T-Squared: Events as Journalism

We journalists have the pleasure and privilege of going to interesting places and talking to interesting or provocative people, then writing or recording our experiences and passing them along.

It’s the best part of the job: experiencing things first-hand, talking to the actors and finding out why they did what they did or how they reacted or what might happen next.

Events like our annual Tribune Festival and our periodic TribLive interviews allow everyone else into the direct experience of civics and politics and public life, without a journalist between them and the newsmakers.

Instead of reading or hearing about the three most important things from a speech or an interview, you see it and hear it for yourself. You get to see how someone acts, smiles, frowns, what animates them — a little more about what they’re really like.

That’s why events are journalism, too. They bring newsmakers together with the audience, for viewing, questioning, listening and, hopefully, for a little more rounded understanding of what’s going on in the world.

It’s part of the package, from plain old news stories to databases that add to the understanding or context of the news, to audio and video reports, maps and all sorts of information that doesn’t necessarily make headlines.

Events broaden understanding and engagement in the same way, letting people talk at length about what they’re doing and why, interacting with their audiences and setting a stage for a continuing conversation within the audience itself. They're an essential element of the Tribune's DNA and they are only possible because of the generous support of our members and our sponsors.

If you appreciate the free and open-to-the-public events we host statewide, become a member today during our Fall Membership Drive.