Blog HW #6

Interesting how people respond to you when you produce the tape recorder...you know?

It's like this.

"Hello my name is Nathan Childs ' I'm a repoter for the Independent '? " I'll say.

"Well hello nathan I'm 'so n so' " they'll say.

"I would like to know if you will make your self available for comment about these 'such n such' topics." I'lll say.

"Of course ask away!" they'll say.

"I will be tape recording our conversation in order to get the quotes right." I'll say.

Then I ask them to spell and announce their name. Usually the conversations go very well. Athletes love the mic or hate it. Admins love the mic or hate it. Common students love and hate. Journalists love and hate the mic.

I haven't decided wether or not I love or hate the mic... So I thought I would break down the positives and the negatives.

Positives.

I get the spelling of names, acronyms, pronounciations, etc.


Negatives.

The tapes malfunction and I go nutz, pulling hair out of my head.

Postives.

you capture candor and emotion.

Negatives.

Transcribing is a chore.

Positives.

Archival reference and evidence.

Negatives.

Maintainance.

It seems to be a fair and equal match.


I don't know how much tape recording helen thomas was doing. I haven't had any time to read her book... I have been stumbling through this quarter trying to not trip over my own tongue. I think that there are many issues and many fronts. They all need to be addressed and addressed in the proper way... I guess that all this calling my character into question is a heat to temper not destroy. I haven't done anything wrong. I have the right to know and to ask questions and to get to the bottom of things.

Veils are meant to be lifted by the press. We aren't the tailors of the curtain. We climb up into the rafters and focus the lights on the tears in the fabric. Some times when we glimpse on to the other side of the curtain and see Oz in his humility, we are forced to decide. Do we pull the curtain back and expose his frailty to the wind? or do we coddle him and extort the power of his loud speakers?