12
An Interview with
JIM MATTIS How an MIHS student struck journalistic gold
photo courtesy King5
Journalists were coming to us for answers, and no one had ever done that for me, nor Jane. Most people took interest in our story primarily because of our age, but some appreciated the line of questioning that contributed to many interesting answers from Mattis that were newsworthy. Receiving compliments is always gratifying, but receiving them from seasoned journalists is something truly special. This will probably be the last time I write about it, with the exception of my college essay. I want to wrap up all the loose ends and end a chapter that has droned on far too long because I have bigger aspirations and goals after school. I’m retelling this story because many of you can learn from the lessons that Jane and I learned throughout our experience last summer. I’m retelling this story because I want to challenge you to become invested in watching the news. Non-partisan, non-opinionated, analytical journalism, coupled with the amazing amount of meaningless clutter that inhabits the web has dulled our sensibility and in many people the desire to care. High schoolers in particular have had their perception of journalism ruined by this particular brand of journalism, which is devoid of all passion. The intimidating and cumbersome size of newspapers and the subscription fee for news websites, made necessary by ever declining sales of the newspapers that no high schooler has the patience to read, has lead many to lose interest in following the stories that define our existence. I can assure you however, that there is plenty of excellent reporting, if you look for it.
photo by Charlie Fischer
Teddy Fischer and last year’s Editor in Chief, Jane Gormley
Pretty soon a fourth of you will be adults, and will have the opportunity to vote. I challenge you to not only read the news to broaden your opportunities and become more in touch with the world around you, so that you can better contribute to it, but to read the news to develop an opinion. Political discourse is something everyone will face in their lifetime; take the time to leave a positive impression on those who take the time to listen to you.
If I had never read the news, I would never have noticed the following headline in the Washington Post. Even if I had stumbled across it, if I hadn’t been somewhat knowledgeable about the state of our country and world, it would be like discovering gold and only being able to mine it with a rusty fork and a three-year-old copy of The MIHS Islander. I would have never known what to ask, and believe me, if you don’t know what to ask, you’re better off not asking.
Everyone in this school has particular skill sets that are valuable. Everyone in this school has the capacity to profoundly affect the society around them. Knowing what is happening not only in your country, but in the world, is necessary for understanding people, their conflicts, faith, and culture. If you are not able to recognize the differences of others, or understand another person, then you will never be able to fix the problems that exist in any society. If you read the news, you’ll have a better grasp of what drives people to act in the way that they do, and who knows, maybe you’ll end up on CNN.
-Teddy Fischer, Cartoonist for the Islander Find the full article at mihsislander.org. photo courtesy The Stranger
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Editors-in-Chief: Grady Short and Sophie Poole Front Editor: Lucille Shield Features Editor: Isabel Funk Sports Editor: Reid Martinez Spread Editor: Ellie Gottesman Opinions Editor: Grady Short A&E Editor: Sophie Poole Back Page Editors: Ellie Gottesman Online Editors: Ellie Gottesman, Reid Martinez, and Maya Virdell Humor Editor Spencer Klein Cartoonist Teddy Fischer Adviser: Chris Twombley Staff Writers: Isabelle Arenson, Samantha Bender, Annika Bhananker, Benjamin Capuano, Joshua Chang, Zoe Chen, Landon Cobbs, Evan Dickstein, Sabine Drake, Katherine Francke, Maria Francke, Claire Korthius-Smith, Henry LeMaster, Susanna Lepow, Cordelia Longo, Isabella Mancuso, Isabella Pangallo, Annie Poole, Baran Fotouhiyeh Pour, Ethan Preston, Abraham Schenck, Annawee Swartz, Liliana Szafir, Roni Talby, Max Thilen, Lauren Umbehocker, Henry Watson, Hannah Whobrey, and Emily Yang.
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