Beware The "Veteran" Journalist

The other day I read a description of someone that included a phrase I always dread in several ways: “veteran journalist.”

That two-word label undoubtedly was intended as a mark of respect or to lend credibility to something the journalist wrote or said. It implied expertise and knowledge based on length of service in a job or profession. Time equals wisdom, right?

I don’t think so. I take the view of UCLA psychologist Matthew Lieberman who wrote in Psychology Today that at some point in life, we stop learning and become "knowers."

Journalists are particularly vulnerable to this.

The longer a reporter covers politics the more often he or she references long-ago elections in the hope of providing context. It’s easy to reference the losing re-election efforts of one-term presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush when opining about Trump’s re-election campaign. But those defeats are irrelevant to the 2020 election because of drastically changed demographics, socio-political upheaval, and the demonstrable mental instability of the President himself.

And it’s not necessarily age the transition from learning to knowing and stasis. There are  journalists of all ages who take the easy path and reach back to irrelevant ideas and stats to enhance their alleged sagacity.

So, should we ignore the “knowers” because they haven’t moved forward in their learning? Not at all. There are any number of worthwhile journalistic traditions and standards that remain relevant today and must be passed on an reinforced by writers and editors who worked under them and absorbed their value. Some of the best interviewers are those with enough experience to know when to push, pull back or even walk out.

And, no, journalists don’t necessarily mentally check out when they hit a certain point in their career. Certainly some rely on their description as “veterans” to sustain the flow of paychecks. But others, who aren’t necessarily keeping up on every nuance of every minute change in society still have the smarts to understand what they can contribute and add to the knowledge of others. Those are the ones we should listen to.

Pencil Me In

Mellville House

Artist David Reese has written a profound book: How to Sharpen Pencils.

Laugh if you will, but I am sure in my heart Rees' thoughts on the artistry of pencil sharpening will be quoted for years to come. That he is an artisanal pencil sharpener demonstrates his commitment to wood and graphite communications.

Yes, I am, indeed, a pencil person, I have long believed even the most perfect pen has less personality than the five-cent, basic yellow No. 2 we gnawed on as schoolchildren.

The eraserless stick pencil favored by pre-computer-era newspaper editors remains my favorite. I own a small collection of yellow pencils from the San Diego Union-Tribune Publishing Co. and black ones from United Press International. Different in girth and the firmness of their "leads," they each reflect their organization's personality.The Union-Tribune sticks are sturdier and draw a sharper line. UPI's are thinner and wear out more quickly.

When these declining examples of history are trimmed to stubs, I "point"  them one last time and stick them in the pockets of jackets and coats to make sure I will always have something with which to record ideas and the many things I hear and see and absolutely must remember.

One day these artifacts of more halcyon days will disappear into a pile of paint flecks and sawdust. I will be sad. But I will also know that they were used as their creators intended, to communicate and enlighten and amuse. And that will make me less sad.