Judy Rodgers' Post-Dialogue Summary

Post-Dialogue Summary

Participants in the second International Dialogue for Thought Leaders in Media at the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University have said their good-byes and returned home – to Bhutan, Jerusalem, York, Montreal, and points in the U.S. 

A lot has changed in the field of journalism since the first dialogue at the Fetzer Institute last year, and a lot has changed in the world.  We took the opportunity of this dialogue to reflect together on our values, our vocation, and our beliefs.  Some have felt very dislocated by the shifts in the field and at a loss as to how to work in the area of their calling – journalism.  Others define their vocation as a search for truth and the telling of stories to reveal this truth.  Some are finding their way to other expressions of vocation such as playwriting or are at work helping to redefine the field.

The highpoint moment of the dialogue was the creation of “This I Believe” essays.  Starting on Friday afternoon and continuing into Saturday, participants settled in various places -- most with their laptops – and began work on short essays about their most deeply held beliefs.  On Saturday after lunch we gathered in a circle in the Reflection Center at the Prindle Institute and one by one read our essays to one another.  The room was pin-drop silent, punctuated by explosions of applause and appreciation.  The essays – written by those who write for a living – were personal, profound, and deeply insightful.  We closed that evening with dinner and photo after photo and then good-byes till next year at Fetzer.