As has already been discussed in this blog, the news media – particularly the electronic media – are not incredibly interested in stories of what many would call “real people”. They tend to follow much more closely the worlds of the famous and infamous because they sell papers, increase ratings and give corporate media CEO’s a salary bonus. Then, to appease the nation that there are more things in the world than Britney Spears, the media almost forcefully interjects a piece of journalism called the “human interest story.”
But there seems to be one time when the United States media writes stories about everyday people who just so happen to be doing extraordinary things. That time is at the Olympics.
There are characters upon characters in the Games of the Olympiad that are not, nor will be, household names in America. A few will slip through the cracks and be remembered, but for the most part, olympians are regular people who compete at the highest level in one, or perhaps several events.
As the Olympic Flame makes its way around the world to Beijing, China, we will start to see stories about people that we will never meet that might live down the street from us. They will have the magnifying glass on them with reporters asking questions while trying to portray these athletes in as descriptive terms as possible. For us, these stories are interesting. For the athletes though, they are a test of character – to see how the world sees them.
For each of us, outside of those that make an olympic team, we don’t get that kind of attention. But we probably know someone who does deserve it. You may not be able to produce a vinette like the pros at NBC will during the Olympics, but you can interview that person with the aid of a tape recorder or video camera. And then your story is saved to the point that generations from now can hear the same words in the same clarity spoken from the same person that told the story.
And in the same way NBC will treat the Olympians in Beijing, you will also be doing a story on an ordinary human being that does extraordinary things.
