As Chipsters laugh heartily in the room next door -- I believe they’re playing a riotous game of charades (at least, the sign posted outside Ronald Clark’s door advertised Chipsters charades) -- I have returned to the question of whether it is better to be a good writer or a good reporter. It was only after I began my graduate studies that I came to appreciate the distinction. I wondered why the professional journalists whose counsel I sought during the application process neglected to mention it. Now, I worry. Writing, which was once so effortless, now feels forced. As I explained to (Diversity Institute Executive Director) Robbie Morganfield over dinner, I, the consummate perfectionist, consider (i.e., edit) each word – often at length – before it appears on the page, intent on composing the most intelligent, thoughtful “product” possible. Heaven forbid if what I do isn’t perfect, and I worry that I will carry that anxiety with me on my first day at the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, prompting my editor, Antoinette Taylor-Thomas, to regret taking a gamble on me.
-- Tierra L. Palmer, Ohio University, Lancaster (Ohio) Eagle-Gazette
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