Can I take a moment of your time to tell you about someone I am proud to know? He’s the son of my longtime business partner (Richard Blumberg). His son is Alex and Alex has a manifesto to share with you.
Of course, I watched him grow up from a bright and curious kid who once observed “wouldn’t it be great to be able to go off some place and take just the people you really like?” Only to discover on his own that his best friends would want to drag their other friends along, and there goes the party.
Now he’s 31 and a successful radio journalist (This American Life on public radio) and a teacher of journalism (Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism). He has done radio documentaries on, among other things, the U.S. Navy, people who do impersonations of their mothers, and teenage Steve Forbes supporters. His story on clinical medical ethicists won the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI) award for best radio documentary.
Read his Manifesto where he shares some insights that will catapult your career, whether in journalism, public relations or marcom.
7 comments
4/26/2005 at 5:42 pm
Emily
Alex Blumberg has some great advice! It couldn’t have come at a better time too!
I have a article due in my newswritting class tomorrow, and I’m trying to think of good story ideas. The “what’s interesting test” will definitely come into play tonight!
It sounds like Mr. Blumberg is a great guy to know!
4/26/2005 at 7:10 pm
Robert
Love Alex’s Manifesto, Dale. It has meaning throughout communication practices, too. The story must always be compelling. I’m going to use this in future classes as required reading.
4/26/2005 at 10:14 pm
Melanie
I listen to NPR from time to time when I drive back to Auburn from home Sunday afternoons. This American Life is such an interesting show for people who are interested in the lives of others around them. I streamed Blumberg’s student’s interviews, and it sounds like he’s got some good future radio journalists in training.
Even though I’m a PR major, I love the feature aspect of the news– finding out about the lives of interesting people in the community and sharing these stories with an audience. Blumberg is obviously a great teacher of this.
Thanks for your post!
4/27/2005 at 8:07 pm
Ashley_C
Alex had some great advice. Thanks for posting Dale! He is right…you do have to look for the interesting twist in a story. No one wants to hear the same old thing over and over. I think everyone has written something or done something that they now look back on with regret. Often mistakes are the best way to learn.
I am sure I have made that mistake in my writing before…I will certainly try not to do it again!
4/27/2005 at 9:55 pm
ElizabethWood Rodgers
I do found this article compelling and enjoyed reading it. Thanks for posting it Dale! I loved hearing about his job and what he does now. His article was great and I again enjoyed it.
4/28/2005 at 6:25 am
Claire
This is a neat piece with neat ideas. I especially like his “and what’s interesting” formula. It is a smart way to figure out whether or not you should be writing about the aspect of something that you plan to write about. It is a great way to help you dig deeper and find that little point that you were looking for.
5/2/2005 at 12:08 am
CourtneyElizabeth
I feel that Mr. Blumberg is directly calling me out on many of my stories. I have always had a fascination with the tales of individuals and have admittedly told the “story already told” on several occasions. It’s amazing the flaws you can see in yourself when someone makes a point of them.