The Lead

So, the last thing I want to do is make this a blog about me. I'm not a fan of the personal chronicle. And this won't be. Promise.

Having said that, and having already used the word "I" three times in the first 40 words, endulge me while I get some of the background info out of the way. My life in journalism consists of five plus years as a reporter for newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times and Web sites like Inside Higher Ed, two summers of teaching writing and editing at a summer journalism program, four years of studying journalism at Northwestern University, and several years of writing articles before that -- including putting together a family newsletter that would years later make for great college essay material.

I'm currently living in St. Louis and freelancing for the city's new online news site, the St. Louis Beacon. That's all I have to say on that front, but (self-promotion alert) my other site, http://www.eliapowers.com/, has links to other work that I've done.

My plan here is to link to interesting media commentary and news, write some of my own, and discuss the future -- and current state -- of journalism education. Why I am interested in all that? Well, as a reporter, my career is dependent on a thriving media industry. And I'd like to be a part of writing about trends, new ideas, old complaints, etc. Plus, I'm interested in continuing my teaching career.

With that, a word-for-word explanation of how I named this site. It's instructive in that it has lots to do with two of my favorite media shows.

"This": A nod to the ever-popular Chicago Public Radio slice-of-life radio program "This American Life." If I can be anything like a print version of Ira Glass, I'll have done my job.

"Media": I suppose this could be anything. But I'll go with my favorite media news show, WNYC's "On the Media." For non-listeners, it's an hour-long radio program that includes commentary and reporting about the media, broadly defined: journalism, advertising, technology, etc. Very informative for anyone in the biz.

"Moment": Notice I said "two of my favorite media shows." I won't lie, this third word just sounded right. But I'll make up another story. One of my favorite times of the year is March --and the NCAA basketball tournament. One of my favorite parts of March Madness is at the very end, when CBS plays a sappy (but still lovable) anthem called "One Shining Moment" that's recorded by Luther Vandross. Here's a version of the song set to video of my beloved Washington Huskies:

And there you have it.