1. Jonathan Cramer
Why Journalism Matters
Journalism is the art of seeking knowledge, investigating claims, and finding truth in a world
wrought with chaos. Journalism is my calling in life.
I always have wanted to work in broadcast television. My earliest memories as a young boy
are watching televised sports broadcasts. Although I marveled at the athletes, it was the
broadcasters that mesmerized me. I can’t pinpoint what I loved about them the most. Was it
their infectious enthusiasm when recounting the play-by-plays, their endless knowledge about
sports statistics or their uncensored opinions about everybody and everything sports related? All
I know is that when I heard Al Michaels broadcast a football game, I was THERE. Magically, I
was transported from my Philadelphia row house, and I was in that stadium, at that game, and in
that moment. These broadcasters took a two-dimensional television show and turned it into a
three-dimensional experience. These events were real, exciting and extremely personal.
From that time on, I knew broadcast journalism would be my career path. As I got older, I
began to take a much greater interest in the coverage of politics. The coverage of elections and
debates enthralled me. Politics, as I would learn, is the true contact sport. I will never forget Tim
Russert's "white board game-plan" during the 2000 Presidential election, when he infamously
foreshadowed the election coming down to the state of "Florida, Florida, Florida."
I soon developed a greater understanding of the political nature of my surroundings,
especially school. I never shied away from the chance to delve into a substantial discussion with
anyone, on subjects ranging from the school lunch menu to whether student government was
given any actual sovereignty, always trying to decipher facts from fluff.
I later realized, to be a more well rounded journalist requires an even broader knowledge base.
This pursuit prompted me to take on an internship at TJM Investments, LLC. in New York
during the summer of 2010. As news and politics constantly are intertwined, so too, are the
political landscape and the financial markets.
My time at TJM was wonderful, but the most profound lesson I learned during that time was
away from the trading desk. On July 25, 2010, as a pedestrian, I was struck by a motor vehicle. I
broke both bones in my right leg, with the tibia being a compound fracture, and suffered a
fractured skull. I was in a coma for five days. This incident of near death may very well define
why I now have all the abilities and cognitive skills to become what I always wanted to be; a
stupendous journalist. UT Professor of Journalism Robert Jensen said during my first ever class
at the school, journalism at its core is fundamentally seeing the cruelties and injustices of the
world, and "identifying the gap between the rhetoric of the powerful and the realities of
individuals," in order that institutions, both social and governmental, may change for the better.
After going through my accident, I got to experience and witness firsthand the pain and
hardships many people endure and battle every day. The fight to overcome sickness. The fight to
walk again. The fight for a decent quality of life. Several friends I made in rehabilitation were
unable to continue therapy because they were engaged in a struggle with their health insurance
providers. The year I spent in rehabilitation makes up the first 365 reasons why I am now better
able to see and empathize with the plight of the world, and strive every day to shed light on the
realities of our surroundings.