David Maziarz
COMM 337
The two articles that I read for this assignment, Wall Street on the Tundra and California and Bust were both very well put together stories. Michael Lewis did a great job of digging up facts and really just calling them like he sees them. He didn’t make any crazy assumptions or race to any inaccurate conclusions. I’ve never really taken much interest into these financial matters, but Lewis put both of these articles together so well, I couldn’t quit reading them.
When Murray talks about the, “craft” of a writer, he uses one word more than others in that section…love. He talks about how much he loved doing this or that and how he always wanted to be a journalist. Murray’s keys to mastering the “craft of writing” are: write with information, accuracy, first the lede, less is more, verbs and nouns, order, clarity, discovery, and voice. After reading two of Michael Lewis’ pieces, I came to the conclusion that he had mastered all of these. He had more than enough information in both articles; he dug up facts, numbers, etc. Anything he needed to support his point, he researched. He was as accurate as possible, interviewing multiple people for each article. I really liked how Lewis tracked down Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California to talk about the financial status of California. Both of the lede’s kept me reading and his word usage was simple, yet stylish. He did a good job reporting what he found out, while still injecting his own voice into the articles as well.
When reading what Murray describes as, “art” I couldn’t help but be confused. When I hear the word art, I think music, poetry, and well of course art (painting, drawing, etc). This was a different way of looking at the word for me. The “art” of journalism is something that I really had to think about before I answered this question, but I believe the art of journalism is a lot like your writing style. Lewis had a very distinct style in these two articles where he made it seem like you, the reader was conducting the interview. He asked all the right questions to all the right people. As far as the difference between art and craft, I believe that if you practice the “craft” enough, the “art” in your writing will come out. Murray talks about the craft of a journalist, and to me that seems like it is passion and practice. All the skills he deems necessary to have can only come with practice. And a writer would only practice enough to master those trades if he was indeed passionate about his career. Murray and Lewis are both clearly passionate and both have put in the hours necessary to become a successful writer. After reading the two articles of Boomerang, I believe that they are clearly art in the sense that Murray describes in the book. Michael Lewis has been at it a long time and he covered all the areas that Murray defined as the craft of a journalist as well.
I think the relationship between the craft of reporting and the craft of writing is a very tight one. You cannot have quality writing without quality reporting and vice versa. Lewis put in the man hours to create Boomerang and I do not think his work should go unnoticed. His reporting was very extensive and that led to two well written articles. In Wall Street on the Tundra, he gave the reader a great perception on how things really changed in Iceland. He had all the numbers and quotes he needed to back up his writing. California and Bust was more of the same. He urged people to not look over anything and pay attention to local government. He sat in on town hall meetings to see how some local governments were functioning. He broke California down city by city. He had to do research in all of these cities and find out why they were financially unstable. All of his work was worth it though; I couldn’t imagine any more facts or information thrown into California and Bust.
What would Murray think of Lewis as a reporter and writer? Well if you read what Murray uses as criteria to evaluate each, I think Donald Murray would think quite highly of Michael Lewis in both regards. As far as reporting goes, Lewis is the perfect example and as far as writing goes, I think Lewis has the passion and has put in the time that makes his writing as good as it is. Lewis is a well seasoned reporter/writer and it definitely shows in his work.
Reporting is the most important part about Lewis’ writing. If it were not for all the facts he digs up, numbers he studies, or people he interviews his writing would not be the same. He goes the extra mile in preparing for writing his stories and it is evident in his work. We have read countless articles in class, so well put together supported by facts and some of the other stuff we have read seems to be written by crazy people trying to force their opinions on you as a reader. Lewis perfects using the right amount of facts and details to support HIS voice in his writing. As you have said before, if you write fact, fact, fact, fact, the conclusion is obvious.
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