It's been a good week for publication

A thought from atop the proverbial soap box

There's a definite sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when you see your name in print under a paper, article or even blog post and you know it's destined for the eyes of somebody besides you, who wrote it. I don't think I'll ever tire of it. I was so excited about getting published in the Deseret News on Saturday that I've been showing practically everybody who's set foot in our apartment since then - Kelly, Holly, Lynette, Sara, Mara, my visiting teachers... Not to mention announcing the accomplishment on Facebook. It feels really nice to work hard on something and have somebody notice what you did. Like when Kelly won a Kindle from a blogging contest a few weeks ago (she writes really well; check out her blog - it'll be well worth your time). Or when Sara was in the newspaper because she was a Sterling Scholar. Or when Graig and Tyson advanced to the national history fair and both families got to visit Washington, D.C. for a couple days.

With journalism, I am keenly aware of the added responsibility I have to publish the truth and its relevance to people within the typical "readership" of the publication as well as all over the world (thanks, Internet). I take that challenge seriously. It takes a lot of hard work and effort to gather enough information for each story that you can write it in context, with minimal dramatization, representing each voice the best you can. I don't expect to please everyone, but I do expect to please myself. If I can satisfy my journalistic conscience that I portrayed the story the best I could, I can withstand any reasonable criticism.

Even though sometimes it's hard to live with that responsibility, I love what I am doing. And honestly, what kind of job doesn't have some degree of responsibility? Each worker bee is important - the trick is recognizing the good that can come from your contribution.