A Powerful Profession

Journalism is truly one of the most profound occupations in the world today. Its topics can range from the most mundane to the exceedingly important. Its scale can be large or very small. However, the impact of the stories told can be felt at all levels of a community. In listening to professional journalists detail their experiences to our class, it’s clear they have poured their hearts and souls into their work to find the very best stories in their communities. Shane Fitzgerald, the executive editor of The Intelligencer and Bucks County Courier Times, has had a long and impressive career as a journalist, working his way up the ladder to where he is today. His journey has taken him across the country, from Montana to Corpus Christi, Texas, and now to Bucks County. However, what I found most interesting about his career was his time spent in Littleton, Colorado. As a young high school sports editor, nothing could have prepared him for the tragedy that would unfold on April 20, 1999. As I watched Shane become emotional discussing the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of himself and those around him during and after the Columbine High School massacre, I realized that journalism is more than just reporting the facts or telling the news. It’s about capturing a snapshot of the emotions of a community and giving that to the world. To be effective, stories aren’t always going to be positive. While Shane’s newsroom won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the tragedy, the award was bittersweet. Shane acknowledged the fantastic life journalism has given him but said “I wouldn’t change a day of it, except Columbine.”

Phil Gianficaro, a longtime columnist, and reporter who works for the Intelligencer and Courier Times shared his own experiences covering deeply powerful stories. It was clear the entire room was moved by Phil’s account of his conversations with survivors of the Holocaust. He acknowledged the sensitivity of the topic, saying “You hesitate because it’s such a terrible, personal thing,” but without journalists like Phil, some stories would never be told. “Stories need to be told so people understand”, he said, which echoes an experience Shane had talking to the father of Daniel Rohrbough, the first student killed at Columbine. Shane recalled Mr. Rohrbough saying, “the world needs to see what happened to my son.” When presented with stories like these, journalism becomes a medium for people to bring about change and inspire emotion and empathy in others. Phil and Shane are perfect examples of how journalism can change people’s lives. Shane summed up his purpose beautifully, saying “make people laugh, make people cry, make people care and get paid to do it.” As they told their stories, Shane and Phil affected everyone in the room. They made some people laugh. They made some people cry. They made everyone care. As journalists, is that not the pinnacle of what we can do? In my short time as a journalist at Pennridge High School, I hope that the impact I make on others will be even just a fraction of what Shane and Phil have had on their readers.