Camels, Coffee, and One Mean Moon

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We talk a lot in the journalism industry about how digital publishing (ex: this newsletter) has nearly eliminated the gatekeeper function of journalists – but here's the secret: gatekeepers are everywhere, and you've battled them too. 

A gatekeeper is merely the barrier between you and something you desire. The bouncer at a popular bar fulfills this role, but so does the cashier at Starbucks, whose folded arms and scowl separates you from a good morning. The term describes a person in a position of authority, somebody with the power to stop, restrict, or control.

Even your kind, local librarian.

And often the gatekeeper has some expertise. If you're new to coding, you probably can't build a witty, scrolling solar system. So you have to hire out. 

But think in more abstract terms. For instance, what limited our ability to see the tops of clouds in person? Gravity, that eternal gatekeeper. Now we can see the world's landscapes on a laptop.

If we can overcome gravity, or at least outwit it for a few minutes of rocket power, we can challenge other gatekeepers, whether you're running for president or writing an exposé – or both.

My high school is attempting once again to eliminate a foreign language program, and I wrote another impassioned plea to the school board. Someone emailed me lamenting the lack of accountability given the resources of the local newspaper. Go to the meeting, I responded.

"You might not be taking notes for a newspaper article, but you have the same right to ask those questions a reporter might and get the answers on record in a public forum."

If you're feeling feisty, create your own poetry this month with a little AI assist.

 

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