AP week shows history

To walk, skip or jump down the golden path in journalism, one must have a developed voice, Associated Press correspondent Brendan Riley said.

“The golden path in journalism is your voice,” said Riley, who’s been stationed in Carson City since 1972. “Our higher-ups keep on telling us to develop our voice.”

Riley, along with Martha Mendoza, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and Ellen Hale, AP’s vice president for corporate communications, spoke to a large crowd last Wednesday night in the Reynolds School of Journalism.

The speakers came to campus as part of an AP exhibit in the RSJ atrium.

“We think it’s important for journalism and communications students to learn about the legacy and history of AP in understanding the broader role of the media today,” Hale said.

Mendoza won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on a team that uncovered the deaths of hundreds of civilians during the Korean War at the No Gun Ri Bridge.

Mendoza most recently covered the friendly-fire death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan.

“I like it when I make a palpable difference,” Mendoza said. “But when I hear the Pentagon is launching an investigation, it doesn’t do much.

However, when I got a call from one of the survivors of the No Gun Ri killings when U.S. army soldiers shot South Korean civilians, that’s what really made me feel.”

She said 40 new versions of a story in an eight-hour workday are common.

“When you’re working for AP, you’re always on deadline,” Mendoza said.

Riley answered questions of a lighter note.

Riley works in close proximity to a couple of Las Vegas newspaper correspondents and said he finds the thrill of keeping his stories secret until they hit the wire fun.

“In trench warfare among reporters, we don’t tell each other what we’re working on,” he said.

Riley said he finds his entire job to be a hoot.

“Journalism is the most fun I can have and still make money,” he said. “Even the grind is fun.”

Bob Felten, a journalism professor, said he could have talked with the speakers for hours.

“I appreciated how both (Martha Mendoza) and Brendan Riley talked about how much fun their work is,” Felten said. “It reminded me of my days as a reporter and the fun I had then.”

Chris Dudash, a 20-year-old journalism major, said he thought the lecturers shared a wealth of information.

“I thought the speakers were interesting and intriguing,” Dudash said.

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