Quill & Scroll: The Newest Books in Journalism
Barbara Bealor Hines, book editor for Quill & Scroll, reviews The Authentic Voice in the October/November 2006 issue. Read her review below.

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REPORTING
Morgan, Arlene N., Pifer, Alice and Keith Woods. The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity. Columbia University Press. 2006. 354 pages with DVD. $75.00

Compelling. No one should study journalism without reading (and viewing) The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity. It should be on the required reading list at every college and university.

The book evolved from the stories about race and ethnicity entered in the "Let's Do It Better!" workshop at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The organization of the book, as explained by the authors, reflects the way news organizations tend to frame news coverage. It is divided into four sections: identity, equality, untold stories and cultural competence.

Have students read the stories in the text, then continue to the website. Or, as chapter one does, have them see the package "Tug of War" (reading the story and viewing the photos). Then view the DVD for an interview with the reporter, Allie Shah, of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

With photographer Rita Reed, Shah had to negotiate through many cultural issues. The DVD allows the viewer to review multiple discussion points and click back to particular sections of the interview for a more in-depth look.

Or study reporter Jodi Rave's series, "Broken Trust," about Indian land rights. Rave, a Native American, shares her frustration in trying to cover the story and its challenges, which included being called an "Indian girl" by one of her editors. The suggested readings and websites direct students to valuable government and private resources.

Her interview, "Equality," shares her passion for covering this story that has affected her family for generations. Her own interview, handled ably by Keith Woods, dean of the faculty at the Poynter Institute, offers an assessment of the story from beginning to end.

"The Death of LCPL Gutierrez" is a heart-wrenching story about Jose Gutierrez, an orphan and immigrant from Guatemala, who was killed in battle in Iraq, where he was serving as a U.S. marine.

Producer Steve Glauber and correspondent Bob Simon crafted this story for "60 Minutes II." After viewing the story on the DVD, students can watch Glauber and Simon discuss why the story worked and the reason they selected the locations for filming. Glauber provides a tip sheet for doing similar stories that require translators, understanding cultural differences and fairness.

The authors agree that the book, with its index and links, will point readers to many issues that consistently come up when reporting on matters of race and ethnicity:

a. how to get people to talk frankly about race and ethnicity.

b. how to handle racial and ethical identification

c. how to handle racial and ethnic perceptions that illuminate and inform and

d. the role of a journalist's race and ethnicity in decision-making.