On Sunday afternoon, while trying to make polite conversation with my four-year-old granddaughter, I asked her a dumb question: “Did you have school this week?”
“No,” she replied sleepily.
This surprised me so I followed up. “Why?”
She got a faraway look. “I don’t know. It’s probably summer break.”
It was at this point that I realized the problem. We were talking late on a Sunday afternoon, near the end of an active and eventful weekend, during which her family had hosted lots of visitors and also had gone on a beach outing.
From her perspective, she hadn’t been in school for any of that.. And at the age of four, she’s probably still in the process of working out what a week is, actually, and how it differs from a weekend.
As for the issue of whether it’s summer as or not right now, that may well be one of the disadvantages of growing up in California. You’re never quite sure what season it is out here.
The incident reminded me of exercises I used to conduct in my classes for journalism students on interviewing techniques. I’d recommend that reporters should always try to be aware of how the structure of their questions might influence and sometimes even dictate the answers they receive in return.
Of course, many reporters elicit specific answers deliberately, especially with bad guys. (Just watch “60 Minutes.”)
But the best reporters try to elicit the truth, as opposed to the answer they want to hear. There’s often a very big difference.
Then again, it’s worth noting the unexpected value of simply asking dumb questions, in journalism or in life.
Which leads me back to the conversation I had with my granddaughter. Perhaps a smarter question would have been “What do you do at school?” But then I might never have learned that this is summer break.
LINKS:
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Is Germany Letting Ukraine Down? It’s Not That Simple (Bloomberg)
Germany’s Reluctance on Tanks Stems From Its History and Its Politics (NYT)
Zelenskiy promises to swiftly confront Ukraine corruption (Reuters)
Ex-Russian Commander Explains Why Putin's Success in Ukraine Is Impossible (Newsweek)
The likelihood that the United States is already in recession or will fall into one this year has dropped over the past three months to 56% from a nearly two-thirds possibility, according to a survey on business conditions. (Reuters)
Meta has listed its entire 435,000-square-foot office in the 181 Fremont tower in San Francisco for sublease. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Monterey Park suspect may have been targeting his ex-wife in the mass shooting, mayor says (NBC)
Asian community reeling after Lunar New Year shooting (AP)
California’s strict gun laws don’t eliminate violence, but they have helped (WP)
Microsoft to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI, the Creator of ChatGPT (NYT)
On what would have been the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision, the White House is increasing protections in the face of growing abortion bans. Vice President Kamala Harris announced President Joe Biden’s decision to sign a presidential memorandum to protect medication abortion during a speech in Florida. [HuffPost]
Santos’s financial woes pile up, threatening his political career (The Hill)
Majority of New Yorkers want Santos to resign, new poll shows (Politico)
How Kevin McCarthy Forged an Ironclad Bond With Marjorie Taylor Greene (NYT)
Fox News' defense in defamation suit invokes debunked election-fraud claims (NPR)
Ex-prosecutor calls for new investigation into Brett Kavanaugh over bombshell documentary revelation (Salon)
Four Oath Keepers found guilty of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy (WP)
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Antidepressants can cause ‘emotional blunting’, study shows (Guardian)
Afghanistan professor on girls' education: 'Men must stand up for women' (BBC)
Afghan Girls Cling to Dreams as Taliban Continue Education Ban (VoA)
Taliban militias break into the homes of female university students seeking brides (El Pais)
Afghanistan: 'We're not giving up the fight' (DW)
China makes Lunar New Year appeal to Taliban to protect citizens in Afghanistan (SCMP)
India has blocked the airing of a BBC documentary which questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, saying that even sharing of any clips via social media is barred. (Reuters)
How Arizona, California and other states are trying to generate a whole new water supply (The Hill)
Antarctic: Giant iceberg breaks away in front of UK station (BBC)
Covid, flu, RSV declining in hospitals as ‘tripledemic’ threat fades (WP)
He Was the Last Pick of the Draft. He Became the 49ers’ Savior. (WSJ)
Merriam-Webster buys Wordle-style hit game Quordle (BBC)
These 5 Traces of Ancient Ancestors Still Exist in Human Bodies Today (ScienceAlert)
Man Spends Long Day At Work Waiting To Go Home And Be Lonely (The Onion)
Lyrics
“For A Day Like Today”
By Lee Hazlewood
There's a dream I've been saving for a day like today
Yellow trees, Indian waters flowing softly on their way
There's a dove in the treetops singing peace on the wind
Again again and again
It's just a dream I've been saving for a day like today
There's some hope I've been saving for a day like today
Love will come, love will conquer every heart that beats today
And it may not be perfect, but at least we can try
You and I, you and I, you and I
It's just some hope I've been saving for a day like today
There's a song I've been saving for a day like today
And the words tell a story of our youngens far away
Bring them home, sings the chorus, for they're much too young to die
Must they die, must they die, must they die
It's just a song I've been saving for a day like today
Bring them home, sings the chorus, for they're much too young to die
Must they die, must they die, must they die
It's just a song I've been saving for a day like today
Just a dream I've been saving for a day like today
Just some hope I've been saving for a day like today
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