Eagle Hill Middle School eighth graders had the unique opportunity to hear award-winning National Public Radio journalist and best-selling author Mr. Scott Simon speak in a special event held at the school on Tuesday, March 9.

The host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, Mr. Simon has reported on stories from all 50 states and all the continents.

“This is an incredible opportunity for all of us,” said F-M Schools Superintendent Dr. Corliss Kaiser in her opening remarks. “Bringing in expert guests to share their experiences gives us an advantage to go out and be able to work in a fast-paced and changing world.”

Prior to introducing Mr. Simon to the audience, “Big Mike” Fiss from Sunny 102 talked about the different radio formats, including non-commercial stations like NPR that are supported by its listeners.

Mr. Simon then spoke about his early writing experiences and the changes the field of journalism has experienced with the rise in social media.

“The news business is no longer about trained reporters who ferret out, certify and report information,” he explained. “Anybody that has access to social media platforms can report information. Journalism is getting ‘amateurized‘; now everyone can do it.”

Mr. Simon also said the speed at which information is coming out using platforms such as Twitter, is an advantage in the news business, however caution must be used.

“You have to be careful now when reporting information so quickly, because it’s easy for somebody to say something that’s not true,” he said.

He also cited examples of inaccurate reporting in the media including a Pulitzer Prize winning article that ran in the New York Post. The article was later exposed as a fraud but the damage was done, he said.

“The most respected news organization in the world made mistakes,” he said. “We should all have a powerful self interest in not making mistakes.”

He stressed that in journalism it’s important not to become jaded and think you know and have seen everything.

“Curiosity and interest are what keep you getting up and going out everyday,” he said. “I don’t have the same views I had when I was 19. The whole point is to learn new things and challenge yourself.”

Mr. Simon took questions from the audience and many students responded.

The first question was about his thoughts on the siege in Sarajevo that Mr. Simon reported about.

He said that war changed his understanding of conflicts.

“I was a pacifist but couldn’t see a pacifist solution to this war,” he recalled. “Pacifism would be that all the best people would be killed and the worst people would survive and force a new government and a new society.”

Another student asked Mr. Simon who was the most exciting person he had interviewed.

“It’s not the big names, but the people who say something that surprises you that are memorable,” he said.

He listed rock musician Ozzie Osborne as one of the more interesting people he interviewed because of what he told his children about being the last of his friends still alive.

“He told them that everyone around him is dead because of the stupid things they did,” he said. “And they shouldn’t think that because they’re his son or daughter they have some magic gene.”

Another question was about the time Mr. Simon spent in Antarctica reporting on how people live in the scientific stations there.

“There is an international amity there with scientists from all over the world,” he explained. “There is a common curiosity.”

He said he had never smelled air until he smelled it there. “It is literally intoxicating,” he said. “It is spectacular there; it feels like another planet.”

Mr. Simon, who has performed in the Nutcracker Ballet with Ballet Austin and also enjoys dancing with his young daughter, was asked about why he likes ballet.

“I am fascinated by the sport of it and the community of ballet dancers, the music and the storytelling,” he said.

Mr. Simon was also scheduled to speak on the 9^th at Syracuse University as part of the University’s Lecture Series.

His visit to Eagle Hill was made possible by sixth grade teacher Mrs. Carol Borg, who has worked in the past with the coordinator of the lecture series, Mrs. Esther E. Gray, to expose the students to other notable speakers.

“I wanted the students to be able to see and hear what may be a familiar name and voice,” said Mrs. Borg. “Although NPR is not a typical station for students, they may have heard it in the car with their parents.”

Prior to the event, Language Arts specialist Mrs. Ellen Tapley prepared a lesson for all of the eighth grade students to introduce Mr. Simon as a broadcaster and writer. Samples of his work were provided so students were able to read Mr. Simon’s wonderful use of words.