A Thousand Words
By Jock Lauterer
Who says this newspaper doesn’t get around? When I got the Fulbright to China earlier this spring, I put on my bucket list not just a visit to the Great Wall of China, but also this photo. And for good reason. Over a 10-day span I gave eight lectures on – what else? – community journalism. And the good old Citizen was center-stage at three Beijing university “J-schools†where one kid practically cried when I gave him the Citizen with the Barack Obama front-page photo. Yes, China’s press is severely shackled by the government, so my job of “preachin’ and teachin’†about the watchdog local media, First Amendment, free press and prior restraint was all the more exciting. There were a couple of white-knuckled moments when I made my hosts nervous, but the students themselves, bless their hearts, wanted me to take the gloves off and tell them the truth. You can read all about it for yourself on my China blog: weblogs.jomc.unc.edu/bluehighways/
The above title is in reference to one presentation where my host kept referring to me as “Mr. Joke.â€
If the shoe fits …
A THOUSAND WORDS
Do you have an important old photo that you value? Email your photo to jock@email.unc.edu and include the story behind the picture. Because every picture tells a story. And its worth? A thousand words.
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