Challenges of "the news."

"It is about one lowly worker questioning the role of the newspaper as an institution, and about how newspapers are facing the challenges and the new reality of the time we're living in.  If we tell ourselves stories about ourselves in order to know who we are, then for more than a century newspapers have been the backbone of a collective sense of community.  In this new world of virtual living, what will bind us together." - Amy Rowland, author of The Transcriptionist

Lena, protagonist of The Transcriptionist, feels conflicted about the news, its significance and ethics. Her job involves transcribing tapes and messages for the daily newspaper, "The Record." She makes decisions based on her notions of a search for truth.

After being fired for a choice about what to transcribe, Lena approaches a life away from the news. She says, "I thought I was being erased, that's what I imagined was happening with the transcription. That the recorded words were leaking in through my ears, erasing everything inside me."

Today, the job of transcriptionist does not exist because of technological advancements and ways that news is transmitted.

How does our onslaught of news coverage produce negative thinking?

With the constant bombardment of frightening and emotionally charged stories, where will we search for inspiration and motivation?








As Rowland asks, "In this new world of virtual living what will bind us together?"