Daniel Schorr Image c/o Gawker.com
Today I was going through my listserv emails (which I am terribly behind on), and one from the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) featured a link to an obituary in the New York Times about Daniel Schorr. I had never heard of Schorr, but the presence of his obituary on the SEJ listserv meant he must have been a big deal, so I was inspired to check it out.
Below is an excerpt from the obituary:
At CBS, Mr. Schorr won three Emmy Awards for his coverage of the Watergate scandal and took pride in his often blunt reporting on the administration. In one instance he hurriedly began broadcasting after acquiring a copy of Nixon’s notorious “enemies list” only to discover in reading the names aloud that his was No. 17.
Nixon was so angered by Mr. Schorr’s reporting that he was said to have ordered the F.B.I. to investigate him.
“I consider my presence on the enemies list,” he said in a 2009 interview with The Gazette of Montgomery County, Md., “a greater tribute than the Emmys list.”
What Schorr said about being on the enemies list really struck a cord for me. Schorr was right- his presence on the enemies list was a sign of a job well done, a testament to his aggressive reporting, and telling a story that needed to be told– no matter the cost. Veracity, accuracy and intellectual honesty are some of the founding pillars of journalism. Although journalists may have a bad rap nowadays because there are those who do not abide by these principles, I believe very strongly in journalism in its purest form. Call me an idealist.
Joan Root Image c/o Adelaide Now
Schorr’s attitude makes him a hero in my eyes. He believed so strongly in a story, that he pursued it, no matter the cost, no matter the consequences. It is the mark of a great investigative reporter. It is the mark of a hero in my eyes. Growing up as a kid interested in the animals and environments of our planet, I read a lot of magazines and watched a lot of TV shows that featured the work of conservationists. I saw stories on people like Joan Root and Dian Fossey- people who died because they wouldn’t give up on a cause they believed in, no matter how many threats they received, or how dangerous it was to continue their work. Nothing could deter them from what needed to be done, what they believed in. It became the sign of a hero for me.
Dian Fossey Image c/o CenterBlog
As I now find myself straddling journalism and conservation, I find that the ideals I most revere in both disciplines are one and the same. Tell a story that needs to be told, uncover wrongdoings and expose those responsible, and pursue what you believe in no matter the cost.
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Hi Allie, nice piece. I’ll post a link on my new blog for my sci101 students to read (also the one about the duck).