Fulbright Program Expands, Anna Re-Visits The Michigan Daily

The Michigan Daily, the student newspaper of the University of Michigan, published a story on the recent expansion of the Fulbright program that is designed to enhance opportunities for people to pursue interdisciplinary projects around the globe. Yours truly makes a cameo in the publication that once kept her up all night writing articles about affirmative action lawsuits, labor activism, and ever so many regents meetings:

Fulbright recipient and University alum Anna Clark, a former writer for The Michigan Daily, will use her grant to pursue a creative writing project in Nairobi, Kenya. She said that she thought the expansion to the program would lead to increases in acceptance for more students from the University.

“Michigan has one of the best records in the nation for its students, alumni and faculty getting Fulbright fellowships,” she said. “I had an excellent experience working with the International Institute on my application, and I have no doubt that they will take every opportunity they can in making it possible for more Michigan students to experience the world.”

Now--I don't want to get all "back in my day," but I can't help it. While this article turned out fine, I felt sad about the reporter's interviewing tactics: she sent out a mass generic email to her interviewees with four questions listed, and she never followed up by phone or email--either to ask further questions, to say thank you for your response, to confirm that she even received your response, or to share the link to the article that she wrote. This would not have stood back in my day! Would not have stood! This is a student newspaper that considered the New York Times its competitor, that historically was the first publication in the world to print news of the polio vaccine and that infiltrated a Little Rock high school in 1957 on the first day of its integration, writing the world's only inside story of the historic day. The Daily has been the start of everyone from Tom Hayden to Arthur Miller to Mike Wallace to Daniel Okrent to Rich Eisen to a healthy collection of Pulitzer Prize winners. I absolutely credit the Daily for helping me accept high standards for the journalism I consume and the journalist I want to be. Let's keep on expecting great, people.

Comments

[Jewel]

In just that last graph alone, you made me proud of the Daily and reminded me how I can be a better journalist. Thank you, Anna!

[Anna Clark]

Jewel, if I could press "like" on your comment, I would.

High-five!