Posted on April 14, 2008
Jim Acosta, JMU alum (’93) and CNN correspondent, was covering Hurricane Katrina when the building he was reporting from began to flood. As the floodwaters rose, so did he and his crew.
“‘How many floors are there?’ I asked,” Acosta said during the SMAD Spring Banquet Thursday.
“I remember seeing fish swim around in the stairwell…I’m not a genius but I thought that can’t be good.”
This is just one of the situations Acosta has found himself in while working as a journalist. He worked as a CBS News correspondent since 2003 where he covered the war in Iraq before joining CNN in March 2007.
Acosta was the keynote speaker at Thursday’s SMAD Spring Banquet. The banquet was part of SMAD Day, which included information sessions with SMAD alumni and tours of the department facilities in Harrison Hall. Acosta spoke about the stories that had the biggest impact on him: covering the Iraq war in Baghdad, Hurricane Katrina and the Virginia Tech shootings. He also spoke on how the advancement of technology is changing the scope of the media.
“Print [journalism] is in a full sprint to develop multimedia packaging,” Acosta said. “Multitask or get out of the way.”
Acosta began his media career as news director of WXJM. He also deejayed some nights under the on-air name “Jim Chainsaw.” Now he’s covering the presidential race with CNN.
“Let your passions drive you,” Acosta said. “That’s what I’ve done with my career.”
After the banquet I spoke to Acosta about JMU, journalism and the presidential election coverage.
MW: You graduated from JMU in 1993. Did you complete the SMAD program?
JA: Back then it was called Mass Communications, we didn’t call it SMAD. SMAD is a new concept to me, but it looks like a very good concept. From what I saw over at Harrison Hall today [during SMAD Day], I mean, I was completely blown away. It’s terrific to see JMU sort of on the forefront. The way I look at it is these students are at the right place at the right time, because not only is this world an infinitely fascinating place with everything that is going on, but now we have all of these technologies to present all of these very interesting stories to the world. I’m a little envious.
MW: Why did you choose to come to JMU?
JA: Well one trip to the campus and I was hooked. This campus, as you know, is not like other college campuses around the country. I heard someone today describe it as, and I think that this is right, is that it has everything that a big school has but still has that feel of a small school. And to me that’s really what captures the essence of JMU. I chose JMU essentially because it was in my home state of Virginia, I was hoping to go to a Virginia school, and it just seemed to have everything that I was looking for at the time.
MW: Did you always know you wanted to be a journalist?
JA: I think I’ve always wanted to be a journalist. The very first field trip I took — I was in elementary school — was to see the hostages come back from Iran. That was in 1981 and The Washington Post came along and accompanied our class; there was a reporter who tagged along. It was up in Northern Virginia and it was just by happenstance this happened. They had a quote from me in the newspaper that said, and I’m not quoting this verbatim, ‘Little Jimmy Acosta, he was ready for Hollywood,’ and then there was a quote from me saying, ‘I was on ABC once and NBC twice,’ or something. My mom still has the clipping to this day. So I’ve always been interested in journalism growing up through high school. My mother would sort of look at me and say ‘What’s wrong with this kid? He’s watching “The McLaughlin Group” on the weekends.’ You know, so I always had sort of a passion for politics growing up in DC. I always felt like I spoke it as a second language and I wanted to sort of marry that interest with journalism and communications and that’s what I did; I got very lucky, and to this day I’ve been able to do that. I’m covering this current [presidential] campaign, so it’s been a lot of fun.
MW: What do you see the role of journalism as?
JA: Well I think Don Hewitt, the former executive producer of “60 minutes,” he put it best. He says that we’re supposed to ‘shine flashlights into dark corners.’ That quote has always stayed with me because if you look at other countries where freedom of the press isn’t exactly an automatic thing, it can sort of allow all of us here in the United States to take for granted what they don’t have in other parts of the world, and that is a vigorous and free press. I am happy to be a part of that because it gives me a chance to shine those flashlights into those dark corners and get at the truth. I’ve always been a passionate believer in seeking the truth. Sometimes the reality of today’s media world can make you a little bit disillusioned, jaded, cynical, about whether or not that’s actually possible. I can tell you, and I can tell other journalism students, that from time to time you get that opportunity: to speak truth to power, and that’s what it’s all about.
MW: Of all the things you’ve covered, what stands out in your mind the most?
