An editorial from Kay

The truth should always rule for writers

No matter what their race, religion, interests or political bent, everyone has an opinion about all of these issues. Race relations are fresh on my mind because returning to Arkansas has reminded me that my 50th high school reunion is coming up in a couple of years. Yikes!

Why would I be thinking about race as an issue? And how does that relate to truth in writing? Well, I was a 1958 graduate of Little Rock Central High School—you know—the one that turned into an international news story when nine black students entered a previously all-white high school for the first time. I have lots of memories of soldiers standing in the hallways holding rifles and bayonets while we students tried to concentrate on learning and enjoying the year.

The anniversary is a hot topic again, but the vast majority of the 2000 plus students who weren’t black, or who didn’t provoke fights or make stupid racist remarks to the press, are being left out of the discussion once more. It is as if our pain and fear didn’t count—or even exist—yet we all lived with daily fear fueled by the press, and bomb threats that regularly sent us scurrying from the building.

Looking back, I was planning on being a news reporter when I graduated from high school and college, but the events that year changed my mind and life. No longer did I want to be associated with a profession that didn’t report the news accurately, but instead sensationalized often fabricated stories. All nine of the black students were depicted as victims while all of the white ones were shown as scurrilous pigs rioting hurling insults at (unseen) blacks. Yes, I admit it wasn’t pretty for those black students who were marched into an all-white school that September morning. They must have been shaking in their shoes and scared beyond belief.

Most of we white students were sympathetic towards them, but most of us were also selfish teenagers who thought the world revolved around us, and all we wanted was to attend school and graduate. We didn’t want trouble, and we definitely didn’t relish the world’s attention.

The truth was we were all scared out of our wits. The day that ended my career dreams was the evening my sister and I were watching the national evening news with our mother, and suddenly we appeared on screen, and these are the exact words as I remember them: “watching rioting and violence against a negro.” What???

We were stunned! We were actually waiting for our ride under the same tree we stood under every afternoon, as were a few dozen other students. Nothing was happening except teenagers swapping news about the day’s activities. It was the stuff we did every afternoon after school.

That was the event that sent me over the edge. No longer did I admire the press, or even respect it. In fact, I also lost all respect for the adults who had created the problems in the first place—the ones who were fighting integration and making life miserable for both the black students and us. The ones who were supposed to protect us all—black and white, alike.

It took me a long time before I could pick up a pen and write again because I could no longer visualize my place in the journalism profession. It wasn’t until the mid-eighties that I suddenly realized I could work as an independent journalist, writing only for magazines and newspapers that I respected.

Sometimes situations in life force faulty decisions, but in reality, we’re all in charge of our own futures. Yes, I was young and impressionable, and I could blame the events of that year for a lot of things besides my decision to not work as a news reporter. I tended to view things negatively back then. However, I now recognize the positive effects that year had on my life—such as giving me empathy for others who are less fortunate, and fueling a determination to not be influenced by what I see and hear reported as “gospel truth.”

The established press still reeks of everything from slanting reality to downright lying to the public that trusts it. But now I know that, and I hope those of you reading this will always remember to not accept facts from TV or newspapers as truthful or complete. Instead, always go to the sources you’re writing about and ask questions until you’re satisfied that what you write is as factual as possible.

This should be your mantra whether you’re writing a piece on a tourist destination or a profile of a well-known politician or celebrity. All news is important to someone. Make sure you aren’t the one responsible for deceiving readers, no matter how unintentionally you might do it.

The words of my high school journalism teacher, Miss Middlebrook concerning reporting the news still echo in my ears: “Get it, get it right, and get it right the first time!” Wise words to remember, don’t you think?