Citizen Brand

Tim Russert

There is a vacuum in the world of journalism now.  Actually, it is bigger than that.  Tim Russert collapsed and died today while doing what he loved to do, preparing for another 'Meet the Press.'  It was his work on that program that he is most famous for, but in reality, he was bigger and more important than just a single television show.

What Tim Russert represented was the best of what great journalism has to offer.  He worked hard.  He was unabashedly enthusiastic about all things politics.  He was our guy.  He was representing us every Sunday morning asking the tough questions and always getting answers.  He was our guy.  He was there on election nights with straight talk about what was happening and what it meant to us.  And in this incredible election year of 2008, he had become a fixture in helping us make sense of the ins and outs, the ups and downs of this historic campaign.

I started out as a journalist and had always held up Edward R. Murrow as the gold standard.  He still is.  But in many respects, Tim Russert is the direct descendant of Murrow.  Two journalists who had only one mission - the truth.  Another great journalist, William Allen White would have loved Tim Russert.  As a member of the Board of the William Allen White Foundation, I plan on suggesting that we in some way honor him.  It would be a fitting tribute.

Thank you Tim Russert.  We can only hope that some of those you have inspired and mentored will pick up the ball that prematurely dropped out of your hand today at the young age of 58.

Jayhawk Journalists

Sunday, I had the privilege of making remarks at the December graduation ceremonies for the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications at KU.  Dean Ann Brill asked me earlier this year if I could make it and I enthusiastically said yes.  Following a very warm introduction by Professor Bob Basow, here is the brief speech I made to the 60 graduates plus their families, friends and faculty gathered in Woodruff Auditorium at the Student Union on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence.

2007 William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
December Commencement Address
December 9, 2007
Woodruff Auditorium at the Student Union
University of Kansas

Thank You:

Professor Basow – “Bob”
Dean Ann Brill
Distinguished faculty of the Journalism School
Parents, family and friends of the graduates
And most importantly – the graduates.

To say it is an honor to be standing here today is an understatement for me.  I have always been a Jayhawk.   And in the 8th grade I decided I wanted to be a broadcast journalist.

So attending the University of Kansas was a foregone conclusion, especially when I realized I would have the opportunity to attend the best Journalism School in the country.   There may be others that lay claim to that – but I truly believe it and here’s why.

Today you are graduating from a journalism school that has never simply focused on theory and philosophy.  There is plenty of that taught here as it needs to be.  But what you have gained from attending KU and the William Allen White School of Journalism is a plethora of practical applications and learnings along with the theory and philosophy.

The advantage you had by being able to apply what you are learning while still in school positions you to be successful more quickly than you might otherwise be. 

And for that you have this group of people behind me on the stage to thank.  This is a great faculty and you are the representation of their effort and time.

I stand before you today a product of this great school.  I came in with my sights set on becoming the best broadcast journalist I could be.   What I didn’t realize is that what I was really learning to do was not simply to become a reporter – but instead I was learning how to tell a good story.

I was learning how to research information – how to dig for facts.  I was learning how to take those facts and pick out the ones that mattered most to people and deliver that information.  Over the years, even though my jobs have changed – I still am doing those same basic things every day.

As William Allen White said once – “If the facts are fairly and honestly presented; the truth will take care of itself.”  That philosophy still works today even though the communications profession has changed dramatically from his day.

That is the beauty of the world you are entering.  Regardless of what you want to do first – a journalist; a marketer; a public relations professional; a webmaster; or a film maker – you are in the business of telling a good story.  A story that needs to be educational; compelling;   a story that will inform and perhaps move people to form opinions and even take some sort of action.

That is why I am as excited today about this wide open world of mass communications as I have ever been.  And you should be too – because you are now going to help shape its future.

So what would a good graduation speech be without some advice.   I have been the beneficiary of some great mentors and advisors over the years.  I will try today to give you a little of what I have learned in the hope that something will resonate with you as you head out to begin your careers.

My advice today centers around some of our core philosophies that make Barkley the kind of company it is.  These are philosophies that drive our business – philosophies that shape our relationships with each other and with our clients – and finally these are philosophies that form the foundation of our work.

As I thought about this talk today – it became clear to me that they also could form the building blocks for each of you to consider as you head out to begin the next chapter of your lives.

When you walk through our front door at Barkley right now, there is a telephone booth standing right in front of you.  I’m wondering right now if any of you have actually made a call from a telephone booth.  Next to that phone booth is a sign that espouses our core philosophy at Barkley – Every idea has an expiration date.

Think about that for a minute.   By taking the attitude that ideas can expire, it forces you to keep things fresh all the time.  What worked yesterday may not work today.  And more importantly – what is working today may not work tomorrow.    How does this apply to each of you as a new graduate?

When you land that first job – and you will land that first job – be the person who is the most curious.  Be the person who is constantly staying abreast of the latest trends.  Be the person who seeks out a mentor or two to learn as much as you can as quickly as you can.

In other words  -- keep yourself fresh and up to date – and your thinking will be fresh and up to date.  Don’t put yourself in a position where you are behind the curve or else you will be left behind in this fast paced world we live in.

My second piece of advice revolves around our brand promise to our clients.  We promise our clients that our goal for them is to make them irreplaceable to their customers.  It is not enough today for a brand to simply be relevant.  The brands that are successful today are the ones that people cannot imagine living their lives without. 

That is what you have to do when you land your first job.  And Mom and Dad – they will land their first job.  Be the person who volunteers to work on the extra project.  Be the person who organizes the social activities at work.  Be that person who is a sponge for learning the ropes of the business – who asks the extra question that everyone else in the room is afraid to ask.