JA: I covered the Iraq war in Baghdad for CBS news back in 2004. That story has always stayed with me because it sort of cemented in my mind that we don’t live in a post 9/11 world, we live in a post 3/03 world, as in the month and year that we invaded Iraq. And you know that the world has really changed since all of that stated. Some will argue for good and some will argue for bad, and years from now the President could be vindicated, who knows that decision. When I went there it dawned on me that this country was entering into something profound, significant, world changing and all of that sort of came crashing down on me when I was covering this story because here I was for the first time, this kid from northern Virginia, seeing a war up close and hearing about all of the different aspects of that conflict from various different people. Everybody from former detainees from the Abu Ghraib prisonall the way to military commanders during press conferences inside the green zone. I felt like that, for me, was the most moving experience. I also covered Hurricane Katrina, covered Virginia Tech; those were also life-changing stories for me that will always stay with me.
MW: What is the hardest part of being a journalist?
JA: Being away from home, from my family, my daughter. I hope one day she will understand and forgive me. You do spend a lot of time on the road doing what I do, and you hope that when you stop doing that things are going to be OK at home. I’m just being as frank as I can be. A lot of people who do what I do for a living, the family situation can sometimes take a hit. And you know, obviously, you’re out there covering a story and trying to be objective and fair, I still struggle with keeping my passions and opinions and whatnot to myself. But after awhile, when you’ve been in this business, as long as I’ve been in this business, you figure out ways to do that, and you have colleagues who will hold you accountable, which is a pretty good check and balance.
MW: Sometimes you have to use unusual methods to get a story. Do you have any examples of that?
JA: Ha! How unusual? Hidden camera? I’ve done hidden camera stories. I did a story on bushmeat; essentially we did a story about how the importation of exotic meats were posing a public health risk. Essentially what was going on was, there were foreign foods markets in different parts of the county that were importing what is called “bushmeat,” which is rats, bats, different types of animals out of the jungle that you and I would not normally eat at home and put on our dinner table. So we sent a producer into a West African market in Manhattan with a hidden camera and she was able to purchase a couple of frozen rats, jungle rats, which are apparently a delicacy in certain parts of the world to certain people, and we were able to put that on the news. So yeah, I’ve done a few hidden camera investigations. Some states may allow you to go in with a hidden camera with audio and video. Some states might say you can use the audio, you can’t use the video. So you have to know all that stuff.
MW: Do you think there is going to be a role for print media, like newspapers, in the future?
JA: Absolutely...I know I don’t speak for the graduating class of 2008, from my perspective, being a graduate of 1993 I still enjoy opening my New York Times and putting it out on the breakfast table and reading what’s happening and holding that newspaper. So I still think there is a place for newspapers, a very important place, and I think what is really terrific about newspapers is they’re starting to join this “media revolution” and that they are going multi-platform. They’re having their correspondents shoot videos of their stories as companion pieces to go along with and amplify what they’ve written in the newspaper. It was Dan Rather who once said, “A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but sometimes a word is worth 1,000 pictures,” so there is something to be said for the printed word.
MW: How do you feel the media have been covering the presidential race? Do you feel, as some people do, that it may be focusing too much on the wrong issues?
JA: I think that because this is such an incredibly different and unique election this year that I think we the media can’t help but make a few mistakes here and there. Obviously issues such as race, gender and even age are now all being injected into this political campaign in ways we have never seen before, so we’re all kind of grappling with the right language to use. Some people might take offense to a word that is used here or there in a story and we all have to be very sensitive to that. I think we’re doing a pretty good job of being sensitive to that. I also think that there are outlets where you can get as much information as you want, 24 hours a day on TV, on the Internet, on the radio. I think there are some folks out there doing a terrific job covering this campaign and we’ll have to see. Let’s wait until after the election is over, wait until the next president is inaugurated and then let’s go back and see how the coverage was. Making judgments on the day-to-day coverage, I’m not sure that is taking into account the ups and downs of a political campaign. There are some days when we get it right; there are some days when we may not get it right.
MW: What would you say to journalism students today?
JA: I would say don’t get jaded. Don’t be cynical. Follow your dreams. Follow your passions, let your passions drive you. That’s what I’ve done in my career: let my passions drive me, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out, not everyone is a fan of passion. But if you have it, sort of inside of you, that’s the fire in the belly that will put you on a path in this field. It’s something that you need, you gotta have it or else, why are you in it? If you’re not passionate about finding the truth and holding people accountable, what are you doing here?
