A Role Model for Active Citizenship

Students, faculty and staff of recently enjoyed a presentation by Eureka-Wildwood Patch editor, Julie Brown Patton.  

Patton was invited to speak at , a noon series developed by Mark Weber, Art faculty member and Chair of Visual and Performing Arts at the STLCC-Wildwood Campus. Each semester, artists, musicians and writers are invited to the campus to showcase their work, and to discuss their creative skills and related careers. Patton was invited to speak, so she could provide students with an example of how writing skills are used in the working world.

The presentation began with the acknowledgement that undergraduate students often are unsure about which degree to pursue. Patton then led a dynamic discussion on how to develop a career path in journalism while utilizing writing, editing, marketing and graphic design. She noted that while she learned theories of journalism in school, the real world also provided lessons that are not covered in the classroom. Her most important piece of advice to her audience was:   “…to be open to the unexpected.” She described how her original goal was to be a magazine editor, but when she attained that goal early in life, she began to look for other challenges. When she moved to St. Louis, she worked for a public relations/marketing firm and gained new experience by utilizing her knowledge of journalism and writing to help colleagues and clients of the firm.

Besides offering career advice to young writers and graphic designers, Julie Brown Patton demonstrated the attributes of being an active citizen. She discussed her role as editor of the Eureka-Wildwood Patch, and how adhering to an objective viewpoint on all topics was vital to providing the best information to the local community. In addition, she described the emerging interactive nature of news sites, and how community involvement with the Eureka-Wildwood Patch site provides individuals with a setting for civil discussions to occur.

As a writing instructor of freshman and sophomore students, I welcomed her information because part of our work at STLCC–Wildwood as General Education educators is to help students develop their communication, research, and thinking skills. Students learn subjects in the arts and humanities, and math and sciences. This is so they can develop their own informed perspective on important issues while understanding and respectfully responding to the perspective of others. Good communication skills paired with informed ideas are necessary for citizens of our democracy. The result is that we productively cooperate to identify problems and find solutions that benefit our communities.

Bernard Manin, on page 170 of his book Principles of Representative Government, states that “The more the people are aware of each other's opinions, the stronger the incentive for those who govern to take those opinions into account.” Julie Brown Patton and editors of other Patch news sites uphold the finest principles of representative democracy when they provide accurate news reporting and a space where citizens may discuss the topics of the day in a digital town square.  Thanks, Julie Brown Patton, for being a good role model for our students and for providing a vital structure where readers can learn, converse and develop our community.