It is the little things that will make you irreplaceable.  Attending to the details will allow you the opportunity to be in the room to help come up with the big ideas that can make a difference.

My final piece of advice is to always give something back to the community around you.  As Bob mentioned, we are big into cause branding at Barkley.  I’m proud of the work we are doing because it is more than simply selling another product.  We are helping to educate, inform and raise money for important causes.

And you need to be the generation that solidifies this emerging trend of corporate and nonprofit partnerships that are not only good for them but are great for society.  The beauty of giving back is that it really is up to each of us to take a small step each day to do something good for someone.  It is the cumulative impact of each of our small, individual steps that turns into a stampede of giving that makes a difference.  Get involved and stay involved as you walk off this campus.

So there you have it.  Three pieces of advice.    One --Don’t let yourself become an idea that expires. 

Two -- Make yourself irreplaceable --- not only in your work – but also to your family and friends --- and

Three -- always, always be giving something back to the rest of society.

I will end with three words.  Three words each of you have said many times in the last few years.  And three words that tie us all together wherever we go and whatever we do as alumni of the University of Kansas.  Some think it is simply a cheer.  But we know different.  It is our calling card. 

Rock Chalk – Jayhawk.

Thank you and good luck.

William Allen White

Besides death and taxes, there is one other absolute in my life - that I was going to attend the University of Kansas and have a life long love affair with all things Jayhawk.  When I turned 13, another absolute cropped up - that I was going to major in Journalism and become the next Walter Cronkite.  That Cronkite part turned out not to be an absolute.  But that's okay.

All of this background is to say that the marriage of the absolutes revolving around KU and journalism meant I would have the privilege of attending a great school of journalism - the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at KU.  I have been blessed in my career but it would not have happened without the jump start I had from KU and our great J-School. 

So last week I had a great honor and thrill to attend my first meeting of the William Allen White Foundation Board of Trustees -- as a trustee.  I was asked to join this group several weeks ago by the Dean of the School, Ann Brill, and the executive committee of the Board.  The group serves as an advisory group to the KU J-School and selects an outstanding journalist each year to be recognized with the Foundation's National Citation.

Needless to say, for me to be asked to serve on this Board is amazing when I think back about that 13-year-old writing a career paper about becoming a broadcast journalist and going to KU.  The Foundation has been in existence since 1944 and serves to continue the legacy of William Allen White and his incredible influence on journalism and the education of journalism.  The big names of Kansas journalism and media have served on this group over the years and it is an honor to be asked to do my part to continue the legacy of Mr. White.

So just who is William Allen White?  Simply stated, he was a pioneer and a giant of American journalism.  He was plain spoken.  He was a fighter for the things he believed in and did not back down from a fight.  And he didn't do his work from one of the great American metropolises where other giants of journalism were plying their trade.  He did it from America's heartland - from the Emporia Gazette.

William Allen White wrote the original "What's the matter with Kansas?"  He had owned the Gazette for a year or so when he penned this piece that catapulted him into the national limelight of that year's presidential election between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan.  It was a clarion call that focused the eyes of the nation on fundamental economic and political issues of the day that were impacting not only Kansas, but the rest of the nation as well.

White got into a public debate about labor rights and free speech with a Kansas governor in 1922.  He was facing arrest and a possible jail sentence.  When the charges were dropped, he wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning editorial - To an Anxious Friend.  This excerpt is as relevant today as it was in 1922:

"You tell me that law is above freedom of utterance. And I reply that you can have no wise laws nor free entertainment of wise laws unless there is free expression of the wisdom of the people - and, alas, their folly with it. But if there is freedom, folly will die of its own poison, and the wisdom will survive."

William Allen White had his private side as well.  Tragedy struck he and his wife in 1921 when their daughter died in a horse riding accident.  His prose was never finer than in his tribute to Mary White.

"A rift in the clouds in a gray day threw a shaft of sunlight upon her coffin as her nervous, energetic little body sank to its last sleep.  But the soul of her, the glowing, gorgeous, fervent soul of her, surely was flaming in eager joy upon some other dawn."

This legacy of journalism serving the greater public good lives on at the School of Journalism that bears William Allen White's name.  At the Board meeting, we heard about two programs that are great examples.  One is called Covering Communities.  It's a site designed to bring together journalists, educators and citizen journalists to work together to create more meaningful journalism and create stronger and better communities.  These are the guiding principles of the program:

Name Your Aspirations.  You can produce coverage that has the greatest impact when you name your aspirations.

Know Your Community.  The ability to produce journalism that is authentic and carries authority begins with community knowledge.

Engage People.  People find the most meaning in community coverage when they are fully engaged.

Act Publicly.  What does it take for you to maintain credibility with the public?

This is a great project that is a collaboration of the KU J-School, the Harwood Institute and the Knight Foundation.

The second project has KU Journalism students spending time with 6th, 7th and 8th graders in the Rosedale section of Kansas City, Kansas and opening their eyes and minds to journalism as a career.  We had two of the KU students speak to the Board meeting and it was moving to hear the impact they were having on kids who might never have considered journalism as a career.  And to hear about the impact the young students had on the "older" students as well.

Hats off to KU professor Peggy Kuhr for providing leadership on both of these great projects.  Both are a great tribute to the man whose name graces the Kansas School of Journalism.

The day ended with the annual awarding of the William Allen White Foundation National Citation Presentation.  This year's award was given to a distinguished graduate of KU and one of the great photo journalists of all time, Rich Clarkson.  Clarkson was named by American Photo as one of the 50 most influential photographers of all time.

More evidence that the legacy of William Allen White lives on.  Take some time to study White and you will find someone who is as relevant today as he was in his own time.