Simon Quotes

Quote 1 -
“So much of what comes out of Hollywood is horseshit. Because these people live in West L.A., they don’t even go to East L.A. The only time they go downtown is to get their license renewed. And what they increasingly know about the world is what they see on other TV shows about cops or crime or poverty. The American entertainment industry gets poverty so relentlessly wrong. . . . Poor people are either the salt of the earth, and they’re there to exalt us with their homespun wisdom and their sheer grit and determination to rise up, or they are people to be beaten up in an interrogation room by Sipowicz. . . . How is it that there’s nobody actually on a human scale from the other America? The reason is they’ve never met anybody from the other America. I mean, they could ask their gardener what it’s like.”

Well in terms of reporting, I guess you could get from this is don't be afraid to say what you think/or feel and put it out all on the table. He was to the point, when he said this, where he could say what he felt. However, I wouldn't do that as a rookie journalist, but if someone offers you an opinion piece or column, then go for it. However, maybe keep the language PG-13. I think how it works in terms for me is say what is on my mind and don't be afraid, not really afraid of what to say, but use it as don't be afraid of a challenge and whatnot to speak my mind or just go and do something.

Quote 2-
"To be a decent city reporter, I had to listen to people who were different from me,” Simon explained. “I had to not be uncomfortable asking stupid questions or being on the outside. I found I had a knack for walking into situations where I didn’t know anything, and just waiting. A lot of reporters don’t want to be the butt of jokes. But sometimes it’s useful to act as if you couldn’t find your ass with both hands.”

I think this is a rather important quote because he is basically giving a golden rule. It would be hard, for example, if a racist reporter was out there and refused to interview an African American (if it where important for a certain story), that would be a part of the story that was much needed but wasn't used because the person was stubborn. What I mean by all this is basically what he said, which is pretty clear, ask any question, and just try and learn what you don't know. Getting outside of my comfort zone is key for this profession. By doing this, it will allow me to succeed in really whatever I want, especially in the job world.

Quote 3-
“I’m the kind of person who, when I’m writing, cares above all about whether the people I’m writing about will recognize themselves. I’m not thinking about the general reader. My greatest fear is that the people in the world I’m writing about will read it and say, ‘Nah, there’s nothing there.’ ”

Even though he is talking about authenticity, this is saying he wants (as should any writer) his work to connect with the reader and audience. He doesn't want people to skim over what he has written and can't connect with them in the piece. I think if I apply this to myself, then I can write and connect with an audience, so people don’t just skim over or even skip what I have written.