One of my favourite moments in cinema is a scene from the movie The Nice Guys. Near the end of the film, Russell Crowe’s character is waiting outside with Ryan Gosling’s character. Crowe recounts a story about a friend of his who used to work for President Nixon. The friend had told Crowe that Nixon had once come across a car wreck; Nixon found the victim lying there dying. The victim looks up to hear Nixon, the former president of his country tell him that everything was going to be alright The victim died seconds later. Not something you would expect in this life, Crowe concludes. Gosling takes this story and simplifies it: “There’s two sides to every storyâ€. Gosling adds that the story was too long and that Crowe should have just stated the message of the story right away. Gosling’s final marks not only add to the scene’s humour, but they also reflect the way the world is going with regards to storytelling.
There is a tendency in journalism nowadays to beat around the bush. There has to be a balance between the amount of information and the amount of storytelling. Too much information and people will click off a story faster than you can say: “Attention Spanâ€. Too much storytelling and people will question why they bothered clicking on an article at all. More and more, the media is trying to get our attention through manipulation using clickbait, misleading statements, and extremely slanted reporting. These practices need to stop!
My name is Iain Burhoe (Yes, two Is it’s unique). I never really clued in that writing was my passion until halfway through high school. I enjoy everything about the writing process, and moreover, about public speaking. When I’m not thinking about what I need to get done, I’m usually playing Street Fighter V, watching random Youtube videos, or doing social things to meet new people.
Last year, I was the only consistent volunteer writer for The Cadre. I really enjoyed my time as a volunteer as I got to work alongside other students who wanted to improve their communication skills and who were dedicated to writing for students. This year, I’m hoping we’ll have plenty of students volunteering at The Cadre. I had such a fantastic experience, so I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to get involved because there is a lot to be gained.
As long as we are up and running we’ll bring you plenty of content. I guarantee you’ll see articles that will pique your interest this semester, and all the semesters to come.
We’re The Cadre, it’s our job.
Iain Burhoe