Over the course of 10 years I’ve probably started and stopped 20 blogs. Some were too specific. Some were just plain boring. Others, while worthwhile, I simply didn’t follow through. I believe I’ve found a subject that will inspire me to actually do some work on this site every once in a while. I’m a journalism professor by trade. I’ve been teaching and practicing journalism for more than 25 years. I started out thinking I could help change the world. That changed quickly enough. I hadn’t worked in TV news six months before I figured out how screwed up it is most of the time. I become interested in crime, cops and courts. I still am. I was an agriculture reporter for two years. That was the toughest and best journalism job I ever had. Only farmers watch farm shows and those people know their business. It forced me to start double and triple checking facts. I’ve covered sports, cotton, crooks, presidents and crack addicts and all were interesting. I’m no longer interested in breaking stories. I don’t want to investigate anything. I want to express my opinion if I have something to say and I want to tell stories. I’m intensely interested in people. Given a choice I prefer old people, blue collar workers and poor people, but I like them all. So here’s to stories about people. I take ’em as I find ’em.
Ralph Braseth 