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Pollner prof: I miss it already
The
students, the faculty, and — oh yeah — the trout
By Maurice Possley
Pollner Professor, Fall 2003
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photo by Kate Medley |
Being
the skeptics that journalists are, my co-workers at the Chicago
Tribune, upon hearing that I was leaving for a semester as the
T. Anthony Pollner professor at the University of Montana
and knowing my fondness for fly fishing, were quick to brand
it a boondoggle.
I must admit that in my letter of application for the position,
the second sentence said, “I would be less than honest if
I didn’t say that I like to fly fish.”
And I have to reveal that was written in part because I had visited
the school’s Web site and learned that Carol Van Valkenburg,
the print department chair, shared that avocation.
And in the interest of full disclosure, I would be less than honest
if I didn’t disclose that within the first week of my arrival
I caught an 18-inch rainbow trout in the Clark Fork River — the
biggest trout I had ever fooled in my life — and would catch
many more over the next several weeks.
But I would also be less than honest if I didn’t say that
my experience at the University of Montana has been one of the
most rewarding times of my more than 30 years as a journalist.
Prior to my arrival, I had scanned the online biographies
of the faculty and staff in the School of Journalism, but those
thumbnail sketches will never do justice to reality. And it is
no surprise to me, after meeting the professors here and seeing
them in action, that the University of Montana turns out one quality
journalist after another in all fields: print, broadcast
and photography.
Not only was I most impressed with their abilities as molders of
minds, but also with the wealth of experience they bring from their
work as journalists prior to entering academia. This
is not a place where burned out writers, photographers, producers,
editors and broadcasters have come to take it easy, put their feet
up and turn on the automatic pilot until retirement beckons.
These are people who have channeled their wealth of experience
into a productive and thought-provoking environment for students
and whose networking abilities help students obtain valuable internships.
The students go on to get good jobs on the basis of their abilities
and knowledge.
The enthusiasm and drive of the faculty — the list is all-inclusive,
so I won’t mention names, but advise the curious to head
straight to the faculty
Web page — are inspirational and,
most importantly, contagious. The students catch it. The visiting
professor
caught it. And my life was changed for the better.
I was the third person chosen for this position and quickly discovered
why, so far, half of the Pollner professors have wound up staying
here. Jonathan Weber, the first Pollner professor, now teaches
a business reporting course here and was very generous with his
time and counsel. He and his wife, Karen, also allowed me to show
up unannounced at their door to cut through their yard and fish
the confluence of the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Rivers, below their
back door.
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photo
by Kate Medley
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All of that said,
I also have to admit that I worked just as hard as I have at
any time during my career — notwithstanding
the proximity of excellent trout water, incredible scenery and
Friday
invitations to have a glass of wine with fellow professors.
The class I devised — Cops, Courts and Criminal Justice — was
a natural for me after spending the past several years as a criminal
justice reporter at the Tribune, working primarily on long-term
investigative projects on such issues as prosecutorial misconduct,
the death penalty, executions, false confessions and DNA exonerations.
The class — there were 12 students — studied the
workings of the criminal justice system and wrongful convictions.They
re-investigated a real-life murder case that was prosecuted in
court in Missoula.Their enthusiasm and hard work were an inspiration,
invigorating and personally satisfying.
The students tracked down witnesses from the case and re-interviewed
them.They dug up exhibits from the trial held five years earlier.They
contacted experts and submitted materials from the trial for re-evaluation.They
eagerly devoured the trial transcript and began
raising numerous questions about what happened and, more importantly,
why.
Perhaps just as significantly, the students prompted me to think
in new ways about how to approach my reporting. I learned, perhaps,
just as much as they did.
Another interesting part of the experience was the interaction
with staff members of the Montana
Kaimin, the student newspaper
published four days a week. For these writers, reporters, photographers,
design editors and copy editors, the often funky-smelling, always
trash-strewn office is a second home and a place to experience,
in many ways, the same triumphs and disappointments that professional
journalists do in their jobs.
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photo by Kate Medley |
The staff regularly scooped the Missoulian on stories of significance.
I was most impressed with their drive and desire to get the news,
get it fast and get it right. And to see an aspiring reporter come
into the Kaimin office bursting with excitement over a breaking
story not only brought back fond memories of my beginning days
as a reporter, but reminded me of how much I love this business
and how, after three decades, I find it as exciting and challenging
as ever.
The time went far too quickly. But I feel as if I have forged some
new friendships that will last far beyond the confines of the campus.
And I have a strong feeling that I will be back someday, somehow.
Return
to Pollner page
UM J-School Web page
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