Book Review: Journalism Unbound: New Approaches to Writing and Reporting, by Mitchell Stephens

Abstract

Mitchell Stephens Journalism Unbound: New Approaches to Writing and Reporting. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. 208 pp.In Journalism Unbound, New York University professor and news history guru Mitchell Stephens tells us his all-time favorite lead, written by Ernie Pyle:Someday when peace has returned to this odd I want to come to London again and stand on a certain balcony on a moonlit night and look down upon the peaceful silver curve of the Thames with its dark bridges.And standing there, I want to tell somebody who had never seen how London looked on a certain night in the holiday season of the year 1940.For on that night this old, old city-even though I must bite my tongue in shame for saying it-was the most I have ever seen.It was a night when London was and stabbed with (p. 131)What make those paragraphs stand out? It is the language, Stephens argues, that makes art. The way the war correspondent sets the mood with someday when peace has returned to this odd world . . . the way he shocks us with the beautiful sight bombing of London, a city ringed and stabbed with fire. He loves the rhythm, the music.If journalists today knew their history, Stephens argues, they would learn the lessons of writing well from world-class teachers. Our lack of historical knowledge hurts us in many ways. Too many of us do not have diverse perspectives, penetrating approaches, or engaging styles. We do not often seek deeper truths or wiser understandings. To do something new, Stephens says, we need to learn from the timeless examples of great journalism from centuries past.In particular, the author calls for more risk-taking journalism, edgier, with voice, based in fact but reaching for meaning the way columnists, news analysts, and commentators do.Very well. In the spirit of Journalism Unbound, this review will now shiftgears and head toward the attitude-rich territory Stephens seeks, the place where we spend more time pondering news and less time merely transcribing it (p. 86).Mitch and I go back two decades. We met during the building of the Newseum. Dressed in New York black, looking smart with his cool, bald head and soft, questioning voice, Mitch mined news history as a consultant, wrote exhibit text, helped identify artifacts, and advised the whole project. In the wrinkled blue and gray suits of a California newsroom, looking too young to be running a content team, I shaped the exhibits and edited the words and images as managing editor. Together, we (and many others) co-created the world's first interactive museum of news. …