Growing up, I hadn’t seen much in terms of student journalism representation on TV.
The only instance that comes to mind is that one creepy teenager on “Glee,” who had a blog where he just posted gossip.
It wasn’t until I got to college and decided to watch the show “Gilmore Girls,” because so many people had told me I remind them of Rory Gilmore, that I had actually seen someone want to pursue journalism. I hadn’t even known the show included this until watching it.
Though I’d like to say I am glad I reminded people of this character, I hope it was at least just for the show’s earlier seasons. Rory’s character development surely went downhill once she got to Yale.
However, with this being the first I’ve seen of student journalism representation - is it a good one?
Yes and no.
There is not an easier answer because on one hand I can see how Rory’s experiences have compared to mine, but also how they don’t. It is also important to note here that, of course, not everyone’s experiences are going to be exactly the same.
Rory went to an ivy league. I went to a state school.
Yale’s student newspaper is daily. Framingham State’s student newspaper is weekly.
And considering the show is titled “Gilmore Girls,” it’s obvious the protagonist is going to be exceptional at what she does despite her pitfalls.
Nevertheless, let’s consider a few instances.
The first moment that stands out to me as true representation is when Rory writes her first article for her high school’s student newspaper.
The paper’s editor, Paris, thought she was giving Rory a hard time when she assigned the story of a parking lot repaving. However, Rory was able to turn the story into so much more, with the faculty advisor stating it was “a bittersweet piece on how everybody and everything eventually becomes obsolete.”
Though I’ve never written something as grand as that article sounds, the beauty of journalism is turning something boring into something a paper’s audience will want to read.
One article I’ve done that comes to mind is a campus COVID-19 testing update I wrote last year.
The topic is pretty boring, but I was able to make it interesting according to the staff and advisor that helped edit it.
Articles like that have made me find covering the more boring topics enjoyable. With each story I write, I become more comfortable explaining the parts of higher education that are data heavy with lots of jargon.
I am quite thankful for all the experiences I’ve been able to obtain since realizing I want to pursue journalism. So with all the opportunities that get handed to Rory, I can’t help, but shake my head at the ones she passed up.
Rory lived in the same town her whole life and knew she wanted to be a reporter for the majority of it - yet she didn’t even consider the local paper until it was about to die?
I found out I wanted to be a journalist my senior year of high school while taking a journalism course. We didn’t have a full on newspaper, but at least I was seizing the opportunity I did have.
Following graduation I reached out to the town’s local paper just to see if I could talk to people who work there and learn more about their experience and they were more than willing to speak with me and offered me an opportunity to submit an article for publication.
Yet, even when the local paper was dying she seemed reluctant to just look at it!
And it’s not like she never had the time - she spent all of high school sitting around and reading hundreds of books.
Another opportunity she passed up on was in her job search. I, personally, have not searched for a job in journalism quite yet, but it’s a known fact that they aren’t easy to come by.
Rory passed up on a great opportunity to work for the Providence Journal because she thought she was too good for it.
She was fresh out of college. She should have seized the opportunity to gain more experience then apply to the New York Times or wherever else she felt she better belonged.
I understand she had a specific dream in mind that wouldn’t be completely accomplished at the Journal, but she could have easily accepted the position and then if she was actually offered a job at the NYT she could have let the Journal know she was no longer able to accept the position.
One last instance I’d like to consider in this show is Rory’s Yale Daily News experience.
College newsrooms are a bit tricky because everyone is still so young and when friends start getting into higher positions, relationships can get complicated.
Seeing Paris’ reign of terror was obviously an exaggeration (at least I hope so) of when someone who lets their authority over a newspaper get to them.
Leadership and mentorship are vital to a newspaper, but teamwork and everyone’s contributions to it are so much more valuable.
I think the show drives this home when everyone on the paper stays late to ensure it is able to go to print - done in part by Rory’s leadership.
I think “Gilmore Girls” is a great show despite some of its faults. When it comes to its representation of student journalism, it does enough to hint at some of the important aspects of an aspiring journalist.
And please aspiring journalist, learn from Rory’s mistakes.
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