I work for The Rotunda for more than a few reasons, but for some people, the motivating factor behind writing for a newspaper is making enough money to buy low fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for- you serving size wrapped in squishy red wax.
Or at least that’s why Ivy and Bean, the seven-year- old protagonists of chil- dren’s book “Ivy and Bean: No News is Good News,” write The Flipping Pancake, their one-page newspaper meant to capture the exciting happenings of their supposedly quiet neighborhood.
Now, why am I reading a book meant for kids about two elementary school children working for cheese? Besides the fact that I can relate to the girls because I technically work for cheesy bread, I’m currently enrolled in Children’s Literature. While I’ve also read about talking mice and amoebas so far, Ivy and Bean are by far the most entertaining characters I’ve encountered.
Ivy and Bean’s parents won’t buy them the Belldeloon cheese that all of the other kids’ parents pack in their lunch boxes, and even more importantly, the girls can’t mold the cheese’s wax covering into different shapes like their friends do. They feel left out of the crowd and are determined to make enough money to purchase this special cheese.
After Ivy and Bean’s plans to make big money by selling magic potions fail miserably, Bean’s dad tells them that he made money as a kid by writing a neighborhood newspaper and suggests they give it a try. While the kids are initially hesitant, they soon find their street, Pancake Court, has stories just waiting to be found.
From asking questions to peeking in windows, Ivy and Bean find what they believe to be hard-hitting news stories for their news- paper. These articles include everything from an embarrassing baby photo of Crummy Matt to descriptions of the dirty living room of the neighbor with Pancake Court’s cleanest car.
Bean’s dad gets a laugh out of the girls’ neighborhood exposé, but the neighbors aren’t quite as amused when they receive copies of the paper. I won’t spoil the story, but let’s just say their newspaper causes some backlash.
The reason I feel the need to discuss this seemingly silly children’s book, besides having back-up proof that I did my Children’s Literature reading this week, is because the author, Annie Barrows, appears to be informing children that reporters aren’t always appreciated for their investigative work.
While I don’t go to the ethically questionable measures Ivy and Bean do to get a story, I do ethically yet passionately go after the truth when needed. Some stories are simply surface level articles, but like Ivy and Bean show read- ers, other stories require some more digging.
Of course, people don’t like it when reporters dig for the truth, simply because they do not want their flaws or mistakes revealed or high- lighted. This is not to say tabloid trash on a ce- lebrity’s newest flame or weight gain should be respected because I view those types of stories as cheap journalism, but stories that reveal the truth about something important that has been hidden or lied about are doing readers justice whether people realize it or not.
Journalists have been bashed for years because of thorough and investigative reporting. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post reporters credited for a great deal of work in the uncovering of the Watergate scandal, were viewed as liars and scoundrels until they helped reveal the Nixon administration’s illegal actions.
Now, there have been and always will be journalists who turn to unethical and disrespectful measures to get a story or even make up stories, such as infamous fabricator Stephen Glass,and I do not condone those actions in any way. But there are journalists who are condemned for reporting that is simply exposing wrongdoing and revealing the truth, and that is absolutely ridiculous.
I will always apologize if I make an error of any kind in my writing. I would also take full responsibility if I practiced unethical reporting methods. However, I will never regret doing what is right and telling the truth in my writ- ing, and neither should other writers.
While Ivy and Bean write for red wax, I write to maintain my sense of right and wrong. The day I apologize for truthful writing is the day I hand over my integrity, and I never plan to give upsomethingsoprecious.
*** This editorial is an opinion stated by the writer and does not represent the views of The Rotunda or Longwood University.
