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The Politics of Story-Telling
"As we talk to young people we realize that many of them are tired of
talking about Katrina. The shift in our conversation has moved to the
things that make New Orleans such a unique place to live..."
By Patrick Johnson
In a blog straight from New Orleans, Youth Radio's Patrick Johnson reflects on the media coverage of post-Katrina destruction. After watching a group of photo journalists hit up the 9th ward, Patrick wonders - even though he prides himself on being a reporter with a conscious - is he telling the story any better than other media? But Patrick's coverage of the Hurricane aftermath takes a twist as the stories he collects from New Orleans' residents begin to shift away from the damage and destruction.
There is a pressure that comes with being a journalist with a conscience.
At the end of the day, the aim for me is to get the stories right.
While in the 9th Ward, I cringed when a team of white photojournalists
hopped out of their Lincoln Town Car and snapped pictures of the area’s
destruction. But what makes me any better? I was after all, standing
outside of a home that collapsed on a car with a video camera. Are my
intentions really nobler than those photojournalists?
The reality is maybe I am no more than a tourist and I am doing nothing grand at all. Maybe I will hop on a plane Thursday and head back to the Bay Area with Click to enlarge
nothing
more than stories of how messed up things are here in New Orleans.
If that is the case, I have not done my job. As a country we have seen the
painful images of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath, however many in New Orleans
are hopeful about the city’s future. That is a story that has to be told.
We have spent time with those who will be crucial to the rebuilding
process. We interviewed school children at an elementary school for low-
income young people. We spoke to fifth and sixth graders about their
experiences evacuating as well as currently residing in FEMA trailers.
We spoke to young people at a residential college bound program, which
prepares kids as young as 10-years-old. We also interviewed students at the
University of New Orleans about their thoughts on being a part of the
future young professionals who will be vital to the city’s rebirth.
As we talk to young people we realize that many of them are tired of
talking about Katrina. The shift in our conversation has moved to the
things that make New Orleans such a unique place to live and why people are
insistent on rebuilding here. We are learning about the slang terms young
people use. Some girls taught us slang terms such as “chapped,” which means
messed up...and “fire,” which means good.
We are learning about the French and Catholic influences on the city. We have been exposed to bounce music, a style of music that is native to the city that can be described as high-energy music that pairs vocals to rapid fire drum tracks. In addition to original
songs composed by local artists, musicians also “bounce” popular records
such as Usher’s “Burn” or Mariah Carey’s “My All,” turning melodic ballads
into dance tracks.
New Orleans is an incredible city with so much history and culture. I cannot help but be proud of the resiliency of its citizens and disheartened by how the city has not taken care of its poor. These same poor people give the city its soul. We can only hope the work we doing will help give another voice to their stories.
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