There’s nothing I love more than persuading children not to go into journalism, so I immediately said I would be delighted.
The group of 17 girls is reading “Darby,” which, as Newett put it, is about a girl growing up in South Carolina in 1926. She ends up landing a gig as a columnist at the local newspaper, and she reveals more truth than her community can handle.
The girls wanted to know how a story comes to be, so I explained that sometimes ideas just fall into our laps, and other times we get tips, and every once in a while we just think of something great.
We discussed sources (with one girl providing the perfect definition, “People who know about the topic”), credibility and how we know if someone is lying.
Let me tell you, these girls were sharp.
They had really great questions: “Which would be harder, writing a column or writing a book?” Answer: Writing a book would be fun because it could be on whatever you want if it’s fiction, but then trying to get published would be hard. If you’re a reporter or columnist you’re almost guaranteed to get published at the paper you work for. So really it’s a toss-up.
“What was your favorite newspaper to work for?” That would be the Inyo Register, where I got my start and wrote stories about cattle and forest fires.
“What are your favorite colors?” Purple and green.
And again with the, “If you didn’t do this, what else would you do?” Still a veterinarian. And maybe a lawyer.
“Have you ever reviewed a movie?” Yes, “Red Cliff,” by director John Woo.
“How about a book?” No, not yet.
