Why I wanted to be a journalist

Way back in the long ago days, you know like 1973, when I graduated from high school;  I swiftly figured out that I had wrong-tracked myself in getting out of school with nothing to do and little idea about a future.  I realized I needed to figure out what I was going to do and fast.

Ideas floated through my mind and none really took anchor.  Until, that is, I realized doing what I was doing wasn’t going to get it.  I looked back at my high school years and realized that the only thing I was ever able to do well was write.

Writing more often than not got me out of all the trouble my mouth seemed to get me into.  And so, after completing my umpteenth essay on why playing sports is more important than attending Health Class, I opted to join the Army.

For whatever reason, writing always seemed to bail me out of things when I was in school.  Ironically enough, writing has turned out to be the best avenue for a career, as well.  Call it the path of least resistance.

So, once I realized I wanted to be a writer, I needed to figure out how to make that happen.  Making that happen involved what ended up being a 7-year hitch in the military. To make matters short, I got out of the military and went to school to learn how to write.  At least, to learn how to write professionally.

As a writer, total immersion seemed the best way to go.  Get a job that requires you to write something every day.  Even more than something, like two somethings every day and at least one column, or opinion piece.  You know, writing sort of like this piece you are reading now.

So in journalism ethics and morals are huge.  There is no one there to tell you what to write and what not to write.  Sure there are editors who will review your material, and hopefully, they are as good as the editors I had when I was a journalist.

During my time at The Progress-Index in the late 1980’s early 1990’s, I had two stories that were both true, but for which I could not get anyone to go on record.  They were huge stories, the kinds of stories that earn awards.

One story finally was too big to stay hidden.  It was about the Chesterfield Sheriff, who eventually resigned.  We don’t need to go over the dirty laundry, but some of you might remember the incident.

The other story I could never get the main witness to agree to go on record.  That person was afraid she would be attacked as a whistleblower and was in fear for her job.  There was a substantial amount of violence involved with the story that threats would likely have been made.

In the end, the best thing I could do was to ask pertinent questions to people in higher positions.  Sure, it didn’t get the play in the newspapers that it ought to have, but in the end the higher authority cleaned house with certain personnel and righted the ship.

In both circumstances, my editors would not let the stories go.  Both stories were true, but neither one had solid enough sources to run with the information.

In today’s journalistic world, apparently, checking sources and having multiple sources is not very important.  What’s important, is what information do you have and how will it serve to attack the person or group you disagree with.

Which brings us to fake news.  What is fake news?  Fake news is something that gets printed or shown on TV that is not true on its face.  Usually, these sort of things get what’s called as “walked back.”  Walked back means withdrawing from the statement to a point at which the attack is no longer offensive.

The bigger problem now is that the main stream media has been caught in so many entanglements it’s impossible not to believe that such untruths are random mistakes.  The errors have come so flowingly, so willingly, so easily, and so much in one direction that it’s getting to the point where no one wants to believe the MSM.

And, until they clean up their acts, no one ought to believe them.

It has gotten to the point where even a legitimate mistake by a reporter serves only to substantiate the idea of fake news.  There has been enough fake news to throw a shadow over everything that is being put out now.  Oh for the old days, where my editors wouldn’t let me get carried away with a story without abundant proof.

Why Wait? Goddard's Park here we come!

The city continues to reap a harvest off the old courthouse property since by contract Kroger still owns it.  The contract included a requirement for Kroger to tear down the old building, which many of us in the Tri Cities can see has been done.

But what to do with the property is another thing altogether.  While Kroger is on record saying that they had a bit of an economic downturn that caused them to change their growth plans, one has to think that the site’s location, right next to the city’s immaculate round-about, may have played into it a bit.

Their lot exit onto south Temple Avenue may not have been as clean as it looked when they first envisioned the property.  And, of course, Publix has pulled some of the higher-end shoppers that used to frequent Martin’s and before that UKrops.  Add to that, the growth at Aldi’s and you really have to wonder what really drove the decision to drop Kroger’s planned expansion.

So, that leaves us with the big question of what can we expect to fill the property.  Right now, the city is collecting taxes and has little need or desire to market it.  In fact, it’s in the best interest of Kroger to market the property, and, I believe, the city has a right to nix the deal if they are not in favor of the “new” owner.  I mean, God forbid we end up with a Priscilla’s factory outlet.

The argument for Goddard’s Park at the Roundabout

So back to the roundabout.  To be honest, it seems to be working.  I drive it at least twice a day, mostly from the South Bound Temple Avenue entrance/exit to south I 95.  Most of the time, I have no problems. I’m an early driver and there is very little traffic. On occasion, someone heading south on Temple attempts to cut across in front of me when I am trying to go south on I 95, but it is rare, and becoming even more rare.  Let’s say people are getting use to how the roundabout works.

The one thing no one is really talking about is what to name the park that is in the middle of the roundabout.  It screams for some kind of marker and of course a name.  Since it owes its life to the Goddard Family, I think we ought to name it Goddard Park.  And, since it also owes its existence to the demise of Goddard’s Dairy Farm, maybe we can put in a statue of a Holstein and a heffer (two cows), or maybe just put up a miniature silo?

On a more serious note, perhaps we can put up a marker to commemorate all those Colonial Heights people who have given their all to the country.  We don’t need something as large as Arlington, nor as expansive as the Vietnam War Memorial, but it surely calls for some kind of display.  Just look at what Hopewell is doing with money donated by the Cameron Foundation on the Route 10 entry to their city.

Using Foundation funds on a 50-50 match designed to beautify an entrance to the city, Hopewell has opted to erect a huge capital H, resplendent in silver, to let people know they are entering Hopewell.  Hopewell, the city with two recent state champion football teams.  Of course, we in the Heights did win a Volleyball state championship just a few scant years ago, so maybe we should put up a volleyball net and then invite the homeless and others in the community to come and get a little extra exercise.  

Well, however it goes, it still ought to be named Goddard Park.