When he was in fifth grade in Arkansas in 1944, Gene Foreman encountered a typewriter for the first time, “a big Remington,” he told a group of Healthy NewsWorks staffers and board members during a recent staff workshop.
“It was love at first sight,” Foreman said. He and his friend Ben experimented with it for a time, and then Foreman said: “Ben, we can put out a newspaper with this.”
Soon The Daily Planet was born, with reports about their school and community and news they found elsewhere about World War II. Circulation peaked at about 25 or 30 copies. Foreman remained interested in journalism throughout his school years and eventually landed a scholarship to study journalism at Arkansas State University.
He went on to work for the Arkansas Gazette during the Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis of 1957 and later became a top editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer for more than 25 years. He also was a professor of journalism at Penn State University after leaving daily journalism and is the lead author of The Ethical Journalist: Making Responsible Decisions in the Digital Age.
Foreman, 91, spoke of the three tests he applies to determine whether someone is a journalist or not.
First, are they dedicated to truth? “Our job is to find out, as best a human being can,” he said, “what is the truth about this incident or this story?”
Second, are they independent from the people they’re writing about? “That’s why we don’t accept gifts,” he said.
Third, are they working for the people who read, watch, or listen to the news? “They are the people that we owe allegiance to,” Foreman said.
Foreman also complimented the work Healthy NewsWorks does to instill journalistic principles in elementary and middle school students who then produce health-focused newspapers, videos, and digital media for their school communities.
“I wish there had been a Healthy NewsWorks when I was figuring out, in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grades, how can I get experience,” Foreman said. “I just think it’s wonderful that you all are doing this to try to encourage students, whether they’re going to be journalists in the future or not, to try their hand at writing this,” Foreman said. “And of course, writing about health is just a real plus.”
Workshop attendees said they appreciated Foreman’s insights.
“I truly loved the whole experience,” said Jennyfer O’Brien, communications associate. “Hearing Gene speak about journalism, truth-telling, and storytelling was really powerful for me. I’ve always loved storytelling and listening to him share stories from his life and career gave deeper meaning to the work we do every day. It reminded me how important honest, thoughtful journalism is—especially at a time when it matters so much.”
