In the words of my mother: “Man plans, G-d laughs.” I’m a planner. Before deciding to do something, I like do know what I’m doing and makes goals. That’s not to say I’m not flexible, because that could not be any further from the truth. I’m usually able to adapt to my situation, to my environment, to my peers.

When I decided to quit my job and volunteer in Israel for a year, I didn’t entirely know what I was going to spend my time doing. My career was off to a decent start, which can describe anyone with a job in this economy. I knew that I love Israel and that I wanted to spend time living there. Maybe I was planning to stop planning.

Three months have gone by. Within those three months, I learned Hebrew, volunteered at a soup kitchen, toured Israel, and Hamas launched hundreds or possibly even thousands of missiles into Israel. In Israel, regular war is inevitable. Nine members of my group were supposed to move to cities nearby Gaza. So when Israel began to strike back, I and seven other people had to take refuge in Arad, a small desert towns located near the Dead Sea.

In Israel, a person needs to be flexible. So much is uncertain. While many people complained about our delayed plans, I tried to stay optimistic. We were in a safe area. We weren’t personally going to fight. We are going to Netivot, a city between Beersheva and Gaza, tomorrow. The real adventure begins now.

I’m trying to stop planning so much. I need to accept that I have no idea where I’ll be this summer. That’s OK. I’m trying to focus on what I do know and how I can maximize the now. It’s a process, but I’m learning.

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On May 5, CU Boulder’s SJMC had the first of its last commencement speeches. A week and a half later, the prestigious journalism school, Columbia University, had its commencement speech. Both commencement speeches said that finding information, fact checking and producing good stories for the importance of seeking the truth is vital, no matter the medium.

Rick Reilly, a well-known sports writer for Sports Illustrated and ESPN, spoke to CU graduates. He had gotten his career start in 1979 as an undergraduate assistant at the Daily Camera in Boulder, so it was fitting.

At graduation, Reilly had some words to instill on CU graduates. After making a number of jokes about the fate of the journalism school, Reilly talked about how he believes that journalism will be journalism no matter the medium, the goal is the same.

“Because without real journalism there is going to be nothing to tweet, Facebook, text, bing, blog, flog, poke, post, roast, friend, unfriend, Wiki Leak, share, smoke signal or quilt about,” he said. “They need us.”

He was getting to his point. Journalism gives people something to talk about. He also brought up that journalism needs to be insight for and original to keep people engaged. This is something journalists have been doing for some time.

Besides having a longer speech at the Columbia Journalism School’s graduation, Nate Silver, a New York Time political, public affairs, sports, science and culture blogger, brought up similar points to Reilly.

Silver started by pointing out the troubled state of the media industry. This isn’t something Reilly focused on much; he talked more about its changing nature.

Like Reilly, Silver also believes that traditional journalistic skills are still important today. Among these skill, he listed reading,  writing and consuming an active media diet. In addition, he listed learning math and statics, as important skills.

He also gave nontraditional journalistic advice, such as “learn how to be an entrepreneur” and market yourself.

Both men were focused on the changing nature of media, but neither of them gave up hope for the careers of future journalists.

You point out that it’s the kids on the fringe that eventually do best, because they’re able to distinguish themselves later in life.

Right. In high school, popularity is more important than anywhere else, but popularity is not a measure of likability. Popularity is composed of three elements: visibility, recognizability and influence. The people in school who have those three qualities are often that way because they conform to a standard. Meanwhile, the kids who won’t or can’t conform are the ones who are left out. Nonconformity is a wonderful trait, and it’s going to be valued in adulthood. If you’re different in school, that makes you an outsider. If you’re different as an adult, that makes you interesting, fun and often successful.

Check out the article! http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/05/01/high_school_interview

My Digital Newroom professor, Rick Stevens, presented our class with this scenario:

You’re a reporter working for the Boulder Daily Camera. You’ve been assigned a story about a CU English professor who was dismissed because his name was listed on a child pornography Web site as a frequent client. The professor denies that his name is listed on the site.

The question: To link or not to link to the child pornography website?

The verdict: Not to link. As a journalist, I want to inform the public about why the CU English professor was dismissed and give proof. I want to give the public the information they are seeking. If he is guilty, there’s no harm done, right?

• Wrong. Although linking might not increase your risk of libel, I must remember that child pornography is obscenity, which is defined as sexual material that is placed in a matter to cause arousal and lacks artistic value. Although I can add a disclaimer by the link, child pornography is seen as disgusting by most people. I’m also likely to receive letters and phone calls complaining. Readers are also more likely to steer clear of my paper for its bad taste.
• I also might be in danger of violating the Communications Decency Act, because I’m linking to a site that “depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs.”
• In addition, links are often seen as encouraging toward a site. I do not want our readers to believe that our publication is by any means encouraging Child pornography.

In all, I want my readers to be able to see the proof that the site is out there, and I want to link to the source. However, it is in bad taste to provide the link and will result in anger phone calls, emails, etc. It might also cause legal ramifications for the publication and myself, which I do not want.

My policy? If it seems to be more trouble than it’s worth, don’t link. Unless linking to this site can somehow change the world, I’m going to steer clear.