Hunting and Gathering Stories

This week, the New Yorker published “What Hunter-Gatherers Can Teach Us About the Frustrations of Modern Work,” by Cal Newport.

One main intent of the article is to explore the extent to which we can understand and perhaps improve our working conditions by considering the life styles of the remote societies that still practice hunting and gathering.

Anthropological research seems to indicate that contrary to common wisdom, these “primitive” societies do not work longer or harder than we do, nor are their lives more difficult or frustrating than ours.

But what resonated for me was just how apt the hunting/gathering style of work applies to certain fields, namely journalism — the craft I spent more than 50 years perfecting. (And I’m still working on the perfecting part.)

Journalists hunt for stories by gathering facts. Some are out there for the picking while other require a long sustained effort overcoming obstacles or specialized skills plus a certain type of fearlessness.

But perhaps unlike some types of office work, journalism can provide the satisfaction on a pretty regular basis of getting a juicy story and publishing it — for the entire community to then consume.

Journalists can feel that they’ve done their job once they’ve brought home the goods.

Another aspect of the anthropological research I found relevant to journalists is hunting and gathering is a type of work that require a long apprenticeship. Most of the best journalists will tell you they benefited from mentors as they were developing their skills at getting the story.

This all may seem somewhat abstract to some people but in the wake of the recent pandemic, battles are raging inside many companies (the New Yorker article focuses on Apple) over the amount of remote work that is allowed given demands for high rates of productivity.

It would be fair to say, I think, that reporters are expected to get out of the newsroom — to go out and hunt down their prey — on a regular basis. Maybe that is another reason this type of article resonates with those of us who are essentially modern hunter-gatherers.

NEWSLINKS:

• Details emerge in Paul Pelosi attack: A break-in, conversation, 911 call, then violence (USA Today)

• Nearly 9 in 10 Americans are worried about politically motivated violence, according to a Post-ABC poll taken after the Pelosi attack. (WP)

• America Can Have Democracy or Political Violence. Not Both. (Edit Bd/NYT)

• Musk boosts surge in misinformation about Pelosi attack (AP)

• Trump aides eye third week of November for 2024 announcement (CNN)

• Fear of Crime Looms Large for Voters, to Republicans’ Advantage (NYT)

• The FBI said it had received credible information about a "broad" threat to synagogues in New Jersey. Some communities started posting extra police to guard houses of worship. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, said, “This is what happens after years of antisemitic comments from public figures." [AP]

• Democrats fear midterm drubbing as party leaders rush to defend blue seats (WP)

• House Majority Whip: US 'on track to repeat' Nazi Germany (Fox)

• How a pro-Trump youth group remade the Arizona GOP, testing democracy (WP)

• The Case For A Democratic Surprise On Election Night (538)

• Several Republican candidates for governor and secretary of state are election deniers in battleground states that play a decisive role in presidential elections. We explain what they could do in 2024 if they win next week.(Reuters)

• U.S., Allies Set Parameters for Price Cap on Russian Oil (WSJ)

• Twitter temporarily closed its offices after telling employees they will be informed by email later in the day whether they are being laid off. The move follows a week of uncertainty about the company's future under new owner Elon Musk. (Reuters)

• China and Germany condemn Russian threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine (Guardian)

• Battle to win back Russian-controlled Kherson imminent (WP)

• Pentagon will pay to upgrade dozens of Soviet-era tanks for Ukraine (Politico)

• War fallout, aid demands overshadow climate talks in Egypt (AP)

• New Covid Variants Are Circulating. Here’s What to Know. (NYT)

• Scientists Discover Huge ‘Extragalactic Structure’ in Hidden Region of Space (Vice)

• Tucker Carlson Screaming In Agony That He Feels Crime Crawling All Over Him (The Onion)