Life of a Fake Journalist

Glow sticks and bracelets lined the walkways around the Sigma residence hall earlier this week in memory of Western junior Matthew "Glow" Stanley.

Stanley's father, Jeff Stanley, said his son was a very smart and loving person.

"He cared about everybody," Stanley said. "His whole life he'd been willing to help anybody."

Gary Goldfogel, Whatcom County medical examiner, confirmed on Wednesday 19-year-old Stanley, from Puyallup, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Read the full article here.

When I created this blog, I had a long debate about what to title it. At the time, I mainly wanted to post my writing samples to get feedback. I was a PR major in reporting and news writing classes, forced into a journalistic lifestyle. I felt more like a fake than anything else, since being a reporter was not my passion. Thus, I decided on the fake journalist. I didn't realize until much later (with a bit of googling) that the term fake journalist was so negatively used for other individuals. But I didn't care. I'd spent a fair amount of time on this blog already and I wasn't about to start all over. (For the record, everything I post on here is truth, not fiction. If I do write fiction, I will label it as such.)

These days I don't feel like such a fake. My writing and confidence in my reporting skills has vastly improved. I enjoy writing on a deadline and interviewing people to tell their stories. Being on the newspaper again feels right. Its an awesome feeling to see my name in print.

This week, however, it has been a comfort to know that I'm still just a fake journalist; that this lifestyle isn't my future career. I've had a full plate, with work, school and numerous stories. And I've had to write on some hard topics. I enjoy writing about upcoming events, changes in government and other soft news. When it comes to the hard news, I'm more than happy to leave that to the real journalists.

I've got a number of great stories that I'm working on now. I'm looking forward to posting them once they are published. I'll also be posting my list of top juvenile books in the next few days. Thank you for reading, and be sure to comment and let me know if you have any questions about me or my blog. For those of you that are unfamiliar with my blog format, you can post a comment by clicking on the number in the top corner of the post, or by clicking read more. You don't need to register or sign-in to leave a comment. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!

Since I am an avid reader, and recommend books for a living, I decided to provide a few suggestions for books I feel are worth your time. This list includes books that have made me laugh, cry, think about life, inspired me, and stuck with me long after I finished reading them.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Ali. I am a student at Western Washington University studying public relations. I also work at a bookstore. I have been in the book industry for about 5 years. My personal philosophy on the written word is this: I believe that what you read, whether in a newspaper, book, blog, etc. stays with you and becomes a little bit of who you are. I know it's corny, but I like to think it is somewhat true as well.

Thank you for reading. Be sure to check back often for new content. And don't forget to comment on the new design!