Journalism and Sports Media Student Belle Lewis Shares More About Her Recent Experiential Learning Trip to Chicago
Hazel Johnson coined the term “toxic donut” in the late 1970s. When industrial polluters created a ring of gunk around her south Chicago neighborhood, she jumped into action. Forty years later, I interviewed her daughter Cheryl as she continues the fight for health and environmental justice.
With the blazing hot bars of a metal park bench digging into my back, Cheryl told me a story about how Altgeld Gardens experiences vast health inequalities, how education and health initiatives make a measurable impact and how People for Community Recovery (Johnson’s foundation) is fighting for equality on a massive scale.
Getting the “whole story” is a reporter’s dream. It’s why we study interview techniques and do copious amounts of research. But getting the story is a bit like riding a bull — it’s hard, but you can learn.
I may have a few bylines, but I’m still a novice. Getting the story is a muscle I’m still learning to stretch. But perched on that park bench, listening to Cheryl, I got it.
And it all started with listening.
The School of Communications teaches tons of practical skills, from editing to research methods. But underneath all their courses (and I would argue across all BYU classes) is the most impactful teaching — how to listen.
Journalistic listening (the kind that was the backbone of my time in Chicago) has two real components: actively working to understand and asking impactful questions.
In front of Cloud Gate (better known as the Bean), there’s all sorts of tourists mixed with the obligatory Chicago school trips. In other words, it’s perfect for man-on-the-street interviews.
Rafael Carriles, his wife and his son, have always loved Chicago. So they flew in from Mexico to see the sights. I don’t have a strong Spanish background, but with some help and a fair amount of taking verbal cues, my partner and I conducted a very successful interview. The key? We tried to understand.
We tried to see Chicago through his eyes. We tried to empathize with the love of the Windy City. We asked important questions: Why would you choose to fly here? What about the people and culture of Chicago do you enjoy? (Spoiler alert, it was the bustle of the city).
Chicago gave me countless opportunities to practice the best type of journalistic listening. It’s how I ended up on the park bench with Cheryl Johnson, and in front of Cloud Gate with Rafael and his family, practicing my skills. And it’s with these new strengths that I will make a difference in my future career.