January’s Spotlight of the Month: Ben Shors

An avid outdoorsman, Ben Shors relaxes during a hike on Spencer’s Butte in Eugene, Oregon.

For January, we caught up with Ben Shors, an assistant journalism professor at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. This year, Professor Shors did something a bit different in his lesson plan for his environmental journalism students. And it goes a little something like this….

Tell us a bit about the Global Warming project.

Ben: We didn’t set out to write the book on global warming. Rather, I wanted students to consider how such a massive and controversial topic might affect their lives – from the farm towns where they grew up to jobs they might someday hold in a green economy to a glass of wine on their dinner table. We partnered with the daily newspaper in Spokane, Washington, where City Editor Addy Hatch worked with the students to help develop and edit the stories.

How did you conceive of the project idea?

Ben: I wanted students to explore how science and public policy intersect. As journalists, we are particularly interested in how scientific research might be applied to the lives of “real people” — farmers, homeowners and taxpayers in the Northwest. The Spokesman-Review provided a great partner and access to readers.

First, we started with a little basic research – though much less than I would have liked. As a class, we brainstormed story ideas and also possible ‘solutions’; by that I mean, we wanted to give readers places to go online or in their communities to get involved or informed.

Based on their interests and ideas, students submitted story proposals. I rejected a few really well formed ideas that didn’t relate directly to our topic. But in the end, I think we came up with a pretty solid package of articles.

It truly is a great spectrum of articles. Probably not too difficult to convince the editors at the Spokesman-Review to get involved?

Ben: The Spokane paper quickly agreed to publish one story in print and the rest online. For decades, space in newspapers has been at a premium (witness the price of full-page ads in traditional papers.) But online, space comes cheap. We wanted to capitalize on that space and also use the connectivity of the paper’s Web site.

In the past year, I’ve found newspapers quite willing to help young journalists develop. The staff of the Spokesman-Review, however, has been particularly great in working with our students.

Why did you choose climate change?

Ben: I wanted students to recognize that discussions like these are not entirely abstract. You can see the impacts, the innovations, even the controversy, right in your own region. And if you want to tackle a tough topic, you might as well wade in waist-deep, right?

Right! Easy enough. So, what was the hardest thing about the project?

Ben: Tackling a controversial topic can be very intimidating for students. Some take to it naturally; others worry about how their work will be perceived – no matter how well researched and accurate. Good journalism isn’t always well-received journalism. We aren’t trying to win a popularity contest. That’s a challenging mindset for students …

And how did people respond?

Ben: People expressed surprise at the quality and depth of the students’ work. The students showed great dedication, often traveling on their own dime to report the stories. That’s quite a commitment. For me, the most important measure is how students respond to a project – not the public.

Do you think the project has made an impact?

Ben: It’s tricky to worry about impact. Obviously, we want people to read the stories and consider the work. But it’s so difficult to measure that it can be counter-productive. We’re aware of a few discussions going on in communities, but our work ended when the stories are printed. Once that happens, it is what it is, right?

Would you do a project like this again?

Ben: I’d love to. I can see a slew of ways to improve the final project, but, again, for us, it’s more about the steps students take along the way. I care more that students develop research and critical-thinking skills; in that sense, the final product is secondary to the students’ progress.

For more information on the global warming project, read it online. The project by WSU journalism students can be found on The Spokesman Review Online.