by your own standards because only then will you be lead you to where you are supposed to be. Basically, you have to learn from evey point in your life and know that, if you are true to yourself, you will end up where you were meant to be. (I think I just said the same thing twice). Anyway, back to how this connects with me: I was born three months premature with a 30% chance of survival. I am here to do something great. I know it. I am supposed to be dead right now, but I am not! So, therefore, I have to have faith in myself and my abilities to know that I will get to where I am supposed to. And, if some people do know agree with my ideals or decisions or values or anything else, that is okay. I will live my life, learn from my mistakes, and basically hang on for the ride knowing that things will happen as they are meant to and that everything makes good copy.