In the article, Levin reports on a national campaign at Jewish high schools that use religious teachings to raise awareness about the power of speech. According to Levin, this anti-gossip program is sponsored by the Chofetz Chain Heritage Foundation, a religious based group in Suffen, NY.
There are numerous reasons why this article stands as a great piece of journalism; the information is thorough and there are many reliable sources. But all reporters CAN follow the journalistic “guidelines,” so what sets this article apart from the others?
In the title and introduction to the story, Levin refrains from including any information about the anti-gossip program, but rather draws in the reader by showing the ways in which the students and the school are fighting gossip:
It would seem an odd, perhaps even absurd, announcement to make over a high school’s public address system.
But at 11:15 each morning at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Long Island, the voice of Emi Renov, a 17-year-old junior, buzzes over the intercom, gently reminding her fellow students to refrain from gossiping for the next 60 minutes.
What was that? Was she kidding? Telling teenagers that they should not talk about other students behind their backs is like telling them not to try to get a driver’s license.
Yet for one hour after Ms. Renov’s announcement, her schoolmates make an honest attempt to avoid mocking one another’s outfits or whispering the latest shocking rumor.
By not mentioning the program in the title and first several paragraphs of the article, Levin leaves the reader puzzled but wanting to read more.
Also, I noticed that the teachers and people interviewed in the article did not explain the religious reasons behind the program/campaign. That being said, I liked Levin’s explanation of the religious principles behind the campaign because it shows the reader why the power of speech and gossip is so important to these Jewish high schools.
The campaign at the Jewish high schools has incorporated “shmirat halashon,” the Hebrew expression that translates to “guarding speech,” in a faith-based approach to fighting gossip.
According to the Torah, God forbids the sin of gossip, which is known as “lashon hara,” or “evil speech.” In the Talmud, some rabbis viewed the sin of gossip to be as grievous as murder.
Furthermore, Levin’s commentary in between the facts and quotations transform the hard news report into a story with texture and creativity. Levin adds life to the article with his amusing and entertaining descriptions of high school “warfare”:
In the secret lives of high school students, social warfare is often waged with words. Plots are hatched during a quick trip to the lockers, rumors destroy reputations at recess, and friendships crumble at varsity practice. Usually, the deep emotional wounds are invisible to teachers, coaches and parents.
As a high school teenage girl, I found the information about the program and people’s responses to it really interesting. As the article states, for high school students, “social warfare is often waged with words,” and often this behavior is invisible to adults (teachers, coaches, parents). So to learn about a high school program that attempts to resolve these hidden issues seems of interest to not only me, but also the many other high school students.
Therefore, I think Levin did an excellent job; while the article is balanced, thorough, has many accountable sources, the journalist’s greatest success is his ability to transform the potentially boring news report about a school program into a creative story that draws the reader into the tricky high school gossiping situation that schools are working to resolve.
0 comments:
Post a Comment