Journalism Reflection: Globalpost

As a young journalist, I've found one of the best ways to learn what makes great journalism is by reading, watching, and observing other journalists.

Today, I came across an article, "The coming war for water" on GlobalPost.Jason Overdorf is GlobalPost's India correspondent. In this story, he discusses the conflict between India and Pakistan over the rivers which flow between both of these countries. Both of these countries have inhabitants who are dependent on these water sources to survive. India and Pakistan both have links to the region of Kashmir, where these rivers are located. Pakistan controls the northwest portion and India controls the central and southwest portions (China controls the rest). For years, there has been continuous arguing between people from both countries about who controls what.

Overdorf's report does not have any accompanying video. In fact, the article includes only a file photo from April. It is this journalist's writing which caught my attention. My journalism professors continuously stress the importance of good writing. Whether it's print, where a journalist is confined by space, or in broadcast, where a journalist is confined by time, a good journalist needs to be able to have compelling writing, something that makes the viewer or reader want to continue listening or reading. In my opinion, Overdorf's opening sets the scene for the story and causes me to create a picture in my head. He writes:

" Atop the disputed Baglihar Dam in the mountains of Kashmir, the Chenab River roars like a 747 as its silvery waters churn the dam's massive turbines and boil out over the ravine in a tremendous, spiraling white waterfall. The air is moist, and a massive cloud of mist floats downstream toward the roadway, where moments ago a dozen busloads of soldiers headed for posts along India's border with Pakistan have rumbled across a narrow bridge."

Although I have never traveled to Kashmir during my 21 years of life, I was able to instantly picture this scene in my head. If I had produced this story for television, I would include a nat sound opening of water from the Chenab River flowing. Maybe, if I was lucky, I could even get some nat sound from local animal species (such as birds).

I believe Overdorf is a great journalist. Throughout this piece, he mixes words from locals, a brief history of this conflict, and how politics comes into play in this matter. However, if Overdorf was in Broadcast 2, he probably would have approached this story differently (he has an opportunity for amazing "web extras." A picture slideshow of the disputed water and local people would add tremendously to the story).

A quote from this report also caught my attention. Overdorf met with Kashmiri journalist Parvaiz Bukhari of the Mail Today who told him, "in an abnormal situation, the normal becomes news." Sometimes, something that you have always thought to be perfectly normal suddenly becomes news. This goes to show that a great story could be staring you right in the face.

Here is the link to the story: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090731/the-coming-war-water?page=0,0