Ken Ward knows

Ken Ward Jr., the environmental reporter from the Charleston Gazette, came to MSU last week and brought a refreshing dose of journalism with him.

By today's standards, he seems like a traditionalist. Spending months on a story that in the end shows obvious blunders by either the government or irresponsible businesses (big or small) is his forte.

What was interesting, though, was his take on what it means to be an effective enviro journalist.

Don't try to rile up the public by making wild claims about how an incident may be so terrible. I see this all too often and as a young journalist, know exactly what he's talking about because I've made this mistake.

Simply give the public the numbers. Give the facts in an historical context and let the public decide for themselves.

"Get them talking about the issue, not your story."

What's the deal and whose style can be more effective? Al Gore or Ken Ward...that rhymes.

And on another note, the notion of people actually going back and buying newspaper subscriptions again...crazy. That's like telling people to go back and eat the crust first then get to the good stuff.